So you are on the verge of launching your business, maybe you view it as a small side hustle or perhaps you are shaping it to be the next billion dollar startup.
Regardless of your situation, making the decision of who will be handling all your creative graphic design needs is surely a very critical one. This is because those individuals will be the ones responsible for how your business is represented and how customers will view it. Putting your eggs in the wrong basket can surely prove to be quite costly for you down the line and may even jeopardize the success of your entire business. That is why we bring you today a few pointers to help you approach this decision with more confidence.Â
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Rate
The first thing that people often look at is the price. This is because some agencies could really break the bank in terms of what they ask for. It is hard to give prices ranges of what should be paid here as each person’s needs and budgets will vary greatly. Therefore, just make sure that the asked rate is something within your budget, so that you do not affect the allocations you have made for the other aspects of your business.Â
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Revisions
It is an established fact in the world of graphic design that the first version will likely never be the final version. This is mostly because there is a lot of misunderstandings that could occur, and also both the client and the designer come into this with their own biases and past experiences. Therefore, you should always ensure that the price you pay for your requests actually includes an adequate number of revisions (preferably those revisions would be unlimited). Â
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Money back guarantee
This should go without saying, but please always make sure to check if the agency or firm that you plan to work with actually has a money back guarantee. Some agencies will actually refuse to provide such guarantee because they believe that their designers deserve some type of return for their efforts even if the output is not close to what you have requested. Therefore, if there isn’t a money back guarantee then please proceed with caution!Â
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Reviews
This is really the most critical point. Search up some reviews about them and start taking note of the overall sentiment, are people satisfied? Are they recommending the agency’s services to other people? What issues have they faced?Â
The internet is a powerful source of information, and so it is guaranteed that you will find someone who has previously tried the services you are considering. In most forums, you can even reach out to that person in order to gain further insight on their experience as a whole.
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Portfolio and past clients
Most agencies will usually be very proud and showcase their most impressive accomplishments. Make sure to have a very good look at these things, and once again, ask yourself the following questions:
- Does this caliber of work match the price that I will be paying?
- Do I really like their designs and outputs?
- Have they previously worked on a project that is similar to what I am trying to do? (PRO TIP: please note that agencies will never be able to display everything that they have worked on previously, therefore, if you do not find an example of work in their portfolio that resembles that project that you are undertaking then make sure to reach out and ask them about it!)
At the end of the day, the decision of who will be handling how your business is viewed seems like a very daunting one. However, once you break down the elements and examine them one by one, it becomes a lot simpler!Â