These days there are a lot of Graphic Designers offering services online. Perhaps too many. This article covers some useful need-to-knows about Graphic Designers and what to look for when ordering a logo design, brochure design or any of the countless reasons to order a graphic design service for your company or organization’s imaging needs.
Graphic design services these days (like any services these days) have been on a downward slide for some time now (in this Designer’s opinion). Take logos for example. I can’t tell you how many logos I see out there featuring a swoosh or swipe looking graphic that shoots out as though orbiting the text that makes up the logo. I would like to tell you that the Designers who created the thousands of swoosh logos out there, utilized this staple of design because it was the best solution for their client. I can just hear them stating how this simple element is really a complex and developed “less is more” approach to their client’s design and worth every drop of the hundreds of dollars they are charging for it. I would like to tell you that but unfortunately that is just not the case.
I’m not saying that if you have a swoosh in your logo then you got scammed by a false Graphic Designer looking to make a quick buck on a simple design that catches your eye. In fact I have even used a swoosh or two in my designs (though usually at my client’s request and certainly not as the only element in the design). What I am saying is that when you look at how many logos out there feature this graphic swoosh element it becomes quite obvious that a great deal of graphic design sources these days are just trying to get their orders filled as quickly as possible without actually putting thought into the purpose of the design and the needs of the client. It is sad but true that most companies of any kind in this day and age are focusing more on looking like a company rather than actually being a company. How many times have you ordered something only to find out later it was just a gimmick designed to get the sale.
So how do you know if you are hiring a real Graphic Designer focused on doing real design work and not just one of the many impostors out there trying to look like they are putting the time and thought into your design that you are paying them good money for? A good place to start is the facts.
When you are online looking for a Graphic Designer, do a little reading. They should have an About Page, a resume or some form of credentials available on their website. If they don’t then its time to leave that website. I do not recommend testimonials because these days there is no way to verify where these wonderful comments came from. Stick to the facts and information that can be verified if need be. If you are paying hundreds of dollars or more for design services then you had better see some years of experience on that Designer’s resume. Where did they get their education and did they actually even major in Graphic Design? What does their job history look like. Have they really been a Graphic Designer at every job in their resume? It is worth it to do a little research because chances are you are going to need more design work done in the future and wouldn’t it be great to have a Designer you can depend on?
Next take a good look at their design portfolio. Do the designs look similar to each other? Maybe the elements of the designs look different (because they are for different companies) but are they all arranged about the same with the same kind of type used? Are they just putting swooshes on everything? If so then you are most likely at the site of one of the impostors who uses visual gimmicks to wow their clients and get the sale.
Beware those graphic design websites offering promises that are too good to be true (if something sounds too good to be true… ). If you are paying only $50 for a logo then your are most likely getting a pre-made graphic or clip art with your company name stamped on it to make the sale. If they say that countless designers will be working on your project then chances are you will never speak directly with those designers, or you will be paying for countless designers, or they are just using visual gimmicks to get the design sold so they can move on to the next client as quickly as possible.