Outsource Graphic Design Without Losing Your Brand Identity

You can’t do everything by yourself; you will eventually need help. In this context, the help means to outsource marketing design needs or hire design agency to do your work. Most brands and businesses think that the outsource graphic design can help with either saving or spending too much money. When actually, it is not a strategy to cut cost but to speed up work.

For example, website designing outsourcing can help you focus on other aspects of the business. You can hire creative services managers to achieve a better creative output.

The World We’re Living In…

The only brands and businesses will experience the remorse of not doing enough if they end up doing everything by themselves. It’s like having everything on your plate and fail to figure out where to start.

In such instances, outsourcing web design work using the help of service design agencies can do wonders. It’s like being a partner challenge where you and your partner divide the duties to achieve greater outcomes.

In this digitalized era, you can only smell success if you have the guts to rely or trust on professional creative design and production services. No shame when it comes to outsource designers who can do better work or can take you out of misery.

How can Outsourcing Creative Works Help

With time, we come across different outsourcing creative services who are ready to help us out. However, the issue arises when the clients (brands/businesses) do not know what kind of help they want. For example, who is the best graphic design outsourcing company or if you just want logo design outsources, then who can do it best.

A credible agency will provide large number of services within one or multiple domain work. They will educate you, be flexible with your needs. The most important attribute is that they will help you maintain a consistent brand identity.

What Can You Outsource?

As someone who has outsourced design services but now require offshore graphic design services, you must know how difficult it is to find everything under one umbrella. Yes, finding someone to outsource your creative work is difficult. But there are graphic design outsourcing companies like Webnhubs that provide you with variety of premium services.

If you do not have the skills to do the work in house, you can always outsource. Be it social media post, graphic designing, digital designing, logo, infographic, business card, you can either outsource graphic designers or outsource creative design services.

The catch here is to take help from a professional agency. Hiring someone who has no skills can also dilute your brand identity.

The Guide Talks About…

In this guide, we will discuss how outsource graphic design can help you do wonders. We will also discuss what graphic outsourcing services do provide you with. What is better: an agency or a freelancer? and how to choose the right outsource design company?

Why Businesses Approach Graphic Design Outsourcing Website

Nowadays, everyone with an online presence requires graphic design services company to outshine. Brands and business do hire graphic designers for their work every now and then. On LinkedIn, we see number of graphic design jobs which helps use understand the need of it. But outsourcing can be both harmful or beneficial. That depends completely on who you’re outsourcing.

Some Important Statistics

According to a WiseGuy Report, the graphic design outsourcing services value 53 billion USD globally which will grow up to 85.3 in the next 10 years.

In one of the LinkedIn articles by Emily Bernal, 47% of the total outsource creative services were that of graphic design. This shows how much graphic designing is appreciated and wanted.

Key Benefits of Outsourcing

Affordability

Outsourcing design services won’t only save effort but a lot of investment. You don’t have to set up a whole team or invest in capital when outsourcing. Outsourcing saves money and at the same time it also helps you experience skilled professionals. You can learn a lot, seek diversity, everything without having to invest on full time employers.

On-Time Delivery

Most of the time when brands and businesses are juggling between ten things at a time, outsourcing can really help. There are many graphic design and website design outsourcing companies that offer fast delivery. They manage project efficiently, do proper communication, provide 24/7 customer support and meet deadline swiftly.

Access to Professional Skills

If you are a brand or business aiming to outsource illustration services or you are a design web design outsourcing company lacking skills, you can always count on external skills. When you hire someone to do your work, it means you have access to professional skills. Whether you need animation design, graphic design, business card design, logo design, or product design outsourcing, there are skilled designers available to work for you. All you have to do is look for the one who knows it all.

Employee Burnout

As humans, we can hire all we want but we can also lose professional designers because of health, social and mental burnout. Health is not promised and you may find yourself in a scenario where you land a sale but won’t have someone to do it for you.

