Signs of a High-Quality Graphic Designer
December 6, 2017
The person you hire to design your website has everything to do with how it comes out. Some people are more suited to some jobs than others. There are certain skills and personality traits that make a person great at what they do. A great graphic designer is not measured by what they say they can do but the product of their work.
The way you determine if your graphic designer has done a skillful job is partially shown by the traffic levels and conversion rate on your website. It is important to know if a graphic designer will be able to deliver on promises before you hand over your website to them.
Here are some signs you can use to know if your designer is right or not.
Their portfolio.
What kind of portfolio does the graphic designer have? Are they templates or real websites that are currently running? It is not enough that the designer can show you a website they have on the PC, or a sample of what they can do. Do they have websites that they have designed that are showing the results you want? The best designers will be able to show you specifics on the impact they have been able to make on the websites they have done in the past.
Having several designs to show you could be important. It will show how diverse the designer is and their creativity but that is not enough. Quality designs for other customers with proven results is what you should look for.
You could take a look at some of the websites you like and what they have done and who they hired to do it. That could be a good place to start.
While experience is important for your designer, you should also pick a designer who is ready to evolve. A designer may have experience but is stuck in his or her ways and is not ready to adjust to fit what is new on the market. Understanding and flowing with change is an important characteristic of a great designer. It is important for the designer to know and understand what modern design looks like.
Adapting to change can be a lot of work but great designers do it easily without even thinking too much about it.
Check your designer’s experience but be sure they are adaptable.
Quality communication.
Good designers take time to find out what you want. They talk to their clients and find out what their vision is for their website rather than just do it the way they know how or have always done it.
The best designers spend time with their client before they start any project to understand what the client wants and what the website requires. This already solves the problem of agreeing to a price for which they cannot complete a complex job. By communicating, they understand the client’s requirements so they don’t deliver a beautiful website which does not have vital functionalities.
It is important that your designer gets all the information required upfront and they communicate with you to find out if the scope hasn’t changed. If they run into problems, they contact you and never hit you with surprise charges or delays. Phone calls and emails are returned immediately and regular status meetings are held.
A great designer is expected to be friendly and optimistic because they have to deal with people a lot. While this might not have a bearing on the work itself, it is relevant to how the designer functions with clients.
A designer that does not communicate well with you might end up messing up something in your design.
Resources for the job.
A talented graphic designer will have the right tools to complete the project you are giving to them for the price quoted and at the right time planned. Having the right resources will remove or reduce the chances of overtime or going over the budget.
If the designer has the right resources, they will not have to sublet a part of the project to third-parties who may not have the same understanding of your vision for the project. Even if they have to hire another person or company to take a part in the project, this is communicated to you and the third party is very well informed. And you will be informed if this comes at an additional cost to you.
In addition to the resources they possess, great designers are meticulous. They have an eye for details. They know when some colours work and when they don’t. They pay attention the functionalities of the website they are building and make sure that all the parts are properly oiled and working. An author will probably not hire an editor whose emails are full of errors. You shouldn’t hire a designer who cannot spot the errors in their own work.
When hiring a designer, hire someone who has the tools to deliver on time and on budget and someone who pays attention to their work.
Reasonable rate.
The best designer isn’t the one offering you the cheapest price but a great designer will offer you a fair price. With a great graphic designer, you can be confident your fees will not be jacked up after the job is done. They wouldn’t also increase your cost of delays or extra charges because your project wasn’t their priority. They would not give you a bill from a third party for a part of the project you thought was included in the main quote.
The best designers out there quote the price they will require and deliver the website they promised at exactly when they promised. They have the time, talent and connections they need to complete the job on schedule and to budget.
A great designer’s job is to make you a website that will draw traffic, keep the people on and convert this traffic to sales. All these done with the adequate resources and a reasonable price.
To learn more about our graphic design services:
https://www.medm.ca/services/creative-content/
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