When you hire a graphic designer to help you with your business, you are looking for someone who can bring your ideas to life. You may not have the technical skills to create a cohesive and beautiful design, but you know your business and trust that a designer can bring their expertise to make it shine.
You are paying your hard-earned money to help you grow your business and you expect something of value in return! When you get more than what you expected, it’s great, but what about when your expectations don’t match reality? Finding the perfect designer can seem like a gamble if you have had a negative experience in the past. What happens if you invest in a designer and they don’t follow through or worse, totally ghost you? What happens if you trust them to create a beautiful brand for your business, but they don’t deliver on the quality they promise?
Let’s go over three types of experiences you can have with a designer: Either good, bad, or just plain ugly. You deserve a good experience, so let’s make sure that’s exactly what you get.
The Ugly
Let’s get the bad news over with, OK? The reality is that not everyone delivers on their promises. Unfortunately, Daree had an ugly experience with a designer when her logo design took longer than expected.
“When I asked what took so long, she said she was doing designs for multiple clients. No apologies or anything, so I just fired her and told her to keep the fee. I still need a logo to this day but I can’t trust anyone. There have been other scenarios that included a contract and I still lost out.” – Daree
Here is one way to avoid falling into an ugly designer experience.
Do your research! Doing extensive research before you choose to hire a graphic designer could be the key to having a good experience, vs. an ugly one. Check out customer reviews and their portfolio in detail before committing. Also, look at multiple people before making a decision!
Related post: How to Find a Brand Designer that Totally Gets You
The Bad
This is the middle-ground. You didn’t have a terrible experience, but it also wasn’t what you had expected when you started out. Debbie found herself in this situation.
“I have had issues in the past with a very talented designer who you literally had to sit with her to get things finished. She was super creative and fun to work with but did not treat it like a business as far as having a timeline. Unfortunately, we had to part ways.” – Debbie
Maybe the designer had a great personality, but the quality of their work or customer service didn’t add up to what they promised. To avoid having a bad graphic design experience, Don’t settle! Maybe you were in a time crunch or didn’t do enough research. This is your business for cryin’ out loud, it is OKAY to be selective.
Make sure all of your boxes are checked before you sign that contract (yes, there should be a contract!)
Related post: How to Find a Graphic Designer that Fits Your Business
The Good
Obviously, this is the kind of experience that you want to have when working with a graphic designer. If you do your research, don’t settle, and are open about what you are looking for, then you, too, can have an amazing design experience.
Just take a look at Erin:
“Hiring a designer has been the best experience!! Can’t live without her now!! She took my ideas and made them real life!! She spends a lot of time making sure she understands you, your business, and what you want your brand to convey. She really digs deep into all the details”> – Erin
Hiring a designer should not be a one and done task. In order to make sure you have a great experience, remember you and your business deserve respect and attention – don’t work with just anyone! There is a perfect designer out there for you, you just need to look for them!
Looking for a designer for your biz? Leave a comment on this post about what you are looking for and we can schedule a strategy call!
I help female entrepreneurs and business owners create brands that command the spotlight. I love working with women to help them create beautiful, one-of-a-kind brands that give them the confidence to take their business to the next level and get them seriously noticed. I’ve worked with coaches, authors, influencers… you name it, and I bet I can help you too.
