In this economy, when you need a project carried out within the field of graphic design, it is important that the graphic designer you choose is versatile, fair, and a great communicator. Here are five things a good graphic designer should do.
Communicate effectively: A graphic designer should listen to her client and regularly show her the first drafts of the design project to make sure that the client gets what they want. Weekly or daily status reports are required to ensure that the project is completed as scheduled.
Often times, graphic designers lack the communication to find mistakes before they become problems and follow the changing ideas that a client may have throughout the design process. When this happens, the design or logo will be radically different from what the customer envisioned.
As a graphic designer, I have found that the client will many times want to change the design to meet their expectations, and if there is a lack of communication throughout the design process, the designer and client will work more on their own. If an error is not detected before doing more work, many times, you are forced to cross out all the work because the error was not detected before going in the wrong direction.
The job to done right the first time:
Like everything else in business time, it’s money. A good graphic designer will get the job done right the first time, which means that he will take the parameters of what the client wants and create the design to the best of his ability to meet those demands within the scheduled time frame. All specifications and requirements must be clearly presented to the designer, and they must adhere to these requirements very carefully. Communication is key to ensuring the project meets requirements and stays on task. If the design or project is not what the client envisioned, steps must be taken to provide the final product within reasonable time frames and with a discount or free service charge.
Charge a fair price:
In this economy, it is important that your graphic designer charge you a fair market price. Many graphic designers these days will try to charge too high a price to make up for the recession. Research the market and make sure the graphic designer keeps his prices fair or is even willing to negotiate. Payment methods and amounts are essential in the world of design services. If a designer suggests all the upfront payment, there is a chance that their dedication to the project will no longer cover the cost of the project.
It will finish when they feel like it. My suggestion is to get into the projects, with payments made according to specific terms and schedules. Make a half payment of the total project amount for an initial designer’s fee. Schedule smaller fraction payments, with the required status reports, to ensure the designer is on track and will continue to dedicate the designer to work on the path to the finished project, and still to strive to reach the final amount. Staying flexible with rates and payments maintains a valuable relationship between customer and supplier. Many graphic designers will continue to get a steady job, providing an affordable, effective, and desired product.
Follow Client Needs
Many graphic designers confuse graphic design with artistic design and try to put too much of their own creative branding or spin on a project when the desired work is much simpler. Many times this falls within communication, but it is also required by the designer to specifically follow the client’s demands. Designers must keep up with the needs of clients and communicate exactly any questions the designer may have about the level of freedom one has towards the creative white cart.
Be passionate and have fun with design
No work done by a designer should be painful. Customers don’t want to have a design, which is created with a limited passion for design. If you designing a simple business card for a company, with two colors and without special fonts or artistic designs, you may be bored. Fun and passion come from understanding what the customer wants and making it happen for them. Even if you really love the free expressive and artistic style of graphic design, give your simple creative side a chance to breathe. You can make the simplest designs amazing. You can attract more clients to your services, remaining passionate about the little things. The client pays the designer to take care of all the small details of the design. Give it your all, and your creations will almost be worth more than gold.
The reasons for outsourcing differ from company to company. Some may opt for it as they do not have the necessary qualifications and resources. Some need more time for core business issues, while others may have little time, and so on. Outsourcing helps you focus on other business goals. Think about the benefit that outsourcing would relieve you of the stress of creating designs and logos that are right for your business. As well as qualified professionals handling your graphic design project, they even give you the option to select the logo from many options designed by them.
The chances of obtaining the maximum return on investment can be expected with outsourcing. For a premium, you can even hire a graphic designer to exclusively work on your project part-time or full-time as needed. If you want to make changes to existing designs, it’s easy and can be done in less time.
Imagine if you have to complete all the small changes to your graphic design on your own. First, you have to install new software that would cost you hundreds of dollars. Then you would have to learn how to use it, which will cost you time and energy. These shortcomings are overcome by outsourcing graphic design. It is worth a try for any project, large or small.
