The considerations that go into choosing an infographic design agency are almost as countless as the number of infographics out there today. Many questions you may ask when searching for the right agency come down to quality, speed, and the cost for a single project. However, there are bigger-picture factors that contribute to your experience working with an agency — and your likelihood to keep working with them.
Here are 3 things to prioritize in your search for an infographic design agency partnership.
1. A Fully In-House Team
Between chat software, phone and video conferencing platforms, file-sharing systems, and collaborative project-management tools, today the possibilities for connecting virtually are diverse and vast. These tools do wonders for many industries. However, different verticals have unique needs for communication and collaboration.
In a creative industry like visual communication, the rapport and collaborative energy that you can achieve by getting your entire team in the same in-person workspace simply can’t be replicated when some members of the team are freelancers.
2. An Infographic Design Agency with a Well-Honed Process and Approach
It’s true that many agencies have similar processes at a high level — content, wireframe, design, edits. But whether you have an enjoyable experience as you work through this process can vary a great deal. Here are some important question to consider:
- Do the company’s core values align with your own? Finding a partner with similar values ensures expectations will be met and both parties will be happy.
- Who’s doing the work? (in-house or outsourced — more on this later!)
- How does the agency approach customer relationships?
Consider a hands-on collaborative approach, a one-size-fits-all approach, and a low-communication approach. All might all help you create killer infographics at the end. But which approach makes you want to work with that agency again? A strong infographic agency will consider the process and the customer experience to be just as important as the end product.
Curious what visual communication can do for you?
3. Thought Leadership in the Industry
It’s one thing to research the tenets of infographic design and train your team to execute. It’s quite another to be a frontrunner in the industry. Thought leaders in visual communication help to identify patterns, set trends, and establish best practices.
They share this information through valuable resources such as blogs and social posts. Going a step further, they likely create valuable ebooks, lead webinars with content backed by data, and participate in regular public speaking engagements. Thought leaders have a notable presence at key conferences and events. They may even arrange custom presentations for companies upon request.
If you expect innovative solutions to your visual content challenges, you need a visual communication partner that puts itself at the forefront of change and that values learning innately. Look for evidence of thought leadership when evaluating an agency.
We’ve covered a few key characteristics that are helpful to review as you evaluate infographic design agencies. But every company and every point of contact has unique needs and wants. What do you look for in a new creative partner?
