Many companies need a graphic designer at some point. Unfortunately it’s usually expensive. What’s more there are not many good graphic designers on the market. Additionally you must remember about a computer and software licence. How to deal with it?

There are graphic designers and … “graphic designers”

We have some solutions. Firstly you can look for a graphic designer (it’s the best to find someone from the city you work in so as to communicate easily) and come to an agreement that you contact him whenever you need it and you get project quote. However it can be a little risky, when you need something at once, because your graphic designer can have a lot of work and he won’t be able to fulfill your order. Possibly he can do it, but rather at a higher rate. That is why it’s better to contact the graphic designer earlier. However everything depends on character of your business. The costs of hiring a graphic designer on an hourly basis amount to about 150 zl net pay per hour. Unfortunately there is also one additional issue – the choice of a graphic designer. And it’s not an easy task. Good graphic designers are often “overwhelmed” with work and you can’t expect that they fulfill your order quickly. On the other hand  graphics designers who are beginners won’t be able to do everything (there are of course some exceptions, but you must be lucky ;)).

Advantages
+ no costs for workplace and worker
+ no costs for graphics software licence
+ outsourcing
+ possibility of cooperation in short-term and long-term projects

Disadvantages
– high costs
– difficulty in finding a good graphic designer
– poor time availability

What about subscription?

The second solution is graphic subscription. This solution will be useful for these businesses which need graphics every month. This is because we sign fixed-term contract and if we don’t use a particular plan, it is usually wasted, and we have to pay a monthly subscription. However if you know that you will need some graphics every month, this solution is better than hiring a graphic designer. The costs are lower then, because you have no costs connected with workplace and software licences. Additionally you will get an invoice every month, so you can write off such services as expenses for your company.

What about subscription service?

There are many subscription services on the market such as MyComfortDesign and DesignPickle. These services offer monthly graphic services for your business in exchange for a fixed monthly fee. You can write off this service as expenses for your business and you don’t bear additional costs such as: purchase of software or equipment. You order something and workers do it for you. It’s a good solution for small and medium-sized businesses, which don’t know how many graphics will need during one month.

Advantages
+ no costs for workplace and worker
+ no costs for graphics software license
+ outsourcing
+ consulting service
+ fixed monthly fee (you know how much you will pay)

Disadvantages
– not recommended for project with a very short lead time
– mostly online communication

Our comparison

As you can see, each of solutions has its advantages and disadvantages. If you have little needs, but you know that you will need graphic materials every month, the subscription service seems to be the best solution. If your business develop, you can always unsubscribe and employ a full-time graphic designer.