Choosing a Digital Product Agency over a Freelance Designer

When building digital products without the luxury of having an in-house design and development team, it always comes down to one thing - choosing between hiring freelance product designers or working with an agency. Both options have their pros and cons. However, we're here to tell you why we consider digital product design agencies the better, more result-driven choice.

As an entrepreneur, if you want to create unique and successful products, you have to make sure you're working with highly skilled professionals. It's never an easy task having to choose between things in general, let alone picking the right design solution for your business. Essentially, you have to put your trust in someone else's hands, whether that's a solo working individual or a team of product design specialists.

So why trust the company rather than the freelance web designer? Worry not, we've got you covered! We've listed a few key elements to look out for when choosing between the two.

Disclaimer: This article is in no way trying to diminish the incredible work of all the wonderful freelance digital designers out there! We're simply outlining the advantages of hiring a team such as our own, when building one's brand identity :)

Agency vs Freelancer

First things first, let's dive into the basics and define each one of the contenders.

A digital freelancer is an individual who provides product design services independently and isn't tied to a specific legal entity. They're exclusively responsible for delivering results to their clients and are usually hired by smaller or medium-sized companies and start-ups.

A digital agency is a group of web designers managed by other employees at a higher authority level. Those employees are usually dedicated project managers who are responsible for assigning particular tasks and clients to the designers.

So what criteria could possibly define an agency as a prime contender and make it stand out significantly, you ask? We will get into the specifics below.

Relationship & Communication

Having a good and long-lasting relationship with your design team is essential for the overall growth of your brand image. When you hire a digital product agency, you can always check in on the progress due to the adequate and stable communication you've established with your dedicated project manager.

Your PM is there to keep your designers on the right track and monitor the quality of their work. They usually organise frequent routine meetings with a structured plan which allows them to prevent any unforeseen problems and miscommunications. We strive to keep our clients engaged and build long-term relationships with them.

Skills & Resources

One of the key things any business owner needs to look out for when selecting and hiring great product designers is their overall skill set and reputation. As we already mentioned above, digital product agencies consist of not only expert designers, but also professional project managers. Their job is to ensure the high quality and seamless coordination within their allocated design team and communicate everything to the client directly. This makes it easier for business owners to fully comprehend and approve of the designer's working criteria.

It's no secret that each design freelancer has a particular set of skills and access to different resource materials. It's not common to stumble upon a single designer who is updated on all the latest and upcoming trends and has obtained the newest, most edgy technologies. A digital product development agency guarantees they'll assign their clients the appropriate design team with the necessary focused skills and resources.

Experience & Performance

As we outlined above, it's harder to find an individual freelancer with the right knowledge and concrete expertise to ensure the successful completion of your project. Agencies consist of a wide range of designers with a broad experience within the digital product design and development field. During the development process, those designers are usually provided with professional tech support, making it easier for them to adapt to the latest trends and technologies. One of the similarities between product and UX designers is that both need a good amount of resources and background information to deliver results successfully and on time.

Because of our wonderful project managers, we never fail to construct a high-level strategy for all of our clients. Our designers are always required to have an intimate understanding of our customers' overall brand, goals, and needs. Due to the constant and thorough management of our UI/UX designers, they're able to provide you with a detailed record of their performance data with specific results and outcomes.

Flexibility & Time Management

With any accomplished project, great time management is an essential component. When business owners hire product designers, they expect them to not only perform well, but also on time. At Stan Vision, we provide you with an experienced design team, led by an expert PM who knows how to prioritise your platform and product. Because of this, you don't have to worry about being held accountable and having to manage our every move.

It's true, agencies are not always as flexible as freelance UI/UX designers. They're rarely able to work evenings or during weekends. Nonetheless, they know how to perform better and deliver top results within traditional working hours. Our project managers can anticipate any possible mishaps and inconsistencies and make sure our work is well-organised and highly efficient.

All you have to do is entrust us with your project and we'll do all the necessary work for you.

Security & Credibility

Working with competent and reliable people is of the utmost importance. After all, you're practically leaving your business and reputation in someone else's hands. Freelance UX designers are rarely required to sign a contract which could easily exempt them from any legal responsibilities. This makes it much harder to hold them accountable.

With agencies, you can rest assured that you won't have to worry about any of those legal risks and issues. We will provide you with access to our track record and to all the necessary legal documentation in advance. There will never be a scenario in which an agency could disappear without a trace halfway through working on your project. You can avoid any possible losses and unnecessary stress by simply hiring a secure and credible legal entity.

Price & Cost Management

To conclude, we can't fail to mention one of the most defining elements when hiring digital product designers - pricing. Sure, it is a well-known fact that agencies are the more expensive option. For some companies, working with freelance product designers could be way more appealing due to their budget-friendly costs.

Despite that fact, as we all know, the affordable choice is not always the best possible option. After all, you get what you pay for. Sometimes, outsourcing multiple digital freelancers could actually end up costing you way more than simply hiring an agency. Furthermore, as an agency of expert product designers, we can provide the best digital product development services and offer you a much higher value for your desired budget.

We guarantee you won't be left disappointed!