Graphic Design – In-house Graphic Artists VS Outsourcing Needs

Graphic design trends have arrived at a different level and milestone currently, proving it to be the dawn of the new decade. It has poised a new zenith, and graphic designers have started to define the new era so much that we are just about to be the testimony of the next creative design evolution.

Significance of Graphic Design in Business

Amidst the fierce competition in the modern business environment, graphic design has a more significant role to play in creating impressive marketing materials like logos, brochures, websites, business cards, mobile apps, social media pages. It has a considerable contribution to the virtual and physical markets for effective communication with the audience.

In the present age, social media, and the pervasive digital advancements, using visual strategies with graphic designs is the in-roads to scale up brand awareness than ever before. The reason behind the graphic design inspiration is images are processed much faster than text by the human mind, and visitors spend 10% extra time viewing images on the websites than the text.

The stats are powerful enough to advocate about why visual strategies matter while leveling up the game. However, businesses need highly talented graphic artists, who can use the latest graphic design tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Pixlr, InDesign, and more to help them in achieving the desired results.

However, the catch is whether to hire an in-house graphic design team or outsource graphic design requirements. Let’s examine the pros and cons of each case.

Hiring Inhouse Graphic Designers

The process of hiring graphic designers for the in-house team is a strenuous task, but it has many advantages and disadvantages as well as below:

The Pros of Inhouse Graphic Design Team

1. Cohesion – Cohesion between the designers and the brand managers is essential when it comes to creating and sustaining the brand image. In-house designers are more synergetic with the brand, company culture, and niche.
2. Ownership – As part of the team, the in-house designer has the accountability of the output that will be in sync with the company objective. They have a higher drive to accomplish the company’s goals.
3. Communication – With in-house designers, miscommunication can be avoided, and they are readily available to work on priority tasks. With the outsourcing team, the risk of being out of touch, running on a different schedule is always there.

The Cons of Inhouse Graphic Design Team

1. Onboarding Process – In-house graphic design team is not readily available; the team needs to be built that involves significant effort, time, and money. You must spread the word and wait for useful applications, find out the best fit, schedule the interview process. It’s a month-long process to hire a single designer.
2. Cost – Based on Glassdoor data of 2019, the average salary of a graphic designer was $49,000. So, while hiring, the budget must be taken into consideration with an annual perspective to find out if it is feasible financially and productive stance.

Outsource Graphic Design

According to Entrepreneur.com, outsourcing is “the practice of having certain job functions done outside a company instead of having an in-house department or employee handle them; functions can be outsourced to either a company or an individual.”

Additionally, Deloitte’s 2016 Global Outsourcing Survey reflects the reasons for which companies outsource: 

• 59% – Lowers costs
• 57% – Helps to focus on core areas
• 47% – Solve capacity issues
• 31% – Enhances services
• 28% – Onboarding expert talents
• 17% – Control the business environment
• 17% – Ameliorate organizational transformation

The Pros of Outsource Graphic Design

1. Less Expensive – When you outsource graphic design, you get pliability to decide on the amount to be spent on the project as each project has a different scope. So separate budget can be fixed in co-relation with the project complexity and priority.
2. Flexibility – The most crucial benefit is that the need for the team can be scaled up based on the requirement and the volume of work. If there is a priority or there is a need for a considerable quantity, you can hire more outsourcing vendors.
3. Diverse Talent – Outsourcing could be the best option when the inhouse graphic design team lacks specific skills like animation, etc., which might be periodic or long-term requirements. You may hire vendors who are highly skilled and can provide you custom solutions.
4. New Ideas – Outsourcing opens new styles, perspectives, opinions, new visuals to drag the eyeballs of existing and new customers. This can inspire unique creativity among the in-house team.

The Cons of Outsource Graphic Design

1. Diverge Focus – It is tough to understand the number of projects the freelancers are focusing on at the same time. This can lead to inadequate designs with errands that would need additional time to fix, finally hampering the project and deadline.
2. Difficult to Find the Best Match – Finding out the best fit is a little tricky more difficult is to assess if the vendor can perform the task satisfactorily. Therefore, it is advisable to hire vendors that have prior experience of handling similar tasks and verifying the information about them.
3. Difficulty in Managing – Another downside is the difficulty in managing the graphic design vendors and getting full control over them.

However, if there are managers in the in-house team to manage the vendors, outsourcing graphic design needs can be outsourced and utilized to its full potential.

When Should You Outsource Your Graphic Design Needs?

While planning for outsourcing your graphic design needs, farsightedness, a long-term vision, and setting some definite criteria can prove to be beneficial and save you from making bad decisions. You must consider outsourcing if you want anyone or more of the following:

• Hire specialized talents, but full time is not required.
• Free up the in-house team to focus on the core business activities.
• Cut cost for essential projects

But before turning over a new leaf, you must take measured steps as below to make the right choice on the vendors:

1. Set your graphic design budget so that the payment terms are smooth.
2. A definite plan to manage and control the outsourcing vendors
3. Work location of the graphic designers and if they can attend meetings from time to time or working thoroughly remote.
4. Outsourcing contract and how to deal with potential conflicts

Once you have decided on all these factors and developed the confidence of handling the teams, you are sure to reap the benefits from the outsourcing model.

Graphic Design Trends May Change

Design trends that are reigning today may change tomorrow. The in-house team can keep themselves updated with a continuous training program. However, if rigorous training is not feasible for the company, outsourcing is the best option. You can hire teams based on their expertise and knowledge on different types of graphic design like cyberpunk color schemes, street art styles, ultra this geometry, hyper-pastiche, bevels and chisels, live data visualization, and more.

Create the First Impression on Your Potential Clients

Graphic design is an essential part of a business in various ways. Professionally created designs, brochures, logos, websites, and other marketing materials have a high impact on the potential customers turning them to be loyal customers sometimes. However, the first impression is the most crucial in attracting customers towards the business. BackOffice Pro is a global outsourcing company catering to graphic design needs for companies from all spheres, sizes, and industries. Contact us today for more information about how we can help you and outsource graphic design requirements.

-Back Office Pro