Once you have decided that you do indeed need a professional graphic designer to help with your marketing and advertising materials, it will be important to choose wisely.
For, even though the graphic designer you select will not physically be located within your company walls, they are in effect an extension of your business. They will design the materials that you will be communicating to your existing customers as well as any potential customers.
Does this mean your graphic designer has to be in the same city as you? In the past this would have been important to some, but with the communication options and high speed internet that are available today, companies just like yours are finding talented graphic designers all over the world.
Successful graphic designers have foresight enough to do research on your company when they know they are in the running for winning your business. It is through this study that they can get some knowledge not only on your company, but also your industry. I’m not talking about learning all of the ins and outs of the business. For example, they don’t need to know how an optical lab grinds lenses for glasses, or how the lab technicians determine axis, sphere, or pupil distance… they don’t need to know what you use to make your pizza sauce so good it’s practically addictive – that’s your job!
But a basic understanding of a company, how it communicates, who it wants to communicate with, what the ROI expected would be, company goals, philosophy, etc. are helpful not only for establishing a feel for the style of the company and building a design strategy, but it’s also helpful for determining how to position your marketing materials to out perform your competition.
Due to the fact that you will be building a long-term relationship with your graphic designer, you need to choose someone that is personable as well as talented. Communications skills are undeniably important, for if they can’t communicate well with you, how are they going to communicate your message to your customers?
Find someone who has a good track record for customer satisfaction. Ask if you can contact some of their existing clients, and maybe some past clients. Ask about the longevity of their client life cycle. If they have a significant portion of their client base that have been with them for a year or more, chances are they are going to be a strong candidate for your company as well.
