Hiring a professional graphic designer is often the best choice for a project that you want to look good and communicate your message effectively. Hiring a professional graphic designer will also free up your time to focus on what is important to your business, and almost without exception a pro will take your project from ideas to fruition in a shorter time frame than you can accomplish yourself.
Whether you are searching for a graphic designer online or someone you can meet locally, there are several questions you can ask to ensure you choose someone that is going to be best for your needs.
Questions to Ask a Graphic Designer You Might Hire
1. Can I take a look at your portfolio? This is the most important question, as it shows style and skill set of the designer. If his portfolio does not, for example, have any brochures, you might want to think twice about hiring him for this sort of project. Likewise, if the person you are interviewing has a lot of web design experience but very little print design experience, you might want to keep looking.
2. What is your fee structure? You might even want this to be your first question. If your budget does not allow you to choose a particular designer, don’t waste everyone’s time and look elsewhere. A professional graphic designer should be able to give you ballpark figures right away; wait until she fully understands your project before seeking a firm price quote. A competent designer will only give a price when the project scope is fully understood. Also be sure to ask about extras like file prep fees, revision fees and any additional costs that are typical to your type of project.
3. Can you get this done by…? If you have a limited time frame, let the designer know this right away. His schedule might not allow for your project to be completed within your time frame. It’s best to go over these issues right away to avoid wasting anyone’s time.
4. For that price, how many concepts and revisions are allowed? Most designers use the word “concepts” to refer to original ideas and “revisions” as changes to concepts. For a log project, for example, a price might include two or three concepts and two or three revision rounds on one concept. Professional graphic designers will almost never offer unlimited revisions at a set price. If you want unlimited revisions, make sure you reach an agreement with the designer about what these will cost.
5. What do I receive when the project is finished? Most graphic designer projects will result in the client receiving a file that is suitable for her uses. For example, a client should expect a print-ready file for a business card design that will allow him to take the file to a commercial printer and have cards printed. Likewise a brochure design project should result in the client receiving a print-ready file. What clients should not expect is editable working or source files. That is, few graphic designer will release a template which might include artwork that is not licensed as a template or work process information. If you want part of a design or a template, make this clear to the designer before you begin.
These questions are a good start when interviewing a designer. The important thing to do is to have clear and open communication when talking about your project.
Kona Impact is a leading provider Hawaii graphic design services to businesses small and large. Visit us online at http:/www.konaimpact.com
Author: Thane Johnson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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