Should I Hire a Team of Designers?

Graphic Design is a great career choice. It’s a flexible field that allows professionals to work in different environments and various areas of art and design, depending on the interest of the individual. Of course, one of the most significant differences within the field is whether designers choose to work through a firm or as a freelancer.

However, what about their clientele? Does it truly matter what type of designer you hire on, or how many? As long as you get a website out of the deal, it’s not going to make a difference, right?

Let’s start with what they are.

Different Types of Designers

At their core, there’s only one vast difference between a freelancer and a designer at a firm. Most likely, they’ll have the same type of education as a background, so their quality of work should ideally be the same. In saying this, it is essential to know that design isn’t that cut and dry, and the level of quality of a design often depends on a person’s experience and training.

The most crucial difference between them is how they’re employed. A freelance graphic designer is almost always self-employed. Generally, they work alone and can be hired out as a contractor on an hourly rate. A design firm, on the other hand, consists of a team of designers employed through an agency that does graphic design work for other companies. 

There are also in-house designers, but they’re typically hired on through one company to run their employer’s design department. They only create for that specific company and aren’t hired out.

When to Hire a Team of Designers

Though there are benefits to hiring a freelancer, many businesses still choose to hire a design firm. Design firms are arguably the more traditional choice of a graphic design career, so they’re a more familiar way of hiring out professionals. Unlike freelancers that often work at home, designers at a firm also have a professional office space where clients can visit to discuss the work done for their business. 

A vital benefit of design firms is the fact that in hiring a firm, you hire an entire team. Working with a team of designers allows for a bigger flow of ideas. If there are multiple people contributing to an idea, there’s a higher chance of originality. Great ideas often come from bouncing concepts off teammates, and working through them together allows for a fine-tuned end product. The more people that work on a project, or even just the more designers that look at a project with fresh eyes, means that there’s less chance of a mistake getting through. 

As I mentioned earlier, because a design’s “quality” does sometimes depend on a person’s experience and education, design firms allow for a higher range than what you would get with a freelancer. Firms offer the chance for inexperienced designers to get their chance at building up their portfolio without the risk of being a freelancer, but at the same time, it means clients will get the benefit of the firm’s most experienced hands working on their hire. 

It also means that there’s a higher range of visual styles that are achievable. Though they can also often work across the board visually, design professionals do tend to have a style that they lean towards, which identifies them amongst other designers. With a firm, you get a variety of styles rather than just being limited to the one your contractor finds comfortable.

It goes like this: the more designers + the more ideas = quality, well-polished design.

Is a Design Firm Right for you?

Design Firms are superb because you’re hiring a group of designers that you know are professionals in their field, and who you also know work well with other people. They also tend to have an extensive range of work in their portfolio, so you know when you hire them, you’ll be getting quality work that’s likely backed by years of experience.

(Want to see some high quality design? Check out our portfolio.)

There are perks to hiring both freelancers and design firms, but it’s good to know which type will work best for you. Generally, firms tend to work for larger clients or companies rather than an individual hire, because they have enough staff available to be able to cover the demands. That also means you’re more likely to have a higher turn around time with a design firm. 

Of course, it also depends on the individual designer. Everyone works differently, so make sure you choose someone that you feel confident will work well with you. In general, clients looking for designers that can handle a large business and more time constraints benefit from hiring a firm that can handle the demand. (If you’re wondering, we’re great at this.)

Are you looking to hire a group of designers? You’re in luck because we are great at what we do! Click here to contact us, and we’d love to hear from you.

Source: Quora