The purpose of this column is to challenge some of the assumptions that many young designers and future firm owners may have entering this profession. Ask yourself if you trust them.The following article by Mark Busse was published in December 2012 in Design Edge Canada Magazine. Check testimonials from former customers. Look for evidence of past successes, customer satisfaction, and longevity. Once you've found potential partners, compare portfolios and samples. Make sure you're comfortable communicating through text and voice chat, particularly if you plan to request changes later. Ideally, it would help if you spoke directly with prospective candidates via phone or email. Then narrow down your choices by focusing on price range, location, skill level, etc. We recommend starting with basic questions until you precisely determine what you need. There's no set rule for determining which kind of designer to hire. So, if you're interested in sticking to a singular vision, try specialising first. That said, the benefits of having a single person who understands your requirements far outweighs the drawbacks. Lastly, while specialisation can lead to greater productivity, you still may pay comparable prices to larger corporations. Don't forget that non-specialist firms exist. Additionally, it would be best to weigh the risks associated with outsourcing work to foreign locations. Unless you hire a reputable firm, you may encounter delays during the prototyping phase. Moreover, specialists can usually develop new concepts or improve upon old ones.Д¬ons:В Working with a specialist requires patience. This leads to faster turnaround time and increased efficiency. Their years of education mean they have plenty of practical experience helping others accomplish similar tasks. Pros:В Specialists are incredibly knowledgeable about their area of expertise. Unlike regular freelancers, specialists generally have formal training in their respective field(s). Specialty Graphic DesignersДЄn emerging category, speciality designers, are talented individuals who focus solely on particular areas like brand development, illustration, UI/UX design, photography, motion graphics, animation, etc. It can sometimes be hard to distinguish one employee's ideas from another's, so keep that in mind when choosing a firm. With an agency, you may get feedback from dozens of employees instead of just one expert. Unfortunately, this can add costs to your overall budget.ДЄlso, you must consider whether or not you'd prefer to receive individualised attention versus group efforts. Lastly, agencies typically have deep pockets so they can afford to pay premium wages.Д¬ons:В Agency fees depend primarily on your budget and the scope of work involved. Plus, being part of an established team provides stability. Not every company has all of this stuff lying around, after all. Pros:В Agency-level graphic designers have access to multiple resources, including tools, equipment, materials, production facilities, art libraries, research staff, etc. These professionals often use Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Canva, Crello, Visme, Invision, etc. Online designers can create logos, banners, infographics, social media graphics, etc., and sometimes include templates for things like brochures and newsletters. This option works well for small or simple projects. But if you need quick results, it's worth considering! Online Graphic Design Services Use caution before signing away control over your designs to a random person online.

Finally, they may not produce long-lasting relationships with clients. There's no guarantee that they'll meet those goals. Also, since freelance workers are self-employed, they're responsible for meeting deadlines and producing quality products.

Some freelancers even offer discounts based on the volume of orders.Д¬ons:В Since they don't operate as businesses, they can struggle managing budgets and timelines. For example, a ВЈ500 job could quickly become a ВЈ5,000 contract. In addition, the cost can vary greatly depending on your needs. Pros:В Freelancers can deliver results quickly without needing approval processes.

Full service graphic design studio