What does a Freelance Graphic Designer do?

One of the most requested profiles on our freelance platform is the freelance graphic designer or the freelance graphic designer. A lot of companies already feel the cold sweat when they use terms like vector, print-ready file or EPS thrown at their heads. Fortunately, many are already making the right choice today, which is to outsource graphic design. And that's good news because many experienced designers are increasingly offering their services on a freelance basis. A match made in heaven!

But what exactly is a freelance graphic designer?

A freelance graphic designer is a creative designer who works on the imaging and visual identity of a brand, company or person to efficiently and visually convey certain messages. A graphic designer is characterized on the one hand by a creative flow of ideas as well as very extensive technical skills. Below we outline as complete a picture as possible of the tasks of a graphic designer and why it is such a good idea to get started with a designer on a freelance basis.

What can a graphic designer help your business with?

1. Logo and corporate identity

Without an original logo, attractive colors or a unique corporate identity, your company will not get the image it deserves. A graphic designer therefore paints over your company's overall picture with his artistic brush and highlights its most important features. Not only does the designer thus create consistent communication, but the branding also helps for brand recognition. But even if your company already has its own visual identity, it is important to let your corporate identity and logo evolve with the times. Just look at Burger King's recent changes where the logo underwent minute changes to stay relevant in the zeitgeist.

By the way, did you know that Apple's iconic logo used to be colored with a pallet of rainbow colors? 

2. Print

Does your company periodically release a catalog, flyer or book to explain your products or services? Then the graphic designer is your best friend. From designing the printed matter to visualizing certain products and services, it is appropriate to hire an expert.

Tip: for best results, we also recommend using a freelance photographer. Genuine authentic photos always provide a great result and emphasize the uniqueness of your brand.

3. Online

Depending on the sector in which your company operates and how you offer services, it is possible that most of your communication to customers and partners is online. A freelance graphic designer can therefore also be your secret weapon to conquer the world of social media, create cool visuals or "design" a trendy website. For web design, we always recommend working with both a freelance web designer as a freelance web developer. A freelance web designer can be thought of as a freelance graphic designer who deals with the style, branding and look and feel of the site, while a developer handles the translation to the code and takes care of usability.

What tools does a graphic designer use?

When looking for the right freelancer, it is important to know what skills the graphic designer should have. This way you can look for the right talent yourself in a much more targeted way. We list the most important examples below.

1. Adobe Photoshop

One of the most well-known apps for graphic designers is undoubtedly Adobe Photoshop. As the name itself suggests, Photoshop is used by graphic designers who want to edit/manipulate photos. Photoshop is extremely suitable for designers in the following situations:

• Photo manipulation
• Creating digital images for your website

2. Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator has a different function than its bigger brother Photoshop. Illustrator is mainly used by illustrators who want to design new logos and get creative with shapes and colors. The biggest advantage of Illustrator? The program uses Vector images. With Vector, we do not work with pixels but with a mathematical formula that manipulates points, lines and curves. The main advantage here is that designs can be enlarged and reduced to infinity. In other words, designs from Illustrator can be used for both small ad spaces and large billboards. Find a freelancer with knowledge of Illustrator when:

• You want to design logos and icons
• You need illustrations
• You want to have a one-sided print made

3. Adobe Indesign

Adobe Indesign is really the workhorse of the three programs. Indesign is primarily used to design larger projects such as catalogs, flyers or leaflets. Indesign is all about consistent multi-page design. Look for a freelancer with knowledge of indesign when:

• You want to have multi-page prints designed such as flyers, printed matter

Why a graphic designer on a freelance basis?

After the graphic designer has created the corporate identity, finalized the branding and designed the flyer, his job is done. You as a company then have a handful of new visual tools you can use. For example, your marketer uses the style guide, to watch over the corporate identity. Personalized stationery is used by the entire team and the logo shows off on the front of your office. You don't have to hire a graphic designer permanently to continue enjoying these benefits. Do you need a new design soon or a change to the current style? No problem, the flexibility of working with freelancers allows you to quickly re-hire your favorite designer. This makes for a very fair system. You only pay for the hours performed. This way, for the same budget of a permanent employee, you can also hire multiple freelancers who are experts in each their own niche. For example, you can opt to have 3D renders and animations done by a different kind of freelancer than the person in charge of illustrations.

Of course, this is just a small sample of the total number of benefits of freelancers.

How to find the right freelance graphic designer ?

But how can you be sure that you can get started with the right freelance graphic designer? A first important indication is the graphic designer's portfolio. The portfolio lists designs that the freelancer has already created in the past for other clients. Do you like the freelancer's style? Then you can start working together and the freelancer will put together a mood board that will be the basis of further collaboration. But before you start comparing portfolios, it's helpful to have an influx of freelancers. You can get that by doing a manual search on LinkedIn or you can collaborate with a freelance platform such as GIGHOUSE. We present you already quality screened candidates. You will be presented up to 5 freelancers whom we have selected according to your needs, thus saving you time.

Sources:

Rebrand takes Burger King back to "when it looked at its best" says designer