Artikel

What a freelance digital designer can do

By Carsten Bjerregaard, Marketingcapacity.dk (Link to the article. Copying/publishing without agreement is not allowed) 

A digital designer is able to create an expression on digital platforms, websites and products that supports the user in doing what they want to do. The digital designer combines knowledge of design in general with knowledge of how digital users think, navigate and act. So a digital designer is indispensable when developing websites, landing pages, apps, platforms, SAAS tools, signs and other products and concepts where people need to receive information or interact via a screen. Digital design is also a subject you can study at university.

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What is the digital design course?

A digital designer basically has to develop user-friendly interfaces. In practice, this means being an analyst, critic and creative. Tasks include finding answers to questions like:

  • User analytics - what do users search for and what do they do?
  • What information do we have and how can we make it accessible in a logical or even intuitive way?
  • How do we present the information with the look we want?
  • Are there functionalities we can develop that will support the user (e.g. a calculator, a calendar or an assessment tool)
  • How do we nudge users to do what both they and we want?
  • How can we create a digital design line that creates identity?
  • Can we support the technology through our design (loading, links, forms, etc.)?
  • Can we drive greater engagement through gamification?
  • In what context should users interact with our digital asset and what does this mean for how we should design our interface?

Where is the professional boundary for a digital designer?

It's hard to put it bluntly. Because everything is connected when we talk about digital design. Expression, content, functionality, psychology, etc. There are at least some disciplines that border - if not overlap - in digital design:

  • UX
  • Front-end programming/development
  • Graphic design
  • Content architecture
  • Digital concept development
  • Product design

The more skilled the digital designer is, the more territory they can cover or at least bid on.

How does the digital designer create value?

People don't buy the best product, they buy the best-selling product. And people don't necessarily use the best or most content-heavy electronic products. They use the ones that are easy and comfortable to use.

So it's hard to overstate the value that a good digital designer can add. Think of Google, Amazon, Facebook, Just Eat - they all have a business idea that can be copied and they all have plenty of competitors. But users have become accustomed to the way they look and the way you use them. That alone creates preference. Imagine a value that digital designers have helped create.

Or consider Apple, where the design of the physical products is more than matched by the design of the digital content. So much so that it has set the tone for much of the way we use the internet in general.

Specifically, the digital designer creates value by:

  • Inviting the user in (instead of clicking away)
  • Making the user feel welcome (tonality)
  • Getting the user to quickly find what they are looking for
  • To make the experience enjoyable, fun or entertaining
  • Getting as many users to do what you want
  • Leaving the user with a destined (recognizable and unique) experience

And the designer does this with the help of:

  • Typography and text
  • Colors
  • Light, shadow, skin, contrasts etc.
  • Texture
  • Icons
  • Buttons
  • Forms
  • Shadows
  • Images, movies, animations
  • Movements
  • Simulations

The entire visual toolbox at your disposal.

What types of digital designers are there?

There are certainly differences. Because digital design is such a broad field, you can't be equally passionate about everything. So it depends on the task you have as a company as to which type of digital designer would be ideal for the job. You may experience differences between designers in terms of:

  • Logic in the design
  • User Experience insights
  • Great taste
  • The ability to deliver a consistent visual experience
  • Totality
  • Detail accuracy

Some digital designers can geek out for ages over icons that users may barely notice. But make no mistake, even if users don't notice them specifically, icons can add quality to a user experience. If the icons have what is known in the film world as 'production value'. That is, they have a richness of flavor that adds something in itself. For example, the feeling that something is delicious - without being able to say exactly why.

Another digital designer might be particularly concerned with guiding the user through a task as easily as possible. He cuts down, cuts down and cuts down on information. All while continuously testing how users react to what they see and do. In practice, every digital designer should be able to do it all. But we're all only human. Even digital designers.

Another dimension that can set them apart is their experience. It can be a great advantage to look at what the digital designer has worked with before. This could be experience with:

  • Media
  • Platforms
  • Web shops
  • Industries

There is so much that we humans have come to take for granted, even when it comes to our own digital behavior. At the same time, our patience is wearing thin. We don't have to struggle much with something before we become irritable or even give up. So the more a digital designer knows about the specific area - and the official and unofficial rituals, markers and expectations that apply in that particular area, the better.

What does a digital designer need to know?

