photo credit: Margaret Anne Clarke
I can admit it. I have attempted Do It Yourself design. Sure, it feels good – being creative, visually expressing exactly what is lurking in my mind. But is spending the better part of a day or night hunched over a brochure design trying to figure out a cool design feature really worth my own time?
If it takes me 3-6 hours to design a brochure that takes a designer 2 hours to do have I really saved? I may have saved the bill out of those 3 hours at $50/hr, but I lost 6 hours that I could have done something I specialize in.
I have heard small business owners lament that large design firms can be pricey for simple things like brochure layouts, business card designs or even a website design. And, I’ve been told that freelancers can be unreliable with deadlines, amongst other things (Please know, I’m not trying to pick on graphic designer’s here, it was actually the urging of my own resident designer that I wrote this post).
Having interviewed and hired many firms and freelancers, I’ve experienced some of these laments too. Here are some of the things I take into account when working with designers:
Does the designer display these characteristics?
- ability to create fresh designs again and again
- quick
- reliable
- perfectionist, but not to a fault
- accepting of feedback/criticism
- able to make revisions in a timely manner
- cooperative with your needs
My must do’s of hiring:
- A face to face interview
- A walk through of their portfolio
- Phone calls to at least 2 of their past clients
- Finding out what other jobs they’re working on
- An assessment if they fit the brand and company’s style – conservative, modern, trendy, casual, formal?
When working together:
- Hire the designer for a small project first (less commitment if something doesn’t fit)
- Ask for a written quote with a specified maximum amount they’ll charge for a project, taking the number of revisions into consideration
- Provide them with a work order
- Arrange payment terms before they start working
And I suppose it goes without saying that a lot of design can’t be based on price alone. The quality of work, their understanding of your company’s needs and their communication style should all be factored into your decision.
Of course, you can hire Polished Promotions (*sigh, shameless plug I know) to manage the process if you don’t have the time or if you don’t particularly like providing feedback and working through revisions. Feel free to connect with me for assistance or even just to pass along a referral.
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