I value your request for help. However, my experience is that a straight barter of design services for development services is not necessarily equitable, as design is most often a fraction of overall development effort and cost, albeit, design is critical and sets the stage for success in a project. At DVmobile, we believe that the first 15% of a project (including design) is what make the remaining 85% of a project successful.

Bartering often implies very low revenue potential in the relationship. It begs for similar circumstances in your partner, a willingness to work for services vs. cash payment.

My recommendation would be for you to attract multiple partners that can leverage your services on a part-time contract basis. If you are attracting customers with your design skills, many development firms, including mine, are willing to do subcontract or partner based work. It’s usually easier to market great design skills in today’s market, than coding skills.