Professional Designer or Run of the Mill?

A company and its brand are one and the same. This is the first impression you give to potential customers. Your brand conveys information about your company and how your want to be perceived within the community. So why do companies pinch pennies when choosing a designer for their branding and promotional materials? Being in the field of design and illustration for over 10 years, working in education, in corporate and as a contractor, my goal is to know my clients and their objectives. Whether I am designing, logos, brochures, travel packets, publications or large format banners, I pay attention to the little details, making sure that the company's brand and message is evident across the board. Quite simply, I want my clients to shine. When I made the leap from a full-time designer to a contractor about six years ago it was and is very frustrating to come across websites overrun by designers trying to out-bid each other for projects with very unrealistic budgets. Frustrating because designers are underselling their skills which hurts our industry and companies are hurting themselves by cutting corners in the wrong place. I recently came across Toptal, a company that also identified this problem and came up with a solution. Goodbye "run of the mill," Toptal wants professional designers to become a part of their team. Toptal conducts in-depth vetting, from language and personality screening to skill tests. Only about 3% of applicants are accepted to work through Toptal. Not only do they ensure they have quality creatives but they boast a roster of established clients like Hewlett Packard, J.P. Morgan and Pfizer. I would love to join Toptal Visual Designers as this is the type of platform I am seeking as a professional designer. The bottom line is, if you're serious about your company then you are serious about your brand. If you're serious your brand then you need to head to Toptal where you can work with professional designers like myself who won't cut corners but will help your company grow by standing out among your peers.