Finding graphic designers is easy but choosing the right one can take time. After all, you want to partner with the best graphic designer to receive the best designs for your business. Even though graphic designers are one Google search away, here’s our list of the best places to find graphic designers!
1. Dribbble
If you want a graphic design-focused site, Dribbble is one of the best places to find graphic designers. This site was originally meant to display graphic design portfolios. However, it has evolved into a portfolio and job search site! As a potential client, you can search for designers based on your project requirements or post a job ad to attract graphic designers. One advantage of Dribbble over other freelance graphic design sites is that you don’t need to sign up to hire a graphic designer. Some graphic designers post their email addresses to contact them immediately.
Pricing (Dribbble Hiring):
- Job Board - $5/day
- Hiring Suite - $10/day
2. Behance
Behance is the alternative to Dribbble when looking for graphic designers. It follows the same model that it’s a graphic design portfolio site, but you can hire graphic designers, too! You can post a job or project advertisement, depending on your needs. From there, you’ll fill out a form, which will be posted. Behance designers specialize in:
- Logo
- Brand
- Website
- Illustration
- Social media
Pricing: Behance charges a platform fee, and payment is tiered depending on how much the freelance rate is.
3. Penji
One of our top picks to find graphic designers is Penji! But Penji is different from the others! You don’t exactly find graphic designers here; your project will be assigned to the BEST graphic designer for the job. It’s an unlimited graphic design service where you can request designs! You don’t need to find different freelancers for every project. Penji has you covered! Submit requests anytime, and let Penji do the graphic design work!
Pricing:
- Starter - $499/mo
- Marketer - $995/mo
- Agency - $1,497/mo
4. Twine
One freelance marketplace specializes in creating a creative and tech freelance network. Twine allows clients to search for freelancers by posting a project ad that will attract freelance designers to work with you. However, you can let Twine handle the reins of finding a graphic designer with its managed service. Twine experts will pair you with the best designer for your projects.
Pricing:
- Standard - Free (+ 5% service fee when you hire a freelancer)
- Business - $139.99/project
5. Workana
Another freelance marketplace to consider when finding a graphic designer is Workana. Although Workana specializes in IT or web development, you can find freelance graphic designers of various specializations. Like other freelance marketplaces, you can post a project, so that interested freelance designers can send their proposals. From there, select the best freelancer and review their work!
Pricing: Posting is free, but the rate depends on when you hire a freelancer
6. Toptal
One of the top places to search for designers is Toptal. This site is known for ensuring that the best of the best freelancers are part of its platform. Its rigorous screening process lets them vet these freelancers. Once you sign up and are looking for a designer, you will be paired with the ideal freelancer for the project. However, if you don’t like your paired designer, Toptal will find another option until you’re satisfied with the best choice.
Pricing: It depends on the designer’s rate and availability.
7. Creative Pool
Creative Pool offers various options for finding graphic designers. Like other freelance platforms, you can post job ads. You can post freelance or permanent position job advertisements. Both are free! However, if you need assistance finding a designer, a Creative Pool expert can help you manage your hiring and post up to 10 listings, depending on the project. Additionally, if you want more professional help, you can use the studiobriefs option to partner with agencies!
Pricing:
- studiogigs and Standard - Free
- Premium Featured - from $95(1 listing)
8. 99Designs
99Designs is a crowdsourcing option when finding graphic designers. Using the crowdsourcing option could be an unconventional way of finding a graphic designer. However, it’s a good way of getting multiple deliverables for one project. One advantage of 99Designs over other platforms is you have two ways of getting designs. The first is posting a project and getting various outputs from multiple designers. The second one is searching for a freelancer on the platform and contacting them directly.
Pricing: It depends on the project.
How to Choose the Best Designer
1. Look at Their Portfolio
One indicator of their professional experience is their portfolio. You need to review the quality of their work and evaluate if their design styles align with your vision. Most freelance and design portfolio sites allow graphic designers to showcase their work before being contacted for a job.
2. Set Up Interviews with Freelancers
One way to know which freelancer to hire is through interviews. Don’t be in a rush to hire a graphic designer; it will be costly if you immediately message somebody for a job without doing checks or interviews first.
During this interview, ask if they have other clients or are working on different projects. This will help you understand your designer’s availability and how they can work with you if they have other clients. Additionally, you can ask about work ethic and if they have questions regarding this project.
3. Establish Expectations and Budgets
Setting expectations and budgets is a must when choosing a graphic designer. For instance, you need to identify what you want when working with a graphic designer. Perhaps it could be about communication channels or time availability. Additionally, you could also set expectations about their level of professionalism or working style.
Plus, make sure that you establish budgets. It could be tempting to set a low budget considering some designers offer lower rates. However, graphic design shouldn’t be too cheap and too expensive. According to Upwork, the median rate for a graphic designer is $25/hr. You could use this as a benchmark to set budgets.
