Few of us are lucky enough to be proficient at everything we turn our hand to. In fact most of us are good at something but find other tasks a little beyond our capabilities. Some of us find we are naturally gifted at building things with our hands but leave a lot desired when it come to working out a household budget. Others may be better at academic subjects than they are at racing car driving. We are all different, therefore one of the major lessons in life is to discover what you are naturally good at and work to perfect that particular skill.
If you accept this advice it stands to reason that you should leave it to specifically skilled people to undertake tasks for which you have little or no knowledge, especially if these tasks are important to the success or otherwise of your business. This brings us to the subject of graphic design.
Good graphic design will give your advertising an attraction that will draw people to your message, but it will need a high level of creativity before it will do the job you expect of it. It is this high level of creativity you are looking for when you decide it is beyond your capabilities, and look to outsourcing this aspect of your business. A big business will probably have a graphic designer on their staff, some may have many, but few small businesses have the resources or the need to employ such a specially skilled person. This is where the need to contract out this part of your business becomes a reality and this can be done confidently if you take the following steps:
1 – Know What You Want
Before approaching a graphic designer to do work for you, you must make certain that you know what you want. Your job will be to tell the graphic designer what it is you need and for his or her creative genius to come up with the desired result. The graphic designer will therefore want to know what your goals are. Some of the questions you must ask yourself in confirming what it is you actually want can include the following:
- The reason for outsourcing this part of your business in the first place?
- What will the finished graphic design be used for?
- Where will it be placed?
If you are clear in your own mind about the answers to these three questions you will be in a better position to be able to explain what you need to your chosen graphic designer. In fact the more you can tell him or her what it is that you need, the better the design will be from your perspective.
2 – Your Graphic Designer Must be Cost effective
Commissioning a graphic designer to carry out work on your behalf has to be able to fit within your marketing budget, therefore it is important to have the cost cleared up before any work begins. You must decide whether you consider the price being asked is worth it. Just as in everything else in business, what you spend your money on has to be able to contribute to your so called, ‘bottom line.’ Hiring the services of a graphic designer is no different.
If you feel the cost is exorbitant try to negotiate a lower price before you cut off discussions altogether. You may be pleasantly surprised. Some of the more prominent graphic designers online are in countries like India or the Philippines but a cheaper graphic designer does not necessarily mean you will receive a satisfactory result, it may pay you to accept a higher quite to ensure the job you get will be of the highest standard. This means you may have to decide between quality and price.
3 – Look for a Long Term Relationship
Look at choosing a graphic designer as forging a long term business relationship. Creating graphic designs for your business will not stop after you receive the first project. It is by its very nature an ongoing process. You will need to regularly update it and make changes when it starts to age and becomes monotonous. Therefore it is important that the graphic designer you choose is one you feel comfortable with for the long term. If your graphic designer grows with your business you could see some amazing results in the future.
If you feel you can not do your own graphic design work it is only reasonable that you outsource your needs in this field to either a freelancer or a business that can do the work for you at a reasonable price. Your choice should be balanced between cost and quality, but it is also important that the decision you make is made on the belief that the graphic designer you choose will stay with you for many years to come. A long term relationship in this specialised field will see an understanding develop that will ultimately be of great benefit.
This article was written by Will.