The quality of graphic design has a very large range. We want to help businesses understand what is important to know when hiring a graphic designer.
How to Decide on a Graphic Designer
Hiring a graphic designer for your business can be a daunting task. It is difficult to understand what a designer is going to do once you get them a deposit to get started. Before getting to that point, make sure to qualify a designer with a certain criteria so that you know that you are paying for high quality graphics. The look of their work is not the only thing you should consider. The way they create it and the programs they use can be a great indicator of the quality and if you are going to get your money's worth. We are always passionate about helping businesses and weather they use our services or not, we would love to be a resource in this area for you.
How to Determine Quality
There are many ways to determine the quality of the graphic design service you are requiring. Most times it is about asking the right questions.
Ask if they are creating vector graphics. The type of artwork determines the type of program that a designer should use. If you are seeking a logo, you want to make sure they are creating the artwork as a vector file in Adobe Illustrator. If the art is created elsewhere, it will need to be redone later down the line because it is not enlargeable or editable. Vector art is extremely important for a logo or any type of large format artwork.
When it comes to layout design of flyers and other print materials, there are other programs that are acceptable such as Adobe Illustrator or Adobe InDesign.
We believe strategy and planning behind a design is of extreme importance. Some projects require more of this but it is important to understand what the designers process is. For a logo, are they sketching, brainstorming, and getting a clear understanding of your business? For a website, is there a clear site map and order of information? For print design, do they have a clear idea of your brand aesthetic and do they have the ability to create cohesiveness between work?
Their portfolio of work is key, but quality of aesthetic is not everything. Our opinion is that communication is key. If they can make an amazing logo that is beautiful, that does not mean it matched the goals of that business. They need to have communication skills so that they can understand your business, your market and your needs.
When you hire a designer most of the time you get what you pay for. If you pay $200 for a logo you will get a few hours of work which is really not significant to develop a quality logo with multiple concepts. On the other hand, if you pay someone $2000 for a logo, you should expect to get multiple concepts, brainstorming, sketching, and expert logo design services. Most of the time you get what you pay for and this is even more so true in graphic design services.
Lastly, connection is one of the most important aspects. There has to be a really viable working relationship between a designer and their client. A designer must understand the perspective of a client while also adding their expertise so that the client can benefit from that.
Hiring a designer is a huge decision because they are carrying out your vision for your business while offering their skill and expertise. This is a short list of areas to consider for hiring a graphic designer but the list could be much longer!
If you want help with a design, we would love to be that graphic design firm that partners with your company.
Call Us Today!
For more information, read our blogs Is Graphic Design an Investment or Expense?
You can also check out How does a Graphic Designer Spend Their Time?
Kimberly Norris | Norrisdc.com | Kimberly@norrisdc.com
