relevant links and competitors

I think web and graphic design websites are hard for success in link exchange with relevant websites.

You should do only insert your link on your customers' websites like a lot of specific business webmasters do such as real estate webmasters.

What you need to find is sites that are related to the topic but not direct competitors. There are lots of options here - for example, a site that offers photoshop tutorials, or a site about colour schemes, or a designer that does primarily print work.

You could also try to avoid thinking of fellow graphic designers as competitors. If you make friends with others in your industry they may be willing to link to you.

I'm trying to avoid the subject of link exchanges because I don't think they really work very well - I know that SE's devalue direct and obvious exchanges. It's better to focus on other ways of building links.

I think yhat you need to find web design related web sites, not your competitor's web site. Something connected to web design, not for the service something around

Sometimes web designers (and not web designers) do sell links because bad luck in main business.

I suggest you collect web design website but those are not your competitor’s. Many web design website present on internet. Collect those and send to request for link exchange. Or if you have other websites then the best option is you do three way linking.

Many of the websites offering exchanging of the links have some directory of links on their sites. So, even if the homepage of them is not about your website topic, but they have a web designing link category in some cases, they can also be good.