The A-Z Guide of How to Hire A Freelance Graphic Designer

Whether it is for designing the business logo, creating a brand identity, designing your regular templates, packaging, or website, business services today, often require the services of a graphic designer. A Graphic Designer comes under the graphic design and arts industry who collects images, typography to create a piece of design.

Most of us shy away from hiring a professional designer, often underestimating the job at hand, it is fair enough to proclaim the difference a generous dose of creativity and good design can make to your business.

Why Hire a Freelance Graphic Designer?
Points to keep in mind while Hiring Freelance Graphic Designer

• Keep Contact with Your Designer
• Negotiate Pricing Before Working
• Have a clear Job Description
• Check the Skills Set
• Conduct an interview
• Things to look out
• Make A Contract Before Working

How to Find a Freelance Graphic Desginer
Pros and Cons of Freelance Graphic Designer
Conclusion

Why Hire a Freelance Graphic Designer?

According to Upwork and Freelancer website, 63% of freelancers in the US choose a work-from-home career over traditional jobs. So if you intend to use the visual media to grab eyeballs and let the content do the talking, you need to find the right graphic designer. Before you hire a Freelance Graphic Designer, you have to specify your needs for hiring them. You should know:

• What you need to be designed (website, logo, poster,etc.)
• The look and feel, anyone (including you) going to have.
• The basic elements of your brand identity.

You should have a vision in your mind that you want your designer to bring forth. Before hiring a designer, you need to be clear about what you want from your designer. A graphic designer will create a completely different design if your target demographic is children than they would if you are going to target seniors. So, knowing your audience and explaining it to your designer is the key to your success.

The 10 Best Tools for Graphic Designers

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Here comes the time to hire a Freelance Graphic Designer. A Freelance Graphic Designer will work remotely on a project by project basis for clients who will approach them for their service. How do you learn the nuances of hiring a freelance graphic designer? Take a look.

Points to keep in Mind While Hiring Freelance Graphic Designer

1. Keep Contact with your Designer

Once you have decided which designer you want to work with, its time to make contact. Reach out and let them know that you are interested in working with them. Give them the structure of your project and ask them whether they are available or interested in working for them.

2. Negotiate Pricing Before Working

Once your designer has let you know that they will work for you. The next question is to ask them for rates or share your budget. But before you ask this question, it is important to have a clear understanding of market rates for different Graphic Designer projects. When it comes to pricing, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Fair rates are going to be dependent on your designer, their experience, the scope of the project, and competitive rates in their market. Ask your designer about their rates, compare it to your budget, and then come to a number that fits for both of you.

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3. Have a clear Job Description

Job Description - Details about the company. Who are you? What does your company do? What previous projects you have undertaken? What are your goals and vision? Build a background for the designer to work with, instead of straightaway moving to the work at hand. Are you looking for any specific professional experience or a particular set of skills that the applicant must consider while applying for the job? Are there any project deadlines that need to be considered? Jot down your preference criteria while selecting the right freelance designer and make a list of your requirements (if any) accordingly.

A design brief is a specific description of what all is required of your job applicant. It includes all that needs to be done, what is expected of the design result, specifics to keep in mind while designing, and all the other relevant information that your graphic designer would need, before getting down to business. You may think the design is a fairly ambiguous area, but that’s just not so. Here’s the breakdown, a good design brief will give you good results. If you are still confused about how to frame a design brief, take a look at this blog. Hire the right freelancer.

4. Check the Skill Set

It is obvious, that each designer comes with his or her unique skill set, working style, and experiences. The question is, how to find the one who not only ‘fits the bill’ but also carries the necessary skills to deliver great results? Here are some of the points you should consider before coming to your conclusion. Software expertise Understanding of color psychology Ability to illustrate Typography and Lay-outing skills Experience of working for different platforms Design portfolio and work experience.

5. Conduct an interview

Conducting an interview has its own merits. Many companies, these days, prefer interviewing the potential candidates over the phone or via Skype. By conducting an interview, one can decide if the candidate seems passionate enough to do the job, besides acknowledging their personality and desire to give their best.

Ask your prospect designer of his or her favorite/most recent projects, and how much time they require for a particular project. Once you’re familiar with their working styles and their approach towards work, it would be easier for you to ascertain if the candidate is, indeed, the right choice.

6. Things to look out

When you find a good designer you will be very eager to work with them. But don't let your eagerness make you turn a blind eye to any future threats. If your designer takes days to complete your project, asks for the entire project fee before starting their work, refuse to give references or samples, or makes you feel uncomfortable, that's not the designer you should work with. Any threats you notice in the beginning before you actually hire them are only going to get worse once you start working together.

7. Make A Contract Before Working

There should be a contract between you and your designer, it protects both parties during and after the project. When you work with the freelancing sites the contract is always taken care of, but if you're writing a contract on your own, be sure to include:

• The timeline of the projects including all relevant details.
• How many edits are included in the project fee
• Pricing Terms
• Any Confidential Rights
• Before you get started, both you and your designer should sign off on the contract.

How to Find A Graphic Designer?

It’s an era where the internet rules and needless to say, there are several websites out there that can help you find a graphic designer. Websites like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, and Toptal exist just to freelance, offering a common platform for freelancers and recruiters to connect. 61% of freelancers specialize in 2 to 3 skills.

It must be mentioned though, that most of these websites are open platforms that do not screen their applicants and hence, may lack the candidate’s authenticity and quality. This means anyone can sign up, make a profile, and apply for the job and you may end up with an endless volume of job applications. Here is a list of some of the best freelance sites for graphic designers like Fiverr, Upwork,99 Designs, and Freelancer.

12 Best Websites to Find Freelance Work Online in India

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Pros and Cons of Freelance Graphic Designer

There are certain things to keep in mind while hiring a freelance graphic designer. Freelance graphic designers come with their pros and cons.

The Pros are:

• They get paid on a project by project basis.
• Can be hired for each project according to their specialization.
• Can be hired whenever you have design needs.

The Cons are:

• Won't be so familiar with your brand, so you need to tell them about your brand.
• Won't be available to come to an important meeting.
• It takes time to find the right freelancers for your company or brand.

While one gets the liberty of employing highly specialized people, different for each project or, based on one’s design needs, it also takes a fair amount of time and effort to find and employ the right one.

Conclusion

A key point that should be taken care of is that it is important to develop an understanding between yourself and the designer. Collaboration is the key. The designer’s point of view might be different from yours. Determine his or her interpretation of your design brief, then explicitly express everything that is required of the designer, in the final design. So now that you know what to keep in mind while looking for a graphic designer, remember to keep an eye out and trust your instincts. Happy hiring!