You’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none” before. It’s relevant in many areas, and perhaps most relevant in marketing and communications departments across the country. Often, due to shrinking budgets and smaller department sizes, people within marketing teams and departments are expected to have a little bit of experience and ability in an ever-growing list of areas.
Take a few minutes to look around online and you’ll find countless job postings written for a unicorn; organizations looking for a full-stack web developer and copywriter who is also an analytics expert and experienced with Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator.
If that sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. In an era of increasing specialization, it is next to impossible to find a job candidate who is good at just about everything. But what you can do, and one of the actions that can have the biggest impact on the quality and results of your marketing efforts is to hire a graphic designer.
Dedicated, knowledgeable graphic designers can do much more than produce pretty logos or business cards; the best graphic designer can elevate your brand and your products, provide your company with a consistent look that cements your brand in people’s minds, and best of all, grab the attention of your customers.
Let’s look at what is involved in hiring a graphic designer and bringing those skills and results to your organization.
What is Graphic Design?
As mentioned above, graphic design is not just about a good-looking logo or a fancy brochure. According to the American Institute of Graphic Arts, graphic design is “the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content.” While that definition of a graphic designer might seem thin, taking a moment to think about everything that definition encompasses gives you a clearer picture of what graphic design is.
There are so many areas where hiring a graphic designer makes sense. Graphic designers are involved in numerous areas in organizations and businesses, doing everything from helping startups identify their visual style and brand identity, to designing digital and print advertising pieces, developing company and product logo design, creating the look and layout of entire trade show booths, leading the user interface design development for applications and sites, and much, much more.
What Type of Graphic Design Services do I need?
The possibilities for graphic design services and projects are almost limitless, then. So, how do you determine what graphic design services your business needs?
The short answer is to make a list of all of your communication channels, your marketing and media efforts, and anywhere your brand needs to be reflected. This is likely to be an extremely long list, but it’s one way to narrow down focus areas for graphic design, and areas where you can really elevate your brand or organization. Maybe you want to rethink your logo, or maybe you just want an expert eye to help you redesign the appearance of your mobile app. From content marketing to product packaging, publications, and everything in between, graphic design is an important and impactful way to make a difference.
Should I Work With a Design Company or a Marketing Agency?
Just like lawyers or doctors, there are a lot of different types of design, and just as many different types of agencies and companies that you could work with.
There are two main categories for companies you might choose to work with – a design firm or company, and a marketing (or digital) agency. Within each of those, there may be more specialization in terms of projects and clients, but generally, these are the two main options you will be faced with.
A design company focuses almost exclusively on just that—design. Their work might be exhaustive (including brand development, image, and identity, etc.), or it might be very campaign specific (new product launch, logo development, and so on). Either way, design is king when you’re working with a design company. It’s what they know best, and it’s what they do best.
Working with a marketing agency, they will likely have a much more comprehensive team including everything from strategy to planning, analytics, and design. Again, this will vary depending on the firm and its specialties, but you can usually expect a marketing agency to bring more options or potential services to the table.
Choosing between either of these (or choosing from a wide range of options) really comes down to the question of what your design needs are. Whether it’s a trade show, a new product launch, or reimagining your entire brand, narrowing down your company’s specific needs will allow you to choose the best partner.
Positives and Negatives of In-House vs Freelancers vs Agencies
“What about just hiring a designer in-house,” you ask? “Or what about working with a freelance graphic designer?” These are, of course, terrific options, but as with agencies, there are pluses and minuses to each potential choice.
Working with a freelancer, for example, is a great choice if you’re short on budget and if the scope of the project is reasonable for a single person. On the other hand, a freelance graphic designer will have a bit of a learning curve to fully understand your product, brand, or organization. Additionally, they may have other clients and multiple projects going on simultaneously, so you should closely examine and establish realistic expectations for the time commitment.
A design agency will have a team of design experts and can draw on those resources for concepts and production. Additionally, you’ll have a dedicated point of contact, and lines of communication will be very good so that you can guide the project and provide valuable information along the way. Agencies will have a fee that is commensurate with those resources and their experience, of course, so budget accordingly. And you will need to have your specifics laid out upfront, because each round of changes or a different direction may come with additional charges.
Finally, hiring a dedicated graphic designer to work for your organization is always a great option. If you have an effective and complete onboarding process, they will learn a tremendous amount about the company and the brand, and may even be able to hit the ground running. However, the costs associated with a new hire, and the amount of time it may take to bring someone up to speed within your organization, are both possible drawbacks to bringing your graphic design needs in-house.
Why You Should Outsource Graphic Design
While any of the above options can provide you with the graphic design services that you need, the best choice for a lot of companies is to outsource their graphic design projects. Why is that? Well, there are multiple reasons why outsourcing is often the best path when it comes to graphic design. First and foremost, it is a cost-effective way to have your projects completed professionally and efficiently. Rather than all of the costs associated with searching for, hiring, and onboarding a new employee, outsourcing allows you to skip those steps and save the expenses associated with them, getting right to the project(s) you need addressed. Speaking of skipping those steps, outsourcing graphic design work also saves you time. Not only the hiring and onboarding time mentioned above, but also the time involved with production turnaround. Good graphic designers and graphic design firms have an established workflow and a process that allows them to get started on design right away. Design firms are highly efficient, and have people who manage the project, the billing, and so on, so that the graphic designers can get right to the heart of the project. All of these factors mean you can usually expect to see results more quickly.
Finally, outsourcing your graphic design projects provides you with something that any company can use from time to time – an outside perspective. Fresh eyes on your brand and your message can help you catch things you might have missed, or even offer you a new way of thinking about your brand and the visual representation of your company or products. And those perspectives can lead to big improvements.
