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How to hire a great multimedia designer

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Whereas graphic designers operate solely with stationary media and animators literally like to keep things moving, multimedia designers need to effectively be masters of both trades. Multimedia designing combines different media formats to send messages to an audience and is a fast-growing area in the graphics and web design industry.

What or who is a multimedia designer?

Multimedia designers are graphic design specialists who combine graphics with animation to create multimedia content for websites, television, films, and advertising displays. They may work in a variety of fields including advertising, video game design, web design, or television.

The primary duty of multimedia designers is to create content that engages an audience. They use their creativity, skills, and equipment to create a wide range of content to make the most impact on an audience.

They design multimedia content such as video animation, video games, interactive websites, educational software, and textual animations and are also in charge of creating artwork for digital image processing, when required.

These designers are responsible for creating animated sequences using computer software and are often asked to transfer audio/video files to be edited and manipulated digitally. They also edit content based on the feedback of stakeholders and report their development by meeting regularly with them.

The marketing industry relies on top multimedia designers to create visually appealing marketing campaigns that not only captivates but entices and persuades people to take action. The video game industry also depends on these professionals to make attention-grabbing graphics and animation that deliver near real-life gaming experiences. In the television and movie industry, multimedia designers use innovative tools and creativity to blend superb storytelling with computer-generated effects.

However, the specific duties of a multimedia designer can depend on their employer and the industry where they operate.

How to find and hire the right multimedia designer

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Finding the best multimedia designer for your needs is all about realising what your needs actually are and what the needs of the project might be. Do you require a freelancer for a one-off project or something more long-term? And do you need a designer for one specific task or just about everything related to media design?

Then there’s the elephant in the room to consider - the budget. There is an incredibly wide range of pricing options for multimedia design services with the price being determined by everything from a designer’s background and expertise to the range of services they offer. If they are charging for a complete branding package, meanwhile, you’re going to need to discuss a timeline with them.

Generally speaking, however, following the five steps below should leave you in the capable hands of a multimedia designer that knows what they are doing.

Ask around

It might sound a little old fashioned, but the first place you should always start is with the people you trust. Do you have a friend whose colleague recently did an incredible multimedia project for them? Ask them for contacts and reach out to any designers that take your fancy asking for portfolios taking note of any work that seems like yours. 

You should also take advantage of your social media contacts. Check right here on Creativepool and on LinkedIn. There will be literally thousands of multimedia designers ready and waiting to work with you.

Acknowledge the three P’s

“Personality, Professionalism and Portfolio” are the three things that really matter when hiring a multimedia designer. Of course, the portfolio is always going to be important, but you’ll also need someone with a personality you can tolerate as you could be spending weeks working side-by-side with them. They should also be respectful to your role as the client and/or boss and know when to stand up for their ideas too. 

You also need to recognise, however, that creative people can sometimes be difficult to work with. There’s a time and a place to work with these tempestuous creatives but sometimes, if a deadline is fast approaching, professionalism is always preferred over genius wunderkind behaviour.

Ask the right questions

You don’t just want to be asking them about their previous jobs and inspirations but their process too. A designer’s process will vary from person to person, and you need to know what their process involves if you want to see if it fits into your workflow.

Also (and this is key if you’re hiring freelancers) be clear about their availability and always ask for a proposal and a quote. Let them know exactly what you expect from them and ask what their ideas for the project are too, as you want to be 100% sure your ideas align before the project gets off the ground.

Set clear expectations

A multimedia designer might wear many hats by virtue of their role, but they are likely to feel pretty miffed if you expect them to do everything from developing websites to replying to social media posts. They are not coders, and they are not social networkers; they are artists first and foremost. In the same breath, expecting a multimedia designer to fulfil the role of a creative director is probably a step too far.

Ultimately, a multimedia designer is there to bring your ideas to life across multiple media channels and you need to let them know the parameters they’ll be working within. Otherwise, everyone is going to be left feeling disappointed and frustrated.

Sort out the contract

Once you find that special someone, you might be eager to get the ball rolling right away but you need to lay down a foundation of communication first. This is going to be crucial when you’re sorting our payment and taxes, which should all be outlined in a contract. In fact, contracts are perhaps what I’m going to end on here.

