Honestly, the role of a graphic designer is inarguably one of the most underrated job profiles globally. We say that content is the king in today’s digital world. So, if the content is the king, then graphic design is fittingly the chief make-up and wardrobe artist of the king; making it presentable and desirable.

Every organization today, whether big or small, needs a professional and skilled graphic designer in order to scale up their business goals. And, that’s why it is critical to ensure checking out some basic qualities when hiring a graphic designer; especially, when there are so many graphic designing service providers as well as freelance designers available for hire online.

So, before hiring a graphic designer or an agency that offers graphic design services, there are a few important traits which you must duly consider;

Technical skills

When hiring a graphic designer or agency which offers design services, you must understand the skills they acquire. Graphic design is not simply about creating logo designs or book cover design. There’s a lot that can be done and is required by a designer. Check whether the designer has;

    - knowledge of using web design tools such as CSS and HTML.

    - knowledge of using design software tools such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, CorelDraw, etc.

    - knowledge of different typefaces and the entire typography.

    - knowledge of basic design elements.

    - knowledge of UI/UX, print design, and branding.

In short, the greater the technical knowledge and skills a designer acquires, the better is their creativity with designs.

 

Industry experience

An experienced graphic designer or service provider must have a detailed portfolio of their past work from different industry spaces. See to it that you go through the portfolio before hiring a freelance graphic designer in order to understand whether their past work matches your current requirements. Even if it does to a small extent, you can consider moving ahead with them.

Additionally, you must see to it that the designer’s portfolio reflects creativity. You definitely would not want to hire a graphic designer who is not updated with the latest trends in the design world.

It is recommended to hire a graphic designer that has a minimum of 2 to 5 years of experience in your industry.

 

Communication skills

A designer must know how to interact with a client and ask the right kind of questions for their design briefs. The communication must always be clear from the designer’s end in terms of the project timeline, issues, and requirements.

Try and understand how they have worked with their clients in the past. If it’s a well-established design service provider then check out their testimonial segment on their website. See what their past customers have to say about their services and professionalism. If it’s a freelancer, ask for client reviews or check their profile reviews on popular freelance review websites.

These communication skills go a long way towards negotiating and developing relations with the customer. 

 

Expectations

Setting the expectations right from the very beginning is very essential when hiring a graphic designer. The expectation of the kind of work you’d need, the submission timeline, revision status, and the remuneration methods.

Make sure that the designer you are hiring understands the marketing needs and trends as per your brand’s position and value. They must have a habit of sticking to the timeline defined by mutual agreement between them and the client; leaving enough space for revisions.

Also, the mode of payment must be clear beforehand. Would you be required to cut a post-dated check? Or would the payment be done through wire transfer? What details would be needed to raise the invoice? Get every little detail discussed thoroughly in order to set the expectations right on both ends. 

 

Payment

So, while we are on the topic of payment methods, it is essential to consider the cost of hiring a graphic designer as well.

Whether you are planning to hire an individual or a fully functional agency with an entire team of graphic designers, it is important to understand that you know – and appreciate – the true value of the services you’re looking to buy. Be sure to maintain the right perspective when evaluating fees.

Designers who may quote you lower rates might require more hand-holding and direction. That means more of your time spent. However, experienced designers know how to walk the talk. They work efficiently, ask the right questions, and are thorough professionals in terms of services offered.

Finding the cheapest designer might have some appeal. But, you could actually end up paying more through your time spent or in revisions. Their billing rate has to be weighed with other factors. Avoid those who undervalue their services or offer deep discounts to get your business.

To conclude…

We hope that this list of attributes to consider when hiring a graphic designer will help you filter out the best pick out of all your options. GraphicsZoo understands the importance of designing in business success which has helped us provide the best graphic design services to 500+ customers from various industries. With a team of highly qualified graphic designers, we make sure that our clients’ expectations are matched to perfection.

Let us prove our expertise to you by managing your graphic design needs as well. Contact us today at support@graphicszoo.com