advertising, employmentI’ve been trying to look for a suitable graphic designer. I employed one once (contractor) and the feedback from customers were very poor - saying the roll up banner was very poorly designed and they could not read well from it (Because of the design flow) I really need to look for one - how do you know if the graphic designer is good? Other than looking at their portfolio.
There are aspects to design that are scientific and aspects that are artistic. While much of design can be learned from well-developed theory, you can’t fully judge a designer in a purely methodological way – you need to trust your gut to a large degree and/or have a good feel for the artistic preferences of the target market.
That being said, being a good designer does not necessarily mean a person can come up with an endless stream of great ideas on the first try (although there are some great designers who can). A good designer is someone who can adapt the work to the wishes of his/her clients in order to achieve a desired product after several iterations.
You might want to change your approach so that the customer understands the designs are drafts and then get plenty of feedback between the customer and designer for subsequent drafts. If, over time, the designer’s work becomes satisfactory to your client, that is a good designer. If not, look for someone else. And make it clear to the designer up-front you expect several drafts so he/she has the right mind-set for the job.
You need to give them interview tasks to do. Someone’s resume is hard to verify, and the fact that they showed up for work at some company does not mean they actually did anything.
If you don’t already have a network of trusted people to select as candidates, then hiring is extremely hard. You will likely have to go through a few contractors before finding someone worth hiring even if your screening process is fairly stringent. The only real advice I have is to ask candidates to demonstrate their skills for you, but this is still not proof of how they will act when given a job.
Ask for design school diploma or agency references - if the guy is a freelancer there is a reason why.
Checkout showcase sites and any other social media site you would try to seek attention as designer.
Behance, Dribble, Deviantart, UnderConsideration, LogoDesignLove, Awwwards …..
If somebody works for pennies either hes desperate unless its a unrated freelancer (high risk). (building references does not count due to showcase sites and social media), being cheap can also mean its a huge company somewhere in asia with low mass quality.
PS: Make sure you get the layered source files (PSD, AI and so on).
PPS: Professional color choice.
PPPS: Stockimages vs custom made.
I have tried a few. The first was a friend. He was slow, did not meet deadlines, and took an “artists” view on his work - e.g. would not take suggestion.
He was cheap and I felt I was helping out a friend, however, it meant that I could not get content together quick enough. When I finally got it I was not happy.
The second graphic designer I tried was based upon a friend’s recommendation (not the same friend…). She has planned in her time and consistently delivered. She has always exceeded my expectations and I am very happy.
Essentially, I have just tried a few designers and stopped when i found one that works well with me.
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