September 24, 2024
When it comes to design services, the options can seem endless. The choices can be overwhelming, from agencies to online platforms to your brother’s-friend’s-uncle’s-kid that just started at design school. However, there's a unique advantage to working with a professional freelance designer: personalized attention, specialized expertise, and cost-effectiveness. Let's dive into these benefits and what to consider when selecting a freelance designer to elevate your business's design.
One-on-one Collaboration: You’ll be chatting directly with the person that you’ll be working with, not only ensuring that your needs and vision are understood but also as a way to gauge that your communication styles match and you’ll both be a good fit! Plus, no middleman might inadvertently delay projects or cause miscommunication.
Specialized Expertise: Freelancers often specialize in specific areas of design, ensuring that you get a top-notch experience for your project. This also allows them to better keep track of trends and the market to deliver a design that helps you stand out. A lot of times, if a freelancer doesn’t offer the service you’re looking for, they might have a recommendation for someone who does offer that service! You gain access to a whole network by choosing to work with a freelancer.
Faster Turnaround: Freelancers often work more efficiently without hopping through the hoops of a larger organization. Working together directly allows them to prioritize projects to ensure they get out the door! Plus, they’re more adaptable and can adjust their workload to accommodate your project’s timeline and scope.
Fresh Perspectives: Often, working with a freelancer will bring fresh ideas to the table. Their exposure to various clients, projects, and market trends can lead to more creative solutions. Or, you might just be looking for someone who is a bit further away from your project to get new ideas brewing, which is another great option for hiring a freelancer.
Cost Effectiveness: Freelancers don’t have the same overhead costs that you’ll find when working with a full-service agency, which can lead to lower rates. And sometimes, you can negotiate rates based on your budget and project scope. Though, often, designers have a set rate outlined that they stick to for projects that you’ll want to respect.
Bonus: You have the opportunity to become a freelancer's number one client - meaning you'll enjoy a level of personalized attention and dedication that may be difficult to achieve at a larger agency.
Experience: Look for designers who have experience in the project you’re looking to create. They’ll hopefully have an up-to-date portfolio hosted via a website, social, or platform like Behance or Dribbble that will allow you to assess their design skills and ensure you’re a good fit for each other.
Communication: Is the designer responsive? Did they respond promptly (typically 24 - 48 hours) after you reached out? Having a freelancer who’s easy to reach and able to communicate effectively is important for creating the best work for your business.
Availability: Can they meet your project deadlines? You should always chat about your project timeline expectations with your designer before getting too far into the discovery phase to ensure that your design gets the time and attention it deserves. Make sure you set clear expectations, design isn’t something that can happen overnight (and if someone promises otherwise, run for the hills).
Pricing and Terms: Do they have clear pricing and terms outlined? Many times, a designer will have set flat rates that they work on for their common service offerings but if your project is more unique they might have to hear a bit more to understand what the scope entails and come up with a fair price. Make sure that you discuss and agree on payment schedules, additional fees or costs, copyright ownership, and other constraints before signing any contracts. You’ll also want your expectations to be fair around freelance design pricing. Yes - you might be getting cheaper than agency rates by going with a freelancer, but they’re doing more than just the designing. Rates often include conception, development, revisions, project management, and a whole lot more that isn’t seen at the surface level to ensure your project runs smoothly.
References and Testimonials: Do you know anyone who’s worked with a designer whose work you love? References are a great place to start when picking a designer! Or, if you’re starting from scratch, try to find designers who have online reviews available to get insights into their work ethic and professionalism.
And that's it, five perks and five things to look out for - happy searching for your next great design project!
