Should I hire a full-time designer?

Four ways to hire full-time and part-time designers

Sam Pierce Lolla

As soon as founders realize their company is being bottlenecked by design, the hunt for a talented designer usually begins. But finding someone with the right set of skills—who’s available, and for the right price—is no easy task.

Should you hire an employee? Or an agency? How much do we need to invest given our goals right now? If you settle for the talent that’s easily available, your product suffers. If you over-invest, your runway suffers.

Here’s how I recommend my clients think about hiring their first designer.

Traditional option 1: Freelancers

Cost: $ (cheapest option)


Are you struggling to make your product beautiful and easy to use? I work with Series-A startups to rebuild their design systems from the ground up. See how it works →

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