Hello! This is the XDesigner, Japanese designer agent service, editorial department. We would like to introduce information  about hiring designers and outsourcing design in Japan. 

When outsourcing design work in Japan, it is difficult to find a designer you can trust. Many  people don't know how to find a designer that matches their company's problems and  challenges. 

In this article, we will show you how to find a designer and the services that can help you. We  will also explain what to look out for when hiring a designer. 

Five types of designers that are often requested

The type of designer you request depends on the type of design you want to commission, such  as a website or promotional materials. There are five main types of designers in Japan. The  following are the five main types of designers and the areas they are in charge of. 

• Web Designer 
• UI∕UX Designer 
• Graphic designer 
• Illustrator 
• Editorial designer 

1. Web designer

They design websites such as official corporate websites, e-commerce sites, landing pages, etc. They plan and propose  designs that combine design, visibility and functionality, taking into account the client's  needs and images, and produce websites using programming languages such as HTML and CSS.

In many cases, engineers are in charge of full-fledged coding to implement functions,  but in recent years, there are many web designers who can handle the entire process. 

In addition to skills related to design itself, they also possess listening skills to understand the client's intentions, and marketing skills to reach the target audience for the product and service. 

2. UI∕UX designer 

UI stands for "User Interface" and refers to the relationship between the user and the product  or service. 

The UI designer is the point of contact between the user and the product or service. The UI  designer's job is to create a design that is easy for the user to use and allows the user to reach  the product or service smoothly. 

UX stands for "User Experience", which is the experience that users get through a product  or service. 

UX designers create designs that provide a positive experience and generate interest in the product and service. 

UI and UX play different roles. However, to provide a great UX, it is important to design a great UI, so  they need to be considered as a set.

3. Graphic designer 

Graphic designers design things that can actually be touched.  Examples include magazine and book bindings, product packaging, posters, and signage. 

Graphic designers have a glamorous image because they are often in charge of designs  related to advertising and publicity, but the process from planning to production is  extremely long and involves a series of unglamorous tasks. 

A specific example of this work is the verification process. Basically, the design itself is done  using a computer, but when it is actually completed as a product, the image  may change and the design may not convey our intentions. 

In order to ensure that there are no differences from the actual product, we make many  prototypes and conduct an enormous amount of verification work, assuming the scenes  and places where the product will be used. 

4. Illustrator 

Illustrators are professionals who create illustrations for use in print media and on the Web.  

We will consider the style and composition of the illustrations to convey the information  and attractiveness of the product in an easy-to-understand manner, based on the image  and requirements of the client. 

Illustrators can be used in a wide range of fields because they can give a softer and catchier  impression than images. Another advantage is that the cost is lower than using models or celebrities. 

The main types of work include the production of illustrations for advertising and sales  promotion, such as posters, pamphlets, and product packages, as well as illustrations and  diagrams for magazines, books, and websites. Some illustrators can also create characters for  cartoons, games, and official corporate characters.

5. Editorial designer

Editorial designers produce designs for magazines, books, catalogs and other printed  materials.  

With the editor or art director of the publisher, their  job is to layout titles, pages, text,  photographs, illustrations, etc. in a balanced manner, adjusting fonts and sizes of texts, and  designing them in a way that is easy to read while attracting readers to the publication. They can be called the  UI/UX designers for printed materials. 

After deciding on a design structure, we order photographers, illustrators, DTP operators,  etc. to prepare the text, images, and other materials necessary for production. Based on the  

materials, we reconfigure the design and produce prototypes, and complete the printed  materials through repeated careful verification and confirmation work while taking  into account the client's intentions. 

Ways to find an outsourced designer

There are six ways to find a Japanese designer. The characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of each method are described below. 

• Use of design and production companies 
• Use of Crowdsourcing 
• Use of human resources agent service 
• Use of Advertising Agencies 
• Use of human network 
• Use of SNS 

1. Use of a design production company 

Design production companies produce a wide range of designs, including web, graphic, and  video, at the request of companies and individuals. 

The biggest advantage of using a design production company is that they specialize in  design. 

They are a group of professional designers with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Their  team of professional designers has a wealth of knowledge and experience, and in many cases  we also have engineers and illustrators on staff, so you can rely on us for a complete  turnaround without having to spread out the work. 

However, the fact that it is more expensive than other methods is a disadvantage in many cases.  In addition,  some production companies specialize in a certain type of design, so it may not be possible  to achieve the desired design exactly as you envisioned it, depending on the client.

2. Use of crowdsourcing 

Crowdsourcing is a generic term for web services that connect companies and individuals  who want to place orders with creators. You can not only post a job description with detailed  conditions and preferences and wait for applications, but also search for creators who match  your conditions and scout for them. 

The advantage of crowdsourcing is that you can easily place orders for designs that do not  require a production company, but cannot be done only by in-house  production. Since most of the people working for crowdsourcing are freelance creators, it is  possible to negotiate with them and have them respond flexibly to urgent projects. 

