How to work with a professional designer

In the 3 years I’ve been in business I’ve seen many different job requests come in. However, of all my job requests, only about 10% actually ever go through. There are all sorts of reasons, but many times it’s due to some common issues. This leads me to believe that many people out there don’t know the preferred practices when it comes to working with, and hiring designers.

The bad news is that it gets even harder to book a designer the more professional (and booked) they are. I’m hoping that this article can guide clients everywhere through the common preferred industry practices when it comes to working with and booking designers. Keep in mind that I mean only the best by sharing these tips.

In order to show a more broad view of the subject, I’ve also asked my buddy Tim Van Damme to step in and guest edit this article.

Basic DO’s & DON’Ts’:

DO use the contact form or preferred method of contact listed on the site

It’s important to contact the designer you’d like to work with, using their own system. Putting someone on the spot by calling them out of the blue, or just emailing them is usually not a good way to start a business relationship.

There are cases where this is acceptable. For instance, if you already have a relationship with the designer from prior work, or if you’ve met before at a function, etc.

Always best to play it safe and use what is listed on their site: their contact form, RFP document, listed sales email address, or phone number. Designers usually have multiple email addresses, and there’s nothing worse than getting project requests or support questions in your private inbox. Use the right email address, your designer will love you for it.

DO have a referral from a past client if possible

Referrals are huge in the design world. If I’ve worked with a great client in the past, and they tell someone to contact me, it’s bound to catch my attention much more than a random job request email.

If you have a relationship with someone who’s worked with the designer you would like to work with, make sure to get their referral and mention that in your communication with the designer.

Vice-versa, if a designer specializes in a certain type of work, he should make sure to tell his clients that so they only spread the word to clients that fit the specialty.

DO plan WAY in advance (or have a ton of money) and commit early

Almost all of the jobs I turn down are due to lack of time. Most designers are booked up for months in advance. That’s just the way it is. If you want to work with a top notch designer, then you should expect to wait a while to work with them. The exception to this is if you have a rush project with a huge budget.

Occasionally the money involved in a rush project will be enough to convince an otherwise booked designer to work with you. Expect to be billed 2-3x the normal rate.

The other aspect to this is that you need to commit early. Sometimes I get clients who contact me way in advance, but take a long time to commit to the project. The committing portion is important because you can’t be put on the calendar for sure unless you are 100% committed to work with the designer. It’s not who emails first, it’s who commits first. Expect to pay a deposit pretty soon after the project gets scheduled. Which brings us to…

DO pay according to the designer’s requirements

You will always win points with a designer by paying by their terms (and on time). Some companies only want to pay Net 30/60, but often-times a solo designer cannot afford that overhead. If you really want to work with a great designer, it always helps to pay according to their requested schedule and terms.

Personally, I usually bill per phase with a 50% deposit up front and 50% on completion of the portion of the project except for long-term projects. When clients cannot comply with these billing terms, it generally causes me to reconsider working on the project. It’s a matter of respect for the person you’re hiring.

DO work with the designer’s preferred method of communication

This comes up a lot nowadays it seems. Many designers (including myself) really don’t like using the phone unless it’s really necessary. A good gesture would be to try to communicate with the designer in the way that they prefer. Especially when you first contact them. First contact should always go through email. After that, a designer might want to switch to IM or phone (However, respect boundaries. Don’t disturb him when his status is “Away”, or call after normal hours).

DO know what type of work the designer does and their style

I often get requests for types of work that I usually don’t do. Make sure you take the time to read the designer’s website to see what type of work they generally do. For example: I used to do icons and Mac UI work, and I still get requests for icon work even though my site says nothing about that anymore (and used to explicitly mention that I no longer was accepting that type of work). Make sure you’re talking to the right type of designer.

In a similar vein, don’t ask a designer to do something that is outside of their style. Get to know the designer’s style before-hand. If they are great with minimalist style, then that’s the type of work you should ask them to do. If they are great with a “web 2.0” glossy-bubbles-style then you should expect them to work within that style.

