Branding
Web Design
Social Media
Studio Partner
In short: a freelancer suits one-off, tightly defined jobs; a large agency suits high-volume campaigns involving lots of departments; a studio suits you when you need design judgement, direct contact with the people doing the work and several disciplines working together. Before you decide, ask who will do the work, what’s included, how long it will take and whether everything you receive will be yours.
Choosing the wrong people to design your brand or website is expensive. Not so much because of what the first project costs, but because of what it costs to redo it: lost time, an image that doesn’t represent you and, sometimes, a website or domain that isn’t even in your name.
Many of the businesses that come to our studio have been through something like that. So we’ve put together what’s worth knowing before you choose, covering the three most common options: a freelancer, a design studio or a large agency.
Studio, agency or freelancer: how they differ
| Freelancer | Studio | Large agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | A single person. | A small, specialist team. | Several departments coordinated by an account manager. |
| Services | Usually one specialism. | Several disciplines under one roof: brand, web, social media, photography and video. | Very broad, often including advertising and media buying. |
| Contact | Direct. | Direct with the team doing the design. | Through a go-between. |
| Capacity | Limited to one person’s time. | A team that covers busy periods and holidays. | Plenty, built for large volumes. |
| Best suited to | Specific, well-defined jobs. | Brands that need consistency across brand, website and social media. | Big campaigns and big budgets. |
When each option makes sense
A freelancer
A good freelancer can be the best choice for a specific job: a logo, a presentation, a one-off piece. They’re agile and approachable. The risk comes when the project grows or needs several disciplines at once, because everything depends on one person: if they fall ill, change direction or have too much on, the project grinds to a halt.
A large agency
It makes sense when there’s a lot of volume, several campaigns running at once and a budget that justifies the structure. The trade-off is usually distance: you talk to an account manager, not the person designing, and small or medium-sized projects can end up on the back burner.
A design studio
It’s the middle ground that works best for most small and medium-sized businesses. You get a team with different specialisms, but you talk directly to the people doing the work. And when the same team handles your brand, website and social media, everything comes out with the same judgement, without having to coordinate three different suppliers who don’t know each other.
Good design isn’t a luxury, it’s a competitive advantage.
Àncar Studio
What we hear from people who’ve had a bad experience
It varies, and not every problem comes from the same kind of supplier. But these are the situations we hear about most when starting a project:
- They don’t have access to their own website, or the domain is in someone else’s name.
- They don’t have the original files for their logo, just a small image that pixelates when you enlarge it.
- They were given a generic template that could belong to any other business.
- The supplier vanished halfway through the project or stopped replying.
- Deadlines dragged on for months with no clear explanation.
Almost all of it can be avoided with a few questions before you sign.
Eight questions to ask before you hire
- Who is going to do the work? Ask to meet the people who will design, not just the person selling.
- Can I see projects similar to mine? A portfolio says far more than any presentation.
- What exactly does the proposal include, and what doesn’t it? Copy, photos, number of revisions, languages, training.
- How long will it take, and what does that depend on? A written schedule avoids most misunderstandings.
- Whose name will the domain, hosting and accounts be in? They should always be in yours.
- Will you hand over the editable files? For the logo, the brand and everything you pay for.
- What happens after delivery? Changes, maintenance, support and how quickly they reply.
- How will we communicate during the project? Meetings, a direct channel, who your point of contact is.
How we work at Àncar
We’re a design studio in Palma de Mallorca made up of ten people: graphic and web design, social media, photography and video. What the people who work with us ask for most is exactly what we try to look after:
- A personal touch: you talk to the team designing your project, not a go-between.
- Everything under one roof: brand, website, social media, photography and video, all with the same judgement.
- A fixed proposal: after a first conversation, price and timings in writing.
- It’s all yours: logins, domain and editable files become the client’s property.
- Few projects at a time: so we can really commit to each one.
You can meet the team or see some of our branding, web and social media projects.
Frequently asked questions
Is a studio more expensive than a freelancer?
It depends on what you’re comparing. What matters is comparing proposals that include the same things: hours, disciplines, deliverables and support. A cheap project that has to be redone a year later ends up costing twice as much.
Can I hire you for just one part, the website for example?
Yes. A studio offering several services doesn’t mean you have to take them all. The advantage is that if you need something else later on, the team already knows your brand.
Does it matter if the studio is close by?
It’s not essential, but it helps. Being able to meet in person, do a photo shoot at your premises or know the local market (Mallorca, in our case) makes the work easier and the result a better fit.
What should I prepare before the first meeting?
What you want to achieve, when you need it by, a few references you like and a rough idea of budget. With that, any good studio can give you a realistic proposal.
If you’re looking for a design studio in Mallorca for your brand, your website or your social media, tell us about your project and we’ll send you a fixed proposal.
