By You only get one first impression. So when choosing a logo for your business or helping clients secure one for theirs, you want to make sure it’s done right and by a professional.
That being said, depending on the size of your agency, it may not be practical to put a graphic designer on your payroll full-time.
Fortunately, there are many great options available to outsource your logo design and your graphic design work to a freelancer or service.
How to outsource your graphic design
The decisions you ultimately need to make are:
- Do you want to hire an individual, or go through a graphic design agency or service?
- Would you consider an agency-in-a-box sort of deal, where your graphic design is included along with everything else you need to establish yourself online?
- What’s your budget?
- What’s your timeline?
- What kind of image are you envisioning? What’s something you definitely don’t want, and something you do?
Once you’ve settled these questions for yourself, the next step is a Google search to find the freelancer or service that fits your needs. Alternatively, check out Vendasta’s Marketing Services. Our award-winning in-house team of professionals are here to take care of all your graphic design and marketing needs. If you’re looking for an option you can count on, one that has the experience to get the job done right the first time, book a demo with our team to learn more.
Read on for more information on outsourcing.
What is Outsourcing?
Outsourcing is simply contracting either a one-time or recurring task to an individual or service outside your regular payroll.
Why Outsource?
There are many different reasons why a company may choose to outsource. Generally it’s due to a lack of resources. This may be related to a lack of:
- Time: It’s quicker and easier to delegate specific tasks to an outside worker than hire a regular employee that you have to train on all the ins and outs of your company
- Money: Depending on the circumstances, it can be cheaper to identify, delegate, and pay for only the tasks you need to have finished rather than hire regular employees to complete the work
- Expertise: Occasionally a company will need some very specialized work done, and no one on their team will have the training required to complete it. Rather than hire a full-time employee for what may only be a one-time task, take the time to train a member of your team, or just do the best with what you’ve got, outsourcing is a great (and maybe the only) way to achieve high-quality results without breaking the budget.
Monitoring and Maintaining Quality Control when Outsourcing
Anytime you’re delegating work, quality control becomes a consideration. However, with the right procedures and insight, you shouldn’t have a problem receiving quality work from dependable professionals.
There are three things you need to consider when it comes to quality control. Who is doing your work, what are your expectations, and what tools are you using to monitor their work?
1. Who is doing your work?
There are essentially two routes to go here. You can either hire a freelancer, or go with a graphic design service. There are pros and cons of both, but at the end of the day, the freelancer is the wildcard option, while going with an established service tends to be the safer choice.
Occasionally you can strike gold and find an amazing freelancer who’s just starting out and looking to build their portfolio, or maybe someone who’s been in the business for years and just prefers working for themselves, but things can just as easily swing the other way.
With an established service, you have a clearer paper trail and hierarchy you can reach out to if things aren’t going the way you want them to. Additionally, a business has a harder time escaping a bad reputation than an individual does, so they’re going to be particularly diligent to do all they can do to make sure you’re happy with the work you’re receiving.
Whichever option you do decide to go with, make sure there are lots of legitimate reviews available for them, and that most of them sound pleased with the work they received. Look for details about how they interpreted the vision of the company, how easy they were to work with and communicate with, and if they completed the work in a timely manner.
And finally, one of the most important parts of choosing a designer or design team is to look at their portfolio. No matter how responsible and ambitious a designer is, if their style just doesn’t mesh with yours, it’s going to be a frustrating partnership for both parties. Ask for examples of past work and make sure they match the general idea of what you’re looking for.
2. What are your expectations?
When working with a designer, always over-communicate. Remember, they’re trying to encapsulate your entire business model, brand identity, and ethos in a single graphic, so make sure you’re giving them something to go on. Be sure to tell them:
- What your company does
- Who your target buyer is (if you’ve developed a buyer persona, include this)
- What adjectives you would use to describe your company if it was a person (e.g., young, driven, traditional, hip, classic, edgy, artsy, earth-conscious, etc.)
- Your philosophy, vision for your company, and/or slogan
- If there are competitors in your vertical that you’re wanting to differentiate or distance yourself from, and how (e.g., “We’re sort of like x, but we want to be more focused on athletes”)
- Any ideas you have for colours, shape, text, etc.
It’s also a great idea to include visual examples of logos and designs you do like, as well as ones you don’t. Furthermore, try to be specific about what exactly you like and don’t like. This way you’ll give the graphic designer a better starting point for working with you, rather than just shooting in the dark trying to guess what you’ll like.
3. What tools are you using to monitor their work?
To make sure you’re able to communicate throughout the designated project, add the hired expert to your team’s virtual communication platform (e.g., Slack). If possible, use cloud-based services and collaborative documents so that you can monitor progress.
READ MORE: Check out how Vendasta Marketing Services stacks up to Upwork
Designing the face of your company is not a task that should be taken lightly. That’s why it’s imperative that you have the right people for the job. With these tips, tricks, and questions to answer for yourself, you can feel armed and ready to find that right talent, and with it, a powerful partnership that leads to a stronger company and a more successful you.