In the marketing world, it is commonplace for agencies and brands to hire creative talent on a contracted basis rather than in-house. Why? You might only need them for on a project-to-project basis or you simply might not have room in your budget to hire someone else on your payroll. But depending on your company structure and standards, hiring a graphic designer onto your permanent team might actually be the way to go.

In this post, we’re discussing some of the advantages of hiring a graphic designer in-house rather than on a project basis.

Better on-brand designs

One of the most important parts of establishing brand awareness is developing a brand that’s well recognized by your target audience. This means designs should be bold, consistent, and unique. A graphic designer that’s well-versed on your brands’ standards and values can help you achieve just that if you hire the right one.

Probably the biggest advantage of hiring a graphic designer in-house is that they’re more likely to have a deeper connection and understanding of your brand’s values and style. A freelance designer can also grasp this, but it may take a little bit more time for them to calibrate and build a relationship with your brand.

If you simply can’t hire a designer onto your payroll, you may want to create a branded style guide with Frontify to help you demonstrate what exactly you want from your freelance designer so that there aren’t as many (if any) design mix-ups later down the line.

More skill versatility

If your business is looking for a specific style of art such as illustration or iconography, you may want to hire a designer in-house that can meet all of your design needs, rather than having to hire one person for this project and another one for that. This way, your designs are more likely to be consistent and in alignment with your brand standards. You can use Behance to view designer portfolios and connect with in-house and remote designers looking for work.

If you’re hiring someone to do illustration or logo work in-house, you may want to consider investing in an HP printer scanner to make the design process more efficient. A printer scanner can take illustrative designs on paper and upload them to digital formats, making it easier and more cost-effective for the designer to create. As for you, the business owner, this process enables you to participate more in the design process and review designs while they’re still on paper (literally).

Edits are made quicker

It’s only natural that there are going to be edits that have to be made for any creative work that’s produced for your company. When you outsource your design work, oftentimes it’s more challenging to communicate edits and it can take even longer to get designs back and ready for release. If you’re able to meet with your designer(s) face-to-face, odds are, you’ll be able to better direct them until you get the result you’re happy with.

Whether you hire a designer in-house or off-site, it’s important to have a method to communicate with them whenever you need to reconvene and adjust an assignment. An internal messaging platform is a great way to connect instantaneously with everyone on your team, including your graphic designer—even if they’re working remotely.  In addition, being able to connect online can help you track progress on their projects and make sure your goals are on-track throughout the year.