10 Tips for Finding a Great Graphic Designer

You’re probably not a designer, however, you know you need one—maybe you’re creating a new brand identity, add an expert to your team of cover your assets, or come up with a chain of e-books. Question is, how do you find the right designer for your business?

Discuss the Designer’s Inspirations

Designers use mood boards to display their ideas and the thought process behind a final design, or to get a quick picture of the direction the design is likely to take. Ask them about their process, especially ask them to describe their design style, and what inspires them. This will shade more light on their style and point out any indicator on if they are a representation of what you’re looking for.

Consider Relevant Industry Experience

Does the graphic designer share the same experience with other clients in your industry? Someone with industry knowledge or they have an understanding of the competitive landscape, it makes it a lot easier to boost your business and make positive changes. When they know what others in your industry are doing, it becomes even easier to know what’s already out there (this will save you from so many mistakes like creating designs that already exist).

Clearly Explain Your Brand & Target Audience

Air out who your current customers are, and what makes them loyal, and the market you’re trying to penetrate. The context for designers must be known so that they can properly understand if they’re a good fit, also find out if they have experience with a particular consumer, and create their proposal accordingly.

Ask the designers What They Expect from You

Ask the designers what they expect from your company to attain successful results. This can be in the form of physical items, like documentation and artwork, and also time-related tasks like proofing concepts, choosing designs and giving feedback. Once you know and understand the designer’s process from the get-go, the easier the entire project will be.

Consider having a Live Video Chat Interview

A video interview can help you get to know the designer better, their communication skills, and the drive they have for your project as you keenly observe through the conversations and their body language which you may not be able to get over the phone or email. Skype or Google Hangouts are some of the applications you can use to conduct these live video chats. Be sure to prepare ahead of time. You will understand the designer better and get a glimpse of what’s it’s like working with them.

Organize a Trial Project to Start With

Bring the entire team of your field of graphic designers together by setting up for them a small sample project that takes a short time to complete. Don’t make it so complicated for them though; you could ask them to design a simple logo or task them to resize ads and banners. This will help you see if you can work together and observe how they pick up on your brand’s aesthetics.

Avoid Relying on Portfolios Only

Refrain from making decisions just by looking at one’s portfolio, more so in the areas of collaborative ongoing work. Rather, ask potential partners questions regarding the most complex brief they’ve received, challenges they’ve encountered, and how they went about them. This will help you get answers to the “why” behind a design, enabling you to understand customization even better, listening skills, and spot out a designer that’s willing to do the exceptional.

Find out previous client feedback and ratings. You need to see how the designer has balanced real-world questions with their aesthetics, rather than just assuming work that’s there for display.

Ask Specific Questions

One easy way to sieve out the best graphic designers is simply asking them unpredictable questions as you’re interviewing them. Dive away from the usual Q&A just so you can get a better feel for the designer’s sensibilities, approaches, and skills in combating challenges.

Think of another way to get an insightful answer. For example, you can ask them to give their opinions on a competitor’s design that you admire or even one that you don’t like. Ask them to explain how they would have done it differently. Or, simply bring your project to the table and listen to how they’d go about it, thereafter forward some challenges their way.

Keep in mind the Skills You Need

Your objectives will dictate the skills your project needs, and also help you zero down on your graphic designers. With the skills you require listed, you’ll only attract the people that are passionate about your project, be it a style, theme, or industry.

Focus on the biggest parts of your questions. What type of application is it—print, digital, mobile? Are original illustrations what you need? Do you want a full brand identity, that is to say, logo, typography, and color scheme? Are there any specific layouts you require, like e-books, whitepapers, brochures, or infographics?

Remember the Problem Your Design Project Should Solve

For any partnership to be effective you need to begin by availing the information that will help an expert understand your project and take note of the results you’re looking for, sometimes you may not have all the answers however don’t leave them guessing about the main details. Give full details about your company, your objectives context of the project, and the qualifications you’re looking for.

Summary

To conclude, as you’re hiring a graphic designer, keep in mind the fact that you’re looking for more than just a specific skill. You should remember that the designer’s style, creative abilities, and work sequence are equally important. Also, not only should you focus on their application letter, but you should also make it a point to visit their portfolios and ask some unexpected questions. Remember these tips as you prepare for the interview process. When both of you are informed the better the final deliverable plus your working relationship will even be better.