The Do’s & Don’ts of hiring and working with a graphic designer:

DO NOT shop based on price. There are a lot of really good graphic designers out there and a lot of really bad ones. You will find both at every price level.

DO shop based on experience, examples (ask for a portfolio & references!) and how well that designer listens to what you need. Notice we said “what you need”… not what you want. When you hire a graphic designer, as with any other professional, you are asking for help from someone with the experience and background to deliver what WORKS. A good designer will listen to you, educate you, and find an objective way to deliver what you need. Be open-minded because they may come up with something totally opposite of what you said you wanted …and it could be exactly what your business needs to propel forward!

DO give constructive criticism. Being able to explain why you like or dislike something in your design will only help your designer more fully understand what you need and how to deliver it. Blanket statements like “I don’t like it” are counterproductive if you can’t pinpoint why because it doesn’t guarantee a different perspective during revisions.

DO trust the person you hire. While it may be uncomfortable to put your faith in a stranger, you should feel confident enough in your designer’s abilities to deliver if you hire someone based on their experience and their understanding of you, your business, your needs and the basics rules of effective advertising and design. Micromanaging your project will deprive it of the both the science and creativity it needs in order to be meaningful and useful to you.