Like a crow drawn to a shiny object, social media users are drawn to captivating visual content.

When we first encounter a post on social media, we rely primarily on our visual sense. A lot of information clamors for our attention, and we stick to the videos or graphics that attract us and keep us watching or reading. This is why brands need quality visual collateral and a distinct visual identity.

If done well, graphic design can contribute to a company’s credibility, solidify customer relationships, and even inspire new interest in the product or service.

It’s about more than just coming up with a logo or slogan; it’s about cementing your brand’s identity in the minds of your target audience.

To help with this, a graphic designer with specialized skills and experience can effectively create a consistent and cohesive brand image.

Outsourcing graphic designers for branding can bring fresh perspectives and new ideas to a brand’s image.

How Outsourcing Graphic Design Can Help with Branding

The global graphic designers’ industry market size, with its current evaluation at $43.4 billion, is expecting an imminent boom of about 3.7% in 2022.

Outsourcing work to experienced graphic designers can help with branding by bringing a fresh and professional perspective to your company’s image and a lot more.

Brand Recognition

A consistent brand image can be difficult in today’s saturated marketplace, but professional graphic designers can help.

Business cards, posters, packaging, stickers and other forms of branding material help get your company’s name and offerings in front of potential customers.

Audience Trust

A well-designed logo and website that effectively communicates your message can go a long way toward earning the trust of your target audience. Something as simple and innocuous-seeming as colors can influence your audience’s perception of your brand and products.

Hiring a professional graphic designer is a sign that your company cares about presentation, and can steer you in the right direction for your brand’s visual themes.

Quality Marketing Strategies

The right marketing strategy, coupled with high-caliber graphic design, can set your company apart from the competition.

Customers appreciate helpful information, but enticing visuals are the key to getting your message across and getting people to take action.

Brands that have a strong image and reputation in the market are more likely to succeed and stand out in a competitive business environment.

Adapting to Varying Workflow Demands

By including graphic design outsourcing in your business strategy, you will be better able to adjust to any sudden spikes in demand.

Big campaign? Hire more designers. Minimal effort required? Downscale to a single designer to take care of everything.

By outsourcing your graphic design, you can ensure that your brand’s visual elements are top-notch, helping in attracting and retaining customers at need, and establishing your company as a competitive player in your industry.

Graphic Design Strategies and Trends for 2023

Photos and videos consistently outperform text-only posts in terms of engagement across the vast majority of websites. Tweets with images receive three times as many likes and favorites as those without, and the comment rate on LinkedIn posts with images is 98% higher on average.

The most popular type of post on Instagram right now is the carousel. As of 2022, the average engagement rate for a post on an Instagram business page is 1.94%, according to data from Statista. The engagement rate for carousel posts, however, is 3.15 percent (what can we say, the people love to swipe left).

Not only do marketers recognize the importance of images, but so do more and more people. Customers are aware that visual media, such as photos and videos, is what they crave.

Whatever it may be, creatives aren’t holding back. Surrealism will play a major role in this year’s typography, web design, print advertisements, and even packaging to appeal to the Gen-Z audience’s penchant for the unusual.

Designs will become more conceptually daring and colorful, allowing their creators more freedom to express themselves.

1. Celestial Tarot Aesthetic

There has always been a niche audience interested in spirituality and the mystical, but recently that interest has been growing.

For some, the sect’s aura of mystery contributed to the movement’s success. When you factor in the universal desire for order and predictability, it’s not surprising that the tarot’s art deco aesthetic has found favor with a younger demographic.

2. Color Rich Tropicalism

An additional goal of the Y2K movement is the reinstitution of upbeat, colorful tropicalism. Originally popularized by the funkadelic and afrofuturist communities, this style is gradually becoming more accepted in more conservative communities.

Prints in vivid hues, vivid illustrations, striking geometries, and funky, big typefaces are all things we anticipate seeing in the next wave of the trend.

3. 3D Pastel Assets

The proliferation of AI-assisted art tools and the expansion of the metaverse have both contributed to the merging of previously distinct aesthetic traditions.

In today’s designs, 3D elements are commonplace. The way logos, typefaces, and other components of graphic design function are all examples. Tech companies are the most likely to adopt this aesthetic, but it could show up in other sectors as well.

4. Funky and Geometric Elements

More Bauhaus-influenced styles are likely to emerge as the retro trend gains traction. In this scenario, primary-colored bubbles, blobs, and sharp geometric shapes will dominate.

As more and more companies adopt unconventional shapes, it will be fascinating to see how minimalist and extravagant designers incorporate them into their work.

5. Experimental Typography

Custom typography will undoubtedly continue to experience explosive growth. There is a plethora of experimental typefaces because more and more type designers are making widely-usable versions of their expressive fonts.

Condensed fonts, bold fonts, distorted fonts, wavy fonts, and all that good stuff are probably on the way. These days, obscure fonts are all the rage among designers.

6. Holofoil Packaging

In the past, holographic effects were the driving force behind a design, but now they are used as a powerful accent detail to boost the status of fonts, packaging, and even small collaterals like business cards.

Many companies favor foil print because of the shimmer it adds to their products.

7. Era of the Aura Gradients

Taking cues from the astrological tarot, we predict that the gradient will play an even more important role in the graphic design decisions made in 2018.

Wellness companies will jump on this bandwagon, as it has been popular for the last half of 2022.

