Before you hire a Graphic Artist…
There are many things to consider when looking for a Graphic Designer to take on your project. But before you start checking Designers off your list, you may want to check yourself. What I mean by this is that there are some points about yourself you’ll need to consider.
Ask yourself, “what are my needs?” “Well duh”, you may say, “that’s simple…I need a logo”. But that’s only the end product. Have you thought about the steps in between? Will you want to be involved in every aspect of the projects development, or are you just too busy to bother? The Designer you choose should have the flexibility to go either way.
Keep in mind that if you expect to be involved from start to finish, this may require more time and therefore more money. Make sure the price quoted reflects this. Case in point. I was hired to design a logo for a person that had this “vision” in their head and wanted to turn it into a logo for a website. After two meetings and many phone conversations explaining the details of my progress, we finally got a clear direction for the design and were well on our way to completion. I didn’t mind holding my clients hand through the process, that’s part of my job and they were willing to pay for it. But then it happened. Midway through I got a call from the client who told me they had seen something they wanted incorporated into the logo. This totally changed the design and took us away from the direction we had so painstakingly blazed a trail for. I informed the client that this would affect the original price quoted by as much as 30%. Needless to say, 30% was well over the budget my client had for this project so they quickly forgot about adding this new element.
This brings me to my next point. Have some sort of idea as to what you are looking for and put it down on paper. Many times a person hires a designer and plops down a handsome deposit not having a clear idea of what it is they want. They only know what they don’t want and that’s usually after the designer has presented the layouts to them. One of the most dreaded phrases for a Designer to hear is, “I’m not sure what I want but that’s not it”. Even if all you have is a feeling or emotion you want portrayed, try and isolate that feeling and put it down on paper. I know what you’re thinking at this moment, “If I could do that, I wouldn’t need a Designer.” Come on, it doesn’t have to be a work of art. If you have enough dexterity to sign the check you can scribble down your ideas. I can help you with that here. A great Designer won’t need your scribbles, but then again great Designers aren’t easy to come by.
Now on the opposite end of the spectrum, don’t be so set on an idea that you are not open to the fresh perspective that the Designer brings. A good designer will challenge your choices and decisions and you may not see eye to eye on everything. This is healthy so don’t worry. Just remember, a Designer looks at shapes, colors, tones and how they play together as well as how they are perceived consciously and subconsciously. But at the end of the day, they work for you, so they’ll do what you ask, even to your own detriment.
As you can see there’s quite a bit to consider before you start interviewing Designers. Only after you have hashed out these important questions are you ready to find the graphic designer that best fits you. Happy hunting! 
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