One disadvantage is the uncertainty of the creator's reliability. When creating a design, it may be  necessary to share confidential information about the company. It is important to ask for creators who have  registered their phone number with the crowdsourcing service, who have submitted their  naves, and who have signed a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) before sharing information. 

3. Use of human resource agent services 

An agent  service is a "fee-charging employment agency" licensed by the  Japanese Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and is used by companies to find workers to fill  positions. 

The advantage of this service is that the service agents  selects and introduces the candidates who meet the application requirements,  after the initial screening. There are also some services that set certain screening criteria at the time of registration and only enroll high skilled  creators. As a difference from  Crowdsourcing,  the creators' reliability is  guaranteed since the service provide company acts as an intermediary. 

In the other hand, the introduction fee is mentioned as a demerit. No expense is incurred until  the decision to recruit is made, but an introduction fee is generated according to the number of  people recruited. The introduction fee is considered to be approximately 30-40% of the  theoretical annual salary of the introduced person. If the number of people recruited is  small, the introduction fee will be reduced, but if you want to recruit several creators, it may be  a demerit.

4.Use of Advertising Agencies

An advertising agency is a company that carries out advertising activities on behalf of its  clients. They advertise their clients' products and services by placing advertisements on TV,  radio, magazines, web media, etc., and earn revenue from the advertising fees. When an  advertising agency is commissioned, you can  entrust with the entire process from design  production to advertising activities. 

A major advantage of using an advertising agency is that they have a great deal of proprietary  know-how and knowledge to promote our products and services to a wide audience.  Because they handle projects for a wide variety of companies, they have a wide range of knowledge about the characteristics and needs of various industries, media  trends, and the latest information, and can recommend the most appropriate method for you. 

On the other hand, if you ask to advertising agencies,  the cost includes  design production and the fees for advertising activities, so it can easily be higher fees. If your company has a public relations  department, it is better to utilize  a freelance  designer. 

5. Use of human network 

If you are not comfortable with using specific services, it is a way to contact your friends or  acquaintances in Japan first. 

Even if you don't have any direct acquaintances who are designers,  you can tell people that you are looking for a designer and they may introduce you to one. 

If it is a friend or acquaintance, you know the personality and backbone of the person, so it  

is easy to make a request and the work can start smoothly. However, please note that being a  friend or acquaintance can be both an advantage and a  

disadvantage. For example, if you have a problem that you want to correct, you can point it out  as many times as you like, but you may not be able to tell it because you feel sorry. 

In addition, starting work without exchanging notes because you are acquaintances may  lead to trouble. When you are asking us to do a job for you, you need to be prepared to be  somewhat business-like in your approach. 

6.Use of SNS

There are also ways to use SNS to find designers who match your criteria and  to advertise for jobs. 

Many designers post their past achievements and work know-how on  social networking services, so you can get a glimpse of their personality from what they  post. 

However, even if we focus only on designers, there is a huge number of SNS accounts, so   

it is difficult to find designers who meet your needs and it may take a long time to recruit them. If  the name of the account is different from the creator's name, it may be difficult to determine  whether the design on display is really created by the designer or not. Please be more careful  than other methods of searching.

Five services to help you find an outsourced designer 

Here are 5 services that can be useful when looking for an outsourced designer. We  recommend you to use a human resource agent service because it is easy to use, has a high  possibility of matching you with a reliable designer and is cost-effective. 

• XDesigner 
• levtech Creator 
• Re Designer 
• Vivivit 
• JOOi 

XDesigner

• Agent service specialized in designers 
• You can request an excellent designer with a strict 5% pass rate for screening
• Proposals can be made in as little as one day

XDesigner is one of the largest agency services in Japan specializing in freelance designers.  7,000 designers are available for various types of work, including web designers, UI/UX  designers, and graphic designers. Proposals can be made as quickly as the same day. 

Only designers who have passed the strict criteria of 5% of the total number of applicants can register. 

You can contract with a designer who is a good match for your company from among our  designers who are available immediately. If, upon reviewing the results and the personality of  the designer, you decide that you would like to hire him/her as a permanent employee rather  than on a one-time contract, you can change the type of contract with the agreement of both  parties. 

Levtech creator 

• Specializing in IT engineers and designers 
• Support from requirement arrangement to post-engagement 

Leveratech is a specialized agent service for IT engineers and designers with 15 years of  experience in the industry. They support recruitment according to your needs such as new  graduates, mid-career recruitment, temporary staffing and freelance. 

The consultants, who have a thorough understanding of technology, will carefully listen to  the skills and experience of the registrants and introduce creators who match the job  requirements. Consultants will also assist you in sorting  out the requirements of the people you are looking for, and will propose the exact skills of the  designers needed for the project. 

