12 tips for hiring the best graphic designer
12 tips for hiring the best graphic designer
Employed graphic designer
Advantages
- Works exclusively for your business
- It is always available when you need it
- Knows your brand identity inside and out
Disadvantages
- Must be paid even when you have no project to entrust to him
- Will specialize in a particular area
- Has a given work capacity, even if the load increases
Freelance graphic designer
Advantages
- Is paid per project
- You can choose a different graphic designer depending on their specialty and your own needs
- Can be engaged only when you need it
Disadvantages
- Does not know your brand and will therefore need to be briefed
- Will not always be available to attend meetings or to complete last-minute tasks
- Finding the right designer and evaluating their work takes time and effort
If you decide to hire a graphic designer as an employee, be aware that you may still need to hire other freelance designers from time to time. Taking care of the design of an entire company is a daunting task, so it is sometimes preferable to distribute the missions over several designers and thus spare your employees.
Also, don’t forget that such a designer is not necessarily competent in all areas. Most professionals are specialized. So if you have found a logo ace, that does not mean that this same graphic designer will be the best person to create your website.
OK, now that’s clear, let’s see how to hire a graphic designer.
Set your expectations
Know what you want before you even start the hiring process.
Before embarking on a frantic search, the first thing to do is clearly define your expectations.
What graphic designers do (and don’t do)
The graphic designer’s responsibility is to develop the visual elements that will represent your business. That’s all.
Your graphic designer is NOT responsible for developing your website, for example. Although he will design your site’s look, layout, and atmosphere, he will not “code” it for you.
Moreover, not all graphic designers are necessarily art directors. Some certainly are, but if that’s what you’re looking for, you might want to hire someone as an employee so you can build a lasting relationship. Graphic designers are, of course, generally able to give their professional opinion. Still, it is not their role to help you define the branding strategy to adopt for your company, nor to make choices for you concerning your brand identity. These responsibilities are yours.
And once again, we insist: don’t forget that all graphic designers are specialized. A designer capable of creating great logos will not necessarily have the skills to produce an illustration of the same level.
Define your needs
Be very clear about what you are looking for—design by north.
Before you start looking for a graphic designer, you must have defined:
- The designs you need (logo, flyer, poster, etc.)
- The style you are looking for
- The essential elements of your brand identity (color palette, typography, etc.)
If you have something in mind that you want your designer to take inspiration from, the best thing is to create a mood board. Go to Pinterest and pin any images that might help your designer understand your take on things. For example, if you ask your graphic designer to design your company logo, add logos to your mood board that has a similar style to the one you want to recreate.
Before hiring a designer, it is also essential to be clear about your target audience. A graphic designer can create completely different designs depending on whether they are intended for children under five or adults over 65… Knowing your audience (and telling your designer about it) is crucial to obtaining adequate and relevant results.
- Determine the desired profile
Designers have a variety of skills and master many tools and software.
However, despite their specialties, they cannot necessarily do everything: you will hardly find a designer who has a perfect command of UX/UI design, an expert in computer graphics, and for whom the code no longer holds any secrets.
You must therefore determine one or two software programs your designer must master and the specialty you are looking for. Do you prefer a designer specialized in print or instead on the web? Are coding skills essential?
Ask yourself the right questions; you will facilitate your search by determining an apparent profile of the desired designer.
Start by taking stock of the graphic projects you want to develop. Would you like to hire a graphic designer to create a logo or design a website? The skills required are not the same from one project to another. Determine the desired profile according to your needs and also your budget!
- Graphics and coding
The programming language is relatively obscure for most of us. Web developers mainly master coding, but it is sometimes necessary to know some basics to communicate with them.
A graphic designer may be required to express technical design ideas to programmers on specific projects. A basic understanding of the web development process allows the designer to know the technical limits and the needs of a graphic project.
If this skill is an added advantage, it is unnecessary to design classic graphic designs.
- Mastery of DTP software
Do you know graphic design software? Some software is an essential tool for professional graphic designers. Mastery of DTP software allows a professional graphic designer to carry out different missions according to the needs and expectations of customers.
He will not necessarily use the same software to do photo editing, layouts, or create illustrations.
Photoshop is today the software that brings together the most features, but there are many others.
Here are the most used software by designers in 2022:
- photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Gimp
- Procreate
- Affinity Designer
- Adobe Indesign
- The notions of UX design
It is difficult to miss the notions of user experience to carry out graphic or non-graphic web projects. It is necessary to consider the needs and expectations of users in terms of design to facilitate their navigation and increase the engagement rate.
