Why Partner With a Retainer-Based Designer for Your Brand?
Think of branding as the face of your business. It’s what customers see first, it’s how you’re remembered, and it often sets you apart from your competition, when it’s done well. (And okay, when it’s done poorly, too!)
Great branding takes great design work. That’s why your brand and business can probably benefit from partnering with a retainer-based designer.
How does a retainer work for a designer?
When you partner with a retainer-based designer, you pay a fixed, regular fee (usually every month) to guarantee a specific number of hours of their time. It’s different from paying a designer their hourly fee, or a fixed rate for a project.
How many hours you invest in a designer depends on your needs. Maybe you have ongoing design tasks that need attention, or unique projects that require a certain number of hours every month. You and your designer will agree on hours and billing before you start working together.
But wait...do you really need someone “on retainer?” It sounds cool and super professional to say that, but why not work with freelancers when you need them, or pay an independent contractor their hourly rate?
You’ll have a trusted long-term partner
Working with multiple designers over time can result in inconsistent quality. That doesn’t mean that you’re picking “good” or “bad” designers to work with. It’s that design is basically art — and art is subjective. Think of how tough it can be to explain why one design looks right and another looks wrong. One designer can bring your idea to life in a totally different way from another!
With a retainer-based designer, though, you’re locking down one designer, which means you’ll enjoy consistent ideas and execution, even if it takes a little while for your designer to become familiar with your brand and your needs at the start.
Over time, the design process will flow more smoothly. As the relationship with your designer grows, you may find that they have great design suggestions for your brand. That trust in another person to do the best for your brand is extremely valuable.
You’ll get awesome (and fast) service
If you’ve ever tried to hire a designer in a hurry, you probably realized that every designer was booked for months. What then? Maybe you had to shelve your project until someone was available. Or you had to take on the design work yourself. (Yikes!)
You won’t run into this issue with a retainer-based designer. That’s the beauty of having a regular, set schedule with your designer every month. You already know your tasks will be completed when you want them. Any revisions or tweaks to designs will be taken care of faster, too.
Another way you save time on your design projects? On the human resources side of things, you won’t have to get new freelancers or temporary hires up to speed when you have your own designer on retainer. Nor do you need to worry about employment, pay, and benefits like you would if you hired someone in-house.
Budgeting is easier
Design takes time, from brainstorming to first drafts to edits to the final product. It can take a lot of back-and-forth between you and your designer to get the results that you want. And if you’ve ever worked with anyone who charged an hourly rate — or if you’ve done it yourself! — you know how tedious it can be to figure out pay.
Retainers make budgeting so much easier for your biz. Because your agreed-upon retainer costs a fixed amount each month, all you have to do is plug that amount into your budget. No more adding up the hours and minutes for each round of design edits.
Retainers make things easier for your designer, too. They’re more consistent, reliable sources of income. Your designer can also plan their time around your retainer and know to set aside the hours for your work each month.
Need a designer for your new brand?
Don’t get us wrong; a retainer-based designer doesn’t work for every single business! Some brands will only need design help for one-off design projects that are few and far between. If that’s you, then it may make more sense to hire someone hourly.
However, if you find yourself needing regular design work for your brand, or you want someone with consistent quality who can stick around while your business evolves, then it’s time to consider having a designer on retainer.
And hey, we can help! The Blades Creative design process is a true partnership from start to finish. We’ll be there for you through your initial project and beyond. Contact us to learn more about how we partner with you for ongoing design and support.