In time like these, you can always outsource design services to meet the challenges with open arms. Small businesses who are not ready to set up an office or hire number of employees benefit most from web design outsourcing companies.

Different Outsource Graphic Design Models

When we talk about different models, we are basically referring to who you can hire based on your needs. There are different professionals in an outsourced design team. Brands and businesses can hire them based their needs include budget, skills, design needs and level of creativity. There are both goods and bads to it, so it is you who need to make a wise choice when outsource web design services.

Freelancers

They can easily handle your short, low-budget outsourced web design projects. You don’t have to hire them, pay them monthly not knowing if you will have upcoming work or not. Freelancers can easily handle short term commitment because they work for different brands at a time.

There are different platforms such as Fiver, Freelancer, Upwork, and Behance where you can find freelancers. Just log in, make an account and place your budget, needs and requirement. As an outsourcer or even as a freelancer, you should know what can you provide or what the other person is looking for.

Now, freelancers vary according to their expertise, ask, and experience. You can hire a talent based on the complexity level of your project, budget and deadline. If you are outsourcing through a platform, freelancers will bid so you can choose and schedule time to discuss.

Design Subscription Services

There are platforms that provide design subscription services, all you have to do is pay for it. These platforms are named ManyPixels or Design Pickle through which you can get unlimited design request. They work well with brands and businesses that are established and have a regular stream of design work. The work includes social media images, email templates, or advertising banners and many more.

The cost of subscription service is expectable which makes it easy for you to budget. They are also convenient, but a designer might not always understand the ins and outs of your brand at the start.

If you want to keep the designs that speaks your brand voice, do the regular onboarding, get clear briefs and feedbacks.

Fully Managed Outsourced Design Teams

The best thing about an all-inclusive agency is that they provide you with full support. They are expensive which can be a drawback for smaller business. Superside or Kimp are the examples of such design teams as they provide extended contracts with professional designers hep. These designers later become the part of your brand.

In this outsourcing model, you get designs that has consistency. The quality of work is outstanding and you get your project output on time.

Brands prefer this kind of model because they designate a specialized account manager to facilitate communication and track projects. Other benefits include less micromanaging, endless number of revisions, work that reflect your brand.

It is true that the onboarding can be more time-intensive but the outcomes are also more refined.

How to Choose the Right Outsourced Design Partner

Choosing the right design partner is essential for maintaining your brand identity while benefiting from outsourced web design. The wrong partner can lead to inconsistent visuals, missed deadlines, and wasted budget. Here’s a detailed guide to help you make the right decision.

Find Professional Designer’s Portfolio

In order to choose the right outsource designer, you should look on the internet for them. Study Look at the vendor’s past work. Study their style, attention to detail and what kind of designs they have worked on. If the quality of work matches to you or to the level of your brand, hire them.

One more thing is that, you should also consider those who has worked in the industry or did a similar job. Choosing someone with a good portfolio means outsource graphic design work to designers who will maintain your brand identity and can also resolves creative issues. If you are still unsure, you can always request for case studies or references to make sure that they are a good fit for your project.

Choose Based on Pricing and Flexibility

Every brand and business has a budget of their own and so does designer do. They also have a requirement of their own. Choose someone who can provide affordable as well as premium quality designs.

If nothing, there are also agencies that you can contact. They do charge per project whereas others charge a monthly fee or retainer.

For flexibility, you need to see if they can grow with you, expand with you or can fulfil your urgent demands. Ask if they provide revisions and how many? Keep the budget as well as flexibility in mind before outsource graphic designs. Be transparent because it can save you from suffering and surprises.

Check Turnaround Times and Revision Policies

Deadlines matter. Discuss the timeline and the number of revisions they provide. A trustworthy partner will provide realistic schedules. They will initially discuss and provide a clear method of modifying things. This information can save you from future misery of redesigning or any hassle before launch.

