Webmasters Gallery

Hiring decisions can spell the difference between the success and failure of a project. That’s why it’s important that you get the best candidate for the job. Take as much time as you need. Don’t hire right away. Wait until you hire the right one.

Keep this mind, whether you’re on the lookout for a dedicated designer or a freelancer. Don’t quite know when to pick a freelance graphic designer over a dedicated one and vice versa? Here are some tips to point you in the right direction.

Deliverables schedule

In an article on LinkedIn about freelance writers, the author says that finding out “how often you’ll need new content may be the deciding factor in hiring a freelancer.” The same logic applies if you’re considering the services of a freelance web designer. Do you need new visual content supplied to you on a regular basis? When you say regular, do you really mean once a month or on a weekly basis?

If you just need new content occasionally, then keeping a dedicated person or team on the payroll, just to handle the work, is a tad wasteful. If this is all you need, hiring a freelancer is your best option. Sites like Designhill make this easy and convenient for you.

Advantages of hiring freelancers

Going for the services of a freelance graphic designer at Designhill means you won’t have to pay for benefits, insurance and taxes to get the design you need. There are no sick leaves or vacation leaves to worry about either. This is especially true if you only need a couple of one-offs, like a logo design, perhaps, or a remake on your existing site design. After that, the deal’s done and you both go your separate ways.

In the article “Should I Hire a Freelancer or Employee?” posted on the Coworks site, one section mentions another advantage to hiring a freelancer, over a dedicated one. You can get freelance graphic web designers based on the skill set or specialty you need. With this, you won’t have to find and hire the multi-disciplinary—the jack of all trades—designer. Designers with technical know-how in as many fields or types of design work as possible sound like a godsend. But they rarely fall at your feet in batches. At best, you’ll end up with one who’s good at four out of six or two out of four. Getting a designer who specializes in logo design or front-end applications is the next best thing because it does away with all that.

Also, the really best ones command a hefty fee. This isn’t ideal if you’re working on a budget.

Perks of a dedicated designer

However, if you need visual content pretty regularly—that covers daily to weekly deliverables—you might want to take on the idea of hiring a dedicated designer for that. In this case, you’re definitely going to need a bigger budget. But you can count on a couple of handy perks to offset the expense. Since hiring dedicated designers mean you share the same office space with them every day, they also get to have a hand in the office culture and team you’re building. Built on trust and honesty, professional relationships like this can last for years and even help both of you succeed in your careers.

The third option

Thanks to the internet, hiring anywhere in the world isn’t a problem anymore. With sites like Designhill offering you a network of designers—from web designers and logo designers to illustrators and graphic artists—you’ve now got access to a huge talent pool out there. The bigger it is, the better your chances are at finding the right person for the job. When you find the best ones, then count yourself lucky. Keep these freelancers on your roster of go-to experts for when you need something new. You get the quality you need but at a much lower cost than keeping a dedicated designer on your payroll.

Hongkiat’s article, “Hiring Freelance Contractors: 8 Things You Need to Know,” gives helpful insight into how you can find the right freelancer for your project.

1. Check the portfolio. This is one of the first things you’ll have to look at. Evaluate the style and quality of the work. Does it match what you want and need?
2. Set the ground rules. Make sure the designer knows everything you need him/her to know. This includes project details, deadlines and pay rate.
3. Don’t go for cheap. While hiring freelancers are more affordable, automatically going for designers that offer the lowest rates out there can be more trouble than help.
4. Be fair. Respect the work that designers do. Pay designers at fair rates. You’re already saving up on medical insurance coverage, leaves and taxes.
5. Don’t forget about references. If you want to be extra sure, then ask after references. Call them up. If you’re satisfied with the feedback you get, then set a meet up and start the ball rolling.