It’s not sexy and it’s not fun but it’s practical and ensures both parties are happy. So, get it in writing and make that glorious relationship official already!

Where to look for multimedia designers?

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Targeted outreach is among the most effective ways to hire a multimedia designer, especially if the team has prior experience working with good designers and/or has a large network. With your team and everyone you know who might have worked with a good designer, brainstorm a list of all the great people they’ve worked with, reach out to them, and/or ask them to refer other people they’d recommend.

Also look to larger design teams to see where you might be able to shave off talent, so to speak. Companies like Google, Yahoo!, LinkedIn, eBay, Apple, Adobe, Intuit, Twitter, and Facebook can employ hundreds of designers and are fertile ground for breeding designers who can work with cross functional teams to ship products. Because they have large teams, junior designers get mentored by more senior designers and are exposed to good design leadership and management practices.

For early-stage startups looking to hire a mid- to senior designer who can eventually lead, grow, and manage a design team, a designer from a large in-house team who has worked there for 2–4 years makes a great candidate for recruiting into such a role.

Startups and smaller companies are also a viable source for multimedia designers, particularly if they have been with the company for 2–4 years and the future of the company is uncertain. Be aware, however, that some designers who only have experience in startups may lack a mature design process and/or ability to lead or scale a design team as it grows.

If a designer’s experience is mostly comprised of a series of short stints (< 18 months) at startups, take time to understand what happened, not just from the candidate’s perspective but also from founders, co-workers, investors, etc.

LinkedIn is always an option too, but it is a vast and cavernous resource. Creativepool, meanwhile, is focused specifically on creative professionals and there are hundreds of web designers within our ranks ready and waiting to meet you.

Writing a job description

Of course, if you’re going to be casting the net out for a multimedia designer, you’ll need to write a decent job description. Start by figuring out how much you can afford to pay them.

The average base pay for a multimedia designer is around £28,000 per year according to Glassdoor. Those with more experience and a proven track record of success in this area can command much higher salaries.

Be specific about your expectations. While it's important to hire the best person for the job, it's equally important to be clear about what your company needs from that person.

With your priorities and skillset in mind, it's time to create a job description. This should include a clear overview of what the role entails and any specific requirements or qualifications you have in mind. 

You may also want to note any benefits that come with the position and let candidates know what you can offer. This will help you attract the right multimedia designers for the job.

Using Creativepool

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Looking to hire a multimedia designer? Creativepool has thousands of super talented members waiting to make your projects work better for their users.

There are 3 ways for you to find a multimedia designer on Creativepool.

1. Search and Contact

Want greater control of who you work with and the process behind it? Searching for talent directly and then handpicking who you would like to work is a great way to be proactive in your talent hunting. 

Simply search for multimedia designers and browse through the results. You will be able to look through projects, CVs/Resumes of the talent listed to make an informed decision on your next hire. 

On Creativepool we use a series of indicators to rank our members based on job title. Looking through the top 25 ranked multimedia designers is also a powerful and quick way to view the best in talent on the platform.

Once you have found someone whose style and experience works for you, contact them directly by clicking on the message tab. Searching is ideal if you have a very specific idea on who it is that you would like to be working with. 

2. Post a studiogig 

Looking for a freelance multimedia designer? The quickest way to find available talent is to advertise your brief. With us, briefs for individuals are called studiogigs.

Posting your role is formulated to be quick and easy and once you have posted your role, we get busy behind the scenes selecting the best talent to send out your brief to and then post the role on the jobs board. Once you have advertised your brief then just relax and wait for applicants to come to you directly! 

3. Post a job 

If you are looking for a permanent artist, then advertising a multimedia designer job is the way for you to attract talent. The process is identical to posting a studiogig.

Once you have posted your role we will check the details of the adverts, send out job alerts to our community that best match your criteria and post on the jobs board. Like studiogigs applicants will apply to you direct.  

Whether posting a job or a studiogig or searching for talent you are in control on who you hire. You are under no obligation to choose any of the applicants, and you negotiate with them directly on rates. 

If you need any help on your talent hunt. You can chat with us or send us a message. We'd be happy to help. 

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