Should You Outsource Graphic Design Projects?
As a business owner, you might be wondering whether you should outsource your graphic design needs or try and do it yourself. If you’ve had a little experience in design, or even if you haven’t, with all the tools that are around these days you might be thinking it is easy enough to do your logo and website design tasks yourself.
There are a number of benefits to outsourcing your projects to a local graphic designer. You can save time, and with so much competition for attention in the marketplace, it’s more important than ever to present a polished and professional image.
Why outsource graphic design?
Outsourcing:
- Can save you a lot of time. As a business owner, you no doubt have enough to contend with, and good design takes time. It makes sense to hire a professional to do the job for you so that you can get on with your own area of expertise.
- Creates a professional image for your business. For example, while a D.I.Y. low-cost website might be fine for a hobby or interest group, for a business you really need your website to look professional, and experienced graphic designers know how to make that happen.
- Can be very cost-effective. While it may involve an upfront cost, a professionally-designed website is likely to attract more custom than one that looks a little, well, ‘crappy’! This means that over time you are likely to reap the rewards. Also, don’t forget that your own time is money and doing the work yourself may not be as cost-effective as you think.
Qualities to look for in a designer
Outsourcing your graphic design projects successfully depends on finding the right designer for the job. Here a few things you should consider when hiring a graphic designer.
- Relevant experience. Ask to have a look at their other projects to gauge their level of expertise and experience.
- Good communication skills, and someone you can work with. Ideally you should build a professional relationship with your graphic designer as design projects are a collaborative efforts – so look for someone you can get on well with.
- A designer who can understand your business, including the messages and image you want to convey and who your target audience is. They also need to understand the look and feel you want in your design projects – for example minimalist, playful, interactive, elegant, business-like and so on.
- One who can deliver within your timeframe. However do allow adequate time – good design is not done in five minutes!
- One who can fit within your budget. It’s important not to just opt for the cheapest, as it could end up costing you more in the long-run. In any case, you should get an upfront quote so you have an idea of what it will cost and what you will get for your investment.
Lastly, a professional designer is more than someone who can make a website look good or who can draw nice pictures. Good design is about communication, and graphic designers need to be business-savvy as well as creative. Outsourcing your graphic design projects is more than likely to be well-worth the effort in the long-run, saving you time and stress so that you can get on with what you do best.
