Fuel Your Creativity is mostly about inspiration - however, sometimes we need to come up with something different for the readers and this is the perfect chance to open up a great discussion within the community. I received an email from a small marketing company a couple weeks ago wondering one thing: How do I find and keep a great designer? Seems like a simple question to me, but to other small companies the task can be daunting. Even ridiculously so, unless you have 100’s of thousands of dollars to throw around - your on your own.
In the email the client said, “So rather than wallow, I have decided to insert myself in with the best of the design community and learn how it works..”
And I thought to myself, I wish everyone was like this! I had to find answers for him, sure I could have written him an email back stating my thoughts & probably pitch him my services - but then it hit me. Use the community and involve everyone, this way we can get different opinions on these questions. I contacted a couple of friends whom I value & trust their opinion. Below you will see the questions I asked each of them and their responses.
I also urge everyone to please jump in and comment your thoughts to some of these questions, whether you agree or don’t agree, or want to say something that wasn’t even mentioned!
Before we get to the Q&A I will leave you with one more quote from the client, “This maybe Design 101 stuff but there are so many companies out there who struggle with these questions when trying to get something done, and unless you are heavily educated in the design world & culture, or have the money to throw at a sizable agency to figure out for you, it can be daunting! So in support of freelancers and small studios I would be really interested in starting or participating in this type of conversation. I do realize that many of these concerns are resolved when you pair up with a/some ‘great’ designer(s), but getting to that point can be hard and expensive.”
Some of the questions from a client’s perspective:
1. How do you go about finding great designers (best place to find them or research)?
2. What are industry standards for communicating?
3. How does someone normally navigate the nuances between developer & designer?
4. Most quotes/timelines I get back from designers tend to be months out… yet the quote stipulates that it will only take 40-50hrs. How does a person get to the front of a designers line to get things done quickly?
5. What does a designer or developer want a client to know up front, what do they expect the client to provide?
6. What stuff falls in with the designer and what goes to a developer…. Who manages this?
7. What type of parameters for setting up a budget are helpful to the designer?
8. What types of ‘rules’ can be built into a project to protect the designer while still helping the client get what they need and come in under budget?
–
David Airey, davidairey.com + logodesignlove.com
How do you go about finding great designers?
Their portfolio should speak volumes. Also, drop them an email or give them a call. How they communicate will offer a great insight into their professionalism.
What are industry standards for communicating?
Face-to-face, telephone, email, Skype chats, snail mail — everything you’d expect. With many clients it’s not feasible to meet in person, due to geographical locations, and much of my client contact takes place through email. Whilst it’s always nice to shake hands when doing business, the value of email communication cannot be underestimated. When everything is recorded in writing, both parties should be 100% clear on what to expect.
Most quotes/timelines I get back from designers tend to be months out… yet the quote stipulates that it will only take 40-50hrs. How does a person get to the front of a designers line to get things done quickly?
Many times it’s simply not possible to shorten the timeframe. A designer should have enough respect for his current clients not to delay their projects any more than is absolutely necessary. With that said, a ‘rush fee’ can be implemented, whereby the designer will continue outwith their normal working hours for adequate compensation.
What type of parameters for setting up a budget are helpful to the designer?
Where logo design is concerned, the number of initial ideas requested makes a big difference to the project cost. Most clients will want a choice of at least two logos, which obviously requires more involvement than presenting just one design.
Brian Lovin, Elite By Design
What are industry standards for communicating?
Email above all. If your designer can’t respond to an email with 24 hours - 36 max - you may want to rethink who you are hiring and who you are paying to communicate their ideas and perspectives with you.
What type of parameters for setting up a budget are helpful to the designer?
A lot of the basic things fall into play with this question: timeline, client budget, number of pages etc. More importantly however is how well the client want’s their business to be analyzed and studied by the designer to receive the best results. A designer who knows the target audience and what they want to see on a website is much better than the designer who designs from his or her own perspective. As designers, we get paid for our time and skills. The more time we spend analyzing your company and customers, the more money it will cost.
Jeff Finley, Go Media
How do you go about finding great designers?
There are lots of magazines or blogs that highlight designers. CSS galleries are also a good place to find great looking sites – for which you can also find out how designed it.
