What to expect when working with a Freelance Graphic Designer

Are you a small to medium business that’s ready to start designing, branding and marketing your company? Or, maybe you are already established and want a re-fresh on your marketing material and online campaigns.

I have worked as an in-house designer, designer within a marketing agency as well as freelance for my clients. So, i have seen a few different perspectives on this. Here is what to expect and how to be prepared when searching for your designer.

Know your company goes and expectations

Being on both ends of the spectrum, I’ve seen how important it is for the business owner to know their company goals, their own product or service or at the very minimum, have a white paper developed. A seasoned graphic designer can help support this established or newly business owner by guiding them through that process, giving them an outline fo what they should have prepared to help the designer design and market with success. Here are some of those items:

• White paper - this usually has an outline of the vision, mission and goals of the company. This will also outline in detail the product and service product and who it is intended for.

• How far along are you in the business development stage? - I have heard of a phrase “ building an airplane while flying it “ and that isn’t pretty. It is important for a business owner to have their licenses, domains, and business name purchased before-hand. Otherwise, the time invested in producing a logo, website and marketing material just to discover these business names or domains have been reserved by someone else will set both designer and business owner back to the drawing board.

Now, I want to mention here that having a graphic designer who understands business acumen goes a long way in making strategic decisions. A designer that ask the who, what, when, why and how before any work gets started benefits both parties. I like to call this part of the process the Discovery Phase.

• Pricing - Not every designer will charge the same. It would be a good idea to do some research prior to know what the industry rate is for a freelance designer as opposed to what a marketing or design agency would charge. A designer with years of experience will charge a significant amount more than a designer fresh out of college.

  • Why would I pay more if I can pay the other designer less? - Great question. I have had new clients tell me that they have tried 3 designers and each charged $300 but she was not happy with either. These designers did not take the time to consult with this client during the discovery phase, research the industry ultimately not delivering a quality product. So, if you see a $900 price tag for a logo, expect to receive: all file formats, branding guidelines, business card design, logo applications and usage examples.

• Project timeline - You have a deadline ( business launch date ) or maybe you don’t have a set deadline just yet because you are planning ahead. A designer knows how fast they can design and knowing information like business launch or maybe your business building manager requires you to install the signs within 30-60 days. Key information like this helps us designer prioritize certain projects. Be sure that you and your designer map out together a set deadline with milestones within that timeline in order to meet your business goals.

These are just a few tips from me to you that will hopefully save you time and money and get your business off on the right track to success.

Have qustions or need some guidance? Let’s connect.

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