Artwork outsourcing; sources and suggestions

[Techn0mancer]

Good evening!

As a very new member of the sign making community, I was wondering about the viability of outsourcing artwork. I've read a few posts here that indicate that it's not all that uncommon, but after doing a little research, many of the sources I'm finding online are dubious at best. I'm looking for general information about the following, if anyone would be so kind:

1.) Turn around time. Has it been your experience that the deadlines are met reliably?

2.) Average rate for basic sign design

3.) Average rate for original logo design / creation

4.) How do you explain to a customer that needs some back and forth that you've outsourced the artwork and can't provide them with an immediate result? Or how do you handle a scenario like that?

5.) In a small town economy, 750$ design packages just don't cut it. While I would prefer to keep work at home, in the U.S., there is simply no way I could justify 50$ an hour design charges on a 500$ sign, which make up the bulk of the market here. Our shop has simply been "eating" design costs and I'd like to find out what sources you guys use and research them to provide some alternative options up the chain.

Thank you so much for your time, and wisdom!

 

[Rick]

Full disclosure, we supply design services to design shops, whether it's logo/ID creation to signage design of large retail/apartment/corporate projects.

1.) Turn around time. Has it been your experience that the deadlines are met reliably?

We find that turn-around times are often affective by poor communication. The designer you partner with should have a design brief, it can be basic or complex depending on the project.

2.) Average rate for basic sign design

This is a trick question, basic meaning slap type and logo on a banner/panel/vehicle? It can be 15 minutes (most designers charge in 15-30 minute increments) up to an hour.
Most signs have a code attached to them, the rate goes up depending on if the designer - if they even understand code research - has to deal with the code.

3.) Average rate for original logo design / creation

On our retail end, we start at 2500 and we sometimes lose money... I believe Sign Amigo charges in the range you are looking for and he is very good.

4.) How do you explain to a customer that needs some back and forth that you've outsourced the artwork and can't provide them with an immediate result? Or how do you handle a scenario like that?

It's none of their business. I tell my clients to tell their clients... "I'll get back to you on that"... When we work for our client, we are part of their team, but some changes take time - depending on the work load, after a while, when you develop a regular relationship with your designer, turn-around times should be established.

5.) In a small town economy, 750$ design packages just don't cut it. While I would prefer to keep work at home, in the U.S., there is simply no way I could justify 50$ an hour design charges on a 500$ sign, which make up the bulk of the market here. Our shop has simply been "eating" design costs and I'd like to find out what sources you guys use and research them to provide some alternative options up the chain.

Plain and simple - If you can't hire an American designer... you are not charging enough... or you are in the wrong business. Crowdsourcing may be a cheap alternative, but you are not guaranteed that the work is original. we make our clients lots of money because we can design projects out of their expertise. We design 500 dollar signs, we also design projects over 250k. You can't get that crowdsourced. You can not develop a relationship Crowdsourcing.

Call Sign Amigo...

 

[Johnny Best]

Or, like 98% of the people on here do.
Get some clip art and throw some fonts together , tilt you head back and squint you eyes and there you go. Save your MS file and cut it out or print it.
Dealing with a designer on here or anywhere is going to be expensive and you won,t have to eat your design cost like Rick does who is a designe himself, but he is giving you good advice. There are tons of designers out there with webpages. But to design a $750 sign is something that is basic and anyone can do it.

 

[WrapYourCar]

Clipart is for children to play with.. learn how to use the software, charge for the design.. if you're not good at the design refer them to someone else who is.. that way you still have the ability to make the signs for them afterwards.

 

[Johnny Best]

Clipart is for kids? Fred, former owner of this website sells a ton of that stuff, like I said 98% of the people on here use it.
This is just another new person to the industry who is looking to outsource to someone to do it for him.
There was a former member on here who has written books about design and very successful company with branding.
He gets his designers who are on this website, Dribbble - Show and tell for designers

 

[Rick]

Johnny Best makes a good point, Type and clip-art may be the majority of your work, you should be able to design basic signs yourself. I design original work, but I have a massive clip-art collection to inspire some of my illustration work. There is no crime in using professional looking clip-art for layouts (please note I said layouts, not logos), after a while, you get faster, you can modify the clip-art to be less "stock-art" looking...

I feel no shame when I bust out my Golden Era Studio CD's or buy an image from the CSA Archive...

 

[Gino]

A good question would be..... what are your expectations in design ??

• Depending on what a designer (good or mediocre] can do, how do you plan to output it ??
• Do you have a plotter ??
• Do you have a printing machine or someone else to do these things for you ??
• Are you gonna screen print ??
• Is this gonna be trade show quality or viewed from a great distance ??

See, there's no sense putting the cart before the horse. What can you do, if anything at all ??

Judging by your profile, not much of anything. Therefore, let's figure out what your needs really are.

 

[Johnny Best]

We don't allow clipart in the house, it's dangerous.