Agency, Freelance or In-House

There are several differences in working with a design agency, freelance designer or taking the in-house approach, each offer many benefits. Listed here are only few…

Benefits of working with a design agency:
• Capable of dealing with large accounts
• Typically consists of a group of designers collaborating on ideas, offering a broad range of concepts and solutions
• Offer fresh perspectives and new influences
• Tends to offer a long history of work with prestigious clients

Benefits of working with a freelance graphic designer:
• Considerable savings made through low overhead
• Design revisions, delivery time-frames and billing inquiries can frequently be made and clarified almost immediately
• You deal directly with an experienced professional who can answer questions and foresee possible complications
• Offer fresh perspectives and new unique creative influences

Benefits of hiring in-house:
• Your in complete control of your in-house team
• Staff can consist of one person or a team of people depending on your needs
• Budgets can be monitored closely
• Short response times

The BIG Decision

This article articulates the mere differences in choosing to work with a design agency, freelance designer or an in-house design team. It’s important for a business to understand the difference and make a decision base on their specific needs.

There are many instances where a project requires a lot of dedicated time and resources. Design agencies are typically experienced dealing with such accounts and can put together a team of professionals to work hand in hand supporting a clients needs. This can be very costly but money well spent.

Saving money is every businesses top priority. Working with a freelance designer can offer similar services as agencies and give any business a unique creative edge at value added competitive rates. Keep in mind that not all freelancers are created equally. There are many people who label themselves “freelance designers,” who in reality are uneducated and inexperienced individuals who spoil the creative industry. I strongly advise asking questions about a designers education and experience and make note of their immediate professionalism and portfolio before hiring them to work for you.

Many business consider handling their design and marketing needs in-house. It can be very desirable having control over your staff and budgets can be monitored closely. On another note, is paying for an internal design team, with all the necessary equipment and overheads, a genuine cost savings overall?

In conclusion, depending on your creative needs, I strongly recommend working with an experienced freelance designer that can guide and provide you with their creative genius at competitive rates. Who have the knowledge to recommend and pass off work they know is beyond their capabilities to a respectable agency whom they can work hand in hand with to ensure consistency and help maintain the up-most respect for your brand.