If you’re debating between hiring a graphic/web design freelancer vs. hiring a graphic web/design agency, you’re not alone. Is one better than the other? Is one more reliable or dependable? What about the thing everyone dreads most about any service — the dreaded invoice.

Imagine it with us (or maybe you don’t have to imagine. Maybe this is your life right now). You’re starting a business. Costs are adding up. You’re trying to decide where you can save, downsize, or consolidate your (possibly limited) resources. You’ve already come to the realization that doing your own graphic/web design isn’t a good fit for you. You need to hire a professional.

But who do you hire?

The Complexities of Each Project

Before deciding between a graphic/web design freelancer and a graphic/web design agency, you need to understand what goes into each type of project.

Your average web design project requires:

• Project Management
• Research
• User Experience/User Interface Knowledge
• Functionality Features
• Content Writing
• Photos or Videos
• Graphic Design
• Optimization
• Ongoing Maintenance and Management
• Domains, Hosting, Security, Licenses, Etc.

Your average graphic design project requires:

• Project Management
• Research
• Color Theory & Psychology
• Branding Understanding
• Design Elements Mastering
• File Formatting
• Program Knowledge
• General Marketing Knowledge

Hiring a Freelance Graphic/Web Designer

Polarity Design Team is an agency now, but when we started we were just a couple of freelancers working from our spare bedroom. You’re not going to see us as anti-freelancer as many other agencies are. Having been on that side of the fence, we do have some feedback though. There’s a reason we decided to become an agency instead of freelancing forever.

Hiring a freelance graphic/web designer has the perk of, generally speaking, being less expensive. However, they also have to be a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to every web or design project and typically only have the bandwidth for one or two projects at a time. This also means you risk them not being particularly skilled at a facet or two of each project. Your designer could be incredibly talented, but if they struggle with project management and therefore time management, you’re in for a jam or two.

If you have small-ish projects and are ok waiting in line, a freelancer is an awesome way to go. We’re pro-investing in yourself. If you’ve decided to hire a professional, you’ve already made the right choice. However, we all know you can’t magically add zeros to your bank account. So if you then need to budget which professional you hire, a freelancer could be the choice for you.

Hiring A Graphic/Web Design Agency

The immediate assumption is that a graphic/web design agency will cost more than a freelancer. In large, blanket terms, this is probably true. But you may also be surprised at how much a freelancer has to charge to keep their lights on. We’ve been the ‘cheaper’ option against two or three freelancers just in the last year. If price is your only deciding factor, it’s worth shopping around to see who is actually giving you the best bang for your buck.

That aside, an agency tends to be more well-rounded, which is worth a lot. They’ll be a team of specialists each bringing something to the table for your project so each facet of it is mastered. If your website needs content, they’ll assign someone whose sole job is content writing to get that portion done quickly, efficiently, but most importantly, done well. If you need a graphic, that portion will be shot over to a trained graphic designer, and sent back to the web designer to put on the site. A graphic/web design agency can offer you a one-stop-shop of multiple things being done by an expert, instead of one person trying to juggle everything.

And there will be someone in charge, making sure each team member does their part to take care of you, minimizing turn-around time and how long you have to wait in the queue.

The Bottom Line

Our stance is this: you’ve decided to hire a professional to do the things they’re the professionals at. You’re already making the right decision. From there, everything else is nuanced to what you need and what you’re ok with. Whether you’re hiring a graphic/web design freelancer or a graphic/web design agency is entirely up to what your project needs are. If you decide on an agency, we’re only a click away.