Where To Find and Hire the Best Graphic Designers Remotely

Humans are visual creatures, meaning your brand’s visuals will typically be the first thing customers notice. First impressions matter, so partnering with a skilled designer for branding and marketing will help you stand out.

If you’re looking for the best place to hire graphic designers, this article will help by detailing seven of the top platforms for outsourcing graphic design talent, how to assess candidates’ portfolios, and some factors to consider when hiring remotely.

Top 7 Platforms for Outsourcing Graphic Designers

Graphic design is a vast field full of creatives who specialize in branding, print, typography, illustrations, infographics, UX/UI, and other areas. No matter what you’re looking for, one of the following seven platforms for outsourcing graphic designers can help you find the perfect hire.

This list features a variety of popular platforms in no specific order, including freelance marketplaces and recruitment agencies specializing in connecting businesses with experienced designers and other remote professionals.

1. Near

You bet we’re taking the top spot!

While our list mainly features freelance marketplaces, hiring from a reputable outsourcing company like Near can give you access to a vetted talent pool of top-quality designers with total project management support. That means benefits like:

• Detailed profiles of handpicked candidates
• Fully supported onboarding and retention processes
• A monthly fee per hire rather than hourly or per project
• Pre-vetted candidates with international criminal background checks
• Defined seniority levels

We specialize in helping US businesses hire and onboard the best English-speaking Latin American (LatAm) talent, saving you up to 70% in overhead costs.

2. Upwork

Upwork is one of the most popular freelancing platforms globally, allowing companies to sign up and sift through millions of freelancers to find the ideal freelance designer. Each design professional’s profile lists their pay expectations, includes a profile description, and displays the number of jobs and their overall rating from clients.

3. Fiverr

Fiverr is another freelancing website that stands out with its focus on freelancer packages.

Rather than having a more open format and bidding system like Upwork, Fiverr lets companies order preset graphic design packages from freelancers or browse for an agency. This often presents a much faster, all-in-one approach to the hiring process.

4. Dribbble

Dribbble was once more of a self-promotion platform or a portfolio site for freelancers, but it later added a designer job board so that businesses could hire talent right on the site. With a visually driven designer search, you can get in touch with the right professionals in a flash.

5. Behance

Behance is home to a large creative network of freelancers. As a part of Adobe, it has a unique connection to one of the biggest names in design software. Like Dribbble, you can discover graphic designers through their portfolio work and hire them through the Behance inbox.

6. Toptal

The Toptal platform pools together the “top 3%” of freelance talent, including expert designers. Its talent goes through an extensive screening process that requires them to validate their experience and skills, and most of them have previously worked at top companies, such as Apple and SpaceX.

7. Design Pickle

Design Pickle is made for companies that consistently scale and don’t want to deal with the traditional hassle of managing an in-house designer. For a flat monthly fee, you can get access to an on-demand designer who’ll be available to work on any project and provide revisions daily.

Factors To Consider When Hiring Graphic Designers Remotely

Regardless of which platform you end up choosing, you’ll want to consider the following factors when hiring any graphic designer:

Experience and expertise

Be sure to choose a designer who has proven experience in the specific type of designs you need. Most graphic designers tend to specialize in specific fields, like 3D or motion graphic design.

You can assess a designer’s experience level by looking at their portfolio and reviews from previous clients.

Project complexity and scope

Some platforms and designers focus on one-off jobs with simple scopes, while others are more used to multilayered, complex projects. Consider these designers’ strengths and communicate your needs in a clear fashion.

Budget considerations

Consider your hire’s rate (if available) and establish the budget for your contract or project right away. Finding a good balance between cost and quality will bring you the most success.

Language and cultural compatibility

The international marketplace can introduce you to some incredibly talented graphic designers, but it’s still important to make sure you can communicate with them effectively. Cultural nuances could affect the outcome of your project, so you should address them in advance.

How To Assess a Designer’s Portfolio

A designer’s portfolio showcases their skills and specializations, as well as whether they’re the right fit for your business. Use these three criteria when assessing a portfolio:

• Look for a diverse portfolio: Is the designer somewhat of a one-hit wonder? Unless you’re looking for a one-off, very specific design, it’s useful to find talent that is versatile and creative enough to adapt to a wide range of styles and needs.
• Evaluate design style and quality: Do they demonstrate the ability to follow a brief and key design principles to create high-quality designs? Does their aesthetic match up with your brand identity? Or are you noticing that they’ve completed many jobs but the quality of the work is low?
• Ask for an interview: Viewing a designer’s portfolio is one thing, but it’s another to get a firsthand idea of who you’re working with over a video call. Use the interview as an opportunity to ask questions about their portfolio pieces, including how they came up with ideas, what tools they used, and their approach to the design process.

What Should You Do Before Outsourcing a Graphic Designer?

Once you’re ready to start outsourcing graphic design services, take the time to use these strategies so that you and your graphic designer can stay on the same page. 

Define your design needs

If you’re mainly looking for one-off projects, working with a specific freelance graphic designer can be more convenient and cost effective than signing up for a monthly service. 

Before even contacting an outsourcing company or graphic design freelancers in a marketplace, define your design needs by specifying your style, deliverables, preferences, brand guidelines, and budget.

Create a detailed job description

The best way to start off on the right foot in the outsourcing process is to create a clear and detailed job description that features a blurb about your business, what the job entails, and the key responsibilities that the designer should fulfill.

That way, they’ll already know what they’re getting themselves into before applying or accepting an offer.

Communicate effectively with candidates

Be ready to tell the designer exactly what you’re looking to achieve with each milestone or project you assign them so that they know what to expect and what to deliver. You should have a constant two-way dialogue so that you can clarify expectations and ask questions. 

Prepare performance metrics to measure success

With graphic design, it’s easy to default to a subjective view of what meets project goals and what doesn’t, but it’s much more effective to outline a few performance metrics to measure success.

For instance, you might want to devise standardized measures to assess how well the designer adheres to your brand guidelines and meets deadlines or the number of times they have made revisions.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know where to hire talented designers and how to assess them effectively, you should be prepared to choose a platform that can meet your needs. Remember that remote hiring firms will give you the most comprehensive support, helping you through every step of recruitment.

At Near, we specialize in helping businesses hire top-tier LatAm talent. We ditch the one-size-fits-all approach and focus on custom solutions that help you find the perfect match for all your graphic design needs.

Considering hiring a graphic designer? You can save 30–70% by hiring talent in LatAm instead of in the US—without sacrificing quality. Just book a free consultation call with Near today!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it typically take to hire a graphic designer through an outsourcing company?

It can take anywhere between a few days to a few weeks to hire a graphic designer through an outsourcing company, depending on their typical timelines and the intricacies of your project. Some companies are faster than others—Near helps you fill your open positions in under 21 days.

How can I manage payments, benefits, and employee rights when outsourcing?

Although outsourcing opens up doors to top-tier talent, you should properly manage payments through a reliable platform, differentiate between an employee and a contractor, and consider the local laws in the contractor’s country. Hiring companies like Near often provide support with these aspects.

What key qualities should I look for in a skilled graphic designer?

Other than innate creativity and high-quality work, a graphic designer should display a good command over relevant technical skills, a strong understanding of branding principles, and mastery of design tools like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. 

They should also manage their time well, communicate openly and frequently, and value your feedback.