Communication and Project Management Tools

Effective communication is required in good teamwork. Such tools like Slack, Trello, Asana or Monday.com can be used in order to share updates and receive feedback as well as approve work. Inquire about the way the vendor plans his activities and monitors the progress. When you have proper tools to communicate with, you and your outsourcer can discuss, take feedbacks, ask for revisions, share important files like brand guidelines to stay right and on track.

Ask Questions, Do Not Shy Away!

There are four important questions that you must ask before outsource graphic design work.

• How will the outsourcer deliver designs with consistent brand image?
• What is the outsourcer understanding of brand voice, and what can he do to maintain it?
• How do you do approvals, feedback and revisions?
• What about emergency or high priority requests?

Match Vendor Strengths to Your Needs

Combine what the vendor is most familiar with and what you require. A subscription service can be a good fit in case you primarily desire social-media graphics. If you want a full branding or packaging, then go with a dedicated team. Look for the strengths and weakness and get efficient feedbacks to remain efficient, get good quality and design that fit your brand well.

Final Thought

When you go through portfolios, prices, timelines, tools, and workflows, it becomes easier for you to select an outstanding outsourced designer. The kind who fits your brand, yet remains flexible, skilled, and consistent.

How to Maintain Brand Identity When Outsourcing?

The problem during outsourcing is that you often end up disturbing your own brand voice. But the problem can be solved with effective communication. You and the person or agency you outsource graphic design to must know your brand voice and goals.

Do not hire multiple designers or agencies for different work. Stick to one so that they do not mess around with what’s important. The audience can easily identify if they find inconsistencies which will affect brand recognition, lose trust and engagement.

Let’s dig into the five important steps that are important for any brand or business to look into when outsource graphic design work.

Develop Brand Guidelines

Every brand has a guideline of its own. Everything including logo, fonts, color and visuals are designed with the brand identity in mind. Before outsource graphic design, it is important to be transparent and deliver all the guideline. This will help the experts better understand how to create rightful designs. Consider it a guide to outsource designers; they will be able to experiment while still keeping the identity intact.

Share All Brand Assets

Outsource designer should have access to logos, fonts, images, templates and all existing files. This way, they will be able to utilize the right resources without recreating or improvise from the stock. The goal is to achieve consistent brand identity which is only possible if you have an open communication with the outsourcer. For sharing, you can make a cloud folder and share it in a common place where it is easily accessed.

Take Feedbacks and Client Approval

Before going live with the design, make sure that you take constant feedbacks and approvals. Once client approve and certify, it gets easy to make changes without investing extra effort and money in redesigning. Take maybe weekly or monthly feedbacks, counter problem in the starting stages and maintain a consistent brand image in all assets. Allow outsource designers to communicate freely, be there for scheduled meeting and ask questions to clarify.

Consider Periodical Evaluations

Consistency requires continuous struggle. Have monthly or quarterly reviews of your designs to check whether they are still as per your brand. Use engagement rates or client response to understand how good outsourced designs are. Revise everything, be it work processes, rules, or assignments. Periodic evaluation is one way to have a consistent brand identity when outsource graphic design.

Learn from Top Brands

We can also take inspiration from big brands to better understand how to maintain brand identity. Known brands do outsource but make sure to maintain a consistent identity. They do this by doing effective onboarding, documentation and continuous cooperation. This same strategy can help small businesses to maintain a strong, recognizable, and trustworthy visual style.

These strategies allow companies to outsource graphic design successfully without affecting the brand identity. They share brand guideline to make sure they get the right outcomes without oversharing sensitive information. If you follow the above rules, you will easily get a quicker turnaround and retain brand identity.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

According to Awesomic, 83 percent of the businesses are able to retain and expand their outsourcing by doing two things, one is effective cost cutting and the other is being able to access and hire specialized talent.

