If your team produces a steady stream of social graphics, presentations, reports and campaign assets, sooner or later someone asks the question: should we hire an in-house designer, use an agency, or try something else? There is no single right answer, but there is a right answer for your workload. Here is an honest look at in-house designer vs agency vs design subscription.
Option 1: Hiring an in-house designer instead of an agency
A full-time designer sits inside your team, learns your brand inside out and stays on hand whenever something comes up. For larger organisations with a constant, high volume of work, that can be ideal.
The cost is more than the salary, though. Once you add employer National Insurance, pension contributions, holiday cover, equipment, software licences and the time and fees involved in recruiting, the true cost of a designer is considerably higher than the number in the job advert.
There are practical limits too. One person has one skill set. A brilliant brand designer may not be the strongest at motion graphics or long-form reports. And when they are on holiday or off sick, the work stops.
- Best for: large, constant workloads that justify a full-time salary
- Watch out for: hidden employment costs, single points of failure and quiet weeks you still pay for
Option 2: Working with a design agency
Agencies bring a team of specialists, strategic thinking and the capacity to handle big, complex projects such as a rebrand or a major campaign launch.
The trade-off is usually cost and speed for everyday work. Agencies typically quote, scope and approve each piece of work, which makes sense for a rebrand but can feel heavy when you just need a set of social posts by Thursday. Small jobs can also become expensive once you factor in account management and minimum fees.
- Best for: large one-off projects, brand strategy and major campaigns
- Watch out for: quoting delays and premium pricing on small, routine requests
Option 3: A design subscription
A graphic design subscription sits between the two. You pay a fixed monthly fee and send design requests as they come up, without quotes, contracts for each job or recruitment.
With a fixed fee, budgeting is simple. Over time, the same designers work on your account and get to know your brand, just as an in-house hire would. And without a salary to cover, you are not paying for quiet weeks.
- Best for: teams with a regular flow of everyday design work: social, digital, presentations, documents and print
- Watch out for: it does not replace a full brand strategy agency on a major rebrand
How to decide: in-house designer vs agency vs subscription
Start by looking at the last three months of design work your team needed. Ask yourself:
- How many separate requests did you have, and how big was each one?
- Was the volume steady, or did it come in bursts?
- How often did work stall while you waited for quotes, freelancers or an overstretched colleague?
- What did it actually cost, including the time spent briefing and chasing?
When the answers point to lots of small-to-medium requests arriving week in, week out, a subscription is often the most cost-effective option. With a constant, very high volume, an in-house designer may make more sense than an agency. For a one-off strategic project, however, an agency is worth the investment.
Many teams end up combining them, for example an in-house marketer who manages the brand, supported by a subscription for day-to-day production.
Want to see if a subscription fits?
Design Shake supports marketing teams across the UK with ongoing design support for a simple monthly fee. Take a look at what is included, or get in touch and we will talk through your workload.
