So you finally decided that you want to outsource design needs to a creative design agency. Aside from the lower costs, design outsourcing allows you to focus on your core competencies and lets you make use of a vast design knowledge.
With all these benefits, it easy to see why you wouldn’t want to. But before you head out, here are a few tips to help you make the most of outsourcing your design jobs.
Before outsourcing your design work, you must first know what it is that you want to outsource. Do you want a complete design overhaul of your website? Maybe what you’re looking for right now is a logo redesign. Do you want an infographic to augment your marketing campaigns?
It’s never wrong to approach an outsourcing service provider without knowing what you want—most clients do that. But by knowing what those wants are, you also have a more solid idea of what you are getting into, which in turn makes it easier to set expectations for you and the outsourcing service provider.
Design involves a lot of processes. Outside of the designing proper, you also need to brainstorm and conceptualise, produce the content, and pay for the rights or licenses to use relevant media, among others. Maybe you only want to outsource the designing proper, while the rest can be done by your in-house team. Or maybe you want to entrust the whole process to the agency so you can focus on your company’s core activities.
Knowing which among the design processes you want to outsource makes it easier not just for you but also for the outsourcing company to know each of your responsibilities in a given project. Process flow accountabilities become clear for both parties and estimating turnaround time for each process is easier.
A project can involve a lot of resources. Do you need a photographer? Or would you rather buy stock images? What do you think are your software and hardware requirements? Is a video design skill set needed for the website re-launch, or will a web artist suffice?
Even activities outside of the design proper, those that are needed to get the project moving such as coordinators and project managers, opening of job orders, delivery of output, payment processing, and escalation procedures, should be put into consideration when thinking about the needed resources. Doing this allows you and the outsourcer to map out the resources that the project needs, so that they can be available by the time the engagement begins.
Coming up with a good design project is no good if you don’t have the financial capacity to make it work. Although one of the benefits of outsourcing your design work is that it helps you cut costs and improve your business bottom-line, you still need to be mindful of your budget.
You wouldn’t want to waste your money because of expectations that are unclear, so it will help you to know about what you want and what you can afford to spend on. By doing this, you are setting a fixed price for the project and avoiding the possibility of going overboard your budget.
You are outsourcing an integral part of your beloved business, so it’s only sensible for you to want the best that you can get. That’s why you need to find the right creative design agency, one that you believe will be able to meet your expectations.
Look for creative agencies with established processes. Don’t go for those whose work processes are unclear (e.g. what’s next after this process? or who will be responsible next after the designer has done his job), or those that lack an effective communication flow (how fast will the feedback reach your designer?), because it might affect the timely completion of a project.
Also, look at their work samples to gauge their capabilities. Examine their past clients and see if those can work for you. You wouldn’t want to hire a design outsourcer only to find out later on that what you are asking of them is something they can’t deliver.
The next thing to consider after finding the right agency to outsource your design needs are the cornerstones of the project that you will both undertake. Make sure you agree on the process to be outsourced, from start to finish, as well as the resources needed and the costs and payment terms.
You also need to agree on other contractual terms such as the treatment of intellectual property rights, information confidentiality, limitation of liability, and how to give formal notice with respect to governing law. Make sure everything is in place when you execute a written agreement.
If this is your first time outsourcing or working with the agency that you have tapped, it would also be to your benefit to agree on an on-boarding phase, e.g. trying things out before you “go live” to make sure that everything works, or setting a pilot project—a smaller-scale version of the main project—so you can determine what to improve or if it’s even worth it to pursue the project.
Now that everything is in place, the next thing you need is to trust that the outsourcing service provider will be able to deliver. It doesn’t mean you have to let the agency handle it completely; it would really help if you provide timely feedback and make sure that the team stays on track. You can also help by providing a corporate style guide and making sure every now and then that it is followed. Other than that, let go and leave them to do the designing for you.
Want to know if we’re the right creative design agency for you? Request for samples of our work and see for yourself!