The process of hiring a graphic designer and having your graphic made goes something like this: You find a designer you like and ideas are discussed. - He or she comes up with a first design concept to present to you. - You and your colleges make notes of edits you want made and send them back to your designer. - Your designer and your company communicate back and forth, usually via email, until your requests have been fulfilled to your satisfaction and a final version of the graphic is complete. Sound familiar? 

Often, this revision process can start to get complicated, and there can be some communication barriers between you and your designer. A long, drawn out revision process can unnecessarily add to the amount of time both you and your designer spend on your graphic. This can result in more time, effort, and money spent in order to end up with the graphic looking the way you want.  Here are 4 tips that will eliminate some of the problem areas and make your entire graphic revision process more fluent for both you and your designer.

1. Designate a team responsible for overseeing graphic revisions.

Differences in opinion between individuals is completely natural, and when collaborating it can lead to a much more polished final result. Group discussions allow for a team to consider multiple perspectives and weigh out majority opinions.

However, throwing someone into the mix who wasn't there every step of the way can really stir things up. When this happens, you have a group who has worked to come to agreements that move your design in one direction, and then you introduce others that weren't there to be part of those agreements.

Establishing a team to handle your design revision reviews and making sure each person is there to contribute every step of the way will keep the entire process smooth-flowing. When your designer sends a revision for you to review, collaborate with your team to either agree to approve the revision or write up some notes for editing to give back to your designer. 

2. Provide a rough draft graphic in the beginning if you have a vision of your own.

You don't have to be an artist to do this. After all, that's why you hired someone for your graphic design. Most designers have a talent for taking an idea and turning it into a professional design. If you have an idea in mind, their goal is to bring that idea to life. Even a rough hand-drawn picture or something done in a simple graphic program can give your designer an idea of the concept and layout you have in mind. 

3. Thoroughly review each design revision and outline every edit request in bullets.

With the first revision reviews, if there are a lot of edits you would like to see made, don't be shy. While it may seem overwhelming, edits you don't mention right off will often come up later if you don't put them on the table in the beginning. If you outline each individual edit in bullets, this will keep things organized. Your designer can still approach one request at a time this way, without having to produce and discuss dozens of revisions. This will ultimately improve the workflow and reduce the amount of time spent on your graphic for everyone.

4. Have a quick verbal conversation about the graphic design edits.

Sometimes a verbal conversation is just what you need to make sure your team and your designer are all on the same page. We wouldn't advise calling for every revision since email is usually sufficient. However, sometimes things can be misinterpreted and explaining concepts through email can get challenging. If things start to feel like they are at a stand-still, try arranging a phone meeting with your designer so you can work out the final details.

Remember to be patient working out the fine details of your design with your designer. Often, the key to the entire review and revision process is having efficient communication. These tips will help keep your company and your designer's vision on the same path throughout any design project.