What are industry standards for communicating?
I think most people communicate through email. Although we use a web-based project management app that keeps key communication related to the project organized.
Most quotes/timelines I get back from designers tend to be months out… yet the quote stipulates that it will only take 40-50hrs. How does a person get to the front of a designers line to get things done quickly?
If they are hiring a single individual, chances are they could be really busy and simply don’t have the resources to complete projects that fast. If you hire a firm with a whole staff capable of handling your project, there is a good chance that someone is available to take on your project right away. I know that our typical start time on a project is 3-4 business days after the deposit is paid. Sometimes we get started next day.
What does a designer or developer want a client to know up front, what do they expect the client to provide?
The client is expected to pay a deposit up front to get the project started. Also, the designer needs all resources such as copy, photos, etc that might be applicable to the project. We cannot get started without it.
What type of parameters for setting up a budget are helpful to the designer?
Mostly the designer needs to know how long it will take to complete and if there are any other 3rd party products that need to be purchased such as fonts, stock imagery, software, etc. The client also needs to keep in mind printing costs if they’re getting a print job completed.
What types of ‘rules’ can be built into a project to protect the designer while still helping the client get what they need and come in under budget?
We always aim to get 50% of the estimate up front. And sometimes you can put a cap on revisions. If the client’s budget is low, limiting the number of revisions can help. This often forces the client to make better decisions with their feedback. And the designer should not release any source files until the final balance is paid. Also, hard deadlines are helpful because it forces the designer to budget their time accordingly and get a project out the door in a timely manner. If a client doesn’t have a deadline, oftentimes the project can drag on unintentionally because there is no rush. And chances are, the designers has other rush jobs that come in simultaneously that take priority over non-deadline driven jobs.
Ryan Downie, Ryandownie.com
Most quotes/timelines I get back from designers tend to be months out… yet the quote stipulates that it will only take 40-50hrs. How does a person get to the front of a designers line to get things done quickly?
As a designer myself I can answer this question from a designers perspective. We will have a few projects in the pipeline before we pitch or get asked to do said work. If there is three projects in the pipeline its only fair that you get a allocated spot. Depending on the timeline of the projects depends on the how fat said project gets completed.
If you want to get the designers attention the project needs to be more valuable and higher priority to us. If the project is morale sucking and not great pay we are always going to push other projects up the queue if they are simply higher paid or more creative to work on. It really is that simple.
If you want to get right to the font of the line, make sure the designer has a fair amount of creative freedom and make sure you give the budget to put the design to the front of the designer queue.
What stuff falls in with the designer and what goes to a developer…. Who manages this?
If your on about the website designer and not per say a graphic designer, the designer (if a good one) should take care of all the design process. Talking with the client, rearch, wireframing, design comps, xhtml and css and if needed the cms implementation. Developer should really be in my opinion the backend (PHP, Database etc).
If your working with a agency they will have someone of a few people who also manage the projects and allowcate certain jobs out. When working with a freelancer it is usually the freelancer himself who will decide this maybe as early as pitching for the project.
Calvin Lee, Mayhem Studios + Blog
How do you go about finding great designers (best place to find them or research)?
There are many free online portfolio gallery sites that a client can browse through. They are filled with some awesome artists/designers that the client can choose from. On the down side, you don’t know how reliable these designers are. The best way is to choose a designer that the client feels may be a good fit and try them out on a smaller project first.
It’s also a good idea to get some background information about your client before starting on any project. It will help to met client goals and expectations. Using a creative brief will help accomplish this.
Calvin has been gracious enough to send me his Creative Brief & Contract. If you would like to download it, please do so!
–
So what do YOU think? We would like to hear from you! Drop us a comment, my hope is that the whole community will get involved to add on to the list we have started. I also want to thank Brian, Ryan, David, Jeff & Cal for helping me out to get this going!
If you want to be notified the next time I write something, sign up for email alerts or subscribe to the RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Author | adelle charles
“Adelle Charles is a Designer & Blogger who runs FuelYourCreativity.com & adellecharles.com. She is an obsessive email checker and highly addicted to Starbucks. Loves to add “fuel to the fire” any chance she gets. Her dogs Chino and Jameson jot down ideas for her while she’s at work. They are obviously the secret to her success.”