Going After Cheap Outsourcers Only

The majority of companies choose the least expensive design. This may initially reduce expenses but inexpensive suppliers tend to compromise quality, decrease innovation and deliver uneven outcomes. The designs can be incompatible with the brand, causing additional modifications and time delay. It is always important to explore the experience, portfolio, and reliability of a vendor and not only the cost. Once you spend a little now you are saving yourself future time and frustration.

Fail To Provide a Clear Creative Brief

Sometimes outsourcers fail to deliver clear and effective designs because of a vague creative brief. Unless you mention the project objectives, what you require, the brand tone, or the audience, the outsourcing team will keep delivering on guesses. It is important for you to include reference images, examples and elaborate instructions. This will ensure designers to understand and deliver what you require. With a clear brief, you can save your and outsourcers time and get a more precise work.

Skipping Brand Onboarding

Your outsourced designers must know your brand, inside and outside. Unless they are onboarded, they may misunderstand your voice, visual style or message. Provide them with brand rules, color schemes, typography, logo rules and past work examples. Once onboarded, you will receive designs that are consistent and your all touchpoints get better.

Not Taking Feedbacks and Reviews

There are high chances that your designs lose the track because of zero feedbacks and reviews. Feedbacks and reviews at early stage save a lot of time, effort and money. It also makes you look professional, credible and memorable. Any kind of feedback can result in numerous revisions. Always do frequent reviews and take approvals to identify mistakes at an early stage. This will help maintain the brand standards and smooth collaboration.

Absence of Proper Communication Tools

Even the best designers can deliver wrong designs when there is no clear communication. Without having clear channels to communication, outsourcing fail and the client falls in confusion and delays. To solve this, install software like as Slack, Trello, or Asana. They provide clear guidelines based on updates, inquiries, and approvals.

A Step-by-Step Guide Before You Outsource Designs

Discuss Your Requirements and Workload

Look at what you are doing now and the capacity of your team. Always examine the tasks that occur regularly, jobs that require special skills, or which task has tight deadline. When you are aware of your workload, it helps you decide what to outsource first. Always outsource work that can benefit your business.

Decide What to Outsource

Decide specifically what you would like an external team to do. Do you want to outsource social media posts, graphic designs, visuals or a whole website? Is it a business card, a mere drawing, a packaging material or a banner? Decide what do you need to outsource beforehand. Be very clear with what each of you is doing so that both your team and the outsourcer understand who is doing what.

Draft a Creative Brief

Write a concise outline which includes what you want, when you need it, your target audience, and your brand voice. Include all the brand materials such as logos, colors, fonts, templates and any style guides in that brief and share it. The more details you will provide, the simpler it will be for you and the outsourcer to deliver best outcomes.

Shortlist and Interview Vendors

Identify possible vendors or freelancers, and select 2-3 of them. See sample of their work, experience and reviews from other clients. Interview them about their communicative skills, their work organization, and their level of familiarity with your brand. This will ensure that you get a team that is capable of producing good designs.

Conduct a Paid Trial

You should do a small paid trial job before you outsource for a long-term partnership. This will demonstrate the quality, speed and how well they understand your instructions. The pilot will also reveal any communication or workflow issues in advance, so that you can rectify them.

Established Workflows and Tools of Communication

Establish precise tools and steps to ensure smooth running of projects. Chat with Slack, organize tasks with Trello or Asana and share files with Google Drive or Dropbox. Get clear deadlines so that everyone has an idea of what to do. Remember, an effective workflow always prevents you from future delays and confusions.

Assess Results after 30 days

After a month, verify the performance of the vendor. See how quick they get it done, how good they are, whether they stick to your brand guidelines, or are is affordable. You should ask your team to give reviews so that you can ask for modification or what needs to be changed.

Gradually Scale the Collaboration

Do not outsource everything at one. Gradually increase the amount of work you give to the outsourcer. And specially only when they have proved themselves as trustworthy. You’re you are satisfied, then gradually move towards outsourcing larger or more complicated projects. Still, do not forget to monitor quality and consistency.

