The professional appearance of a business and the way you present yourself is crucial in staying visible and attracting new customers.
This is particularly important for the club and hospitality industries, given the amount of competition from venues competing for the same clientele. Graphic design plays a vital role within the modern business environment, generating a meaningful exchange between people and the business through the creation of marketing materials.
As we see a demand in businesses now taking their operations online and to social media platforms, it is forecasted that businesses are to spend more resources on marketing and invest in specialised designs in order to differentiate themselves from competitors.
So, should you hire a graphic designer internally or outsource their services?
Let’s weigh up the pros and cons:
Outsourced
Pros
1. Saving Money
Outsourcing a freelance graphic designer can be cost and time effective. According to PayScale the average cost of a Graphic Designer in Australia is $53,772. Whereas hiring a freelancer involves project-based costs; you pay for each task, per hour or day. Graphic Designers can also be hired on retainer, making them available whenever you need them.
Hiring a freelancer allows you to focus on more high-level tasks within your expertise. The freelancer can dedicate themselves to either small or large tasks, which in turn allows yourself to allocate funds appropriately.
2. “Fresh Set of Eyes”
Outsourcing obtains a different perspective, by accessing a freelancer your business has access to a huge pool of diverse talented designers. Not only do they come with fresh ideas and a different outlook but their expertise can point you in the right direction; including effective ways to market that are up to date with design trends. Their differences in creativity can also make you stand out from your competitors. Graphic designers experienced in multiple industries can be just as valuable as industry-specific designers.
Cons
1. Management
Outsourcing doesn’t always enable management to have total control of the time and quality of the project. This may in turn generate issues when searching and employing a freelance graphic designer.
Can this freelancer give their full attention to your campaign?
Are they able to capture the essence of your brand image and convey that in their designs?
In addition, the failure to hire a good quality service can result in the project to become costly, due to time delays or the inability to complete the task.
In-house
Pros
1. Consistency
The professional appearance across the business needs to have a consistent look and on-brand images. Having an in-house graphic designer results in the understanding of your companies brand image and generating consistent content aligned with the desires of the marketing team.
2. Communication
The marketing team can also develop ideas and work together when generating their required content, allowing direct contact between both parties. This direct content within the workplace streamlines the process when generating new designs.
Cons
1. Recruitment Process and Training
Hiring a graphic designer can be costly, not only including their salary. There is the HR processes involved and the legalities of recruiting a new employee. It is imperative that you look at your annual budget to decide if its a financially beneficial decision to have a graphic designer within a team. This concept should be followed if you decided to build an in-house team of graphic designers. This is also costly as you are paying to train them, paying for the training service and taking their attention away from other tasks.
Key Takeaways:
The decision to insource or outsource a graphic designer depends on your business needs. Overall, graphic designers play a vital role in the marketing business. Make sure to tailor the solution to meet your direct business needs and feasibility.
Maer Group work with a team of expert Graphic Designers experienced in the club and hospitality industries. Our design team can cater to all your business needs whether it be branding, website development or promotional material. Contact us today for a free, no obligation quote.