Mark Alvarado, a known graphic designer, shows us the benefits of hiring graphic design agencies:
- Agencies usually mean that they have a large client base. You can be sure that they are already established, trusted, and provide consistent quality of work.
- They are usually preferred by companies who require large volumes of output. Are you a business who relies heavily on visual media? A graphic design agency may be the type of service that you need to help you fill in with your requirements.
- Graphic design agencies often deal with clients even in urgent deadlines. Since they already have a working system to provide quality work, you can expect a better turnout in your given deadlines.
However, it is important to ask the right questions first before looking for services from a graphic design agency. Below are some things you need to consider before hiring one.
5 Things to Consider Before You Hire a Graphic Design Agency
1. Do you have a significant amount of workload?
Businesses who hire graphic design agencies usually have more than 3-5 projects needed to be done on a weekly basis. For this type of tasks, you need a high-volume producer who can consistently create the same quality of work. Graphic design agency usually has their on-deck graphic designers who can team up with each other to complete projects for your business. They are usually needed for companies with high volume work, such as those who need visual materials for their products (product photos, logo placements in merchandise), marketing (advertisement photos, posters, flyers), or content (infographics, professional photos). If your business meets these criteria, then you are better off hiring a graphic design agency.
2. Can you ask a freelancer to do the job instead?
Simultaneously, you can also ask yourself if your business needs more of a freelancer or a graphic design agency. A freelancer can complete lesser tasks in a given time, but you can reach out to them in a more personal way. Mark Alvarado suggests that a workload of 1-3 projects per week is ideal to be given to a freelance graphic designer rather than a graphic design agency. Freelancers would only be requiring you to pay per project rather than a graphic design agency which asks you to pay for the whole service, which can be costly at times.
3. Do you have enough budget for your visual materials?
Another question to consider is your budget. Do you have enough budget to provide for your visual materials? Budgets for visual materials depends on the type of business you have. Can you consistently hire a graphic design agency to complete your work, or will you skip it because of the lack of funding? Make sure to set aside a portion of your marketing and production budget for the creation of visual materials.
4. Do the graphic design agency match your business’ visual style and branding?
Do not just jump into the idea that any graphic design agency will completely fit your business’ brand styling like a glove. Firstly, you need to do your research about the company’s latest projects or view their sample work online. You can do this by simply looking for their website, or seeing “completed projects” or “sample work”. If you feel like their visual styling matches the idea you want for your brand, then, by all means, inquire about them. It is better to do this than blindly choosing an agency and incessantly demanding a specific look that they cannot generate.
5. If the graphic design agency credible and have successfully completed known projects in the past?
Also look into the credibility of the graphic design agency. Some established ones are known to have completed projects for big brands in the past. When you look into their home page or about page, you can see how the company started and which businesses they have worked for in the past. Additionally, you can also research reviews and testimonials about their graphic design agency. If you see more complaints than raves, better run away! Good graphic design agencies respect their customers’ time and money. Be sure to hire those who have built a solid reputation, or consider startups that seem to deliver well.
Choosing a graphic design agency shouldn’t be a blunder to old and new businesses alike. With much consideration, you can partner with a great agency to strengthen your business’ branding and visual material outputs.