The 6 Reasons to Outsource Your Creative Team
With 543,000 new businesses created each month (and at least as many shutting down), it’s all about survival of the fittest. And to be fit, you need to constantly ideate, iterate, test and repeat.
Surviving to the next economic cycle means being different, being cunning, and being smart about your use of energy. In the quest for market share and customer fame, you can’t have it all, like that prime Mountain View office space and the fancy lunches.
But what’s the one thing that can’t be pushed aside? Your brand—your company’s number one spokesperson.
But before you go out and hire a full-stack creative department, we’ve got a secret for you. It’s called: outsourcing. Because sometimes it’s smart to grow your business from within. And sometimes it’s even smarter to reach an arm out.
Here are the 6 Reasons to Outsource Your Creative Team:
1. Creative Expertise and Leadership
When you outsource your design work to an already carefully assembled band of artists and strategists, you can immediately tap into the creativity, expertise, and wide range of skills this team has been honing for years. No need to build up and onboard your own team, lead creative direction, or pay for the latest design tools or professional development. The ease of plugging in to a team who will embody your brand and can swiftly move across digital, physical, and experiential mediums means you can finally see your visions come to life.
2. In-House Mindset
When you develop a long-term relationship with an external creative company, they will soon know your company, product and brand inside and out. They’ll get to know your personality and adapt to the way you work, so communication and collaboration flow easily. Locked-in as if they were in-house, your external creative team will be fully prepped to jump into any seasonal, short-term, or last-minute design or branding needs, without needing a complete onboard every single time.
3. A La Carte Pricing
“Let’s throw money out the window,” said no one ever. When you’re building a business, ain’t nobody got time for extra costs or employees on payroll who sit there twiddling their thumbs. Outsourcing your design and branding means you pay only for what you need, when you need it.
4. No-Nonsense Decision-Making
An independent team isn’t plagued by intra-company paralysis. They are well-versed in effective project scoping and have a knack for knowing what you really need. With a dedication to create, these savvy creative teams are pros at sticking to timelines, deadlines, and client’s best interests and business objectives. Your external creative team will take the lead on decision-making when needed, stepping up and asking the hard questions, all to hit the target dead-on.
5. Bonus Business Diagnostics
The best creative teams know that effective design and branding always keeps the company’s ultimate business goals as their north star. An outside team gets to take a unique, objective look into your business to expertly diagnose your real design and branding needs. You might be surprised what they find, or be humbled by the mirror they provide, but you’ll be glad to do the inner work upfront to build a strong business model.
6. Fierce Brand Defenders
The worst thing you can do to a beautiful business idea or an inspirational brand is execute it poorly, publicly, and on a grand scale. Designers cringe at improperly spaced logos and internally scream when design says one thing but your copy says another. A true brand champion and ally will carefully craft and execute your brand across mediums. The best external creative teams will be holding your hand the entire way as you carve out a space for your brand and prepare for a flawless lift-off.
With an external creative team in your corner, what visions can you finally bring to life? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
About ABC Design Lab
Part design firm, part product development team, ABC Design Lab advances the way businesses are born and evolved. As a team of artists, scientists, and strategists, we build brands and digital products that emotionally and intuitively connect. Peer into the lab.
