10 Things to Keep In Mind when you are “Hunting” For a Designer

1. Ask around
Always ask you friends for recommendations. Chances are that someone that did a great job for your friends will do the same for you.

2. Look for someone that has a big portfolio displayed on his site
Many samples mean that the designer has many clients and a lot of work done in his past. Design is a continually learnable skill so the more you work, the better you are.

This will lead us to the next criteria:

3. Work experience
Look for someone that has at least 5 years of experience in the field. Anything less and you’ll have an amateur to deal with.

4. See how the portfolio is designed
This will tell if the designer takes pride in his work. A lousy presentation of otherwise awesome designs is a big no, no.

5. Make sure that you like his style
Nothing is worse than to work with someone that has different preferences compared to yours. Don’t you trust me? Ignore this tip and you’ll see for yourself.

6. Ask for references
Contact the designer’s references. This is the best way to find out how well they handle the pressures of deadlines and how well they work independently or in a team environment.

7. Make sure that his work is suitable with what you need
Designing for web is different than designing for print. An awesome looking image on the computer screen might be a total failure when printed. Always ask the designer if he will be able to provide you with images suitable for what you need.

8. Does he provide the images required for your design?
Or do you have to purchase them separately? You might close a great first looking deal, only to find out later that you have to pay extra for the images used in the design. These can add pretty quickly to the expenses line.

9. Does he have the rights to use the images he’s using?
If not, you might be opening the Pandora’s Box when you hire him. Should you settle for something cheap and then look back with fear over your shoulder for the rest of your life?

10. Location
This is important for bigger projects. You might want to hire someone that lives in the same city with you if you need him to work closely with your team. Otherwise, you might want to consider someone that lives overseas.

Because of lower life costs in poorer countries, many skilled designers will work for much less than a local designer. This is one of the reasons a higher price doesn’t necessarily mean a better design so DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE PRICE!

Perhaps, you should find out for yourself the best quality/price ratio by checking out my AbsoluteCovers.com site

Author Name: Ovi Dogar
Author Website: http://www.absolutecovers.com

2005-09-22 11:09:31