Searching for the best graphic designer is more than just a quest for talent. Instead, it involves hiring a candidate who can actualize creative solutions for your project and is the right fit for your business. Read on and find out how you can find the best graphic designer for your team!

The task of hiring a designer may seem daunting at first, especially if you don’t know what type of skills you’re looking for. But, you will most likely have a large enough pool of candidates who possess the graphic design skills needed to achieve the best results, so the hiring process should be a tad easier from there.

As technology transitioned further toward web and mobile experience, this phenomenon has increased the demand for top candidates with hot skills such as web designing, typography, print designing, and branding.

No matter what skills your graphic designer has, what’s important is that they can help make your creative vision a reality. Keep in mind that your brand forms a lasting impression with your customers. It’s critical for that impression to embody your vision. If you hire the wrong one, it may result in poor quality designs, disenchanted customers, and ultimately, a dwindling bottom line.

What does a Graphic Designer do?

A graphic designer conceptualizes a visual design that communicates information through art and images. Depending on the role, a graphic designer can be called an art director, art production manager, mobile app designer, visual image developer, logo designer, package designer, visual journalist, or multimedia developer.

They are responsible for creating logos, posters, magazine brochures, billboards, product packaging, and other marketing collaterals. Depending on the type of industry, a graphic designer can work on a wide range of design-related tasks.

Choosing suitable typefaces and photos, creating layouts for advertisements, reports, social media, magazines, and websites are just a few of the projects they do.

The ability to create stunning visuals requires the graphic designer be well-versed in design software such as Photoshop and Illustrator. They may also specialize in web design. In that case, they must be proficient with web technologies such as HTML and CSS. A background in typography is also traditionally a skill that they should be familiar with.

Listen to the Startup Hustle Podcast Episode 161 – Branding Tips.

5 Tips for Hiring the Right Graphic Designer for your Company

Now that it’s clear what a graphic designer does, let’s dig deeper into how you can hire the right candidate. Here’s a rundown of helpful tips you can follow:

1. Define the type of skills you need. Even if you don’t have a background in design, it’s still essential to have a basic knowledge of what a graphic designer’s role is, before you send out that job ad to a recruiter. Since graphic design is a broad term, focus on searching for an expert in their niche. Do you need a logo or brand identity enhanced? Then find a brand identity designer. Do you need someone for mobile app designs? Then hire a UX-UI designer. When you focus on hiring an expert in a specific niche, it will make the hiring process easier and bring the best results.
2. Define the type of skills you need. Even if you don’t have a background in design, it’s still essential to have a basic knowledge of what a graphic designer’s role is, before you send out that job ad to a recruiter. Since graphic design is a broad term, focus on searching for an expert in their niche. Do you need a logo or brand identity enhanced? Then find a brand identity designer. Do you need someone for mobile app designs? Then hire a UX-UI designer. When you focus on hiring an expert in a specific niche, it will make the hiring process easier and bring the best results.
3. Be specific with your goals and expectations. Just as with any recruitment campaign, it starts with providing the talent you’re trying to pursue, the specific goals you want to achieve. Create a comprehensive brief that explains what your company is about, the project goals and the qualifications you’re hiring for. This allows the candidate to assess if they can meet your expectations and if this job also aligns with their career goals.
   
   Search for expert designers. Here are some of the best places to find the right candidate:
   • Portfolio sites – Behance, Dribbble
   • Online freelance sites – Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, PeoplePerHour
   • Social media – LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest
   • Outsourcing providers – Full Scale (that’s us!)
4. Go beyond the graphic design portfolio. Relying on the basis of their portfolio can be tricky, especially if you’re hiring someone for high-profile design work. During the interview, ask a variety of questions that can help gauge if a candidate is not just skilled but also the right fit for your company. Here are a few questions you can ask:
   
   • What is their inspiration for their designs?
   • What stimulates their creativity?
   • How do they handle criticism?
   • Are they flexible enough to make the necessary adjustments to suit the client’s vision?
   • What are the roadblocks encountered during their design process?
   • Can they communicate their ideas with people within and outside of the company?

     Check for a variety of soft skills, including communication skills, social skills, emotional intelligence, and personal traits and characteristics that can help them to grow and work effectively with the team. When reviewing their portfolio, look for samples similar to the project you’ll be working on. The ideal candidate should be able to showcase their previous work, the process involved and the results accomplished.

5. Start with a trial project. To narrow down your pool of candidates, consider offering a trial project that requires them a few hours to finish. It can be a simple logo design or tweak to a current design. It doesn’t have to be difficult to accomplish, your goal here is to gauge their ability. Make sure that applicants are paid for this trial project, whether or not they are hired for this role.

Outsourcing Graphic Design: Should you do it?

Maintaining a stellar branding needs a great graphic designer to create them. While big companies have the means to hire an in-house designer, that might not be feasible for small and medium businesses with few employees.

If you simply don’t have the time or the artistic chops to boot, then you might need to consider outsourcing your graphic design to a design expert. Some of the advantages of outsourcing your graphic design jobs are:

• It saves you money – A graphic designer’s salary in the US can average around $39,791 per year. While they are worth every dollar spent, that’s a major cost you need to consider. Compared to the salary rate of graphic designers in the Philipines, you can probably save a good portion of the cost and perhaps reinvest that to your company.
• It saves you time – Hiring offshore also saves you time. Think of how time-consuming it is when your company does the entire hiring process. Smart business owners understand that time is valuable, and so they delegate tasks as needed. Outsourcing your graphic design jobs allows you to focus on running your business rather than spend more time going through paperwork and other employment procedures.
• Cut back on office space – When you’re starting with your business journey, you might only be able to afford limited office space for your employees. With outsourcing, you don’t need to provide an office desk or Internet connection for your graphic designer. This helps to keep your costs low and stay efficient with your energy resources at the office.
• An extra hand for your business – If you’re a graphic designer yourself, chances are you might find it next to impossible to be on top of all your projects while still running other areas of your business. In that case, you can hire someone outside to leverage on their expertise. Your outsourced graphic designer can support all your design needs and unload the stress that comes with managing multiple projects.

Good luck with your Search!

Now that you know how to find the graphic designer that will suit your graphic design needs and that fits well for your company, it’s time to go and get one! Finding the best one can be an uphill battle, but by following the tips and guides we’ve shared in this article, it will be easier for you to find and hire the best graphic design specialist for your business.

At Full Scale, we have expert, senior graphic designers that can take care of your graphic and design needs. Our team specializes in UI and UX design and is well-versed in all things creative. We offer a ton of offshore development services. Don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Service team to get your free consultation.