If you enjoyed this article, consider sharing it on one of these social bookmarking sites.
Loading ...
Jacob Cass
September 10, 2008 at 12:21 am
Everyone has listed valid points here and I would also add communication as a key factor in choosing a designer (like Brian said), they must be able to be contacted easily and have fast responding times.
Jacob Casss last blog post..Top 7 Most Overused Techniques & Elements Used In Graphic Design
adelle charles
September 10, 2008 at 12:45 am
Thanks Jacob, I totally agree with you guys - my biggest problem is submitting a comp and then waiting a few days with no response to email. I appreciate a quick “Thanks for the comps - we will get back to you no later than….” We all have other jobs we are working on - it makes it hard especially when the other client thinks that as soon as they send it - you must be working on it!
mayhemstudios
September 10, 2008 at 1:03 am
Adelle
Thanks for the opportunity to contribute to the article. It’s an honor. :)
- Cal
adelle charles
September 10, 2008 at 1:12 am
Cal - My pleasure and I’m glad you could help us out!
Craig Farrall
September 10, 2008 at 4:20 am
Nice article, and with the input of such high people in the design field, I have definately learnt something here.
Craig Farralls last blog post..Lets see your workstations game
Jay
September 10, 2008 at 4:32 am
You’re right about that Adelle - it really is a pain in the *** (can i say that in public?!? :P) when the client decides to just vanish for 5 days and then all of a sudden asks you what the progress is! lol
I’m currently working on a project that’s somehow managed to extend its life thrice from the planned timeline **sigh**
Great post btw :)
Dani
September 10, 2008 at 4:33 am
This is a seriously useful article! Now, to get all of our clients to read it… :)
Danis last blog post..Links for 2008-09-09 [del.icio.us]
David Airey
September 10, 2008 at 4:34 am
Hi Adelle,
I enjoyed reading everyone’s answers, thanks, and am off to download Cal’s creative brief now. I’m sure I can pick up a few tips.
David Aireys last blog post..The Chip Shop Awards 2008
Tracey Grady
September 10, 2008 at 5:56 am
Well done this is a very comprehensive grounding for prospective clients in what to expect when dealing with a designer. Good reference for designers, too, especially those in their early days of business.
Andrew Houle
September 10, 2008 at 7:16 am
Adelle, this is such an awesome and unique perspective. Great job! I’m so impressed with the client that dug deeper and started this conversation. And I definitely agree w/ you about wanting clients’ to get back to you sooner. I can’t stand waiting a month for a response to my emails. The fast and professional lines of communication needs to go both ways.
Andrew Houles last blog post..Blog Action Day - Styletime Contest + Prizes
James Paden
September 10, 2008 at 7:24 am
Great article! Web designer directories such as mine (http://www.xemion.com), designfirms.org, webdesignfinders.net and many more are also great ways to find designers. These, along with the yellow pages, are useful for finding local designers.
I really like the format of this article, Adelle. Great answers from the all the designers. I’ll be linking to it!
Grant Friedman
September 10, 2008 at 7:25 am
Great article! And for the record, this great designer is looking to be found! http://colorburned.com/artist.html resume included!
Grant Friedmans last blog post..105 Stunning Retro Tech-Shaped Illustrator Brushes
How to Find and Keep a Great Designer
September 10, 2008 at 7:26 am
[...] How to Find and Keep a Great Designer [...]
Micheil
September 10, 2008 at 9:28 am
I’d have to agree with 90% of the point mentioned by those designers..
Although, one thing I’ve found is that I’ll give the client a rough figure, and then take full payment at the end, before the client gets any product – not a contract fee.
Another key point, is that the client NEEDS to be able to communicate what they want to the design or developer. E.g, If they want an Editable site (CMS?), but they don’t grasp the concepts of ‘pages’, then what’s the designer / developer to do?
I think that this article isn’t only useful to clients looking for a Designer / Developer, but also up-coming designers or developers (students, designers starting in freelance industry, etc.)
Jeff Fisher LogoMotives
September 10, 2008 at 10:18 am
Great piece - and great contributions from all! - J.
