What to Look for in a Freelance Graphic Designer

Companies in different industries often require the services of graphic designers to design digital assets, brochures, manuals, leaflets, posters, and many other materials to market their services and products. While some companies hire fulltime graphic designers, others find it more convenient and cost-effective to hire freelance graphic designers as and when required.

If you are seeking a freelance graphic designer in Los Angeles or elsewhere, you will not run out of options.

Be Clear About the Design Work You Are Seeking

To avoid getting overwhelmed, it is a good idea to know exactly what kind of graphic design projects you intend to outsource to freelancers and what types of artwork and design work will suit your company’s advertising and branding efforts.

Set a Budget for the Work

To hire the best freelance graphic designer in Los Angeles, you will need to have an appropriate budget. If you haven’t hired freelancers before, do some research to get an idea on what the current market rate if for freelance graphic design work.

Picking the Right Freelance Graphic Designer

Once you are relatively clear about what you want, try searching for freelance graphic designers that do the kind of work you want. Use the right keywords to customize the search results. Browse through the online portfolios of the listed freelance graphic designers. Do they have designs like the ones you are looking for? Or, have they exceeded your expectations and shown you something even better?

Check their educational credentials and work history, if they have posted this information on their website. Are they experienced or new to the field? If they are experienced, who have they worked with previously and on what kinds of projects? Have they done any work in your industry?

An extensive and well-curated portfolio is generally the most important consideration for hiring a freelance graphic designer, but it can be reassuring to know that you will be working with a dependable and experienced professional. You want talent that will stick around and get the work done.

Contact the designers whose work appeals to you the most and inquire if they are taking on new projects and, if not already stated on their website, what their rates are. Some freelance graphic designers may be open to rate negotiation; others might not be. Don’t ask anyone to create sample designs unless you are willing to pay for those. If you decide to work together, be sure to have a signed contract detailing the work scope, conditions, and payment terms.

Check with a Creative Staffing Agency

If you are too busy to go through individual portfolios to find a freelance graphic designer in Los Angeles, consider hiring a creative staffing agency to do the legwork for you. Most creative agencies have many freelance graphic designers on their roster and they are experienced in matching the right talent with the right job.

Vitamin Talent is a creative staffing agency providing companies with the right talent and placing job-seeking candidates in the best positions like freelance graphic designers in Los Angeles or web developers in Boston, etc. For more information, visit www.vitamintalent.com/What-we-do.

I'm a freelance copywriter and I write on a variety of topics.