Hire A Graphic Designer

Visual communication plays an important role in building a successful business. Through compelling design, people can recognize and remember your brand much more easily.

These days, visual messages are at the heart of effectively promoting your business. Hence, many business owners hire graphic designers to let their ideas come alive. Graphic designers create visual content that not only enhance emotions and stir up memories but also alter people’s attitudes and trigger their imaginations.

Here are some things you need to know before deciding to hire a graphic designer.

What Does A Graphic Designer Do?

Graphic design is an umbrella term that encompasses several disciplines in visual communication. Here are some of the most common services that you can expect when you hire a graphic designer:

Brand Design

For many companies, this is the main reason why they opt to hire a graphic designer. They can help create visual messages that embody the company’s mission and vision through graphics, color, typography, and images. These materials help people associate certain color combinations, fonts, and other visual elements with a company.

Image Editing

This is perhaps one of the most common services that graphic designers offer. They can help manipulate images like photographs and illustration to enhance them.

Icon Design

Icon design is the process of designing a graphic symbol that represents some real, fantasy or abstract motive, entity or action. A graphic designer can help you create icons that symbolize a program, a function, data or a collection of data on a computer system.

Illustration

Graphic illustrations are useful marketing tools. They can help to express ideas visually, clarify concepts, sell products, educate and promote.

Typography

A graphic designer can help you with arranging fonts and written words to communicate your ideas in an appealing way.

Print Design

Some graphic designers specialize in creating print design. They create materials that are meant to be printed on physical surfaces rather than on digital interfaces. They can help you with corporate memorabilia, stationery, banners, and even billboards.

User Interface Design

If your product or service relies on human-computer interaction and communication in a device, then a graphic designer can help you with UI design. They can help maximize the usability and user experience of your product through.

How to Find a Graphic Designer

By far, the easiest way to find a graphic designer is to use a freelancer marketplace like FreeUp. Here, you can gain fast access to top talent with no sign up or monthly fees.

All you need to do is create a free account to join the FreeUp. Afterwards, you can start requesting the exact freelancer you need. In one business day, you’ll be introduced to a pre-vetted graphic designer who can help boost your brand in no time.

Of course there are other ways to find a graphic designer (but they aren’t always as easy or as reliable as using FreeUp).

You can use crowdsourcing platforms to hire a graphic designer through a bidding or competition.

If you have a business website, you can use it to post a notice that you’re looking for a freelance graphic designer. If a designer happens to visit your website and shares your vision and mission, he or she would most likely contact you for a chance to collaborate.

You can also ask for referrals from your network. This is a great way to find a reliable graphic designer with a proven track record.

Don’t forget the power of social media. Leverage your presence on Facebook, Instagram, and even Pinterest and announce that you’re looking for a graphic designer. This is a great way to spread your reach and hire a graphic designer from a larger pool of talent.

Finally, you can also attract professionals through LinkedIn. This social media platform is built primarily to help people build professional relationships so you can easily find interested professionals who can help you with your graphic design needs.

How to Hire a Graphic Designer

Finding the right graphic designer you can harmoniously work with isn’t always simple. Some people go through a lot of trouble only to find out in the end that the quality of work isn’t what they expected or their timeline isn’t met.

Here are some steps that can make the hiring process a little easier for you:

Step 1: Prepare a Project Brief

Before going all out with announcing that you need an extra pair of hands for your graphic design needs, you must first create a project brief. This little document lets you identify what you need, how much you’re willing to spend, and your expected timeline.

Potential candidates can refer to it in order to find out what the expected output is, how long they can work on it, and how much they’ll get paid for the project. Bear in mind that bigger projects like a full marketing package requires a longer period to complete and a bigger budget.

Apart from containing the project specs, you can also use the project brief to highlight the soft skills you need from a graphic designer like communication and time management.

Step 2: Shortlist Candidates

Once you’ve posted your project brief on your chosen platform, inquiries will start coming which will allow you to shortlist candidates who may be a good fit for you. In this step, you can check for their work history, experience, design style, and the software they use.

Ask yourself these questions to facilitate the shortlisting process:

• Does their design aesthetic match what you are looking for?
• Have they created projects that are similar to what you need?
• Are their outputs well-executed?
• Do the pieces they have designed in the past look cohesive?

Step 3: Onboard the Graphic Designer

Once you’ve found a graphic designer whom you’ll be happy to work with, it’s time to onboard them.

Onboarding gets them up to speed on your expectations about hours, deadlines, and communication methods. It also introduces them to the kind of working culture your company has.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Graphic Designer?

The cost of hiring a graphic designer depends on a lot of factors including the type of projects, the design elements you need, the experience of the graphic designer, the revision process, and even location. More complex projects tend to cost more than simple logo designs.

Some freelance graphic designers charge hourly rates. Newbies tend to charge anywhere between $20 and $50 per hour. On the other hand, designers with more experience can charge you between $65 to $150 per hour. Often, designers charging by the hour may have separate charges for revisions.

Alternatively, some graphic designers charge their clients project-based rates. Simple projects like logo design that is based on standard templates can range from $150 to $450.

Meanwhile, if you need a logo designed from scratch, it could set you back anywhere from $500 to $2,000. A suite of stationery, on the other hand, can cost between $300 to $600. The beauty of project-based rates is that the cost of revision is already included in the package.

Wrapping Up

Hiring an experienced graphic designer could be exactly what you need to take your business to the next level. If you’re interested in learning more about how a graphic designer can help convert leads into customers, check out this blog post.