Jeff Fisher LogoMotivess last blog post..Toot! Toot!*: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives honoredwith 2008 American Graphic Design Award
Jeff Finley
September 10, 2008 at 11:13 am
Thanks Adelle, it was my pleasure contributing to the article. It’s also cool to see how other designers answered the same questions. Good insight.
Jeff Finleys last blog post..Weekly Review Sept. 1-5
NaldzGraphics
September 10, 2008 at 11:13 am
nice Adelle!!!its pretty interesting.also its nice to see some of the most talented designer give there contributions.keep up the great work in your blog
Ronald
NaldzGraphicss last blog post..Create a Business Card on a Wooden Texture Table in Photoshop
mdrisser
September 10, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Here are a few responses to some of the answers from a business owner’s perspective.
I agree with Brian Lovin, if the designer doesn’t respond within a reasonable period of time, you need to rethink whether or not they are the right designer for the job. I also will give 24 to 36 hours for a response, if I haven’t heard back from you with in that time frame, I’ll look for someone else.
I also have to disagree with Ryan Downie, if I have to fight to get your attention, I won’t use you. The ‘big, creative’ projects are great, but the smaller less creative ones are just as important. You need to remember that our clients want things done, and we’re probably not willing to lose a client just because you think another project is more interesting.
However, if you are honest and upfront with me at the outset that you have other projects that will take priority, I will consider you for future projects.
Its been my experience that clients will often use the smaller, less creative projects to test you and see whether or not they want to use you on bigger, more creative, higher paying projects.
David Airey, and many of the others, are also correct. Communication is key. The client needs to provide all the necessary information to the designer in a timely manner, like wise the designer needs to get proofs, etc. back to the client in a timely manner. I set up milestones that need to be met on a specific date, its the responsibility of both the client and the designer to meet those milestones, and I make that very clear at the outset. Both sides need to be 100% clear on what is expected of them and when it is expected by.
Ben Good
September 10, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Great article. And I agree with all the other Designers comments about the Client as well as the Designer needing to be professional and respond back to communication in a timely manner. It really isn’t fair for clients to expect us to churn things out at lightspeed for them and then when we send it along they don’t communicate back for a week or two…
Sean Hodge
September 10, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Great article. Thx.
Sean Hodges last blog post..Train For Humanity Launches
Joshua Smibert
September 10, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Adelle,
Your post is absolutely brilliant! Thank you! I could not have asked for more from a response. Also, thank you to all the excellent designers who were involved. Not only was the article personally insightful, but I feel it will be an asset to many individuals who are looking to pair with great designers! Adelle, the feedback in your comment was especially helpful. Understanding designer ‘likes/dislikes’ would be such a great asset. I can say that I am one of those who on occasion have been extremely eager to get a comp, only to wait days before getting back…. I love the idea of the ‘quick email’ and will implement it immediately. Ive subscribed to comments for this post and am really enjoying receiving the feedback. Working in Marketing I constantly have projects and jobs that require really integrated relationships with designers, I will definitely be scouring this post for some contacts! Thanks again!
adelle charles
September 10, 2008 at 8:22 pm
@Craig Farrall
Thanks I am so glad that you found this article useful!
@Jay
Hehe! :) Yeah it is and yes you can say that. It’s all about being upfront and honest. I think that if these thing are spelled out or communicated up front with the client, things will run much smoother. ps… I’m currently working on one too *sigh*
@Dani
Thanks! Send me their emails. ha!
@David Airey
You can now download his Contract as well! Thanks again for taking the time to help out and provide your knowledge.
@Tracey Grady
Thanks Tracey, it’s meant for clients but I agree, other designers can sure get tips and advice from this to see what works best and what doesn’t.
@Andrew Houle
Glad you enjoyed the perspective. I was too impressed but it really makes you appreciate ones like that.
adelle charles
September 10, 2008 at 8:34 pm
@James Paden
Thanks for the links, going to check them out now. Also thanks for linking to it, really appreciate it.
@Grant Friedman
Thanks for the shout and the link to your resume ;)
@Micheil
You make good points about the rough figure. I always require no more than 40% down. Sometimes 25% - guess it depends on the client and if you have ever worked with them etc.