We support creators even after they have joined a project, so there is no need to worry about  being thrown out in the middle of a contract, and work can be completed smoothly. We also  provide support for managing payments, adjusting unit prices, and managing contracts.

ReDesigner 

• Operated by a design company 
• Designers are classified by type. 
• Free consultation  

ReDesigner is an agency service operated by Goodpatch, a design production company. They have deep knowledge of the characteristics and skills of designers, enabling clients to accurately understand the needs of both companies and designers and match them optimally. 

If the introduced designer resigns within 3 months, a part of the introduction fee will be  refunded.

Vivivit 

• Search function optimized for designers 
• You can check your portfolio before matching 

Vivivit is an agency service that has matched more than 110,000 job seekers in the 8 years  

since its launch. Each registered designer has his/her own page on the Vivivit website with a portfolio and detailed profile, so you can check their skills and specialties before matching  them. 

They also hold various events related to recruitment, so you can get an idea of what to expect  after recruitment and the key points of matching. 

JOOi

• Designers who have broken through the 5% barrier to pass the screening process are  enrolled. 
• Dedicated support staff for each company 

Direct orders can be placed as early as the same day. 

JOOi is a crowdsourcing service specializing in design. We only enlist high-level designers  who have passed the 5% pass rate barrier, which includes not only portfolio and background  checks, but also a production test of virtual production requirements. 

Each client is assigned a dedicated coordinator to provide detailed support.

Five things to keep in mind when hiring a designer

Even if a designer is hired, there may be cases where the design will not be as desired if prior  preparation and confirmation are not sufficient. To avoid such a  situation, the following five points should be noted. 

• Check a portfolio 
• Be specific in sharing the image of the design you are requesting. 
• Draw up a contract. 
• Schedule with plenty of time to spare. 
• Share the data you want designers to use in advance.

1. Check a portfolio 

Designers' achievements and skills vary from person to person, depending on the type of  designer. To avoid mismatches  after the client has been hired, be sure to ask the designer to submit a portfolio in advance. 

A portfolio will show you whether they have experience with projects similar to the kind of  design you are looking for, and whether the portfolio itself is designed to be easy to read and  understand. It is also possible to check whether the work has been produced with  support from a design school or self-produced as part of a job. 

2.Be specific in sharing the image of the design you are requesting 

If you are confident that you can rely on a professional designer to take care of everything, you  may not be able to get a good image of what you are looking for. 

Even  if the quality of the product is high, if the design does not meet the your needs and  intentions, there is no point in outsourcing. 

In order to prevent image discrepancies and reduce the number of revisions, share with the designer even the most trivial information, such as the target audience you  want to reach and the company's brand image. 

When sharing the design concept, it is recommended to create a rough draft using a design  tool, or if it is difficult to create a rough draft, prepare several reference designs for smooth  sharing. 

3. Draw up a contract 

Even if it is a friend or an acquaintance,  make sure to sign a contract. 

If you do not sign a contract, you  may not be able to clarify where the responsibility lies or may suffer damages in the event of a  problem. 

No matter how close a relationship you have with the designer, or whether it is a one-time order,  make sure that all contract-related work is done properly in order to avoid unexpected  problems. The contract should clearly state the rights and obligations of both parties with  regard to the work schedule, deliverables, and the number of revisions that can be made. 

XDesigner handles all contract-related procedures on your behalf, so even if you are not  familiar with Japanese contracts and laws, you can sign a contract without any worries. 

4. Schedule with plenty of time to spare

When a design is needed, order as soon as possible and schedule production well in advance. If there is not enough  time to meet the deadline, an express fee may be added. 

The schedule should be set up well in advance, so that a rough draft should be submitted by  this day, a prototype by this day, and so on. 

The detailed work schedule for each process should be displayed so that both parties can  manage the progress based on a common understanding. 

Regular communication using chat tools is also recommended to confirm schedules.

5. Share the data you want designers to use in advance

If you have materials such as company logos, official characters, or images you would like to  use in your design,  share the data in advance with high resolution. If you  wish to use images other than those taken by your own company, be sure to confirm that you  have permission to use them. 

This prevents the need for corrections that can occur when the designer's own image does not  match the image or when low-resolution data is shared. 

In addition, if you have any text you would like to use in the design, such as a tagline, also share it  in advance. If you would like the designer to write the text as well, an additional fee may  be charged. 

If you are looking for a designer in Japan, XDesigner is  the place to go!

If you are looking for a designer in Japan, XDesigner is the place to go. 

XDesigner is one of the largest agency services in Japan specializing in designers. All of  the approximately 7,000 registered users are matched with high-level freelance designers  who have broken through the 5% pass rate barrier. 

Since the types of designers registered with us range from web, graphic, apps, etc., we can  introduce appropriate designers based on their portfolios and past project evaluations in  accordance with the company's assignments. 

Please contact us by clicking on the link below.

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