“How do I hire a graphic designer? What do I say?” I get asked this a lot especially as I network in my hometown and on the Internet. I figured since this question is so popular, I’d answer here for all of you too!
Before you hire a graphic designer determine what type of work needs to be done and what your maximum budget is going to be. It’s okay if you don’t know what something is called, but make sure you can describe it and it helps to have pictures or websites handy that you can use to show your designer what you’re looking to achieve.
Once you’ve gotten through this step and you’ve looked online or gotten recommendations and looked through everyone’s website and portfolio it’s time to hop on a sales call with your potential new graphic designer.
You want someone who will resonate with you and that you find easy to communicate with, which is why I recommend a phone call. It doesn’t mean you’ll be communicating with the designer this way all of the time. In all honesty, most of the work will probably be done over email.
On your sales call with the designer, you’ll first want to tell them about your project, your audience, and the type of work you do.
Next, a great topic to chat about is their process. Every designer has their own way of doing things. You’ll want to understand how they do their work and how involved you are going to be. Some designers like myself love sending you options to review and have you make decisions alongside them. Others enjoy sending you one or two best-fit designs that you can then approve or choose to make changes on.
Alright, now I’m going to teach you a fun new word — turnaround time. This is the amount of time it will take for your project to get done. They might ask you about your deadline, but if they don’t a great question to use to introduce the subject is “what is the average turnaround time for a project like this?” That question will allow you to understand what kind of time typically goes into a project. Remember this is an average amount of time. Yours might take longer than this or it might take less time.
Lastly, if it hasn’t been discussed already, mention your budget. Find out what the payment policies are. The uncomfortable truth is that graphic designers are used to chasing their money and are often being shorted by clients and this sometimes dictates their payment policy. The common ways I’ve heard designers like to get paid are a deposit paid upfront with the infusions of money as the project progresses, all the money upfront for a flat rate (which is what I do), or after the work is approved. For larger cost projects ask about payment plans, sometimes the designer will be willing to accommodate them and sometimes they won’t be, but it doesn’t hurt to ask especially if you already love the designer and know you want to work with them.
Knowing what to discuss when you’re ready to hire a graphic designer should make the entire process easier and connect you with your perfect fit designer sooner.
By the way, I’d love to invite you to a FREE 30 minute 1:1 Getting to Know You Strategy Session full of tips tailored for your business to help you now. I only schedule these via email, so if you want one, email me today! Let’s chat about how branding and design can get your business where you want it to be! Talk to you soon!