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The on-demand economy has been booming since the introduction of smartphones and mobile application technology. The first-ever on-demand app, Uber, opened new pathways to further expand on-demand services. Now, on-demand graphic design services are taking over the startup world–and we’re totally here for it.
In this detailed guide, you’ll find all the information you’re looking for about hiring on-demand graphic designers and how to make the best of your investment. So, if you’re curious to learn more, jump right in!
What Are On-Demand Graphic Design Services?
If you’ve ever subscribed to Netflix, stayed in an Airbnb, or booked an Uber for your travels, you’ve already experienced on-demand services. The on-demand economy matches its services to customer demands, integrating simplicity, speed, and convenience into its business model.
As of 2022, 2,56 billion people are buying online, with future projections indicating that this number will likely reach 2.77 billion by 2025. Thanks to this upward trend in online shopping, the on-demand economy is also thriving.
Okay, but what are on-demand design services?
Simply put, on-demand graphic designer services cater to growing e-commerce businesses’ need for professionally created, compelling web and graphic design. A professional on-demand graphic designer will turn your vision into a customised brand identity.
Such designers are not only reliable but also always available–on a single tap of a button.
In the same way that you use Netflix for entertainment, Airbnb for lodging, and Uber for travel, TooMrkt is your partner for bespoke web and graphic design services.
Want to know more? We’d love to hear from you!
Why Do Companies Hire On-Demand Graphic Designers?
One of the primary reasons why the on-demand services economy is valued, specifically by startups, is its ability to offer scalability and flexibility. You can easily scale up or down based on your current e-commerce business dynamics.
For example, you may book an Uber multiple times and with multiple stops one day and not book a single ride the next day. Whenever you’re ready for your next trip, Uber will be right there waiting for you.
With this significant benefit in mind, let’s take a look at some other reasons e-commerce businesses prefer hiring on-demand graphic designers.
1. Professional Graphic Designers Always on Standby
On-demand graphic designers ensure you always have the best, highly qualified professionals on standby for your design needs. You can have ad-hoc design projects that can take on-demand graphic designers a few business days to complete.
Moreover, having an in-house graphic designer would mean keeping them on payroll and offering them incentives, benefits, increments, medical & health, bonuses, and so on. Compared to that, working with outsourced partners is highly economical.
2. Marketing Your Brand With Visual Assets
Having the right visuals is crucial for success when running an e-commerce store. In fact, according to an analysis conducted by British researchers, designs are responsible for 94% of the first impressions customers create regarding specific brands.
With data as such, visual design is a crucial investment for e-commerce stores as they can make or break your traffic and traction.
Furthermore, learning the ropes of visual design is not an easy task and not every marketer’s cup of tea. It’s best, therefore, to outsource your design needs to qualified design professionals. It increases your chance of creating high-quality design and leaves you more time to focus on your core business operations.
3. Hunting for Freelancers Requires a Lot of Time
Getting economical services from freelancers is awesome, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll receive high-quality, professional designs from them. Moreover, finding a good freelancer is too complicated these days, thanks to the highly saturated freelance industry.
With so many people claiming to be highly experienced design experts, finding a professional suitable for your e-commerce business may require a lot of time. You’ll likely spend hours or even days skimming through portfolios before you find your perfect match.
4. Absence of an In-House Designer
Most e-commerce stores hire in-house designers to fulfil all their design needs. However, if you’re running a startup that can’t yet afford an in-house graphic designer on its payroll, you may want to consider on-demand service providers.
They cost less than the expensive hiring, onboarding, and training processes and are a perfect option for e-commerce stores in the initial phase of attracting customers. If you’re a new e-commerce store owner and want to hit the ground running with professional, high-quality visuals, on-demand graphic designers are perfect for you.
The Pros & Cons of Hiring On-Demand Graphic Designers
As already established, on-demand graphic design services offer unmatched simplicity, speed, and convenience. However, those are not the only benefits you’ll enjoy from hiring on-demand graphic designers.
Take a look at some of the pros and cons of using this service type to understand what we mean.
The Pros of On-Demand Graphic Design Services
The following are some additional benefits of hiring on-demand graphic designers for your e-commerce business:
1. Customer Relationship Management
On-demand service providers offer unparalleled customer care, integrating pathways for easy feedback. Not only is giving feedback easy but also highly appreciated. At TooMrkt, we document each customer's feedback to further customise and enhance our services.
Your feedback is OUR GOLD! It helps us improve business profitability, attract new clients, and find compatible e-commerce businesses for our services.
2. No Surprises/Hidden Costs
Subscription models, such as those offered by TooMrkt, are the core of most on-demand service providers. They make it easier for e-commerce businesses to budget for their monthly requirements.
Since all monthly rates are fixed and charged upfront, forget about ever getting hit by hidden fees or charges. You’ll always know what your recurring bill is going to be; no surprises there!
3. No HR Investments Needed
Taking the outsourcing road to design need fulfilment is better than hiring an in-house designer. There won’t be any HR drama surrounding recruiting, hiring, onboarding, managing teams, and training new employees, saving you both time and money.
