Why choose a design agency for your project?

With the wide variety of design companies, advertising agencies and printers, choosing the right supplier for your creative needs can be a daunting prospect. So what are the key elements involved in choosing the right kind of creative resource for you? should you employ an in-house designer? What are the pros and cons?

Most decisions based on choosing a creative provider inevitably depend on the budget and goals you want to achieve. If you're just looking for a few business cards and your area is an area where the image is neither a top priority, a design agency may be a more expensive option for the level of input you need.

Many types of companies offer graphic design services. Printers are no longer content to print, even many photographers offer graphic design as a service, as do stationery suppliers, COMPUTER companies and many other companies.

What is a design agency?

So what is a design agency, as opposed to these other options? A design agency is a creative design specialist at the heart of its business. Independence is a key element of a real design agency, hence the word "agency" that allows us to choose unbiased solutions that are not related to having to use, for example, a certain print supplier or that is limited by another as a postman.

At the other end of the scale are the advertising agencies. Should you use an advertising agency for design work other than advertising? It is likely that, unless your requirements are related to a specific advertising campaign produced by the advertising agency, the level of budget required for them to complement other forms of design is generally prohibitive for most companies.

The opposite situation is also true, most design agencies will not be appropriate to produce broadcast advertising or press, especially when planning and buying media is a determining factor. Setting up a design agency can be very effective for some advertisements, but usually for limited campaigns aimed at niche audiences.

The right design agency?

Within the design agency sector, there are many options to consider. Here are some points to help you make a decision:

o Where is the agency based, do I prefer a nearby supplier geographically to be able to call or visit face-to-face?

o What is their relevant experience, do they have examples in the type of design discipline I am looking for?

o Have they worked for companies of similar size, in closely related industries?

o Do they have marketing and creative expertise, can they understand broader strategic objectives?

o Can the agency manage my planned workload, what evidence does it have?

o What is the specific experience of the team, who will manage the account?

o Does the agency do many more web projects than print design? Are designers qualified for printing or web designers who outsource print design?

o Is the agency willing to provide references from satisfied clients other than pre-printed testimonials?

o Can the agency provide quantitative results for the work, what evidence can it provide for roller and liability?

o Which services are outsourced, which are provided in-house?

With the explosion of the Web as a marketing tool, many early websites were created by computer scientists, who had no background in graphic design, but simply knew how to create a website.

Website design is now an integral part of the portfolio of design agencies and
natural progression so that customers expect their websites to have the same level of branding as any other marketing communication tool.

The main advantage of using a design agency to design your website is that a graphic designer can integrate your site's branding with that of all your other marketing elements. It's true that many design agencies have to buy background technical features for their sites, but it's like using a printer to print a brochure designed and designed by a design agency.