Successful companies pay special attention to visual communication between the client and the brand. Creating such communications is the graphic designer's task, ideally, if it is an employee of your company. But what if there is no such specialist on staff? In this case, there are three options: hiring a graphic designer for permanent remote cooperation, project work (in the office or remotely), or hiring freelancers for individual one-time orders.
At the same time, it is quite challenging to assess the value of the graphic designer. For example, one artist's paintings are worth millions, while no one needs another artist's paintings, even for free. We will approach this question rationally and try to put everything in its place. The key factors are aesthetic taste, a sense of composition, and the ability to combine colors and shapes.
How to determine a good graphic designer for your project?
A good graphic designer adequately assesses their services and knows their price. In addition, a good graphic designer will make every effort to ensure that you are satisfied with the result.
Look at portfolio
The first thing to pay attention to is the designer's portfolio. While reviewing resumes and portfolios, pay attention to the style and quality of the work, and check if there are any references to clients' websites. Look carefully to see if the graphic designer's portfolio has works that you like. It does not matter if these works are not related to your topic.
If you need a graphic designer for a major project, you should look for someone who has already had this experience. Don't cut out resumes with a small number of entries at once: many graphic designers put only the best ones in their portfolios.
Look at cost
The second thing to pay attention to is the cost. No self-respecting specialist with experience will not design a logo for $200. This does not mean that you should apply only to studios with high prices. Large studios include rent and maintenance of offices as well as managers' salaries in the cost of their services. Large studios can also put a high price because of their name.
Look at the number of options offered
You should also pay attention to the number of options offered. For example, you ordered a cab and asked the driver to deviate from the route and drive 10 km more than planned. Of course, the cost of your trip will increase. The same principle works with the graphic designer.
If the graphic designer does not mind and makes ten options at no extra charge instead of the agreed 3, the graphic designer does not respect their work and time. And therefore, the quality of their work will be a big question.
A good graphic designer is interested in doing a quality job. They will provide fewer options but much better quality. A true professional will dive into the specifics of your business or service. They will analyze the market and identify key competitors. Only after that will they outline the basic concepts that are most beneficial to your business.
Look at the communication style
Be sure to pay attention to the communication style with the graphic designer. Suppose the graphic designer answers emails for a long time, allows flirtatiousness, or evades a direct answer to questions. In that case, you can assume that in the work this person will behave similarly. And thus, the project will be delayed, and the work can not be done properly.
Look at personal qualities
Personal qualities are also important. Evaluate the communication skills, customer focus, and willingness to get into a project. If the candidate asks you many questions about the case - that's good.
What to do after you have found a good graphic designer?
Next, you write terms of reference. When writing the terms of reference for the graphic designer, use examples of other brands to show what you like and what you don't like. Make sure there are plenty of such references. Set a reasonable deadline; otherwise, the work can be done in a hurry and poorly. An essential step in the process is filling out a brief, a special questionnaire for collecting important information about the order. As a rule, it contains information about the company, the target audience, the product, its benefits, and its features.
The progress of the work should be broken down into stages, separated by milestones. This helps control not only the timing but also the process of creating the design. You can also pay for the work in stages. Most remote specialists work on the principle of prepayment - it is normal. Be sure to stipulate the number of free edits at each stage - usually two, but there may be more.
Conclusion
Business tasks, which graphic designer helps to solve, are not reduced to the visual appeal of the product. People care about how the design will be combined with usability as well as how responsive it is in terms of meaning. All in all, it all works for a positive brand image, increased sales, and more loyal customers.