Most graphic designers today have notions of UX design. However, it is a profession in its own right that requires skills that go beyond graphic skills.
These skills can be helpful if you want to design a mobile app or a website.
- Designer prices
The price of the service of a freelance graphic designer generally depends on the time spent on a mission or project. A freelance graphic designer also calculates his daily rate. The price, therefore, varies according to the projects:
- Creation of a logo
- Drawing
- Attach
- Website design
- Creation of business card
The working time includes the time spent with the client on the development of the project, the advice, the design, the realization, and finally, the delivery of the graphic project.
Each graphic designer has a price list, do not hesitate to ask for quotes to compare the price of the services and choose the one best suited to your needs and budget.
- Take into account the graphic style of the designer.
.
Creativity is an essential skill for a professional graphic designer. He must be able to give shape to the client’s project thanks to his artistic sense. He can also compose with shapes and colors to obtain coherent and harmonious results.
A graphic designer is an artist who constantly seeks innovative design ideas to create unique and original visual identities. This is why each designer has their definitive style.
You can identify him through the projects he has already carried out as part of other missions. Consult the portfolio to discover the achievements of the designers. Ask yourself if this graphic style corresponds to your project and your needs before hiring a graphic designer.
- Look at the portfolio, but not only…
A portfolio is an efficient tool for making an initial selection of designers. They display their best creations, showing you their skills and graphic style.
But don’t just rely on portfolios to make your choice. They do not reflect the speed of work, the personality, or even the person’s creativity. However, these are essential elements to take into account when recruiting.
This brings us to the next point.
- Propose a task to be carried out
Nothing better than putting your potential future designer in the situation.
No need to ask for anything complicated. Offer your candidate to carry out a straightforward (and quick) job; this will be enough to detect his natural abilities.
Remember that all work must be reimbursed, even if the project seems very simple to you. You will need to request a quote and validate it to benefit from the skills of a designer.
This first experience will also show how the graphic designer organizes his work and communication and if your organizations are compatible.
You may also be surprised to discover skills not highlighted in the portfolio.
- Prefer visual communication
Even if you cannot receive the candidate on your premises, do not confine yourself to email exchanges or a simple telephone conversation. You will miss a lot of details.
I always prefer a video call. The gesture will tell you a lot about the person you have in front of you.
- Ask the right questions.
.
As in any interview, you will want to know more about your candidate’s background, skills, and creations.
But remember, you’re talking to a designer. You can therefore ask more open questions to try to understand his state of mind and his way of thinking or proceeding:
- What do you think of such an artist or such a brand?
- Can you describe your creative process to me?
- Which project are you most proud of and why?
- How do you act when you lack inspiration?
- Establish good communication
Now that you’ve found a skilled designer to help you grow your business, you must establish good communication.
Indeed, all the work does not rest on the shoulders of the graphic designer; you will also have to provide elements so that he knows precisely what you expect from him. After all, it’s not in your head!
You must therefore make a detailed briefing taking into account the objective of the project, the target audience, and the delivery time. If you already have a graphic charter for your brand, you can send it to them. If not, consider designing one and adding it to the freelance graphic designer’s job list.
In addition, you must make yourself available to move the project forward effectively.
- Find an experienced designer.
.
Most designers are self-taught, so you don’t necessarily have to find a freelancer with many degrees. Experience, technical knowledge, and creativity are the greatest assets of a graphic designer. To recruit the best designer for your future projects, rely above all on his background and achievements.
Where to hire a graphic designer?
If you can’t find a good designer in your area, you can find qualified graphic designers on the web. Take the time to read designers’ journeys and client recommendations on the professional social network Linkedin. However, you may not find a competent professional graphic designer readily available.
The Graphiste.com platform brings together a community of freelance graphic designers and designers ready to respond to all assignments. You can place an ad and receive proposals and quotes from several graphic designers. It’s up to you to validate the one that meets all your selection criteria! All these steps are accessible on the Graphiste website.
Never Mine song lyrics – Harnoor
Will You Song Lyrics – LOVE Ft PRFKT
Mitha Mitha Bolda Song Lyrics : Shree Brar
Stuff Of Death Song Lyrics By Jantt Chahal
12 tips for hiring the best graphic designer
