Securing the best graphic designer starts with considering these three critical elements:

If a designer does not have a portfolio for you to take a peek at, alarm bells should be ringing. It’s a given for not only the best graphic designers, but any designer worth their salt.

Why? A portfolio demonstrates skills applied in real life. It highlights tangible experience and helps you decide if the designer possesses the potential required to propel your business forward.

When evaluating a portfolio, be on the lookout for:

You’re paying for expertise, not an order-taker. The best graphic designer is a thinker.

If you catch yourself saying, “I just want someone to make something pretty”, it’s the wrong approach.

This is fluff design stemming from what’s cool now. But trends come and go, meaning they lack the uniqueness and longevity required to be distinguishable.

If your designer creates things that look cool with nothing else to back it up, ask for a refund. A great designer is a problem-solver first.

Form always follows function. At Hunt & Hawk, we encourage designers to design with purpose.

Creating a new visual language is about making intentional decisions grounded in a client’s brand story.

This is where we find the truth of who they are, why they exist, and who they want to reach.

Each visual element and design has to have a purpose.

Solid design-thinking produces compelling results with clarity that’s hard to ignore. As we say at Hunt & Hawk, “when you confuse you lose”.

Just like in the dating world, compatibility is important.

While you don’t need to be best friends, trust is essential.

You need free-flowing, raw conversation that unpacks the nuances of your brand. You need to be willing to get uncomfortable and be challenged to uncover truths.

Getting the best from your designer or design team relies on the sharing of knowledge to show them why your brand is special.

Once they share your vision and see the light, empower them to show you the potential hiding inside your brand.

The world of design is massive – and it’s constantly evolving.

The types of design outputs, and therefore designers, are bigger than ever.

From graphic designers who create a brand identity to web designers with a user experience (UX) eye, matching skills to projects is critical.

Oh, and there are also experts in typography, colour psychology, product design, illustrations, animations, and so much more.

It’s an exciting time to be a designer and a confusing time to broadly search for your next hire.

But the power of great design is significant.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words – and digitally, this translates to thousands of clicks and impressions.

Great design is the hook that gets your attention and cues you to read. It can nudge you in the right direction – think buttons and signs – and entice you to interact with a message, brand, or company.

Each time you use the power of design to influence someone’s behaviour in the direction you desire, this is the real power of design done right.

As the famous American architect and designer Richard Buckminster Fuller once said, “When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”

If you’re ready to take your brand to the next level, turn to the experts at Hunt & Hawk.

We don’t just have the best graphic designer, but a whole team of them.

Whether it’s a brand refresh, launching a new product or company, or simply expanding the brand assets or channels you have up your sleeve, we can help to elevate your business and drive growth.

How would you like to interact with us?