Don’t be offended when a designer tells you your project isn’t their style. It’s for your own good.

DO be patient

Update: This point has been pretty controversial according to commenters. This might not apply for many designers.

Designers usually lead very busy lives. There is so much to do, and so little time. Many designers don’t have someone who handles their job requests for them, so be patient. Be willing to wait a few weeks before you hear a response. At the same time, if a month goes by and you don’t hear back, you should politely ask if they have received your mail.

DON’T be too legalistic

No one likes lawyer-speak. If you want to work with a designer, don’t start out on the wrong foot by being super legalistic with NDA’s, Non-competes, etc, etc. These sorts of things are very frustrating for designers. I understand there are times when NDA’s and such must be utilized, but consider whether or not it’s entirely necessary. Especially when you first contact the designer. Requesting an NDA, before you even send the project brief, will almost always get you ignored by the best designers.

Also, when a designer promises you he won’t tell anyone, he won’t tell anyone. He has a reputation, and isn’t going to risk losing that, so don’t make him look for something as ancient as a bloody fax-machine, and take his word on it.

On a similar tangent, designers will love you if you keep your contracts worded in english instead of legal gibberish, and trimmed down to only what’s necessary. Here’s a great guide on how to do that.

DON’T have the wrong size budget

If there’s anything that will turn me away from a project, it’s looking at the budget that definitely does not fit the project. A good website or application costs a lot of money. Months of work usually go into a site. You should expect to pay a good amount of money to work with an experienced designer. It’s the same deal with all types of designers; interior designers, architects, industrial designers, wedding planners, etc. Have a good budget set aside for the project, or you’ll have to look for a designer that can fit your budget.

DON’T ask for spec (free) work

Designers hate spec work. Don’t contact any designer and ask them to design something for you for free, or give you ideas for free. I’m sorry, but that’s a big huge no-no in this industry.

DON’T send a mass email with a generic description

Designers tend to ignore emails that are just copied and pasted and mailed to every designer on a list. It’s obvious when that happens, and it’s not a good way to win points with any designer. Writing a personalized email that proves you’re familiar with their work is always a big plus, and improves your chances of the designer accepting your project.

DON’T make it a competition

In general, designers hate to have to “bid” on a project or write a proposal for you that will be considered out of a ton of other proposals. If you’re doing that, then keep it to yourself, don’t make it out to be a competition. It’s too much work to “chase down” clients like that.

We are almost always busy working on other stuff, and we have clients who we don’t have to chase. Be serious about working with a designer when you contact them. We’re serious when we respond.

DON’T be too flexible

These last two rules go hand in hand. Designers need guidelines and constraints in order to design. Sure, there are fun times when you can be completely creative, but reality says that every project has guidelines and constraints. When I receive projects that don’t have those, I feel like there must be something wrong with the project. It just seems “too good to be true” I suppose.

Providing a basic direction of the project will help speed it up dramatically. Otherwise you’re paying your designer to look for a nail in a haystack. In the dark. Blindfolded. With thick rubber gloves on.

DON’T be too specific

There has to be room for creativity within your product or website. Designers hate having all their ideas shut down. That’s what you’re paying for, after all. If you have a strong vision of what you want your site or product to look like, it’s going to be very tough to work with you. Do everyone a favor and keep an open mind about the project and what you want it to look like. Being too specific really turns designers off.

Keep in mind you’ve hired a professional and they’ve had much experience making great websites. A designer’s best work is delivered when he has some breathing space. Although sometimes it may look like they don’t know what they’re doing, trust your designer.

That’s all the advice I have for now. If you have other thoughts or opinions, please share them in the comments. I’m interested to see what others have to say. Keep in mind that I am trying to be helpful with this article, and mean no disrespect to anyone who may be using these practices or may have used them in the past.