Why Subscription Design is the Way to Go for Your Business

Subscription design agencies, or design as a service, are an emerging trend that provides startups, small businesses, and non-profits with world-class design. They offer the convenience of managing your design needs without the hassle of finding and managing freelancers or full-time designers, all with the flexibility and pricing transparency of software as a service.

Here are all the reasons why subscription design services are better than freelancers or hiring a full-time designer.

Sign up for a subscription design package with Peak Digital Studio

What is Subscription Design?

The way subscription design works is that clients pay a set monthly price, which gives them access to ongoing design services. For instance, you could request a logo design, a website redesign, or a social media post design. Usually, the designers have a customer portal or other easy way for clients to request designs, and the standard turnaround time is two business days. Usually, the subscription price is based on the number of requests or tasks you can assign to the designers at a time. Often, there’s no limit on the number of requests per month.

The top subscription design agencies include DesignJoy, Design Pickle, and, of course, us here at Peak Digital Studio.

The Limitations of Hiring Freelancers

Freelancers are often the first choice when designing on a budget. There are tons of great freelancers out there who can provide excellent design work.

However, there are several limitations. First and foremost is how to find one. We’ve written a lot about why platforms like Upwork should be avoided, so finding a suitable freelancer requires you to do lots of digging or run a hiring process, which takes significant time. You might need to review their portfolios, check their reviews, and even conduct interviews to ensure they are the right fit for your project.

Additionally, freelancers generally work on a project or are time-limited. However, design needs are often ongoing. That means you must return to the freelancer whenever you need more design work; hopefully, they’re available or interested in the project.

Designers also tend to specialize in certain types of design, such as branding or product design. Finding a full-stack designer who can work across all your design needs, is rare. A full-stack designer is someone proficient in multiple areas of design, such as graphic design, web design, and UX design. Most subscription agencies have multiple designers with differing specializations so that they can meet all your needs.

Finally, pricing isn’t always transparent, and you might get nickel and dimed for each revision or additional instruction.

The Drawbacks of Full-Time Designers

Hiring a full-time designer has many of the same drawbacks as hiring a freelancer, including the time it takes to recruit and the fact that they might be more suited to certain types of design than others.

While the pricing is transparent, the lack of flexibility presents a more significant challenge. When you hire someone full-time, you pay no matter how much work you have in a month. Subscription design agencies also have a set monthly rate, but generally, they allow you to pause your service, so if you don’t have a lot of design needs in a particular month, you don’t pay.

Finally, paying a good designer’s full-time salary is more expensive than just about any subscription service.

Benefits of Subscription Design Services

We’ve alluded to it in the previous section, but the primary benefits of subscription design services are:

• Cost-effectiveness: Subscription design agencies are generally less expensive than a top-tier full-time designer 
• Flexibility: You can generally pause and restart the service any time you want, so if you don’t need it now, you can restart the subscription in a couple of months and pick up where you left off
• Access to a diverse team of experts: The larger subscription design agencies like Peak Digital Studio have multiple designers with differing specializations. Size brings a wealth of expertise and fresh perspectives to your project, ensuring the quality and uniqueness of your design output.
• Consistency and reliability in design output: These agencies generally have systems for keeping your design guidelines together. Design guidelines are rules and standards that define how your brand should be presented visually. So, no matter who is doing the design work, they know your brand guidelines and can ensure consistency in your brand's visual identity.
• Scalability to match business growth: Subscription design agencies have plans that can grow with your business. They are designed to meet all your differing design needs at various stages of growth.

How to Choose the Right Subscription Design Agency

Hiring the right subscription design agency is much easier than finding a freelancer or full-time. Since there are only a handful of these agencies, you can search for “subscription design services,” browse their portfolios and testimonials, and hire the one that best fits your needs.

Generally, they’ll offer a quick call to discuss your business and needs. This call allows you to share your design requirements, ask any questions, and understand whether they feel confident they can provide the services you need. It's a chance for both parties to assess if they are a good fit for each other.

Conclusion

Opting for a subscription design service can simplify and transform your business's approach to design. These services are cost-effective and flexible and provide access to a wide range of experts who can handle all your design needs. Unlike hiring freelancers or full-time designers, subscription services like Peak Digital Studio offer consistent quality and scalability as your business grows. Choosing a subscription design service allows you to enjoy top-notch design work without the hassle.