The Good, the Bad and the Ugly -tips for finding a good designer

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June 2005
By Daniel Fogg

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These days it seems like designers are a dime a dozen but not all of them are creative equals. Here are my top 5 tips for spotting a pro from the hobbyist and preventing a design disaster.

1. You get what you pay for.
All right, you know this is true for everything but the mistake of "lowest bidder" still happens often enough that it bears repeating. If the designer is underbidding everyone by a large percentage you can bet they aren't going to offer you creative services on par with an experienced pro. What are the benefits of paying for better experience? Generally speaking, a pro will be able to save you money and work-hours by understanding how to plan his/her work time efficiently, using the right tools for the right job and applying a proven work methodology. Initially, an inexperienced designer may not seem like a bad idea if you are saving money up front but I've seen many websites and print jobs that ended up costing the client more in the long run due to poor technical prep and/or planning on the part of the amateur designer.

2. Good Documentation.
A good designer knows that he/she should be taking notes at client meetings and you should ask for a summary copy of those notes for your reference. The most important notes are in the early stages of the creative process particularly from the client interviews. It's important that everyone is on the same page and referencing the written notes will ensure no one is working down a dead-end road. Good documentation also refers to contracts, proposals and invoices. A professional designer will have pre-set forms that they use for bid proposals and design contracts to ensure everyone is satisfied with the project parameters including budgets and deliverables. I should note that documentation has a more limited value for small jobs like a single logo or a small website.

3. Honest designers know their limits.
Every designer has a specialty or focus whether it is in print design, web design, flash design or any other combination of technical skills. A good designer knows the limits of his/her knowledge and isn't afraid to say "I don't know." Sometimes designers get what I would term "grabby" and don't know when to network with other professionals for services that fall outside of their area of expertise. When you interview a designer it's a good question to ask if they have worked with other professionals to collaboratively finish a job. A designer who is willing to discuss which jobs are better suited for another professional or specialist is more likely to put priority in the satisfaction of the client over their personal ego.

4. Design Philosophy.
Effective design isn't just about executing a repeatable pattern or set of steps in Adobe Photoshop. A professional designer has a specific design philosophy and artistic approach to their job and won't have any trouble articulating that to you. Watch out for designers that seem to advocate template-based design or solutions that are cookie-cutter copies of other works from their portfolio. A design approach that is brand and marketing savvy as well as strong on communication with the client is a sign of an experienced designer.

5. Leadership
This is a slightly more amorphous quality that can be hard to evaluate without actually working with the individual but you should get a general sense of direction and focus from the designer. You have come to the designer with a problem and they need to provide the solution. The designer will have a clear set of steps in mind for solving your graphic, web or media challenge and can provide you a roadmap of the job from start to finish. It's easy to overlook the final steps but you should also be able to identify a comprehensive wrap-up plan which details of when/how the files are handed off to you and what kind of reporting or guidelines will be provided by the designer for future reference.