As 2022 comes into view, you may be preparing to update your company’s brand or website and have already begun the search for a designer to help you tackle this important marketing aspect of your business.

But where do you start? And how do you find a competent designer?

Fear not! Below are some interview questions to help you determine the best person for the job so you don’t have to settle for using your nephew, Chad.

1. Can I see a portfolio of work?

Even though most portfolios are highly polished to show only the best parts of a designer’s body of work (yep, mine included) it’s still a good way to gauge the designer’s skill level and what type of design they specialize in. If you need a logo, you should make sure that’s something in their wheelhouse. If you’re vetting a web designer, make sure to ask them if they are primarily a designer or a programmer and if they team up with someone to handle the areas of web development in which they don’t specialize.

A designer’s portfolio will reveal the type of clients they have worked for and give you some idea of how experienced they are (or if they’re a freshly-minted design school graduate). Alternatively, you can simply ask them, “How long have you been working as a professional designer?”

2. Can you explain your design process?

Beyond the portfolio, ask the designer if they have any project case studies. These can give you insight into the their process, the challenges they faced during the project and how they solved them, and the outcome and benefits for the client.

The designer may also have an outline of their process on their website or an informational sheet they can send you. I have a short video that I send clients that provides a peek into my branding process.

It’s important to ask this question (and let the designer do most of the talking) so you can gauge if their process is a good fit for your own working style and personality.

3. What feedback is helpful? How do you handle tough feedback?

This is related to the process question above and is helpful for establishing expectations up front about the roles each you will play during the project. How the designer handles feedback, especially the inevitable moment when you disagree on something, will either make you feel very comfortable working with this person or send you looking for a different candidate.

A good designer will defend their design choices and explain them to non-designers in a way that is respectful and open to feedback. Early in my career, I had somewhat thin skin when it came to explaining my design decisions and had to learn some hard lessons about how to be a humble designer.

4. How long does it take?

The preamble to this question is, “What’s your availability?” but you also want to get a reasonable idea of the time commitment for your project. For example, my full branding process consists of a discovery phase, multiple workshops to create a brand strategy, and design for a visual identity. The time commitment for this process is 8 weeks. Website development can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months, depending on the complexity and scope of the project.

If you’re wondering if it’s worth that much time to develop your brand or build a quality website, feel free to check out client testimonials on my LinkedIn profile or my Google reviews.

5. What does final delivery look like?

The project should have a strong beginning and a strong finish. The designer should outline what the deliverables will be and when they will be provided.

When I design a logo for a client, I provide digital files for all of the logo versions in both vector (.eps) and bitmapped (.png) formats as well as a design guide for any vendors the client may use in the future. My goal is to equip my clients with all the tools necessary to get the most out of their logo and make it easy for them to market their business.

Also, who owns the rights to the finished design should be spelled out in the work agreement. I’ve spoken to more than one frustrated client who discovered their web designer did not transfer ownership of their website domain and hosting to them at the end of the project. This seemingly small detail made it impossible to update or redesign the website with anyone other than the original designer.

6. What are your rates?

Nobody likes to discuss money but everybody knows it’s important. If the designer doesn’t have an hourly rate but prices everything by the project, that’s fine. Ask for a proposal that spells out exactly what you get for your financial investment. You want to put pricing information on the table as early as possible because you need to know if this designer can fit your budget (you have a budget for the project, right?) and getting it in writing will eliminate any miscommunication or surprises later.

Another thing that should be spelled out in the agreement is how invoices will be submitted and how payment will be collected.

7. Can I contact some of your past or current clients?

Input from clients about their experience working with this designer will provide a peek into what you can expect if you decide to hire them. Sometimes you can answer this question via the client testimonials on the designer’s website, their LinkedIn profile, and Facebook or Google reviews.

If there are no testimonials to be found and the designer declines to provide any client references, take a hard pass and continue your search. No seriously, you don’t need that kind of headache.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve read this far you’re probably willing to go through the interview process of hiring a professional designer because you understand your brand’s value and want to get the most from your investment of time and money. Ideally though, the designer should be asking as many questions of you as you are of them. This shows they’re interested in knowing as much about you as possible before committing to the project.

If you’re one of my designer or marketing colleagues and you think I overlooked an important question, please put it in the comments below. If I really like it, I’ll update the blog post and buy you a beverage of your choice. I promise!