With such HR processes falling on your outsourced partners, you can focus on your e-commerce business’ core functions. Moreover, on-demand service allows you to scale up or down according to your requirements, ensuring your money isn’t going to waste.
4. Easy Signup & Cancellation
It’s easy to sign up for or cancel your subscription to on-demand e-commerce services, which are created on cloud computing concepts. If your e-commerce store frequently experiences an overflow of projects, you may benefit the most from this convenient and easy signup and cancellation process.
It’s as simple as snapping your fingers! No more reviewing hundreds of portfolios on freelance platforms or job marketplace; you can team up with professional experts without lengthy interviews and contracts.
5. Fast Turnaround Times
Most on-demand service providers require a couple of business days to complete design projects–depending on your project’s complexity and size. Some on-demand designers may even take half a day to complete relatively easier tasks.
In contrast, freelancers or in-house designers may take days or even weeks to submit a simple logo design. The account managers, designers, and quality assurance experts in on-demand teams ensure quick, efficient, and consistent turnaround times.
6. Unlimited Designs & Revisions
Freelancers not only work with various other clients but they also prioritise those who request recurring, high-paying tasks. Therefore, you shouldn’t expect a fast-paced workflow with the per-project or per-hour rates they offer.
Their slow work speed can significantly impact your marketing operations. In contrast, on-demand designers offer efficient and quick workflows and even simultaneous work for numerous projects.
Unlike most freelancers who only offer a limited number of revisions, on-demand graphic design service providers offer free unlimited revisions until you’re 100% satisfied with the completed work.
7. High-Quality Work
In addition to unlimited design types and revisions, on-demand graphic designers also ensure you receive nothing but the highest quality of work every single time. On-demand service providers have a stringent hiring process and they test their designers to only hire the top candidates available.
These candidates have sufficient knowledge of various design projects, including market trends, design psychology, and design quality.
8. Unique, Customised Graphic Designs
Using stock images limits e-commerce stores’ chances of standing out amongst their competitors in the market. In contrast, custom images help maintain brand consistency and increase customer trust.
Having an on-demand team at your service would mean access to unique photos owned by your brand and your brand only. Such imagery helps e-commerce stores stand out amongst competitors who use stock or ready-to-use images.
9. Versatility
You can benefit from various design services that on-demand graphic designers offer. Instead of hiring different professionals for different design projects, you can avail a single package for all of them.
The team of graphic designers are skilled in one or more fields and the designers go through a rigorous hiring process. In contrast, you’ll have to sort through numerous portfolios to hire numerous freelancers, each experienced in handling only a few design types (at best).
10. Saves Time
Most on-demand service providers take 1-2 business days to complete less complicated tasks, such as creating customised images for websites, social media platforms, or blogs. Having an outsourced team on standby for your stream of design projects will cut the time in half for requests and revisions.
11. Easily Reactivate Previous Projects
Your previously completed projects are stored in on-demand service providers’ platforms for a minimum of 90 days. This means that if you decide to continue your partnership with them after cancelling your subscription, you can easily reactivate your projects. All you’ll need to provide are additional details or revised creative briefs.
12. Use for Multiple Brands
On-demand graphic design companies typically offer customer design platforms enabling e-commerce stores to monitor multiple brands at once. You can request designs for numerous brands and organise guidelines, tasks, and completed projects in various folders and sub-folders.
Moreover, this process also makes it easier for you to reference a specific brand’s guidelines and request designs for that brand.
The Cons of On-Demand Graphic Design Services
While we’d love to tell you that there are no cons to opting for on-demand graphic design services, it is not suitable for everyone in the e-commerce business. Here’s a no-lie list of cons to help you ensure this is the right path for your particular needs:
1. Turnaround Time
If your expectations include receiving finished design work within the next hour or so, on-demand services are not the right pick. In this case, having an in-house designer would make more sense.
On-demand services require, at the very least, 1 business day to complete and deliver professionally created designs. The turnaround time can increase based on the complexity of your project and the required design types.
You may be able to upgrade your plan with some on-demand service providers to receive priority service.
2. Affordable to Many, Not to Some
Don’t confuse on-demand services with those offered by freelance logo designers. On-demand service providers offer numerous design types and formats that reflect your e-commerce store’s reputation and brand image. Therefore, don’t expect the charges to be as low as your favourite coffee from a nearby shop.
Most on-demand graphic design services, such as TooMrkt’s, start with a free consultation call that helps you gauge the service providers’ expertise, skills, and knowledge.
3. One-off Projects Not Recommended
If you don’t have any recurring projects or tasks, it’s best to steer clear of on-demand graphic designers. You’ll likely receive the best value for your money if you subscribe to a long-term plan and gradually build your relationship with the service providers.
For example, if all you need is a simple logo design, hiring a freelancer or using your designs through apps like Canva would be a more suitable choice.
Long-term partnerships with on-demand graphic designers will help you maintain your online presence and market your services or products continuously.
Should You Hire On-Demand Designers?
