Tips for Hiring and Working
with Graphic Designers

Marketing materials are similar to technology in that they need regular updates. Are your brochures, letterhead, and Web site looking a bit outdated and need a fresh look? Perhaps your company needs to produce an annual report each year.

Whatever the scenario, you most likely need a graphic designer to help with various projects so you can focus on your business.

The process of looking for a graphic designer is much like hiring an employee in that you need to create a project budget and description, and conduct interviews. The following are some rules of thumb in hiring and working with a designer.

Know What You Can Spend
Before getting started, establish a budget and determine the quantity of finished materials you need. With such a wide variety of paper, size, finish, style, and die cut options available, ideas can be limitless for a designer. The budget figures and quantities help the designer make the most effective use of your dollars to best meet your needs.

Get Recommendations
Ask people you know for recommendations of designers. When searching for a graphic designer, get an estimate based on your budget and needs. Assuming a designer meets these criteria, a determining factor in deciding to hire a designer is to make sure you have good chemistry with that person.

Review Samples
Just as a resume is a crucial tool for a job candidate looking for a job, so is reviewing samples of a designer’s work. Also, collect samples, so you can show the designer what you like and even dislike.

Do Your Research
When hiring a designer, you are paying for their ideas, solutions, and creativity. If you want to get a feel of the designer’s style, look at their Web site and their portfolio. You can review their work that is posted online as well as gauge their style, creativity, and attention to detail. After all, do you want to work with a designer who has an outdated and lackluster Web site and materials?

Know What to Ask
It’s very common to pay a portion of the bill up front, so be sure to ask the designer their payment terms. Find out how each designer works and what to expect during the process of the project. Have a clear understanding of the project timeline and deadlines and when you can expect proofs. Be sure to adhere to deadlines that you are responsible for to avoid holding up the design or print process, which could delay your project and increase the budget. Lastly, feel free to ask for references.

Keep Everyone Informed
If you don’t want to hire a particular designer, then be up front and tell them thank you, but that you have decided to go with another designer for the particular project. Remember, graphic designers spend quality time putting together budgets and proposals, and meeting with you on the front end, so they deserve the courtesy of knowing where you stand with their estimate even if it means that you have turned it down.

Be Prepared
Once you have made the decision to hire a designer, there are a few things you can do to be prepared. Download free Adobe Acrobat Reader software so you can view proofs that are in PDF format.

E-mail text and photos, rather than faxing copy, to maximize the designer’s time. Be sure the wording is as final as possible, so you can avoid spending too much time and budget on revisions. Use “Proofreaders’ Marks,” which you can get from your graphic designer and are standardized symbols and short notations for proofreading documents.