Despite all of the amazing, talented professionals I have met and worked with in the graphic design community, I can’t tell you the number of “My Last Designer” horror stories I’ve heard over the years.
Some of the major complaints include:
- Designers who don’t return phone calls and emails.
- Control-freak designers (or what I like to call “creative combatants”) who won’t acquiesce to any client requests.
- Designers whose work doesn’t meet technical standards for print or web.
- Designers who take the client’s deposit and run.
- Designers who don’t follow instructions.
- Designers who just don’t understand the business or industry they are working in.
With so many wonderful, talented designers out there, how do these schmucks keep getting hired?
Most of the above issues can be avoided or mitigated by following the process outlined in my post “How to hire a graphic designer.” In addition to that list of “do’s,” however, there are also several “don’ts” that will help you avoid your own horror story.
1. Don’t use crowdsourcing.
There’s plenty of information on the web about crowdsourcing and spec work, and I don’t want to get into the debate too much here. Suffice it to say that I believe crowdsourcing is a bad design strategy because it favors the quantity of options over the quality of the work. Designers who participate in crowdsourcing sites don’t have the same attachment to the client’s desired results as traditional designers. Rather than creating custom visual solutions for client’s marketing needs, crowdsourcers tend to create large volumes of generic, derivative work that can be used by any business.
2. Don’t hire the first design company you find on Google.
Design is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Design companies and freelance designers vary widely in terms of experience, skills and price. Before you hire a designer, put together a solid marketing plan that includes projects, timelines and a budget. Be realistic about the costs (see below). Once you know what you’re looking for, ask other business owners for recommendations, perform project-specific Internet searches and start interviewing potential candidates.
3. Don’t hire the cheapest designer.
I recently started working with a new client whose designer simply stopped returning phone calls. I hear this story all the time. The client chooses a designer because he or she is cheap and available, then the designer disappears.
The problem with hiring designers who charge $25 per hour is that they usually can’t afford to stay in business very long. There are many costs associated with running a successful design practice — from equipment to insurance to professional development — and the price of the services should reflect those costs.
4. Don’t hire based solely on portfolio.
In design school, portfolio is everything. But outside of that environment, there are many factors that contribute to a successful business/designer relationship. These include the five Ps —
- Portfolio: Does the designer have high-quality samples of the type of work you are looking for?
- Professionalism: Does the designer have his or her act together? How quickly does he or she return phone calls?
- Price: See above. Are the designer’s prices within your budget? And is your budget realistic?
- Personality: Does the designer mesh well with the stakeholders in this project? How does the designer handle creative conflicts?
- Productivity: How quickly can the designer turn projects around? What are the designer’s technical capabilities (print, web, etc.)?
5. Don’t forget about hiring me!
I’m available for a wide range of projects. Contact me.
Everyone who plans to use a designer for anything should read this!
This should be mandatory reading for anyone who wants to hire any type of freelancer. It is so important that companies understand that going with the cheapest freelancer isn’t a good idea. They really get what they pay for. When they go with the cheapest price, they pay more in the long run, because then they have to hire a professional to fix the mess.
@anika @Amy – Thanks for the compliments. I hope to spread the word far and wide about the importance of using a qualified professional for creative projects.
I should add that it’s really important for all independent creative professionals to know where our strengths lie and to build a network of others to whom we can refer work. For instance, I shouldn’t be doing hard-core web development, and most web designers shouldn’t be designing magazines…
Point four was interesting. I think that most people look at a portfolio and think “this is good” and go with the designer. Samples are a concrete, understandable way to judge a designer (or web developer for that matter). It’s easy to overlook the personality and professionalism aspects of a good designer.
Oh, and point five is pretty good, too