Real-World Case Study

When you have a small eCommerce start-up company then you can outsource your social media design to a design service that is based on subscription. This saves you 50 percent of turnaround time and saves you 40 percent of the expense of employing an in-house designer. Also, your brand imagery remains the same on all posts even when you collaborate with an external team. All it takes is to get the outsourced team on board and have a weekly review of a detailed brand book. Clear guides and frequent communication assist in maintaining a healthy brand name coupled with achieving quicker and lower cost outcomes.

Tools Used by Freelancers vs. Professional Agencies

Freelancers rely on a variety of inexpensive and flexible tools. The famous ones among them are is Canva to create quick designs. Then, there is Figma to create interface, and Adobe Creative Cloud to create graphics advanced. To keep a track on all the tasks, they use tools like Trello, and slack. They prefer using Google drive to share files.

Professional agencies tend to spend more on large-ticket tools. Besides Adobe Creative Cloud and Figma, they typically utilize InVision, Asana, Monday.com, or Jira to monitor the projects. They also establish advanced workflow systems to accelerate the approvals and maintain brand consistency specially where projects are at stake. This difference can definitely help you understand who to outsource and why.

Comparisons between Freelancers and Professional Agencies

Freelancers are extremely affordable. You can outsource them if you are a small business with a small budget. They work and adapt fast but do struggle to work on large projects or maintain a consistent brand style. In most cases, they also fail to deliver on time but that’s not for all freelancers because some are really professional.

Professional agencies offer all-service plans. They are a good choice mainly because they have multiple designers, project managers and QA officers to do checks. Agencies can help deliver designs with brand uniformity and quality output. They are more expensive but if you want frequent design services, or specific creative ability, choose them.

How To Write a Foolproof Creative Brief

See, the foundation of an effective outsourced design lies behind a good brief. In order to achieve good outcomes, write your brand guidelines very clearly. Mention who you will target, what the project must accomplish, and the examples of styles that you like. Moreover, discuss the deadlines, file formats, your brand message very clearly.

Clarity in brief help save confusion, reduces redesigning cost and time. They also help freelancers or agencies to understand your brand and design according to your vision. The more detail your guideline is, the better and quicker the outcome will be.

Measuring Success: KPIs of Outsourced Graphic Design

In order to ensure that outsourcing is working, monitor major outcomes. Consider the speedy deliver, the number of modifications required, and whether they stick to brand rules. And yes, the quality of the design in general.

When you assess these numbers regularly, you will get to know a lot about their performance. This will help you refine workflows and make sure your brand voice does not change. Regardless of whether you are dealing with agencies or freelancers, performance tracking can definitely help you choose what’s better for you and your brand.

According to Penji, 37 percent of small businesses are outsourcing at least a core activity and design being a common one.

Niche Outsourcing Opportunities

Outsourcing is not limited to overall graphic design. You can outsource packaging, social media graphics, motion design, web design, illustrations or even AR/VR content. Selecting experts gives projects the attention and expertise they require. It also helps you hire designers who are well are of the trends, have the best skills and use the best practices.

Conclusion

The art of outsourcing is not limited to graphic designs. You can outsource literally anything, be it graphics, packaging designs, digital designs, business cardsl or a whole campaign.

The successful outsourcing is one that helps you save money, effort, time but also generate effective outcomes. It means getting designs that work in your favor.

The outsourcer must understand your brand, totally and completely. But it is your job to deliver all the guidelines and then see how well they are at their job.

There must be good communication – establish frequent reviews, feedback mechanisms, and implement applications such as Slack, Trello or Asana to ensure that they all remain on track. Both when you employ freelance workers, subscription services, or entirely managed teams, it is essential to maintain the brand name.

Outsource graphic design is not a cost-cutting strategy. It is an art to multiply your creativity and expand your business with no hesitation.