In today’s digital age, businesses and individuals alike rely heavily on graphic design for various purposes, such as branding, advertising, and marketing. However, not everyone has the time, skill set, or resources to create visually appealing designs — and this is where subscription-based graphic design services are increasingly coming into play, offering unlimited access to professional graphic designers for monthly or yearly fees.

While this may seem like an ideal solution, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons before subscribing to such services. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits and drawbacks of subscription-based graphic design services, so you can make an informed decision on whether or not they’re right for you.

So, whether you’re a business owner, a marketer, or a freelancer, keep reading to learn more about the pros and cons of subscription-based graphic design services.

The Pros of Subscription-Based Graphic Design Services

They’re cost-effective

One of the major advantages of subscription-based graphic design services is that they’re typically very cost-effective. Instead of hiring a full-time designer or outsourcing your design projects to freelancers — which can be expensive either way — you can get access to professional designers for a fixed monthly or yearly fee that you’re in control of.

This reduces your design costs significantly and allows you to allocate your resources more effectively. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about paying for each design project separately, as everything is included in your subscription — saving you time and money.

They can save you time

Another advantage of subscription-based graphic design services is that they save you time. Instead of spending hours or even days designing graphics yourself or searching for the right freelancer, you can get your designs done quickly and efficiently by subscribing to such services. This frees up your time to focus on other important aspects of your business or work, such as sales, marketing, or client management.

It also means that you don’t have to worry about paying an invoice each time a freelancer completes a job for you, for example, which is an administrative task you can likely do without. Most subscription providers offer automated recurring invoicing models, meaning payments are made automatically at the pre-agreed intervals.

The work is typically of a high standard

Subscription-based graphic design services usually employ professional designers who have the skill set and experience to create high-quality, industry-leading designs. These designers are often vetted and trained by the service provider to ensure they meet certain standards. As a result, you can expect your designs to be visually appealing, on-brand, and optimized for your specific needs.

Additionally, you can request revisions and feedback until you’re satisfied with the final product. That might be more difficult with a freelance designer, who will often quickly move on to the next project when they’ve completed yours.

They offer flexibility

Subscription-based graphic design services offer a high degree of flexibility and customization. You can choose from a range of design styles, templates, and formats to suit your needs, white you can also request custom designs that are tailored to your branding, messaging, and target audience. This allows you to create a unique and memorable visual identity that stands out from your competitors.

Subscription-based design agencies tend to also be pretty flexible to undulating workloads: as long as you manage their expectations carefully, they’ll usually be able shift their resources around to cater for spikes in demand, or assign specialist designers to particularly complex projects.

They can help maintain consistent branding

Subscription-based graphic design services can help you maintain consistency of branding across all your design projects. By working with the same team of designers, you can ensure that your designs are cohesive, on-brand, and aligned with your overall marketing strategy. This is especially important for businesses that have multiple design needs, such as social media graphics, website banners, email newsletters, and print materials.

Conversely, if you’re engaging with freelancers through platforms such as 99designs, you’re likely going to end up with a number of different designers working on each project. For one thing, the quality of the work may be inconsistent, but you may also end up with designs that don’t completely align with your brand’s identity.

The Cons of Subscription-Based Graphic Design Services

You have limited control

One of the main drawbacks of subscription-based graphic design services is that you have limited control over the design process. While you can provide input and feedback, you’re ultimately relying on the designers to interpret your vision and create the designs for you. This can lead to misunderstandings or discrepancies between what you want and what you get — and if you’re working on a core project like making your website your marketing hub, getting exactly what you want is extremely important.

Moreover, you may not have a direct line of contact with the designers, as in some cases communication is handled by the service provider and not the designers themselves. Communicating via an intermediary can make it tricky to provide feedback and point out any nuances or complexities within the design brief.

You surrender ownership

Another potential downside of a subscription-based graphic design service is that you don’t technically own the designs you receive. Most service providers retain the ownership rights to the designs, which means you can’t use them for commercial purposes outside of the service — unless you’ve specifically agreed this with them.

This can be a problem if you decide to unsubscribe from the service or if you want to modify the designs in the future — perhaps you want to repurpose it for a future campaign, for example — as you may not have access to the source files or the original artwork, which limits your ability to make changes or updates.

Quality and consistency can vary

While you can rely on most subscription-based design services to offer high-quality designs and produce work that meets a high standard, there’s naturally always a risk of inconsistency or less-than-stellar output, particularly if your needs are especially unique or complex or the service provider lacks a rigorous vetting or training process for its designers.

Furthermore, as most service providers will be dealing with multiple clients at any one time, they may prioritize speed of delivery over quality, which can result in rushed, subpar designs. This is likely to result in back-and-forth with the service provider as you seek to bring the work up to the required standard.

They may offer a limited range of services

Not all subscription-based graphic design agencies will offer a comprehensive range of services. While most services will cover at least the basics — such as logos, email templates, business cards, and social media graphics — they may not be equipped to handle more complex or niche design needs.

You may also find that some design services may have a limited pool of designers. While this might be seen as a good thing — since your projects will often be worked on by the same designers, creating consistency — it can result in a lack of diversity in the designs and mean you may be left waiting a while for projects to be completed.

You may become overdependent

Finally, subscription-based graphic design services can make you overly dependent on the service provider when it comes to your design needs. If the service provider experiences technical issues, staffing problems, or other disruptions, you may not be able to get your designs done on time or at all.

And then let’s say you decide to unsubscribe from the service, or worse still, the service provider goes out of business. That means you’ll have to find alternative solutions for your design needs, which can be a time-consuming hassle — particularly if you’ve become accustomed to the convenience and reliability of the subscription-based service.

In conclusion, subscription-based graphic design services offer a range of benefits and drawbacks that you should consider before subscribing. While they can be cost-effective, time-saving, and provide high-quality, consistent designs, they also have limitations in terms of control, ownership, and reliability. As a business, you should weigh these pros and cons against your specific needs and preferences to determine whether or not subscription-based graphic design services are right for you.