In-House vs Remote Design Teams: What to Pick

If you need a lot of graphic design work, hiring an in-house team might seem like a no-brainer. But is this truly the best option for your business? 

TL;DR

Remote design teams offer more flexibility and lower costs compared to in-house designers. The best way to outsource design are unlimited design services such as ManyPixels, as they offer the best of both worlds: reliable and professional services at a fixed monthly fee.

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Graphic design is a daily need for most businesses. From small businesses that use social media to connect to their target audience, innovative startups with multiple landing pages, to corporations with big ad campaigns - everyone needs great graphics.

So, whatever your industry, there’s a good chance you’ve considered hiring designers in-house. 

In-house designers

In-house designers work within your offices, usually full–time. They understand your brand inside and out, and have daily communication with the rest of your team.

Pros

• Understanding of your brand: When designers work with just one brand, they get a deep understanding of its values, target audience, and messaging. This makes designs more impactful and the design process faster.
• Simple communication: No matter how good digital communication becomes, it can never replace face-to-face. Working in the same space makes communication faster and the workflow easier.
• Shared values/stakes: Hiring in-house designers also means finding the right personal fit. If lucky, this person will develop a vested interest in the success of your brand and its value proposition.

Cons

• Costs: In-house designers in the US earn about $5,000 per month on average. This can be a huge budget drain for small businesses and startups.
• Overhead costs: Salaries aren’t the only expenses you have with in-house teams. Taxes, paid time off, office supplies are just some of the overhead costs you need to factor in.
• Admin: Besides cost managing in-house teams requires lots of administrative hours. From the hiring process to managing payroll, this can be a major drain on your time.
• Limited skills: Big or small, in-house design teams usually mean a relatively limited skill set. 

Remote designers

In the other corner we have designers working remotely. This can be just one person, such as a freelance designer, or a whole remote team, as is the case with unlimited design services.

Before we get into this, let’s look at the shared pros and cons of remote work.

Pros

• Flexible pricing: Freelance design projects range from under $100 to tens of thousands of dollars. Unlimited design services offer flat-rate design from about $500 to $2,000 a month. So, whatever your budget, remote design teams allow you to get professional design at a price that you can afford.
• Versatile skills: With a huge talent pool to choose from, you’ll be able to find a talented designer for virtually any project. 
• Little to no admin: Depending on what kind of service you choose, there might be some administrative tasks, but definitely fewer than with an in-house team.

Cons

• Lack of personalization: Remote design teams usually handle multiple clients at once. So, don’t expect them to have the same in-depth knowledge of your brand’s history, values, etc. 
• Communication can be tricky: Remote designers often don’t work in the same time zone as you, which can make communication a lot slower, even with great digital communication platforms, such as Slack.

Can you have both?

Short answer: absolutely. Many creative agencies nowadays use outsourced design services to boost their efficiency, solve creative bottlenecks and offer more to their clients without increasing overhead costs.

Here are a few projects where a remote design team can really be helpful.

Web design

Web design is one of the most complex and expensive types of graphic design. Since web design requires a very specific skill set and often proficiency with particular web design software, this isn’t necessarily something your in-house designer will be able to do.

Social media

Regularly updated social media and eye-catching content are imperative for any businesses. With help from a remote design team you can always stay on top of your content calendar, or get last-minute posts for important updates or dates. 

Ads

More is more in digital advertising. With more variations you can work out exactly which ads work best to help you achieve your business goals.

On top of that ads come in very different formats and sizes. So, it really pays to have a professional marketing designer ensure everything looks right. 

Print designs

Although there are plenty of templates online, nothing beats a custom approach. However, you don’t want to design something only to discover that it looks disastrous when printed.

A remote design team can create any printed asset you need quickly: flyers, business cards, brochures and more. Plus you never have to worry about how the designs will look when printed. 

Motion graphics

Motion design is one of the biggest trends right now with no signs of stopping. From animated ads to explainer video, having a motion designer on your team can be a huge asset.

Since this is not typically a skill most graphic designers have, it can be quite useful to have a remote designer on hand to help you out.

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Remote design: freelancers vs unlimited design services

As we’ve said, remote graphic design comes in all shapes and sizes. But the two most popular and affordable options are hiring freelancers and flat-rate design services.

Here are some key aspects to consider when deciding between the two.

Costs

We’ve already mentioned that freelance designers offer the most flexible pricing. For that reason, they could be the best option for the short term.

However, if you need design on a regular basis, nothing beats an unlimited design service. One monthly subscription gives you access to a whole team of designers, so you don’t have to pay multiple freelancers for different projects. On top of that, you can request as many designs as you like, at no additional charge. 

Moreover, the monthly subscription is often lower than the cost of a single project an experienced freelancer would charge. Here’s a quick comparison for our most affordable plan at ManyPixels.

Predictability

Freelancers work on a project basis, so they might not be available every time you need them. 

In contrast, unlimited design services have a whole team of designers on hand. Most of these services are used to handling a large workload and have an estimated daily output. So, you can plan your work better and make sure you meet your project goals.

Flexibility

Both unlimited design services and freelancers offer lots of flexibility. However, if you decide to terminate your collaboration with a freelancer mid-project, you still might have to pay for some of the work done (sometimes, even the whole project).

On the other hand, unlimited design services like ManyPixels allow you to pause or cancel your subscription at any time. This way you can have full control over your budget and workload. 

Remote vs in-house designers: what’s best?

When all is said and done, what’s the better choice for your business: an in-house or remote design team?

Remote design teams are almost always more affordable, flexible and offer a wider skill set. So, for most businesses, a remote design team (whether you have an in-house team or not) are the superior choice.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to choose between in-house or remote designers. Many creative companies have a full-time design team, and still hire remote designers. 

So, whatever the size of your business or industry you’re in, remote design teams are a great choice. 

With ManyPixels, you can get started for as little as $599 a month. Get all your graphics, with unlimited revisions and a simple design platform that allows you to communicate, collaborate and give design feedback all in one place. 

If you want to combine the best of in-house and remote design, our Designated Designer and Design Team plans are for you. Get 1 or 2 designers working almost exclusively for you (4 working hours a day), in the same time zone, available for communication or video calls via Slack. 

Keen to learn more about it? We’d love to help! Book a time that suits you, to discuss your design needs with us.