Hiring a graphic design firm

This article was just written as a contribution for a soon to be published book (more on that as it happens). I thought many of my readers would find it useful, too!

Questions to Ask a Graphic Design Firm Before Hiring Them

One of the earliest mistakes a small business can make is to not accurately assess their ability to create professional marketing materials and if lacking, hire a competent graphic designer to help in the process. The reasons are many – the owner might be a do-it-yourself type, the budget might be on a shoestring – but regardless, the repercussions can affect the very chance the business has for success. Poorly designed marketing materials can confuse and drive away customers, often without the business owner being aware of the loss. Graphic designers are not, however, created equal and finding the right design firm for your business depends on a variety of factors.

Not sure where to begin? Good designers often have a following and a reputation amongst a community they work with. You might not want to ask your competitors for a referral to a good designer but you can certainly ask around to find out who others are working with. Happy clients talk – and you can get some good leads on where to start, this way.

Here are some questions you can ask to assure choosing a design firm that will fit well with your business and your needs, and deliver to your expectations.

1. Can I see your portfolio?
Most graphic design firms today have a portfolio online. While this is usually sufficient, you should feel comfortable asking print designers to send or show you examples of their work if you are hiring them for that kind of work. It is very important that you look at a broad selection of the designer’s work. This might be an online portfolio or a presentation they give you in person. Review at least three of their past projects or web sites, and ask questions about what their involvement was, if it is not clear. A smart designer will provide case studies so you can tell what the goal was and see how they achieved it. Good design is subjective but if you don’t find work in their portfolio that you would be proud to have represent your business, then you should move on.

2. Can I call on your past clients?
Once you have some designers in mind, contact some of their past clients for input and testimonials – don’t ever rely on just what the designer gives you! If they have a problem with you choosing which clients you can contact from their portfolio, without an explanation, you should be concerned.

3. What are your credentials?
Some amount of formal design education is generally better than none, although there are certainly exceptions. Similarly, the more experience, the better – it takes about 3-5 years working in the trenches to get a full grasp of the industry, although this might include time spend in school. Even the greatest natural talent needs real world experience to hit their stride. That said, if you are comfortable working with a relatively inexperienced designer, that is okay – just make sure you know what you are getting.

4. What are your areas of expertise?
The “right” designer is often more than a graphic designer. If are hiring a design firm, you need to know what talents and services are available to you. Depending on your needs, having a graphic designer who is competent in both web and print might be ideal. If you’re hiring a designer to develop marketing materials, then a strong background in marketing strategy is essential. If you will be hiring a web designer, you would want to find one who can execute the technology for your site, not just create pretty pictures on the web. If you are hiring a designer for logo design, you should ask about their experience with branding, corporate identity.

5. How do you price your services?
Price is one of the tricky variables in hiring a design firm. Beware of drastically low “deals” even with seemingly good designers who are offering cut rates to be competitive. The problem with this scenario is that they often can’t stay in business that way and are forced to go get a job – which might leave you in a lurch. There are certainly different levels of designers for different levels of clients. For example, a large ad agency might be out of the range of a micro business, but a solo designer with agency experience and low overhead working at a home office might be just the solution. The important thing is to shop around and give an identical scope to multiple firms who you’ve qualified as credible and reputable and then compare.

6. How will we work together?
It is a good idea to find out how they manage the work flow between you, to make sure it aligns with your preferences. From your first contact with a designer, you should be observing their communication style. Make sure you establish communication the way you expect to conduct business – whether this is by phone or email. Note whether they are able to clearly articulate what you will be purchasing, how quickly they respond to your requests and how accessible they seem to be. This is an early way to see if a designer is overextended and too busy to provide timely services to you. Bearing in mind that people always move quicker when there is a job on the table, this period can provide important clues about how well they can meet your needs.

While it might seem that graphic design is ideally suited for virtual business, this is completely dependent on both the client and the designer. It IS completely possible to manage this relationship online but if you are not comfortable working virtually, you really should hire someone who can meet you face to face. Similarly, don’t assume all graphic designers who are set up on the web can truly manage a virtual relationship – this is where your background research and impromptu calls to their customers will provide input.

7. What is your business background?
Being an artist is no excuse for being a poor businessperson. You need to find a graphic designer who has a strong, organized practice with a defined customer relationship/project management system in place to manage their business. Without this, you will find your projects falling through the cracks, your phone calls not answered, and your billing erratic. While it is hard to see “inside” a business at first, the process of asking other companies for referrals and communicating will the designer will illuminate these issues. Even more important, a seasoned business person will likely tell you if they are not the best person for the job and offer alternatives if they are not.

8. What are our contractual agreements?
Before you commit to work with a design firm, be very sure you know what you are going to be getting for your money. This is where the real questioning begins. Find out: What is the detailed scope of the project? What is considered “out of scope”? What will you owe them and when is it due? Who is responsible for acquiring raw materials and intellectual property rights? Who exactly will be servicing your account? What happens if you are not happy? How many revisions will you have? What are the final deliverables? When can you expect them? Who owns the final product? How will the project be delivered? These are the primary considerations – but suffice it to say, if the design firm is NOT offering you a detailed proposal and legal agreement, you should not proceed at all.

9. Ask yourself…
After all this, intuition is possibly the most important tests in choosing a design firm. Your business is your passion, and maybe even your life blood. You need to ask yourself if the designer you will work with “gets” what you are doing and that they feel some ownership and partnership in representing your business to the world. While some concerns can be alleviated with good communication, if you feel a vague sense of unease, wait and find the right designer. For such an important and often costly investment, it will be worth it in the long run.

(c) Eileen Parzek, 2005

Eileen Parzek is an award winning graphic designer and writer providing digital and print graphic design and web design services. Always found at the intersection of information, creativity and technology, her business, Business Design Studio (www.businessdesignstudio.com) helps small businesses make a big impression, increase their reach and grow.

May be republished with full bio and credit link to http://www.businessdesignstudio.com