5 aspects that can help in choosing the right agency
In brand marketing, the question often arises: is it better to work with a freelancer or a graphic agency? You might think it's obvious that the freelancer is the winning choice since they are cheaper than an agency. Of course, the situation is much more complicated than that. In the following compilation, you can read about the 5 most important aspects that can help you in your decision-making.
DISCLAIMER: We are a creative agency, so it would be easy to bash freelance graphic designers and praise agencies to the skies. We don't want to do that, not because our many freelancer friends, acquaintances, and colleagues would rightfully kill us / dissect us / whip us, but because it's not fair.
It's not fair to those freelancers who have pulled us out of tight spots countless times, it's not fair to those who simply do their job well, and ultimately, it's not fair to you, dear reader, who rightfully may expect an objective standpoint. For these reasons, we will try to explore the topic without bias.
1. How complex is the project?
A freelance graphic designer is, in a good case, a professional in their own field, but it's rare for them to have deep knowledge in multiple creative sectors at once, which a more complex project requires. If you want a logo, perhaps a business card, where there are no further tasks, it's clear that a freelancer is the right choice.
You agree on the price and the deadline, and in the end, you receive the finished product. What if you want a complete brand identity for your newly opening store, a new website, and you also want to design the furnishings based on your corporate colors, shapes, and fonts? This requires a coordinated effort from a team. (If you're interested in the topic in more detail, read about branding design.) our article.) Everyone contributes their knowledge to the design process from brainstorming to installation: graphic designers suggest logos, colors, and fonts, the copywriter comes up with slogan variations, the DTP specialist prepares materials for print, the account manager facilitates communication and adheres to deadlines, and the art director ties everything together during the development of the creative concept, and we could go on.
2. A költségvetésen belül, időben!
Continuing with the branding example, let's assume you already have an established brand, say you deal with dietary supplements and you have completed the renewal of your entire product portfolio. Every product variant has received fresh, crisp new packaging. Let's say you are preparing for a spring sports event where you want to showcase your renewed line-up with a booth. Let's also assume that you are in a hurry and want an instant solution for a flyer, banner, or a small publication that presents all the variants. Before the event, it would also be good to put together a Facebook cover and perhaps a few posts so that people can know about you in time, and you have also planned a few magazine ads. We haven't even talked about the exhibition decoration yet. If you hire independent graphic designers for all this, it could cost you much more in the long run than commissioning a creative team. Why?
You are working with several freelancers considering the large amount of work and variations. Some can quickly churn out the rounds of modifications for you, but not with the quality/precision you would expect. Another one works well, but is not always available and struggles with deadlines. Suddenly, you realize that you have to coordinate the work of 6-8 people while not having enough time for your own tasks, and you have spent a lot of money on materials that you could have finalized in 3 rounds of modifications instead of 20. Yes, you start to grasp that the amount spent on the account is not wasted money if someone keeps the threads in hand for you; it saves you not only time and energy but also money.
If you ever have time (you won't, we know, but let's entertain the thought), ask a few account managers about the work prepared by the graphic designer but ultimately not sent to the client. You will hear long lists of colossal failures. What you wouldn't hear are the clients' thank-you notes who didn't see these slip-ups.
A team that knows your products and is up-to-date with your current materials, and in which even a project manager ties the threads together can save you a lot of time, money, and gray hairs.
3. Can unexpected situations and urgent tasks arise?
A major advantage of agencies is their availability. There have been instances where on a Friday afternoon, the graphic designer sent the graphics to print, but you noticed a small detail that needs to be fixed ASAP? Oh no, you've slipped into the weekend... And someone who is a bit scattered over the weekend won't create new print materials for you by Monday morning at 8:00 (or perhaps Saturday at 11:00, Friday at 23:25, etc.). In such situations, you see the benefit of a professional agency, for whom last-minute modifications are not a novelty. When you are standing there with half-finished or faulty materials, you realize that this attitude is priceless!
But it doesn't always have to be such an extreme example. Has your graphic designer ever been on vacation when you had a submission due? Or sick, or at the dentist, or taking their child to the hospital? Humanly, these are completely understandable and commendable situations. But from your perspective, it is also understandable that you would like a replacement during this time. Can this be solved? Because at an agency, for example, this works; if the account manager is on vacation, there is another one in their place.
Are you in a special area or present?
Let's take prescription medications (RX). These products can only be displayed in a strictly regulated advertising environment and must comply with numerous rules regarding consumer information. Here we think of the many asterisked, fine print mandatory parts, and that it matters where the advertisement appears, what its topic is, what it mentions in the text, and what the promise is. Descriptions regarding the composition, active ingredients, and the experiments that support them must be compiled with extreme precision. Even a single typo can cost the advertiser a lot of money if, God forbid, they have to pay a fine. These errors cannot be filtered out by a single person. Such material goes through triple or even quadruple checks before being sent to print at an agency.
So, if you are working with sensitive or particularly attention-demanding products/services, we recommend entrusting the matter to an experienced creative team.
5. Commercial mindset
The task of graphic designers is to create tasteful, visually appealing materials. A super elegant logo here, a minimal creative poster there. This is fine for startups and creative pitches.
However, at the average profit-oriented company where you also work, the main focus is often on sales promotion. The generous empty space in the middle with a single-word, widely spaced message is stylish, but it may not be what the FMCG consumer needs. On the contrary: every square centimeter of advertising space is valuable and must be utilized.
At the center is the most important crown jewel, the PRODUCT. A packshot polished to perfection with dozens of work hours cannot just be placed anywhere. Yes, you see it right, that spontaneous splash of water was also at least a week's work for someone, as they drew and polished each drop individually. Then there are the claims, the price, the USP, the logo, the slogan, the fine print, the identification numbers, all with the appropriate emphases. The same graphic appears completely differently on an online platform. Did you know that the smallest font size on a Facebook post can be 8-10 points? An agency can know these little details even if woken from a dream.
Working with freelancers is not always bad; you just need to find the right size and priority project for which they can be deployed. Thus, we have reached the key thought of our article.
+1. Who is it that I would recommend an agency to, not a freelance graphic designer?
- who needs more than one graphic designer on a permanent basis
- where the deadline is sacred
- where reliability and predictability are more important than a favorable price
- who communicates through different channels with varying approaches (e.g., B2C and B2B, cold lead/hot lead, offline, online)
- who implements integrated campaigns
- who loves loft offices and barista coffee 🙂
If you are still struggling with the agency vs freelancer dilemma, contact us. We will help you assess your needs and suggest the optimal solution. Even if the conclusion is that you would be better off with an independent graphic designer.
Because we believe in long-term commitment and satisfied clients.