It’s not out of the question that aura and noise will be combined with botanical elements, given their central roles in the online wellness culture.

8. Bold Retro Illustrations

Characters with gloves, huge boots, and exaggerated expressions are making a comeback in modern flat cartoon illustrations.

Imagine Mickey Mouse from the ’50s, if the cartoon’s illustrations were updated to reflect today’s style.

9. Photo Gallery

In spite of the widespread belief that photo-sharing platforms like Instagram are dying out,it’s not the case.

Businesses today are more likely to try new things, such as using visuals in their ads.Everything from logos to packaging to print ads.

Moreover, there will unquestionably be more as more companies transition to 3D-designed products.

10. Edgy and Rough Aesthetics

One of the hallmarks of today’s youth is their penchant for anarchy and unconventional thought. As far as layout and design go, the same frenetic atmosphere in 2023 is very much anticipated.

Posters and magazine covers will likely become more edgy and hyper-designed in celebration of the Y2K cyber aesthetic.

The use of wireframe and graphite textures remains a current design choice.

Graphic Design Services You Can Outsource

1. Email design

You can only get your readers’ attention for so long with a catchy subject line. By incorporating design elements such as typography, icons, high-quality images, gifs, and video, a well-designed email can help the recipient keep their attention on the message at hand.

The quality of your emails is ensured when you outsource their design to a seasoned creative agency.

2. Logo and Branding

The logo is one of the most significant parts of any company. To make a good first impression, your logo should be simple yet striking. It must also look good on everything from your store sign to the covers of your products.

3. Marketing Collateral Design

Helping promote and sell your company’s goods or services requires that your sales and marketing teams have access to appropriate materials.

Included in this category are social media posts, landing pages, ebooks, infographics, brochures, catalogs, stationery, and much more.

4. Presentation Design

Storytelling and the ability to break down complex topics into manageable chunks are two essential elements of any effective presentation.

Presenting to a clientele or a board of directors, a well-designed presentation can help you win them over.

Where can you find graphic design services

Graphic design outsourcing services can be found in a variety of platforms, such as:

• Staffing agencies and companies specializing in graphic design, branding, and marketing such as USource offer a wider range of services and a team of designers.
• In-house design departments of larger companies that may have their own graphic design team, usually focused on company-specific projects.
• Online marketplaces and platforms such as Canva, Designhill, and Crowdspring provide a vast range of graphic design services from various freelancers and design agencies.
• Social media platforms, as many graphic designers promote their services on social media, such as Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

How to Choose the Right Graphic Design Agency for Branding

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are split on whether or not graphic design is essential to their company’s success; roughly 49% agree that it is crucial, while 31% disagree but are aware of the positive effect it can have on a brand’s development.

Having access to a team or staff of seasoned graphic designers ready to upgrade your brand identity is a major perk of outsourcing to service providers like USource.

However, you shouldn’t rush into selecting an individual or group to manage a vital aspect of your company. The following are some suggestions for getting started with outsourcing graphic design:

1. Identify your target brand identity.

Define your brand identity needs before you begin searching for a graphic designer. Specifics such as layout, colors, fonts, and image preferences will be included here.

When you understand your project scope, you’ll be better able to establish achievable goals. And it’ll be useful for the graphic designer to create the visuals in a way that meets your requirements.

2. Research for potential designers or designing agencies.

When you have a clear idea of your requirements, it’s time to start looking into graphic design firms. You can use the businesses’ online profiles as a starting point in your selection process.

Test the waters to see if it suits your tastes. It’s also a good idea to request testimonials, examples of work, and portfolios from them.

3. Communicate clearly with the agency to ensure they understand your branding goals.

Sometimes the client and the agency have different ideas about how to approach the creative process. It’s possible that the agency has a very different perspective on the design than you do.

Maintain open lines of dialogue with your design team. Make sure they have SOPs that fit your needs before hiring a graphic design firm. Ask them about the steps involved, the resources they draw upon, and the means of communication.

Explain what you want and back it up with samples such as citations, tone, mood, and intended outcomes to help the team grasp what you’re trying to accomplish.

Never be shy about asking for clarification on design-related jargon or terms. To avoid further confusion, this will serve to clarify the situation.

4. Consider a trial project.

You can learn a lot about a designer’s expertise, proficiency, and ability to match their thoughts with your vision by having them work on a small test project for you.

These pilot initiatives need not be complex and time-consuming, but rather quick and easy tasks that can be completed in a day or two.

However, make sure to inquire about short-term trial project options with the agency.

Move your brand with graphic design

Building a solid reputation in the market and a loyal customer base are essential parts of any successful brand design. What sets your company apart from the competition is its brand equity.

The name, logo, and messaging of a business contribute to the overall impression that consumers have of that business and its products.

Company brand design agencies come in all shapes and sizes, and picking the right one can be challenging. The right partnership can bring tremendous returns and expansion, while the wrong one can lead to wasted resources, lower sales, and reputational harm.

By partnering with experienced and skilled graphic designers, businesses can get access to innovative design solutions, reduced operational costs, and improved brand recognition.

The outsourcing model allows businesses to concentrate on their core operations while ensuring that the design aspect of their brand is handled professionally.

In today’s fast-paced business environment, outsourcing graphic designers can help businesses stay ahead of the competition by providing them with the resources and expertise to create a strong and memorable brand.