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Hiring a Marketing Agency for Your Graphic Design Needs
Of course, there are many more questions you have when hiring a graphic design company or a marketing agency that offers graphic design services. From where to start to where to find a graphic design partner, there are some key steps and pieces of information when outsourcing your graphic design projects. And the first question is almost always, “how much does it cost?”
How Much Does It Cost for Professional Design Services?
The question of budget is, as you might expect, a complicated one. There are any number of factors that go into determining how much your graphic design project (or projects) may cost. Let’s take a quick look at a few examples of “determining factors” that can impact the price of graphic design services.
Ongoing Projects and Branding
What types of graphic design projects do you need help with, and is your company branding already firmly established? These questions are closely related. You may think that you only need graphic design services for a handful of items or for a single campaign, but it may turn out that your brand needs to be reevaluated in order for your campaign to make sense and be effective.
Additionally, will your company be requiring ongoing services? Most small and mid-size businesses that outsource their graphic design work are outsourcing all of it. They secure a relationship with a graphic design firm or marketing agency, and their projects flow exclusively through that team. Many graphic design firms, regardless of size, are eager to have a strong, ongoing relationship with a client. So the rate may vary depending on the frequency and volume of work you will be doing with a design firm.
Types of Graphic Design Services Needed
The types of designed elements that you are seeking from a graphic design company will often determine the price of your contract as well. There are experienced designers that specialize in certain types of work, such as:
- Website design and mobile app design
- Digital advertising
- Email and CRM template design
- Social media design
- Print media
- Conference and trade show booths
And many more.
Graphics for Web Design
There are several experienced organizations that specialize in the creation of web design graphics and elements. Prices for web design work can range anywhere from $500 to well over $5,000, all contingent on the size and scope of the project. Graphics packages to enhance your existing website or separate design elements may be only a few hundred dollars.
Comprehensive web or application design, on the other hand, will involve more people and cost more money, as you would expect.
Graphics for Social Media
Social media design can also have a wide range of pricing, from $200 for a couple of quality graphics, to several thousand dollars for the creation of multiple graphics across a full social media campaign.
Other graphic design needs
Other graphic design services, such as sales sheets, brochures, mailers, and so on, will all have variable price ranges as well. For a small company brochure, for example, you can find graphic design services priced anywhere from $250-$1,000. Product packaging designers generally charge $40-$50 per hour for a project, but may also offer a fixed rate between $100 and $1,000+ per project (depending on the requirements).
Copyright and Trademark Concerns
Outsourcing your graphic design projects also brings up the question of copyrights and trademarks. This question is important both to the graphic design company you work with and your own organization.
You can trust a graphic design firm that you work with to honor any trademarks and copyrights held by your brand, including logos, previous design work, and messaging. Your existing copyrights or trademarks remain yours, and they’ll be honored by your chosen firm.
Many design firms who provide clients with contracts also include language that explicitly states what the copyright policies are. This language may vary from company to company, but in general, a client will receive the finished graphic design products and will be able to use them in any manner necessary.
How to Find a Graphic Design Partner
Next, how do you identify and hire a graphic design company or digital marketing agency that will work best for your brand and your goals?
First, using the information we talked about earlier, you want to set expectations – both yours and the graphic design firm you choose. Start with your own, including the goals, the full scope of the work, the type and number of design elements needed, and so on. The more information you bring to the initial meetings, the more likely you are to find the right graphic design partner for you.
Then, you begin looking. If you have chosen to hire a freelancer, for example, there are a number of terrific sites specifically for freelancers, and they often include a portfolio of their work and a statement about their design strengths. If you’ve decided to contract with a graphic design agency, there are numerous options available. You can narrow your search down to design firms that are local to your organization, or you can find a number of directories and rankings for graphic design firms online – including here at UpCity.
Skills to Look for in a Graphic Design Partner
When evaluating design partners, there are a number of skills you can look for. And the most important one might not seem design-related.
First and foremost, look for a graphic design partner who listens. The more interested a graphic design company is in learning about your company, your brand, and your goals, the better the results will be for everyone involved.
You also want to see variety in their portfolio samples. The breadth of a graphic design firm’s work speaks volumes about their creativity, and about the fact that they take each project and each client as their own unique personality – their one-of-a-kind brand.
Ideally, you’ll find yourself working with a design partner who is curious. They want to ask questions to really get to the heart of your project, and their research is thorough.
Questions to Ask When Choosing a Graphic Design Partner
Doing research and being curious should apply to your side of the hiring process as well. Here are just a few of the questions you could (and should) ask when choosing a graphic design firm or freelancer.
- What can you tell me about your results for other clients?
- What is your design process for this type of project?
- Do you charge extra for revisions?
- What creative role do you play in working with clients?
- How will you keep us informed about progress on our designs?
- What files and formats will be delivered at the end of the process?
- What kind of timeframe does your team need for design projects?
Post-Hiring Expectations and Ongoing Relationships
Once you have hired a graphic design company or agency, you can expect open lines of communication and a good working relationship. You can also expect that the more information you provide, the more smoothly the process will go.
Graphic design companies consist of very talented people, and they thrive on creative opportunities. So, if you are clear about your expectations but also ensure that you and your team are open to new ideas, you can usually expect to be surprised at the possibilities for your company and your brand.
You can also expect that any feedback you provide will be received well. You want the relationship with your graphic design company to be strong, and that means being open to feedback and requests. You want to work with a company that is ready to serve the needs of your project and to hear from you at any time.
Keeping Your Brand In Focus
You have a good start now on finding and hiring a graphic design company to work with, but there is much more to the process. Before you begin the search, make sure that you have talked to your team and the people who know your brand best, and get a consensus on your graphic design needs and goals that you put into a creative brief. When everyone is on the same page, you can find the right graphic design agency for you, your team, and your brand.