I’ll give you a hint: saving money’s involved.
Hiring any kind of professional to do work for you can be a big investment of time, energy, and of course, money. So it follows that you would want to make the best possible decision when choosing someone to design your new logo or business card. Many people are understandably anxious about hiring a freelance Graphic Designer over a design agency, but the odds are definitely in their favor for doing so. Here’s 3 (good) reasons why you should hire a freelancer over a design agency:
1. It saves you money. Lots of money.
This is everyone’s favorite! Who doesn’t like saving money? Now, just because a freelancer doesn’t cost as much as a firm, doesn’t mean their work is shoddy or you can expect to pay nothing for it; on the contrary, good design is still worth its weight in gold, the difference is if there is any overhead reflected in the price you pay.
Luckily, most freelancers work from home, and thus have a much smaller overhead.
Things like office building rental, a huge electricity bill, subordinate’s salaries, multiple software licensing, etc., are not even an issue for freelancers. And since they have such a low overhead, those savings get passed on to you.
In fact, a lot of times big design agencies won’t even take on what they deem to be smaller projects, simply because there is no profit in it for them. But practically any project, no matter its size, is profitable to your local freelancer, so they’re happy to take on any work that comes along.
So by choosing a freelance designer you’re getting the same quality of work and service for a fraction of what it could cost if you go to a firm.
2. You are more involved in the design process.
With design firms, your project could be handed off to an intern or the art director; you never know who’s working on your project. In fact, it’s probably handled by a whole bunch of people you’ll never meet.
It seems kind of impersonal, doesn’t it? When this happens, a lot can get lost in translation, that is, whoever you talked to during the design brief will pass your information on to another who may pass it on yet again.
Wouldn’t you rather communicate directly with your designer, be able to call them with any questions or concerns, and have them listen attentively to your needs? Well, the good news for you is that if you hire a freelancer, that’s exactly what you’re able to have.
Most freelancer designers prize their relationships with their clients, and are only too happy to make the whole experience as personalized as possible, and do whatever it takes to make sure their clients are satisfied.
3. Freelancers offer flexibility to match your hectic schedule.
Life is not lived 9-5, Monday through Friday. Unfortunately, agencies, just like any other business, operates within these time frames. Luckily, most freelancers don’t. Whenever an emergency arises, or something changes in your project, you can quickly and easily get a hold of your designer, regardless of what day or time it is.
Granted, calling at 2 a.m. is probably not the best idea in the world, but many freelancers operate on their own flexible schedules; it’s not uncommon for your designer to be available in the evening or even on weekends.
They also are able to meet with you at your convenience, and show you their work in progress, working closely with you until you are happy with the final project. There aren’t many design firms that can boast that at a reasonable price.
Do you think it’s better to hire a freelancer?
Why or why not? If you’ve had any experience with a design agency, how was it?
Sheila Patterson is the owner and Creative Director behind Apex Creative. GCU professor by day, brand identity expert by night, she loves all things related to design. When she's not creating amazing logos and websites, you can find Sheila tormenting her husband and two feline furbabies, catching the latest Game of Thrones episode, or reading a good book.
Naps are nice too.
