1. Look at the designer’s portfolio. Make sure you see examples of what you’d like to hire your designer for. If you are looking to have a logo made, and you only see business card designs, this designer may not be a good fit for you.
- Also evaluate the content & the site in general. If the website doesn’t look nice, your design probably won’t either. When you’re looking at examples of the designer’s work, ask yourself if you would buy from or trust a company with the logos, cards, websites, etc you see represented on the designer’s portfolio.
2. Send an informative inquiry. You may see several designers whose portfolios you like. Get in contact with them with a short note about your project, but be as descriptive as you can (ex. I’m looking for someone to design a logo for a childcare business. I’d like it to have a baby in the logo & I want the main colors to be pink and blue).
3. Discuss your payment plan. Most likely, you will pay a retainer fee. After this you’ll get your first designs within a few days. Then you give feedback and get your changes. Rinse, repeat until you’re happy with the project, pay and receive the source files.
- Ask for an estimate based on the designer’s experience with this type of project. A lot of designers work on an hourly rate, so you’ll need to ask how many hours they estimate the project will take. Some designers offer a flat rate but may limit changes. Here is a sample of my flat rate pricing for design work. While each project is different, these will give you an idea of about what you can expect to pay from a freelancer. Agencies will cost significantly more.
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