Graphic Design as a Service: Is It Right for You?

Outsourcing is a persistent global trend, as companies continue to replace traditional in-house job roles with outsourced service providers. But how does this work in a creative field, such as design?

What does design as a service mean?

• You pay a flat monthly fee for an unlimited number of design requests: It’s important to remember that this means unlimited requests, not unlimited designs. Even though most unlimited design companies have ultra-fast turnaround times, designs are still created by people, not robots. They usually provide an expected daily output, so you can calculate how many designs you can get.
• You can make as many revisions as you want: Whereas a freelancer will charge extra for additional revisions, an unlimited design subscription allows you to change your designs until you’re 100% satisfied at no extra cost. Moreover, you also get all the source files, so you can further tweak and reuse graphics however you like!
• You can work with different designers: Imagine having access to dozens of designers with diverse skills and expertise for a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. This allows marketing agencies to expand their offer and helps small businesses get diverse types of graphics for an affordable price.‍
• You can pause your subscription at any time: Most unlimited graphic design services have a flexible model, which means there are no contracts.

The benefits of an unlimited graphic design subscription

So now we’ve answered the question “what is a graphic design subscription,” and you should have a basic idea of how it works.

But what are some of the long-term benefits of switching to the design as a service model? Here are some of them.

More creativity

Remember the days before Netflix, when you had to watch whatever was on TV? How much better is it to watch whatever you feel like, when you want it? 

Well, graphic design subscription allows you to have the same control of the design process. When you don’t have to worry about a designer’s capabilities or the cost of extra revisions, you can explore different creative possibilities and come up with unique visual solutions. 

For example, you can replace templated social media graphics with stunning custom illustrations that will boost your engagement rates and social media visibility. Or you can improve your website’s user experience with motion graphics.

Reliability

Freelancers can easily disappear off the grid, and in-house designers go on holiday or take sick leave. None of these are concerns you need to worry about with an unlimited design service.

With graphic design as a service, there’s always a professional standing by in case the first designer can’t complete the task for whatever reason.Most unlimited design services also work year-round, allowing you to plan designs and get last-minute graphics whenever you need them.

Along with a full team of designers, our own services include help from project managers. They help to make client-designer communication run smoothly, and ensure our rigorous quality assurance system is put in place for high-quality designs every time.

Affordability

Right, we’ve mentioned that the graphic design subscription model is much more affordable than some other design providers. For comparison, an in-house designer in the US has an average salary of around $6,000 per month.

A freelance designer can be a fantastic investment for a one-off project. But if you consider the average hourly rate of about $35 (and the numbers are going up), getting as little as 10 hours of design work per week can be quite an investment on a monthly level.

The difference is even more remarkable with bigger projects Whereas you’ll have to pay thousands of dollars for a website with a web design agency or freelancer, a website design as a service company can create a professional website for approximately $500 to $100.

Speed

With graphic and web design as a service companies, designers are used to handling several projects every day. So, they are able to work much more efficiently, and deliver most results in under 48 hours (often just 1 business day). 

This is especially useful for marketing agencies that need campaign graphics last minute, or wish for a quick design revision for their clients.

Who shouldn’t use the graphic design as a service model?

So, graphic design as a service offers lots of benefits. But is it right for everyone? 

Here’s why this might not be the best option for your business.

You just need help with one project.

In many cases (depending on the complexity of the design project), this can still be cheaper than hiring a freelancer. Still, this model doesn’t make sense for one-off projects.

When signing up, it’s best to have a long-term plan to make the best use of this model. Moreover, thinking on a per-project basis will probably incur some additional costs down the road. 

You’re a big fan of meetings.

Although we highly encourage clients to form close relationships with one or more of our designers, it’ll never be like having an in-house employee.

At ManyPixels, you can also choose our Dedicated Designer plan and communicate with your designer easily through Slack. Our custom design management platform also allows marketing teams to collaborate - multiple users can view and access designs and leave comments directly on the graphics for a faster revision process. 

However, due to the volume of work our designers take care of, they can’t attend brainstorming meetings and other such sessions.

If that face-to-face touch is something you can’t give up, an unlimited design service might not be for you.

You need a full service agency

Traditional design agencies charge thousands of dollars for a single project, because they rarely handle design alone. Instead, these companies usually include a whole creative team and offer a variety of services, including art direction, brand positioning, market research, marketing, web development, campaign management, and more.

Graphic design as a service - just a few clicks away! 

Hopefully this sheds some light on graphic design as a service.

Whether you’re a small business owner or work for a big digital agency - a company like ManyPixels will be the creative boost your team needs.

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Our dedicated design team can create your new logo design, social media posts, ads, landing pages, illustrations,motion graphics, and much more. 

Start today for as little as $549 or get in touch with us with any questions