Find your Ideal Designer: 6 Things to Consider & 6 Questions to Ask.

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No marketing plan can succeed without a creative counterpart. Research has shown that design-led companies consistently provide a greater return to shareholders compared to other companies as it distinguishes your business from competitors and promotes your values in alignment with your market. So, how do you find someone who is qualified to do the job, who you can trust to take care of your business as they would their own?

The market is saturated with graphic designers with varying levels of experience, specialties, and rates. Many are capable and experienced, but a dynamite portfolio doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll develop a compatible working partnership. Choose wrong, and you may receive a product that doesn’t function well or a partnership that doesn’t serve your management style. Choose smart, and you may receive a full return on your investment and a partnership that flourishes over the long term.

If you are inexperienced with the creative side of business, it can be hard to know where to start. Whether you are looking to hire an employee or recruit a freelancer or agency, consider these 6 important factors to help you narrow the field to find your ideal creative partner:

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE

Designers who have worked in ad agencies or design studios are accustomed to working with a variety of clients in diverse industries and are generally efficient with their time. Designers who have worked with corporate teams are often keen on brand standards and sensitive to budgetary constraints. Designers with an education background are often clear communicators. Designers with multi-faceted experience generally offer the best of all worlds. Your candidate’s background may give you an idea their motivation, experience, and collaborative skills.

Gain further insight by researching the designer’s media outlets. It’s possible they have a podcast or blog. If you find yourself learning from them, they can likely offer you more bang for your buck.

VALUE

Like many industries, the old saying often applies to design services, you get what you pay for. Defining a subjective idea like “value,” however, requires you to first gain clarity on your end goals and primary objectives. If your goal is to acquire strategic creative recommendations to help you overcome specific obstacles and you could accept if a design proof is different from what you envisioned, then contact an experienced, high-end designer. If you have a very specific, pre-determined design you want produced and you would be comfortable accepting any ramifications should that product not function as you hoped, then a less experienced designer may be able to produce your vision at a lesser cost. If your goal is to find the cheapest possible price, consider whether your problem is important enough to properly solve.

 Less-experienced designers charge lower rates, but they often need more hours to complete a project. You could end up paying more in the long run through time spent in revisions. Experienced designers typically need less direction and have relationships with important industry experts. Maintain the right perspective when evaluating fees and understand the true value of the service you’re looking to buy.

 Gain further insight by providing the designer with a basic project scope. Ask for a ballpark estimate of hours. If a prospective designer’s fees are way out of your budget, you’ll know right away without further wasting anyone’s time.

AVAILABILITY

If you are backed up against a hard deadline, learn how your project would fit into the designer’s existing workload. This may dictate the kind of attention you receive, the kind of deliverable they can produce, or if they have any availability at your preferred time.

 Gain further insight by establishing a deadline (even an arbitrary one) asking how they could solve your problem within that time frame.

PORTFOLIO

Before scheduling a call or meeting, be sure to review and understand the designer’s portfolio and case studies. The work they showcase will provide valuable insight into their strategic approach and general aesthetic. If your hope is to develop a long-term relationship, look for a variety of capabilities. Discover if they have done work for businesses like yours and determine how their skills align with your needs. If you’re looking for logo design but their portfolio is mostly web design, they’re probably not the right fit. If your field is manufacturing, but their work is primarily in the hospitality field, they may not understand your audience. If your project requires a look that is bright and busy, but their portfolio pieces are neutral and minimalist, you shouldn’t ask them to change their aesthetic just for you.

Finally, understand the types of skills you require to get your project across the finish line. You may need a web page developed, but that’s not just UX/UI. Website production also requires copywriting, image capture, editing, and brand identity integration. Ask your candidate their process of producing multi-faceted media. Ideally, you find a creative director who can oversee the production of each piece to help you achieve critical brand consistency.

Gain further insight by inquiring about specific portfolio pieces’ objectives, inspiration, timeline, and the designer’s role in producing that piece. Ask how they might have solved a problem like yours for another client.

WORK STYLE

Remember, you’re looking for more than certain creative skills. Take the time to understand the designer’s motivation, work hours, communication style, and personality as these elements are just as important as their design skills — elements you won’t find listed on a resume. For example, if you’re working remotely on opposite ends of the country, you might find that time zones create a barrier for in-person meetings, which could hinder an important collaborative step in producing your project.

Gain further insight by hiring the candidate for a simple trial project. Of course, you’ll pay them for their work on this project. In return, you’ll receive not only an important deliverable, but also first-hand insight into the designer’s work style before you embark on a months-long endeavor.

THE BIG PICTURE

Setting expectations early in a working relationship is one of the clearest ways to start off on the right foot. Since the first step in solving a problem is defining it, provide the designer with good background information. Write a creative brief that details your company, campaign objectives, audience, market, deadlines, deliverables, and any potential obstacles. You could even start a Pinterest board with inspiration. Remember, they’re vetting you at the same time you’re vetting them. Solid groundwork will not only help them gauge whether they can meet your expectations, but also builds trust and understanding of your organization.

Does the designer ask questions and attempt to understand your challenges? Or do they rattle off a list of their own accomplishments? An experienced designer may support your early ideas or respectfully challenge them. Please note: challenge can be a good thing! Being amenable to reconsidering your own thinking can support a dynamic working relationship, as well as achieve the best possible solution to the problem at hand. Everyone flourishes when you’re both willing to learn from one another.

Gain further insight by defining a metric that will determine the future success of your project.

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Finding the right designer for your business is a personal process, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Ask business associates or alumni groups for referrals, reach out to creative organizations like your local chapter of AIGA, or search Google and Instagram and you should quickly find a great pool of talent from which to vet. Follow these considerations and you’ll no-doubt build a great team of professionals to help you take your business to the next level. Good luck.

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If you’ve found your niche and you’re ready to launch a new campaign or dominate your market, we’d love to chat with you about the ways we could use design to support your success. Please reach out with any questions, we love to meet new creative people.

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To learn more about building your creative team to achieve the most value for your small business, read our book: Discovering Your Authentic Brand.