Any company that wants to sell products online or undergo digital transformation needs a website. A good website connects with your audience immediately, reflects your brand's values, and highlights your offerings.

Therefore, web design plays a critical role in conveying your brand value through aesthetics, layout, and navigation. If you want to onboard a professional to create a functional web design for your company or a specific project, you have three options - hiring an in-house web designer, outsourcing to a web design agency, or collaborating with a freelance web designer.

While an in-house designer is typically the most pricey option, it offers the utmost control and consistency over the project. On the other hand, freelance designers and agencies come at relatively lower prices, but your supervision is somewhat less.

If you’re wondering which one is right for you, we have covered you. This blog will deeply explore the benefits of hiring in-house designers vs. an agency vs. a freelance designer for your business.

In-House Designer

Hiring a full-time in-house designer can be a costly affair. It can be a viable solution only if you have a large organization that needs better control over the website or constantly needs a designer.

Pros & Cons Of Hiring An In-House Designer

Pros

1. You have the highest control over the end product with an in-house graphic designer and web designer.
2. You can achieve a uniform look & feel of the website and customize it according to your need to ensure that each element of your site aligns with your company’s overall brand identity.
3. An in-house designer is available full-time, so they help you update the site whenever required. They also offer suggestions if the managers are unsure of a certain site structure
4. The web designer is almost always in touch with the other teams. It enables better communication of ideas between the teams and ensures that everyone stays on the same page.
5. An in-house designer is more involved in the company’s system and processes. Thus, they might better understand the product and know the company’s values and culture than an external agency or a freelancer. As a result, their solutions are more likely to be aligned with the company.
6. Freelancers or external agencies work on several projects simultaneously, whereas in-house designers are entirely devoted to the organization's work. Therefore, productivity is usually higher with an in-house team.

Cons

1. Hiring an in-house designer can lie on the more expensive side. A company must consider salary, incentives, office space, and other associated costs while hiring a full-time web designer.
2. Focused work on the same project for an extended period can lead to professional burnout for in-house designers.
3. Hiring suitable candidates and training and retaining them requires sufficient resources like time and money.
4. Unlike employers exposed to diverse businesses, in-house graphic designers and web designers may work on monotonous projects for years. They may lose interest and require an innovative atmosphere to spark creativity.

Who Should Hire An In-House Designer?

In-house designers are perfect for organizations with dynamic landscapes handling high volumes of web design projects. This option is worth considering when:

1. You run a large enterprise organization that requires utmost control of the designer’s activity.
2. You have many design tasks, and hiring a full-time designer is economical.
3. You must update fresh and dynamic content regularly as a SaaS company.
4. You have extensive product lines. That is why many major e-commerce retailers and brands put out ads for in-house graphic design jobs.
5. You run a business in specialized industries like healthcare, finance, etc.

Web Design Agency

A web design agency has a squad of dedicated designers and developers who specialize in creating and maintaining websites for their clients. Depending on its specialty, a web design agency can offer multiple services compared to an in-house designer.

Companies collaborate with reputable web design agencies when they have sufficient funds and multi-faceted needs. From solopreneurs to enterprise businesses, web design agencies cater to the web design needs of companies of all sizes.

Pros & Cons Of Hiring A Web Design Agency

Pros

1. An agency offers a wide range of experts for all your web design needs, including UX designers, researchers, managers, and others. They learn from each other’s experiences, share knowledge, and add value to your project.
2. They specialize in the industry's best web design and development practices and have deep expertise in multiple coding skills and the latest tools and technologies. Thus, all your web design needs are met here regardless of the technical complexity required.
3. A web design agency comprises full-time teams with specific skill sets. Thus, you don’t have to post in-house graphic designer jobs to hire, manage, and retain employees
4. There is less probability of missed project deadlines, as an agency has access to multiple designers. On the flip side, an in-house designer might be unavailable because of resignation, vacation, or some illness.
5. Designers from the agencies mostly deliver the required project within the timeline. They may not be directly involved with the company’s core values, vision, etc. However, most competent web design agencies hold meetings and sessions to increase synergy to empathize with your product. This collaboration can be an X factor for your online success

Cons

1. Most web design agencies allow limited free revisions and changes. If the customer exceeds those limits, the agency can charge additional fees for each revision needed.
2. In an agency, a project manager usually acts as a point of communication between you and the designer. Such mediation may lead to inadequate communication of ideas, forming a gap between your requirements and the project delivered.
3. If you want to outsource web designers to help you with anything outside the design process, the agency people probably don’t do it for free.
4. Web design agencies progressively complete a project; there is little room for altering the direction or pivoting the mid-project. However, web design agencies can become flexible and rework as per your expectations and suggestions.