In order to deliver the desired user experience, the designer must have certain personal qualities:

  • Analytical sense
  • Creativity
  • Color knowledge
  • Aesthetic sense
  • Sense of shape
  • Sans for usability
  • Knowledge about typography and how styles work
  • Psychological insight and imagination (what will the user naturally do here?)
  • Respect for - and preferably insight into - the commercial purpose

In addition to the ability to communicate and collaborate, which is necessary in all professions. Especially in professions where many different groups of professionals with different skills need to work together towards a common goal.

But that's not enough. The digital designer will not get far without mastering a wide range of techniques, methods and tools:

  • Design sprint (a method of developing in small increments - fail fast, as the saying goes)
  • Photoshop
  • Indesign
  • Wacom tool
  • Creative tools
  • Illustrator
  • Wacom drawing tablet

In my experience, I would say that it is beneficial if the digital designer as a person:

  • Curious about the new
  • Has a high level of general knowledge
  • Is broadly oriented
  • Have a love of history, for example the history of a brand

The latter can hardly be overstated. Strong branding is very much about history. For example, if you were to create a new website for the French Open tennis tournament or for the Jaguar car brand, respect for history - and the ability to reinterpret it - is everything.

How do you work well with a digital designer?

Basically, it's the same as in all areas:

  • Be well prepared
  • Take the time to brief properly
  • Be clear about what you envision and what you value
  • Be precise about deadlines, finances etc.

But beyond that, it's good to be aware of something that is especially true in creative subjects:

  • Make an effort to understand the thinking behind the solution before making any changes
  • Show your respect for the effort put into it
  • Talk about what you want the solution to 'do' - instead of how you want it to be
  • Let the designer use their skills to find the solution, if you tell them how to do it, you'll only get what you can do yourself...
  • Always include caveats that show you respect that it's a profession: "I'm not a designer, but I experience ..."

"Well, it's my solution as a customer and client, so I can demand that it be done my way, can't I?" Yes, but you can't demand (or buy) that the designer puts his heart into it. He will only do so if he feels involved and his skills are valued.

But otherwise, the classic problem-solving formula applies. From problem and briefing to delivery, corrections, approval and implementation.

And one last piece of advice: DO IT IN SMALL STEPS (sprints). I'm capitalizing this because it can't be said clearly enough. The further creative people get in their work, the more they struggle to change it. Well, I guess that's true for all of us. But when there's a taste dimension involved, the discussions often become a little more sensitive. I know this from experience.

Rather some looser sketches where it's ok to play around, but still loose enough to change or even interpret in different directions. Imagine when Disney is making a new movie. Imagine how many sketch proposals they look at and discuss before their line is defined. You can keep that thought in mind when you're designing icons, for example.

If the digital designer has spent weeks fine-tuning their suggestions, it's going to be hell if you want to go in a different direction. You might think they're great on their own, but you'd really like them to send a more romantic or interpersonal message because you know your target audience cares about that.

Why a freelance digital designer?

In the past, most people might have thought of freelancers for one-off projects. However, many companies have now realized the benefits of working with freelancers on a long-term basis:

  • You can cover needs that don't justify a permanent position
  • In periods when you don't need it, you don't pay for the skill
  • In a long-term relationship, the freelancer gets to know the company almost as well as a permanent employee
  • Compared to buying the desired skill set from an agency - such as an advertising agency - working with freelancers is usually much cheaper
  • You have the flexibility to rethink the overall competency profile of the person responsible for an area
  • More and more really talented people prefer to work freelance
  • A freelancer can still look at your business 'from the outside' - which is a valuable thing when thinking about creative
  • Freelancers can bring fresh, outside inspiration to your business

How do you find a good freelance digital designer?

Finding the right freelancer can be difficult. And above all, it can take a long time. Because there are many freelancers within the same field, and even if they boast the same skills, there can be a big difference when it comes to the way they work and the work they deliver. When you ask Marketingcapacity.dk to help you find a freelancer to work with, the process is simple:

  1. You describe your needs to us (either in writing or verbally - we'll confirm in an email)
  2. We screen our 600+ profiles and, if necessary, the market through our channels
  3. We nominate a list of candidates and talk to them according to your needs
  4. You will be presented with 3 candidates that seem to meet your needs
  5. During the 3 meetings (at your location or digitally) you can ask questions and see examples of their work
  6. You choose the freelancer you would like to start working with
  7. We set it up in our systems with time tracking etc. so you have an overview and full control

In other words: After describing your needs, simply set aside 2 hours to meet with 3 hand-picked and screened candidates. That's your guarantee of a good result with reasonable effort.

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