Whether you’re creating your very first flyer for a product launch or designing the slickest of business cards, at some stage in your business development it’s likely that you’re going to encounter a graphic designer. Designers are very helpful people. They can take a so-so concept and make it stunning – but it can be expensive if you don’t properly brief a designer at the start!
Graphic designers are usually freelance, which means they will either charge you by the hour or by the project. If they quote by the hour, adding lots of changes to your design will soon rack up the expenses. On the other hand, if you pay for the project, it’s likely they’ll have set strict parameters for how many changes you can make before extra charges are incurred.
This is because additional time and research is required, and that’s not something that freelancers give away for free! A designer will usually include a few rounds of small revisions – but any total re-imaginings of your original idea will be costed as an entirely new project.
With that in mind, here are some steps to make sure you build a great relationship with your graphic designer, so that you stay on budget and your vision is easily translated to paper!
What Graphic Designers Won’t Do
Before you hire your graphic designer, be very clear about what they do and don’t do. For some, animation is totally their bag, while others haven’t made one in their entire life. Some enjoy brand creation (logos, banner headers etc), while others prefer being infographic wizards.
Be sure to find a graphic designer who specialises in – or is at least very comfortable with – designing for print media. This is because there are different requirements for print media compared to online content, such as the color type, the document set-up, and the limitations of the medium.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that your graphic designer is highly unlikely to provide you with any written content. That means any writing you want to be included in your document, whether it’s a business card, a product catalogue, a brochure, or a desk calendar, needs to be supplied to them. This content (or ‘copy’) must be proof-read before being provided to the designer, as most will simply copy and paste from the supplied document – it’s not their job to proof-read!
The Process Of Working With A Graphic Designer
There are many steps to working with a graphic designer, so it’s a good idea to have a map of the process to help guide your way through negotiations.
1. The Brief
The brief is your concept: what you need done, the ideas you have for it, and when you need it done by. This document should be short enough for a prospective designer to read quickly, but include enough detail for them to determine a fair quote.
Try to include:
- Your timescale expectations
- Your project type (one-off, ongoing, regular retainer)
- Your project intention (product catalogue, event flyer, business card design etc)
- Your expectations (are they only setting out fonts, or creating new illustrations from scratch?)
- Who the designer will report to (choose one point of contact for simplicity)
- All elements you want the designer to work on – don’t just say ‘a business card’ then try to get them to re-size it into a flyer for free!
- Any other pertinent information to the project.
You might want to include examples of the type of illustration or design you’d like – but remember that each graphic designer has their own unique style. It’s not professional to ask a designer to completely imitate someone else’s work – if you want that style, hire that person! However, you can include a ‘mood board’ to show examples of style elements that you feel reflect your brand well. You’re hiring a designer for their creative eye – so let them use it!
Be open and honest about the work you need – otherwise you risk wasting your time, and the designer’s time. If you’re not thorough, you may only realise later on that they don’t have the right skills or experience for everything you need. It also helps them to provide you with a fair quote, including realistic timescales, so you can budget accordingly.
2. The Budget
Speaking of the budget: don’t scrimp. A graphic designer will often have a degree in their chosen field, and will have spent years building up their experience. You’re paying for these specialist skills in order to generate more revenue from customers than if you took a shot at designing something yourself. So, rather than viewing the project as a one-off piece, think about the long-term value it will bring to your company. Designers only get paid once for their work, while you could reap years of financial benefits!
It’s OK to be upfront about your budget, particularly if it’s tight. This will give the designer a fair idea of your expectations and parameters – and help them decide if they want to work for you. A more inexperienced designer might be willing to work for less, on a faster turnaround, but the quality may be lower. It’s up to you to weigh up the pros and cons of spending more on your design budget, but remember to keep negotiations honest and open in order to maintain good working relationships.
3. The Contract
When you’ve found a graphic designer you’d like to work with, chances are that a contract for your project will be drawn up by your Designer in the form of an Invoice and Proof Sheets, which will stipulate terms such as:
- Expected turnaround time
- The number of initial concepts to be drawn up (and what happens if you don’t like any of them)
- How soon feedback will be given to the designer
- Agreed payment rate
- Agreed payment rate for additional revisions or hours beyond the initial project scope
- Agreed payment terms (upfront, on delivery, or 50% upfront and 50% delivery)
- Penalties for either party breaching agreed expectations (such as a percentage increase on the final bill if you delay feedback, or the designer adding interest for late payment).
This contract is for the best interest of both parties involved in the project; the Graphic Designer and the Client.
4. The Proof Sheet(s)
This is the fun part! Here, you have a consultation with your graphic designer to share your ideas. They’ll then go away and work on a design concept or two (depending on what options have been set out in the contract) and then send you the Proof Sheet(s).
A Proof Sheet is simply a Concept Draft to make sure your Deisgner is heading in the right direction. You’ll be able to make changes! It’s important that a draft is created, however, as it ensures that your graphic designer has understood your brief, your branding, and your purpose with depth and clarity.
5. The Feedback
Look over the Proof Sheet(s) carefully, and pick the concept that you feel most reflects your company and branding. At this stage, it’s OK to still want some changes: concepts are created to form the base from which to build, they don’t have to be the finished product. You’ll usually have at least two rounds of changes or revisions included in your contract.
Make sure that you provide honest feedback to your graphic designer. If you don’t like anything they’ve provided, ask them if there’s any further clarification on the brief that they need, or if they want a further consultation with you. It’s best to do this as early on as possible to avoid problems and expenses down the line.
6. The Revisions
The general, expected, rule when it comes to revisions is that you get at least one major and one minor revision included in your price. This might be different, depending on the terms you agreed in the contract, but whatever has been agreed, be sure to respect it. As a graphic designer, it’s very easy to experience ‘scope creep’. This involves additional revisions without charge (which results in the designer effectively losing money and feeling negatively about working with you). If you’re not sure whether your revision request is akin to scope creep, see if you posed the question with: “Can you just…?”. This is usually a sure sign that you’re taking advantage of the revision rounds.
To maintain clarity, provide your feedback for each round of revisions on one document. It could be notes taken down in a Word document, or handwritten notes on a printed PDF of the design – however you and the designer work best together. Only provide this document once: that’s one round of revisions. Don’t then follow up with several emails that start with: “Oh! And also…” because you’re going to set a precedent for being a client that your designer resents working with. For further clarification, multiple changes to the design, listed on one document, are considered to be one (1) Revision. It doesn’t matter if you list 2 changes or 10 changes in that document…whatever they are, it’s more effecient for the designer to check each item off your list as they make the changes. It definitely saves a ton of time than going back and forth after each change you want.
7. The Approval
Once you’re fully happy with the design, make sure to circulate it to several people to proof-read. This is not the time to provide more revisions! It is purely to make sure all of the content has been correctly laid out, and that the copy is all spelled correctly. Be sure to check things such as:
- All Spelling is correct
- Contact information is correct
- Dates and times are correct
- Brand colors are as they should be
- There are no graphics or text that’ll run over a crease, such as on a folded business card
Once you’ve had the OK from your proof-readers, you can sign off on the project. Your designer will then prepare your files for transfer and you’ll be ready to submit to the printer/manufacturer of your choice.
Choosing the right Graphic Designer is key! The quality of work they can produce will have a significant positive impact on your customers’ perception of your brand, so they’re well worth their weight in gold.