I think writing out a questionnaire with some simple examples of what certain things are (ex CMS) would probably be beneficial to both the client and yourself.
@Jeff Fisher
Thanks! Glad you stopped by and checked it out.
@NaldzGraphics
Thanks Ronald, means a lot and I was so grateful to get such great input from these designers.
@mdrisser
Makes sense to me & I also think you shouldn’t have to fight for my (or other designers) attention. Everything should be treated the same, if you chose to take the project on they should all have equal value. Maybe not equal time but def. value and attention
@Ben Good
Works both ways right! Constant (not bugging) contact is key. I’m currently dealing with one myself - took 2 weeks to get back to me and that is NOT right. I’m not happy.
@Sean Hodge
Thanks!
adelle charles
September 10, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Josh, thanks so much! I really do appreciate & your welcome :) I knew the design community would come through with honest answers. I hope this post ends up reaching more people like you so the communication is opened up a bit more.
The quick email helps out because once you (me) sends a comp off, you don’t really know they got it until you follow up. I don’t think you should have to chase the client down & you shouldn’t have to chase the designer down either.
There are many great designers that contribute here and comment all the time on articles. You’ve probably found more than you can handle! :)
Feel free to contact me if you need anything else.
Cheers & take care!
Freelance Tip » Blog Archive » How to Find a Great Designer
September 11, 2008 at 3:33 am
[...] How do I find and keep a great designer? Seems like a simple question to me, but to other small companies the task can be daunting. view article [...]
Hues Design Studio Blog » Post Topic » How to Find and Keep a Great Designer | Fuel Your Creativity
September 11, 2008 at 7:36 pm
[...] read more: How to Find and Keep a Great Designer | Fuel Your Creativity [...]
Mike Smith
September 12, 2008 at 3:00 am
Thank you for posting this insanely useful article. And thanks to everyone who answered the questions. And thanks to Calvin for the downloads.
Mike Smiths last blog post..Welcome to the new Blog Theme Machine
Anthony
September 14, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Finding a great designer is difficult. Its hard because what i think is great some of my client may not like. thanks for the article.
Designers
September 16, 2008 at 3:45 am
You’ve actually addressed a very genuine dilemma in small companies.Great resource and advice.I guess,The most significant hitch is the budget itself.
Bookmarks for September 17th through September 18th
September 17, 2008 at 8:29 pm
[...] How to Find and Keep a Great Designer | Fuel Your Creativity - [...]
Jack McDaniel
September 28, 2008 at 11:00 pm
As a designer, I’ve found over the years that people looking for a designer come in a couple of different flavors. There are those who don’t care about meeting face to face. They rely more on your online portfolio and what they hear about you. But - amazingly - a lot of them who use web portfolios to make a decision don’t spend a lot of time on the designer’s site reading about their work and process. They seem to get a feel for your work (quickly) and that’s it.
Then there are the guys that want a ‘local-only’ designer, someone they can meet with and interact with directly. What I would tell them is look around, find some smaller company promotional pieces, advertisements and websites that you really like and ask them who did it.
Jack McDaniels last blog post..SEO: From the Ground Up
My Monthly Favorites: September 2008 | Naldz Graphics
October 1, 2008 at 2:25 am
[...] How to Find and Keep A Great Designer (Fuelyourcreativity) [...]
designReviewer
October 27, 2008 at 5:51 am
on this site http://www.designreviewers.com/category/Tags-Category/portfolio you may find a lot of portfolios and start the process of finding a designer.
color is empty » Collaboration & Proofing / Creative Freelance Series
November 1, 2008 at 9:04 pm
[...] How to Find and Keep a Great Designer [...]
David
November 16, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Nice post. A lot of good points here. I think the very last bit of questions by M+S in this article just about sums up what a client should prepare or have ready for a designer to even start a project. I think an important point to make is also to convince the client to come to a designer or studio with an open mind. Sometimes I find clients tend to have personal tastes, and ideas. Sometimes when you offer design ideas, it’s not even about the client, but more importantly about the client’s target audience. It’s important for a client to not let their personal taste interfere with what their costumers really want, which might be entirely different. In the end, it’s about communication to the end user, not to the client.