If you’re someone who likes to have control over your web and graphic design, on-demand graphic design services are better suited for you in contrast to freelancers or in-house designers. Here are some other aspects of on-demand designers that’ll help you determine whether it’s the right pick for you:
- It offers the ability to pause your subscription when you don’t have any design projects or tasks
- It guarantees 100% satisfaction through unlimited revisions
- You can add a designer to your team if you require more work simultaneously
- You control the amount of design work and their priorities
- Scale up or down based on your current requirements
- Numerous plans to suit varying business needs
Your Gateway to Accessible Professional Designs
On-demand services reduce overhead costs and offer on-tap availability of designers. Whether you’re a startup or a fully-fledged e-commerce enterprise, on-demand graphic designers cater to all business types and reduce the cost of hiring (and firing) full-time designers.
You’ll be better equipped to scale faster in the e-commerce market and find solutions that merge with your company’s financial model.
No Limit to Design Type or Format
In addition to offering designs in various formats, such as PSD, AI, SVG, EPS, PDF, JPG, and PNG, on-demand graphic design service providers also offer various design types. These include:
- Apparel designs
- Magazine covers
- Letterheads
- Pitch decks
- Logos
- Business cards
- Online or print ads
- Car wraps
- Billboards ads
- Blog graphics
- Facebook ads
- Infographic
The Best Communication Strategies in the On-Demand Industry
On-demand services offer some of the best communication strategies with designers to ensure that your projects are completed efficiently. The successful completion of tasks is highly dependent on clear communication. Here are some elements you’ll likely need to communicate before signing up for on-demand services:
- Your design requirements
- Expectations regarding the quality of work
- Deadlines for the final product
It’s crucial to offer as much information as possible. This information can include everything from specific design elements to data regarding the target audience and brand guidelines.
To facilitate this communication, most project managers or on-demand designers offer the following three communication strategies:
1. Real-Time Progress Updates
Similar to messaging apps, communication channels offered by on-demand service providers notify you of any new updates from designers. You get real-time progress reports and any additional information provided by you can be efficiently sent to designers.
2. Fast & Reliable Communication
All your projects will be assigned to a dedicated project manager or team leader, who will ensure that your communication remains quick and reliable. Unlike freelancers, there’s no delay or gap in communication with on-demand designers.
Your projects will be prioritised regardless of your subscription plan, ensuring there are no hurdles to communication.
3. Single Platform Communication
On-demand service providers mostly offer single-platform communication channels for all your projects. This means that you can easily navigate through previous communications, project details, and iterations regarding each project.
Additionally, unlike agency or freelancer platforms, sending and receiving multiple file types on on-demand platforms is a breeze.
Using On-Demand Design Services: The Steps Involved
The following are the basic steps you’ll need to follow when hiring professionals within the on-demand graphic design services industry.
Step # 1: Make Year-Round Plans
Before hiring on-demand graphic designers, it’s best to plan a content calendar for the years. You can also enhance your plans with the inclusion of long-term marketing goals. With companies like TooMrkt, you can even leave this planning stage in the hands of qualified and experienced professionals.
We can help you create an efficient branding guide, which includes everything from logo placements to imagery, colours, and fonts, to create a consistent design across different platforms and content types.
Step # 2: Create Clear & Concise POs
As long as you can efficiently sketch or describe what you need during your communications with the designer, they’ll be able to deliver what’s required. Consider scribbling a few samples or sending a screencast or video of your requirements. You may also be offered design variations to choose from by the on-demand designers.
Step # 3: Offer Actionable Feedback
Your feedback should contain no gaps and offer actionable advice for design improvements. Your feedback will help on-demand designers learn your preferences and apply them to future projects–ensuring a happy, long-term collaboration.
How Much Do On-Demand Graphic Design Services Cost?
e-commerce stores with a limited budget can’t afford to experiment with different designers to find what’s best for them. To ensure your money is invested in the right resources, it’s always best to hire on-demand services.
1. Numerous Pricing Options
On-demand service providers offer numerous pricing options or subscription plans for varying business sizes and types. The range of pricing options available offers unlimited designs and revisions.
2. Fast & Easy Billing
Unlike the billing process for in-house designers or freelancers, the billing process for on-demand services is also fairly quick and easy. Your monthly subscription fee will be automatically deducted unless you cancel after a month of partnership.
3. More Affordable Than Other Options
Even an entry-level graphic designer would charge you £14.10 per hour. Hire them for the month for 8-hour per-day shifts and you’ll lose £112.8 each day or £3,384 a month! Moreover, if you’re utilising an online marketplace, you’ll have to pay additional fees.
In comparison, on-demand service providers offer a plethora of services for a relatively low price. Even their most premium package will likely cost you less than hiring a freelancer or an in-house graphic designer.
Your Design Buddies at Every Step
On-demand graphic design services help small and growing e-commerce stores meet their design needs while reducing overhead costs and saving time and resources otherwise spent on managing in-house teams.
Our bespoke on-demand e-commerce services are built keeping you in mind. Choose a subscription package that best suits your requirements or book a demo call today to get the best services in town!
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