Designer Dilemma?

Introduction

A question we often hear from our clients is "What kind of designer do I actually need?" It's quite the question, the design world has evolved dramatically and with it designer roles have become increasingly specialized. A lot of designers have also found their niche. Let’s try and break down these roles based on our experience working with countless clients and projects.

Understanding Different Design Roles

Before diving into specific scenarios, here’s our perspective: hiring the wrong type of designer isn't just a waste of money and time (both yours and theirs), it can derail your entire project.

A graphic designer isn’t who you need to solve a complex UX problem. Just like a UI designer isn’t the person you bring in for branding projects. The key is gauging your requirement and making an informed decision.

Let’s Focus on These Three Roles:

1. Graphic Designers: They are primarily visual communicators

2. UX Designers: User Experience Designers orchestrate the user’s experience in products

3. UI Designers: User Interface Designers serve as the architects for your product’s interface

When to Hire a Graphic Designer

A client approached us asking for "a designer" for their marketing materials. Another agency had already designed their brochures and social media content, but none of it aligned with their brand's vision or values. Without a proper graphic designer laying the foundation of their visual identity first, their marketing efforts felt disconnected and ultimately ineffective. A graphic designer is the one you seek when you need to:

• Develop a brand identity including getting a logo designed

• Create visual marketing collateral

• Create social media graphics

• Design print and packaging design

• Create illustrations

When Do You Need a UI Designer

As stated earlier, UI designers are the architects of user interfaces. We had the pleasure of working with a fintech startup that initially hired a graphic designer for their product. Before they approached us, they had already spent a considerable amount of time, effort and money in trying to design their website and app. They unfortunately weren’t happy with the end result of that venture.

It is a UI Designer you are looking for when:

• You need a website interface designed

• Or a mobile app designed

• Design any digital product interfaces

• Any web application needs to be designed

• Create Design language systems

The Critical Role of UX Designers

This should come as no surprise, but the most successful digital products are the ones that had a UX designer involved from day one. These are the people who make sure your project is actually solving the end-user’s problems while also being easy and intuitive to use for them. UX designers keep your core audience’s wants and your business goals at the front and center of your product.

UX designers are essential for:

• User research and analysis

• Information architecture

• User flow and user journey mapping

• Drafting Wireframes

• Usability testing

• Interaction design

Understanding the Difference Between UX vs UI Design

Think of a construction project, the architect's role can be split into two crucial parts: planning the layout (UX) and designing the aesthetics (UI).

The Blueprint (UX Design)

Just as an architect creates blueprints to plan how people use every inch of a building, a UX designer maps out how users will interact with a digital product. They decide the key features, user flows, and core functionality. Without solid blueprints, even the most beautiful building would be impractical to use.

The Final Design (UI Design)

Once the blueprint is solid, only then can an architect select materials, colors etc. to make the space visually appealing and cohesive. Similarly, UI designers take the UX blueprint and create the visual elements users will interact with and create the final interface with them. They make the product not just functional, but delightful to use.

Overlapping Skills

A lot of designers wear multiple hats.

While we've been discussing these roles as distinct categories, the reality is much more fluid. The lines between these roles are often beautifully blurred.

The UX/UI Hybrid

We have noticed a significant trend over the years: UX and UI design roles frequently overlap, and for good reason.

• Seamless Integration: When the same person handles both UX and UI, the transition between user flows to wireframes to final designs (and a whole bunch of steps in the middle) is incredibly smooth. Projects where separate UX and UI designers work in isolated silos require a very high degree of collaboration and communication.

• Faster Iteration: We recently handled both UX and UI for a fintech product. We were able to design, prototype and develop the product in a much shorter timespan. The path from user-journey to the user interface was smooth and the entire project was completed ahead of schedule.

• Cohesive Vision: Having one person oversee both UX and UI ensures a consistent vision throughout the project.

A single UX/UI & Graphic Designer or a Generalist

Many designers in the industry have evolved to become what can easily be described as "design Swiss Army knives".

• Most UI designers have a solid UX design understanding

• Many UX designers have become well acquainted with UI skills

• Several graphic designers have naturally evolved into UI/UX roles as well

When Does the Overlap Make Sense

In our experience, role overlap works particularly well for:

1. Startups and Small Businesses

   • Bootstrapped ventures specially benefit from designers with multiple skills

   • Faster communication and decision-making

   • More cohesive end product

2. Mid-sized Projects

   • Website redesigns

   • Mobile apps

   • Digital product launches

3. Rapid Prototyping

   • Quick iterations

   • Seamless transitions between phases

   • Consistent vision throughout

When Specialists Matter

However, there are times when you should opt for specialists:

1. Enterprise-Level Projects

   • Complex user research requirements

   • Large scale design systems

   • Multiple user types and journeys

2. Highly Specialized Products

   • Medical interfaces

   • Financial applications

   • Complex data visualization tools

Real-World Examples

Some common real world scenarios:

E-Commerce Platform

For a recent e-commerce platform we needed two designers:

• Both UX and UI (user flows, wireframes, and final interfaces) were handled by a single designer

• A graphic designer complemented the work with brand elements

• The overlap in skills allowed for faster iterations and better communication

SaaS Platform Development

For a SaaS project, we needed three designers:

• UX Designer: Conduct user research and interviewed a sample of the target audience and create the platform's structure

• UI Designer: Design the interface and interactive elements

• Graphic Designer: Develop the brand identity and marketing materials

Simple Business Website

For a relatively simple customer facing website whose primary CTA is to get the customer to either download the app or get in touch, you typically need:

• UI Designer: Primary role for designing the website interface

• Graphic Designer: Supporting role for brand elements

Brand Identity Project

For these you need a Graphic Designer taking the lead and focusing on:

• Logo design

• Brand Color schemes

• Typography

• Brand guidelines

• Branding related marketing collateral

Making the Right Choice

Here's our practical framework for choosing the right designer:

1. For Digital Products (Apps, Complex Websites, SaaS)

   • Start with a UX designer

   • Then comes in a UI designer

   • Parallel to both those designers, a graphic designer does their magic for branding elements

2. For Brand-Focused Projects

   • Begin with a graphic designer

   • Add a UI designer if digital presence is important

3. For Simple Websites

   • A UI designer can handle most needs

   • Consider a graphic designer for brand elements

Conclusion

After years of experience in this space, we've learned that successful projects require a mix of design expertise.

While it often seems it would be more cost-effective to hire a single person to do everything, it should come down to the individual project’s requirements and the available resources.

For bootstrapped ventures getting a designer that excels at both UX and UI will be more beneficial.

Remember: It's not about finding the "best" designer – it's about finding the right designer for your project’s specific needs. Sometimes that means working with multiple specialists, and sometimes a single expert is all you need.

Need help figuring out which designer is right for your project? Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] for a consultation. We'll help you make the right choice for your specific needs and manage your project for your journey.