So, you've come to the conclusion that you need to improve the appearance of your visual identity, but you don't know where to start? There's nothing better than hearing what a graphic designer has to say about it, right?
Today, I, Gabriela Costa, graphic and interior designer, will give you some important tips so that you don't end up hiring a "nephew designer" but instead a qualified professional who works with commitment and seriousness.
Let's dive in, shall we?
How do I know if the designer is good or bad?
As we're in a field of humanities, there's no right or wrong, good or bad. There are opinions and personal preferences.
It's like appreciating art, there's no good or bad, there's what you find beautiful or ugly. But how do I know this about a designer?
Simple, observe their portfolio. See the style of this designer. Does this style appeal to you? If yes, then they are a good designer for you.
Otherwise, it may be that your style is outside this designer's comfort zone, and they deliver a bad project to you.
So, my tip is: look for designers who have in their portfolio artworks that you found beautiful, that resonate with you.
See if this portfolio has any artwork that you would like to buy for your company. Then you've found a good designer for you.
For example, I prefer to work more for entrepreneurs, I even do more impersonal and serious projects, but what I really like is colors and illustrations.
So, this is my comfort zone, when a client sends me a project that deviates too much from what I usually do, I usually reject it because I know I won't be the best designer for that project, and there are designers who could do that project much better.
Cheap designer vs. expensive designer
First of all: there's no "expensive" designer and "cheap" designer. There's a designer who invests much more in their work, with image banks, vectors, expensive programs, state-of-the-art computers, website and hosting, office rent, digitizing tables, well, all these are costs.
Costs that they have to deliver the best possible work to you. For this designer to deliver you good work and profit at the same time, they need to charge a higher fee.
In contrast, the "cheap" designer is the one you ask for a business card design and they do it for 50 reais and deliver it as quickly as possible because there's no depth in their creative process.
You can find this type of service in printing shops because there the intention is to sell printing, not the artistic process.
The goal of the cheap designer is to sell, not to deliver a deep and meaningful work. There's no "branding" in cheap design, do you see?
And honestly, there's nothing wrong with that, after all, there's a huge market for these designers, but they need to work much (much!) harder to make a profit.
Each to their own priorities, who am I to judge! But hiring a designer like this can cost you much more!
Do I need to hire a famous designer?
Famous designers have prestige and good feedback, and that means they can charge MUCH more than you would usually have available.
A project signed by a famous designer doesn't mean that your brand will become famous overnight, it just means that the guy is talented and recognized for doing great projects, and yes, if you have other strategies allied with the visual identity, the chance of success is very high.
But if you're a beginner and your budget is still tight, just stick with a very good designer. There's no need to be famous because you'll need this designer several times, remember that!
So what's better?
It depends! It depends on your budget, it depends on your "urgency", it depends on your business style, it depends on the type of company you want to have.
Think with me: do you want to have a corner business or a remarkable and interesting company, even if it's small?
If your answer was the second, stick with a very good designer, even if they charge more. It will take longer, the project will be more extensive and deeper, you will have to fill out the briefing obligatorily, but the final result is satisfactory, it's eye-catching, I can guarantee you, some clients even cry with happiness.
Because it's much more than a visual identity, it's a dream come true, coming off paper.
That's why I say that design requires a lot of empathy, a lot of sensitivity, and with all due respect, not everyone can convey in images what you thought.
Now, if you already have a visual identity, like it, it conveys what you want, and you "only" need another artwork, I don't see any harm in hiring an "express designer".
If you're still looking for a graphic designer, just send a message here.
There's our contact page too, just click on the "CONTACT" menu. Thank you very much for reading, and I wish you good luck on your journey!