Smart team leaders recognize that the work-life balance for their creative team is their responsibility. One way to help your team manage a heavy workload is to hire an out-of-house freelance designer. There are many professional graphic designers and creative freelancers available in the freelance design community to help you manage the workload.
Before you start your search for freelance design support, you will need to determine the scope of your needs. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to do this:
Do you need help with one project, a few projects, or many projects?
Starting with one project is a great way to build a relationship with a new freelance graphic designer. Smaller projects go a long way to establish expectations between you and the freelancer. Conversely, if you have multiple projects that you would like the same individual to handle then it may be best to choose a trusted freelancer designer with whom you already have an established relationship.
What type of design do you need? Print, social media assets, video, 3D, etc.?
Freelance designers often wear many design hats—graphic design, branding, social media and there are several ways to determine if a designer is the right fit for your project. Word of mouth is a great way to get recommendations. Colleagues often have names of experienced freelance creatives who they are willing to support with recommendations. Additionally, you can search for freelancer graphic designers by specialty on one of many websites: LinkedIn, Behance, Dribbble, Krop, etc.
What is your deadline? Is it immediate or long-term?
If your deadline is immediate, then the easiest solution is to work with a freelance design professional with whom you already have an established relationship. If there is more time in the schedule, then this may be the perfect opportunity to try a new designer or creative studio. Having the longer schedule will give you time to onboard the designer, share your brand guidelines, and familiarize them with any important processes.
Freelance design support is a cost-effective way of managing the work-life balance for your creative team. Answering these questions will help you narrow and expedite your search to maintain that balance. Big ‘Ole Bulldog Creative is a small creative design studio that can help your team manage its workload with flexible freelance design services. If you are on the hunt for some additional design support and don't know where to start, then let's talk!