How to Work with a Graphic Designer & Get Exactly What You Want

1. Know what type of designer you need

Although most designers have a variety of creative skills that translate into different creative projects, it’s better to hire a project specific designer to execute your idea excellently the first time. Taking the time to find a specific designer will make the creative process smoother and save you money.

Four different types of designers:

👩‍💻web designers

The geeky creative geniuses of design. Web designers are paid the big bucks because designing websites that are aesthetically pleasing AND function optimally is a fine art. Yes, anyone with an internet connection and an email address can technically create a Squarespace account and design a website, but Web Designers are trained to create websites that not only align visually with your brand, but take customers on a journey from start to finish.

Working with a professional web designer is like working with a creative psychologist, they will work with you to develop a psychological customer journey on your website that ultimately leads your customer doing exactly what you want them to do on your site, i.e. make a purchase, sign up for what you’re selling or contact you. They’ll also make sure your website still looks, talks and feels like you while selling to your customer like an online sales ninja.

They usually do: websites and coding, along with digital content like branding, e-books and digital downloads.

📒print designers

The real-deal designers. Print designers are damn good designers, because unlike digital designers, once something has been sent to print there are no changes that can be made. Print designers take their work seriously and have a very high attention to detail.

They usually do: Printed collateral such as business stationery design, book and magazine layouts, marketing flyers and brochures and signage. Basically, anything that can be printed, these guys do with talent.

🎨Artists & Illustrators

Ahh, the wonderfully talented hippies of the design world. Artists and illustrators are the creatives that most people imagine. These guys are the ones with beautiful art studios full of paint brushes and canvases who spend their days painting, drawing and creating.

Artists and Illustrators are visionaries who are at their best when working on highly creative work where they have a lot of creative freedom from clients. These types of designers are perfect for you if you’re in need of a unique design or concept that nobody else has access to. Their work is often limited edition and client specific. 

They usually do: Patterns for fashion labels, artwork for events, wall murals, magazine adverts and any kind of job that requires a specific style or aesthetic that the artist may acquire.

📹multimedia designers

The movers and shakers of the design industry. Multimedia Designers literally work with design that moves and shakes, working mostly with video to bring a message to life. Think of Multimedia Designers as modern day cinematographers, they are skilled in weaving stories together in a beautiful way through the use of video, animation and motion graphics.

They usually do: Promotional video campaigns, adverts, branding videos, Youtube title intros and anything involving moving design.

2. Let Their Portfolio Make the Decision for You

You might be thinking, but I have no clue what looks good in a portfolio? You don’t need to have an eye for design when you’re looking at potential designers portfolio work, simply look for past portfolio pieces that are in a similar vein of the work you’re in need of. For example, if you’re a beauty salon owner in need of a new logo, look at if the designer has designed logos for women in the past.

3. Proof Your Work Before it Gets to the Designer

Designers are detail oriented people, and their top priority is creating visually beautiful work. Although most designers will inform clients of small typos and errors, it’s best to proofread your work before sending it to a designer as it will save time and money in the long run, limiting revisions and rounds of edits.

4. create a detailed brief for the designer to follow

You know the old saying “you only get out what you put in”...it applies perfectly to briefing in a designer. If you send a designer a vaguely written email with a few rough ideas, they’ll take the chance to let their creative flag fly, which may not align with your vision.

What to send to a designer before you start your project…

• Files
  If you have any previous working files, details or content the designer could use, drop it all into a folder and send it through.
  
  

• A Project Outline
  Designers are not only visual creators, but creative problem solvers. If you’ve decided you need to design a new flyer because your last flyer didn’t work to attract new customers, tell the designer exactly what it is you’re trying to achieve with this new flyer. The designer may agree that the design of the previous flyer was ineffective and know how to make a more visually appealing one, or the designer might suggest scrapping the flyer idea and running a Facebook advert for the same amount of money. A good designer can come up with creative solutions to problems you might not have thought about.
  
  

• The Target Audience
  This will directly affect the design. Think about an old age home vs a night club - different places need different styles of design.
  
  

• The Call to Action
  What action would you like your customers or audience to take when they see the final design?
  
  

• Examples of Designs You Like
  Send through examples of designs you like and don’t like for the designer to use as a reference guide when working on your project.

5. Make Your Feedback Clear and Specific

When a designer sends revisions through to you, make sure you communicate changes clearly. The best way is to print out your revision and mark up any changes, then take a photo on your iPhone and send it back. If it’s digital, putting all of your changes into a bulleted list works like a charm. Designers are visual people, so providing a designer with a visual prompt is a sure fire way to get the right changes made the first time.

6. Remember, creative work is an iterative process

Creative work is collaborative and usually an iterative process. Most designers will let you know upfront how their revision system works and at what point they will start charging for revisions. Professional designers know the importance of having a thick skin and understand that revisions are all part of the process.

7. Treat your designer like a teammate 😉

Designers tend to be thoughtful, introspective types who value authenticity and honesty. Setting the tone from the start by treating your designer like a teammate is the best way to get the results you want and make the process of working together enjoyable. A designer will flex their creativity and push the envelope for clients they love working with.

Hopefully this blog post gives you a bit of an insight into how to best work with a graphic designer and get exactly what you want without wasting any time or money in the process.