How to Outsource Graphic Design

The importance of a dynamic graphic design team to a growing company cannot be overstated. Designers work with marketing and production teams to create a public face for your business. Your desire to expand business into new markets will require outsourcing graphic design to mold your company's image to a certain community.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Online training video
• Internship program
• Style sheet

Shift Your Graphic Design Resources

1. Sketch out the workspace that you will provide for outsourced graphic designers and artists. You can cut down on the cost of renting or purchasing office space by encouraging designers to work from home studios. An alternative to remote work is a large design bullpen without expensive dividers and walls.

2. Employ freelance designers from around the world to utilize lower pay rates and decrease overhead costs. Freelance graphic designers can submit sketches and finished materials from around the world without taking up valuable space. National and international searches for freelancers allow you to determine the right balance between cost and quality work.

3. Find full-time designers in foreign markets to give your company a look that appeals to different demographics. You can maximize the efficiency of international marketing by using a small group of graphic designers to study trends and create unique advertising.

4. Decrease premium pay rates as you outsource graphic design by looking at experience over education. Companies looking for creativity in graphic design have begun hiring self-taught designers and small business owners who have developed their own advertising. These individuals will accept lower rates than professional designers will in order to get their first big breaks.

5. Establish a college internship program to outsource administrative and quality control tasks without increasing costs. You can use school credit, stipends and a professional reference to compensate student designers for their work.

6. Lower in-house training for graphic designers by creating a series of online videos. These training sessions can be edited and corrected as necessary to create an effective learning environment for new designers. You can post these videos on the intranet for use by freelancers and new staff.

7. Partner with graphic design studios to outsource corporate branding and advertising campaigns. You should create a specific budget and style sheet for studios to avoid endless rounds of corrections for your campaign.

Tips & Warnings

• Create a virtual portfolio of past graphic design projects within your company. This portfolio should be available by password for designers in every outlet and branch of your company to establish a uniform standard for design aesthetics. You can utilize portable digital files (PDF) to decrease download times for remote offices.