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If you’re starting a business or already have a business and you have been thinking about hire a graphic designer to design your business logo, marketing material, or artwork for your website? Well, before you get started I thought I would share some valuable information you will need to get the best results from hiring your first graphic designer.
To assure that we begin on the same page, a graphic designer designs your business logo, marketing materials including but not limited to print and web ready business cards, brochures, flyers, letterhead, website, etc. Ultimately, a graphic designer communicates your company’s message to your customer. But how do you go about landing a graphic designer you’ll be happy with?
The following tips will give you the basic essentials needed for hiring the right person for your upcoming projects.
1. Look at their portfolio. This is one of the most, if not the most, important thing to measure a designer’s skills and sensibilities by. When you review their portfolio ask yourself, Do you like their work? Do the pieces communicate successfully? Or are they too busy or too dated? Many designers offer a portfolio of samples either on their website, by email as a PDF, or in a hard-copy format.
2. Make sure they’ve actually done the work in their portfolio. This is especially true if you’re reviewing design companies or firms. Make sure that the designers who are still on staff created the work that you really admire. For example, if they’re showing a brochure design or a website in their portfolio, but you love the logo; make sure that they created the logo before hiring them.
3. Talk to the designer. Having an actual conversation with them can really help for two reasons:
- To make sure you can communicate well with each other. If you each have very similar styles of communication, levels of energy, or enthusiasm about the project, then the project will most likely run very smoothly (or has a great potential for success). Also, make sure that you each understand what the other is saying—having similar definitions for concepts is amazingly helpful. When you don’t understand something, ask questions!
- To see if the two of you “gel” together. You’ll be working closely, so make sure that you get along! If you don’t like their personalities or vice-versa, then the relationship will most likely become strained and difficult.
4. Check their rates, especially if you’re a new business looking to keep costs low. This will vary depending on both the designer and how much you have budgeted. It may also depend on your region. Hourly rates can range anywhere from $25/hr for freelance and interns to $200/hr for seasoned art directors. Do they provide a flat fee or an hourly rate? Will they give you a discount in exchange for hiring them for multiple projects? All good questions to ask when talking about rates.
5. Check their references or testimonials. If you really like a particular project in their portfolio, see if you can get that client’s contact information. But, if the designer can’t release it, that’s not necessarily a bad sign, the client may prefers that their contact information be kept private. A quicker way to see client feedback is to check their online profiles, reviews, and their own website for testimonials or press.
6. Learn about their processes. Find out how they plan to execute on the work that you’d like to have done. Ask what the designer needs you to do, what you’ll be asked to review and approve, how decisions are made, and how they’re made final. Make sure your designer is able to guide you through the design process, providing all the information you’ll need along the way.
7. Check their turn-around time for replying to emails, sending quotes, and returning calls. Make sure that it’s in line with the turn-around time that you expect throughout the project. Turn-around time here can also indicate the designer’s level of excitement about your project. However, if it’s a bit slow, make sure they weren’t just out of their office at meetings for the day, or tied up in another deadline—understand that they’re a small business as well, and the fact that they’re busy is probably a sign of how effective they are for their clients!
Allocate enough time for your project to be completed—rush jobs never turn out to be as good as they could be if enough time were allotted. An average logo project takes weeks, not days!
Also, be sure that they have time available in their schedule to complete your project on your timeline. Check for upcoming vacations, and whether they work evenings and weekends if your timeline calls for that.
8. Have a realistic schedule and check the designer’s turnaround time. Allocate enough time for your project to be completed—rush jobs never turn out to be as good as they could be if enough time were allotted. An average logo project takes weeks, not days! Also, be sure that they have time available in their schedule to complete your project on your timeline. Check for upcoming vacations, and whether they work evenings and weekends if your timeline calls for that.
9. You may be tempted to ask for some sample designs for your specific project. This is known as work on “spec” (speculation) which means having a designer do work without a guarantee of getting the project. While designers can understand your fears of what if you don’t like the logo we develop, what if we don’t “get” what you want, what if…
Asking a designer to work on spec isn’t very fair. The first round of designs on any project is the most time-consuming to create, it often consists of researching your company and your competitors, brainstorming on the creative side, and generating first ideas. You wouldn’t ask a doctor to diagnose you before paying for his time, and then offer to pay him if you like the diagnosis—it’s no more fair to do so with a designer.
10. Make sure that you’ll get the deliverables you expect. Some designers don’t plan to include final files in their deliverables to you. If you want to have the original files delivered to you along with printed collateral or the final files uploaded to your web server, make sure the designer knows that up-front. It may change the pricing. Additionally, If you want to be able to edit the final files or if you envision having your final files in a particular format, such as having your letterhead in Microsoft Word, be sure to ask for that. Many designers don’t consider Word files to be part of a standard set of deliverables.
Following these 10 steps gives you all of the background information you need for optimum results when hiring a designer.
So, you have a project and you’ve found your designer. What next? GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING! Also, be prepared to pay 50% of the estimated cost up front. This is standard industry practice. If the timeline has been agreed on, there’s no need to hound your designer every 4 hours asking if he’s got something to show you. Remember to be patient, and let that creativity breathe. Your project deserves it!
Need a graphic designer? Through My Lynnz Media would love to work with you! Contact us now to get started.