Every business owner has to do it at some point. Whether hiring an independent graphic designer or a graphic design company to create a logo, a business card, or other marketing materials for your business, correctly hiring a graphic designer is an important task. Here are 5 things to consider:

1. Professionalism. Hiring your neighbour’s grade 12 nephew to design your logo may seem “good enough for now” but try to think further into the future. Is this logo going stand the test of time? Professional graphic designers do more than put words and images together. They understand colour, fonts and how an image or logo will be used. They understand things from a printer’s perspective and work accordingly.

2. Personality and work style. A good working relationship with your graphic design professional is essential. Ask for references.

3. Portfolio. A professional graphic designer or design team will have a portfolio they are willing to share with you. Notice whether their portfolio contains a lot of work with one type of industry, or a range of industries. For example, if they only seem to have restaurant clients and you have a wholesale business, they may not have the experience to work with your type of business.

4. Cost. Ask for a written quote up front and ask if it is a firm quote or an estimate. Be clear how many revisions to your design are allowed in the quote before additional costs will be incurred.

5. Scope. Branding and website design are part of your overall marketing plan and need to be considered in that context. Before hiring a graphic designer, talk to them about their experience in marketing. Are they only able to design your logo and printed marketing materials, or can they offer you other services such as web design, social media management, ad creation, and signage? Some graphic designers will do the design work and ask you to coordinate the rest with other professionals. Others will handle a broad spectrum of work on your behalf.

Better Mousetrap Marketing takes the guesswork out of hiring an independent graphic designer. We work with a large team of professional graphic designers to ensure that we always have the right fit for your company. We are a full-service marketing agency serving clients in all areas of Vancouver Island, including Courtenay, Comox, Parksville, Nanaimo and Victoria.