Who Should Hire A Web Design Agency?

Whether to hire an in-house designer or a web design agency depends on your project goals, budget, time frame, and the technical expertise required.

1. You can hire a web design agency when your in-house graphic design team or web designers can’t handle an excessive workload and need additional help.
2. When your project requires specific design expertise, you can get the services of an agency specializing in those particular skills.
3. Companies that need to set up a design campaign within a limited timeframe. If you are comfortable working with the agency’s time constraints, you can move ahead with collaborating with them
4. Agencies often collaborate with marketers and strategists. Hiring a web design agency is ideal for mid-to-large-sized companies with omnichannel marketing strategies.

Freelance Web Designer

Hiring an in-house designer or a web design agency can be expensive for new entrepreneurs, small businesses, startup founders, etc. Connecting with a freelancer is economical if you start small and are tight on budget. You can look for freelance web designers that fit your project’s budget.

Freelancers are flexible when compared to agencies. However, it is challenging to find the right ones. While many freelancers are truly potent to take your busies to unimaginable heights, some others try to show off as experts and deliver mediocre work.

Pros & Cons Of Hiring A Freelance Web Designer

Pros

1. Post-pandemic, freelancing has become highly prevalent. It offers the lowest risk of hiring people with specialized skill sets. Thus, it gets easier to hire a freelancer as compared to an in-house designer at competitive prices.
2. You can temporarily hire freelancers for specific projects. If you don’t like the work, you can part ways without any paperwork and additional costs like with full-time employees.
3. When you hire a good freelancer, they are flexible and responsive throughout the project. You can get timely updates and ask for revisions if necessary.
4. You can hire freelancers with specific skill sets & get tailored services for your projects.
5. Freelancers offer cost-effective solutions for your project, so you save a lot of resources.

Cons

1. While freelancers might be more cost effective than an in-house designer, their rates vary depending on their expertise and your technical requirements for the project.
2. Every freelancer markets themselves as an expert, but not all keep their word. Thus, you don’t know their skills until you start working with them.
3. Since the number of freelancers is exponentially increasing, you may end up collaborating with someone not potent enough to deliver the high-quality web design you need.

Who Should Hire A Freelance Web Designer?

Any company can hire freelance web designers on a contractual basis. It is the most economical option in the following cases.

1. Companies that require diverse skill sets but are tight on budget, such as non-profits or small businesses.
2. Companies that need to organize a one-time campaign.
3. Don’t know how to hire a web or graphic designer for your project? The best method is to list in-house graphic design jobs on marketplaces, LinkedIn, and your company’s official website.
4. You can get the profiles of freelancers on LinkedIn or job marketplaces like Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, and more. Get to know about popular web design agencies by searching Google. You can also invite applications from either of them by mentioning your requirement in the in-house senior graphic designer job description.

Summing Up

Whether it is about an in-house designer, a web design agency, or a freelancer, the ultimate hiring decision depends on your organization’s size, structure, and technical requirements. Each option has its own set of benefits and drawbacks.

Still, if you are looking for a comprehensive and scalable solution, a web design agency can be your ideal choice. Agencies like Originate Web bring a wealth of expertise and a diverse team of designers to the table. They can adapt to the evolving web design landscape, guaranteeing that your online presence remains competitive in the marketplace

Furthermore, we offer various complementary services, such as Shopify development, page speed optimization, email marketing, and many more. So, if you’re seeking a partner to deliver top-tier web design while helping you stay ahead of the competition, Originate Web is the answer!

Get in touch with us today.