There are so many options available when it comes to choosing a resource for your design needs. Thanks to the internet, independent designers have been able to not only improve their vast amount of knowledge but connect with people willing to give them an opportunity to shine. Unfortunately, the mass majority of good freelance designers are so buried by the larger companies that their names may never even make it to your list of potential solutions.

With so many larger design companies available at your fingertips why would you chose an independent, freelance designer over a secure, well established company? I have not just one reason but a list of 8 reasons on why you should hire a freelance designer.

  1. Freelance designers know that their single name is their bread and butter and will bend over backwards, often times putting in more work than the job is worth to make sure you are happy. They know that your happiness could very well be their next referral.

   2. Freelance designer not just work hard to make you happy with the design work but they also work hard to get it out to you on time if not earlier. That isn’t something many larger companies can offer due to their current existing workload.

   3. Freelance designers tend to study and work on their skills daily. The ability to work from the comfort of your home, without the politics of larger companies keeping them working the grind, allows for more networking, which in turn leads to sharing and discovering what’s new and upcoming in their field.

   4. Freelancers tend to be very “outside of the box” thinkers, offering new and innovative ways stay ahead of the competition. Not the typically “stamp and go” process that larger companies tend to follow due to the heavy load.

 5. Freelance designers typically work odd hours. Perfect for emergency design pushes and up-all-nighters trying to perfect a concept in a short amount of time.

 6. Freelance designers are wonderfully resourceful. If you’re looking for something that a particular that your freelance designer isn’t familiar with, they more than likely know someone who is. Thanks in part to reason number four, freelancers tend to get around the networking pool and have many valuable contacts in the market, valuable contacts often willing to negotiate a good deal to make you happy.

7. Freelance designer won’t nickel and dime you for your time like many larger companies making them more flexible to change or modification requests. Many larger companies using time tracking software that force the designers to stick to a contracted time allotment. Going back to number one, freelance designer want to make you happy. If your not happy with the design, they know that will affect potential business later down the line. 
 
8. If later down the road, decide to make changes to your design, getting back to the original resource wont be a challenge. Unlike larger companies who’s turn over rate can be one of the most frustrating part about making a design modification, freelance designers wont quit for a better position or fire themselves because of cut backs.
 
Like all things, there are exceptions. Doing your homework, asking for referrals, following through with the referrals, and keeping your expectations at a reasonable level can help eliminate those few bad apples.