Anyone running a small business or trying to form a partnership on a project may feel uneasy about the prospect of hiring a freelancer. You probably think of using a marketplace like Fiverr, O-Desk, Upwork, or Freelancer.com if this is your first time.
Even so, I would proceed with caution when considering a potential hire from these organisations. These websites could be helpful if you’re looking to save money. Yet, it’s likely that you’ll have to hire someone who isn’t a native English speaker or who is unfamiliar with the intricacies of your particular industry.
Approximately how much should you pay an independent designer?
Ultimately, it comes down to two factors: your level of experience and your geographic proximity. If you’re wanting to hire a senior level designer in the United States, you can expect to pay $60 or more per hour. Remember that designers, like any other business, need to earn a profit off of their work, even if they do provide flat rate services, and that many designers will work for this. It’s not cheap to maintain our extensive inventory of tools, ongoing education, and software.
You could hire a less experienced designer for around $35 per hour, but you’ll have to put in more time managing them and guiding them through assignments.
Some businesses that I know of have hired “cheaper” alternatives for their design tasks only to find:
Even as you snooze, someone on the other side of the planet is hard at work on your project. They are either sleeping or out of reach when you are awake.
It’s annoying that you have to wait 24 hours for rapid adjustments to take effect.
Language and cultural difficulties might lead to careless mistakes in spelling or the use of inappropriate images.
There is no way to simply give them a call. Little slivers of time throughout the day and evening are available for conversation.
The Designer missed something important, thus the revisions will have to wait till tomorrow.
What distinguishes a local designer from an international one?
Having a designer either in close proximity or one that you can call and have a screen share with to go over your revisions can be very helpful. When dealing with urgent matters, having someone you can call immediately and who is in the same time zone as you can help you get things done quickly and effectively.
In the past, I’ve worked with clients who have launched successful American advertising campaigns. The campaign was so effective that the customer wanted to replicate it in Europe.
As a result, it was a failure. MISERABLY…
They failed to recognise that the ad’s successful U.S. messaging had a very different connotation in Europe. It is not always enough to just hire a translation service. They should have hired a consultant familiar with the culture of the target audience before releasing the ad.
Because they lacked a person who could appreciate all the subtleties and cultural distinctions, they made a critical error.
To best handle any future assignments, you should work alongside the hired help. Someone you can trust who is adept in the areas where you lack expertise. Consider the Designer an integral part of your team who may assist in the development of your brand in tandem with you.
This is the primary motivation for collaboration between Art Directors and Designers and Marketing and Copywriters. When people with different skill sets work together, they strengthen each other and the project as a whole.
I typically work with copywriters and developers when I need help in certain areas, and I recommend it if you’re a business owner or just wanting to fill in some gaps.
If you’re looking to hire the best freelance designer for your project(s), consider the following advice.
Inquire amongst fellow business owners, friends, and relatives to see if any of them can recommend any resources for former employees. This is helpful because you already have an idea of what to expect from the work process thanks to your reference — no one will recommend someone they weren’t happy with — and it will offer you some information on the freelancers’ price. Inquiring of colleagues and friends for advice and feedback in the form of social media posts is also a terrific idea.
Find freelancers with the use of platforms like LinkedIn and LinkedIn Profinder. You may find freelancers and get in touch with them using Profinder. You can get in touch with up to five designers who are interested in working with you on your project after submitting your requirements. You can find designers you can get in touch with directly through LinkedIn. If the relationship isn’t working out, you can always cut ties. It’s merely a way to get in touch with talented designers in your area, some of whom you can even meet in person to see if you click. It’s true that chemistry between two people matters. Make sure you enjoy not only their design style but also feel comfortable with them as a person if they are to be an extension of your team (even if it’s just you in your firm). In addition to these, Coroflot, Behance, and Dribble are other fantastic options.
View their visual portfolio if possible, or read some of their previous written work, if you discover them online. I have several questions for the designer. Get them to explain their involvement in the project by pointing out specifics. Inquire as to whether or not the design was primarily their concept or if the client or team they’re working with had significant input. Inquire if they sourced the photographs themselves or if they were provided with them. If it’s a sketch, find out if the artist copied from other sources or created everything from scratch. Having extra questions to ask a designer is a terrific way to learn more about their thought process. The other important thing to remember is that you can’t expect a different result for your project from what you see or read in their portfolio. Don’t hire that freelancer right now!
Get in touch with them via phone or Skype. If you want to know if you’ll click with someone, you need to see them. The more they get what you’re trying to accomplish, the more likely your project is to be a smashing success.
Check the designer’s references, so be sure to ask for them. It’s a pain in the you know what, but it has to be done. Listen in on what others have to say about their time spent working. You won’t regret it.
Try it out on a small scale first to be sure it’s what you need. Think of this as a test run, but know that you’ll have to pay for it. Freelancers (at least the decent ones) don’t work for free.
Try not to offer the designer a low price. Junior designers can be hired for at least $35/hour, while senior designers can get $60/hour or more. Bear in mind that the adage “you get what you pay for” is absolutely true. Think about offering your services for a flat rate, but know that you’ll have to pay more for anything that wasn’t included in the initial proposal. The perception of being taken advantage of can damage your connection with designers and prevent you from working with them in the future.
