It isn’t a straightforward choice to employ an in-house designer or hire an external design agency. Either represents an investment, with a member of staff requiring a salary, benefits, office space, training, sick and holiday pay. Meanwhile, a hired design agency might demand a large chunk of your marketing budget. So, what are the advantages of hiring a design agency to collaborate with on a project rather than taking on an in-house designer? Here, we present the case for the experience, know-how and expansive skill set of a design agency before explaining how it can be beneficial to your business.
Cost-effective
Working in partnership with a design agency affords more flexibility with a budget in comparison to employing a designer.
Every business owner acknowledges that the amount of money available to spend on marketing can vary, occasionally leaving them with a difficult decision to make.
You wouldn’t want to find yourself considering whether to reduce the size of a team, risking damage to the morale of the remaining staff if they develop concerns about job security.
Design agencies differ in that they understand that engagement may have to be scaled up, or down, according to circumstances.
Flexible contracts are appealing, meaning you can utilise their services when required.
The initial cost of commissioning a design agency may seem high, but when you weigh that against the outlay on an employee – whether full-time or part-time – it becomes a prudent investment.
Work directly and faster
In a digital world, choosing to work with a design agency can equate to hiring an in-house designer.
The frustration felt from having to wait three to five business days for a response is a thing of the past; your creative team can respond, and get to work, almost immediately.
Communication is important, and the best design agency will be available to take your call or respond to an email, text or direct message about your project just as quickly.
The net result is often a project completed in less time because they have the resources to meet demand.
There are no distractions, or internal politics, to disrupt workflow – something that is a possibility with an in-house designer who has multiple tasks on the go at the same time and might be under pressure to meet unrealistic deadlines.
Contrast that with an agency commissioned to focus on a single goal that is clearly defined.
Improved quality
If you opt for employing an in-house designer, you accept the responsibility of completing high-quality work on time, and within budget, is with one person.
Alternatively, when using a design agency your projects are in the hands of a dedicated team of people who share the load.
Its members, all of them experts in their chosen field, should give you peace of mind that quality and professionalism is guaranteed.
In practice, that means designer collaboration, internal reviews, and a senior member of staff overseeing progress before a project is presented to a client.
Outsourcing
According to statistics from YouGov, seven out of every 10 British businesses outsource work to third parties.
It is not difficult to understand why.
Outsourcing to a design agency instantly converts the fixed costs of hiring an additional employee into variable spend, potentially freeing up money to allocate elsewhere.
Every person you employee needs training, office space in which to work, sick and holiday pay and other benefits.
You make PAYE contributions to the tax man, and take on HR costs.
As your headcount increases, so does the sum required for each these expenses, and that can have an impact on profits.
By outsourcing to a design agency, you can remove some of that pressure while still being sure of first-class output from highly-qualified specialists.
Get in touch
If you would like to discover more about the benefits of working with a design agency, then why not get in touch with us?
Let the team at Dawn Creative collaborate with you to complete a project on time, within budget and that achieves the results you want.
Call us on 0161 711 0910 or send an email to wakeup@dawncreative.co.uk
We have complete faith that you’ll love what we do, which is why we promise to return your money if you don’t.
