Considering the fact that you came across this article then you might probably be looking for a graphic designer. Maybe to design your company’s logo, represent the ideology with a certain color model, or just want an attractive package design for your next product.
But if you google for some graphic designers on the internet then you might broadly find two types i.e., freelancers and design agencies. In the first place, you might be in dilemma to choose one for your needs.
So, let’s answer this question in this blog. Not to mention that, there will not be anyone straight answer to the question but in fact, you need to consider some factors and choose the one you need. With that in mind let’s dive in.
Starting with the basics:
Before heading over to the ultimate question, let’s take moment to understand what do these terms actually mean. Firstly, the freelancer is an individual who works independently and may have some past work experience with some company in the field. Mostly, the freelancer is just about one person who provides you the services on your own. Actually, in developed countries such as the US and other western countries, freelancers are on rising.
On the other end, a design agency is comparatively a large company with a number of professionals working under the same name. This agency thing mostly works in a project manner and sets some targets to achieve on the path. Now that you have got a fair idea of both freelancers and design agencies let’s move on to the question of whether whom to pick from, for your needs.
Well, let’s take each factor one-by-one then discuss its compatibility with respect to both, freelancers and agencies. Like one factor can be an advantage for freelancers but the same is not true for agencies. So, in that case, this comparison will surely help you find the right one as per your designing needs.
1. Experience
Actually, at first glance, you might think is this even a point to discuss between the two. Like experience is always preferred in any field. Anywhere always experience pays off with good work. But this is where you might be mistaken. When it comes to graphic designing the things take a different orientation. You know what, hear me out.
Design agencies definitely have an upper hand when it comes to experience, as they might have earlier worked with different companies in various sectors. So, it is pretty obvious when you go for design agencies to fulfill your company’s design needs.
But, hold on! In graphic designing not always experience works as effectively as in different sectors. In fact, if you are a newcomer to this field then there are high chances that you design something that suits with latest standards. On the other hand, if your designing work goes to such a designer in the agency who finally ends up delivering you a design that may feel dated at times.
So, all in all, in this factor freelancer definitely gets a point. At the same time, do research a bit about the work and check past reviews before going for any freelancer. In those cases, there are many sites that deliver professional freelancers for your graphic design needs such as Upwork, Freelancer, etc.
2. Cost
If you are looking for a graphic designer for your start-up or small business then it is highly possible that you are on a tighter budget. But at the same time, you also do not wish to opt for a half-baked logo or design for your business.
This is why in these cases freelancer undoubtedly has got a point. With proper research, you can surely hire a freelancer who works cost-effectively and completely pays off with the good and desired work.
On the other side of it, design agencies cost you a lot. Not because they provide you with far better work or so but rather, they collect the fee from you which includes their expenses as well. Like office space rent, equipment, time-to-time maintenance, etc. Long story short, no one wants to pay more when they get mostly the same quality of output from both ends.
3. Schedule and Supervision
Consider a scenario where you want to hire a graphic designer to design the logo, another one to package for all the products, define an attractive color model and fit it into your company’s portfolio.
Additionally, supervising everyone in one place is an add-on tedious task. It is true, that you can find a freelancer who has specialization in a particular sector at a low cost.
But if you hire a group of freelancers for your bunch of designing needs then it might get terrible to connect them effectively.
Also, if thinking of scheduling a weekly meeting to discuss the project is a nightmare. So, in that case, the design agency does all this for you and simplifies the burden on your end.
Not to mention, if you can find a freelancer who can easily work on various categories then it will be awesome. The only fact being you need to sacrifice some time to get things done.
4. Response Nature
Another important point based on which your interaction with the designer either gets strong up or ruins completely. This is the nature of the response that you get from your designer when you come up with some changes in work or doubts regarding the same.
Owing to the fact that, in your interaction with agencies you are not contacting with that one person but to the whole corporation. So, response time anyways will be slow. Also, at times you may get an answer that is not up to the mark for your question.
But in the end, you need a designer who is available most of the time to answer all of your queries appropriately. For this purpose, a freelancer can ultimately come in handy to look for all your doubts and responds in a short time being with desired and satisfying answers. Another factor where freelancers, as graphic designers, again get a point.
5. Priority and Flexibility
As a person who assigns the work, you expect to finish it on time. Like you never wish that your work gets delayed and halfway completed due to any reasons.
Think it in this manner. If you approach a design agency then mostly there might be some or other delay as they have to work on different projects simultaneously. In this way, your work may be overlooked at times.
On the contrary, a freelancer is highly flexible and prioritize your work above all. So, hiring a freelancer to fulfill the design needs is surely a good sign.
Also, as being an individual, they never need to rely on another person to get the work done. As a result, you get a co-worker who highly respects your needs and delivers you with the best possible output for the company.
Summing up everything
So, after going through all the points and understanding them, it is seen that Freelancers are surely having an upper hand. Let’s put everything in this way. Here goes a list of perks when you choose a freelancer for your company’s designing needs.
- Highly flexible in nature
- Give utmost priority towards the work
- Our highly cost-effective and pays off with great output
- They provide quick responses to all your queries
- You get a wide variety on the net to choose from
- Finding one with a specialization is easy
Final Words
In summary, as I mentioned earlier, these are just a few factors to consider before choosing between freelancers and design agencies for graphic design. Finally, there is not an ultimate and one straight answer to the question.
So, to brief it, the decision is always different for different situations. And you are the one to choose who to hire from, and who suits best for your graphic designing needs.
Alongside that note, do check out the portfolio of my best graphic design studio and look at my profile of Upwork by heading, here
