Key Takeaways
- The most essential graphic design services for businesses include brand identity, marketing visuals, packaging and labels, social media design, infographics, presentations, print materials, internal documents, motion graphics, and e-commerce visuals.
- Use freelancers for one-off tasks or flexible support, hire a design agency when you need a full team to handle larger campaigns or brand overhauls, and bring on an in-house designer when design is a constant part of your workflow and you want closer collaboration over time.
- If graphic design is crucial to your business, hiring a full-time graphic designer offshore can deliver high-quality work at far more competitive rates than US-based salaries.
Not sure what kind of graphic design support your business actually needs?
From logos to social posts to pitch decks, design plays a role in nearly every part of your brand—but that doesn’t mean you need to hire a full-time designer for everything.
Some projects are best outsourced. Others call for consistent, in-house support. The challenge is knowing the difference—so you can scale your brand without wasting time or budget.
In this guide, we break down the 10 most common types of graphic design services businesses rely on, what each one includes, and when it makes the most sense to outsource or bring it in-house.
Different Types of Graphic Design Services Businesses Need
Logos can say everything about a brand, without saying a single word. Just think of the most recognizable logos in the world. Graphic designers play a huge role in getting those right.
But a logo is just one piece of the puzzle, as businesses use a variety of graphic design services across all stages of growth.
Knowing which service you need is the difference between hiring a suitable graphic designer and wasting time (and money) on someone who can’t deliver.
Here are the most common design services businesses rely on.
1. Brand identity design
Brand identity design sets the visual foundation for your business, building a cohesive look and feel that reflects who you are and what you offer.
What it includes:
- Logo design
- Color palette development
- Typography selection
- Brand guidelines documentation
Early-stage startups often outsource brand identity work to get expert-level creative fast. But once your brand is established, ongoing asset management and updates are usually easier with a designer embedded in your team.
3. Marketing and advertising design
According to Crowdspring, nearly 80% of customers purchase products due to existing brand awareness. There are many ways to boost brand awareness, and making attractive promotional content is one of them.
This service includes various marketing and advertising materials, and the designer’s role is to make sure that your brand’s message is clear, visually appealing, and consistent across the board.
What it includes:
- Designing social media posts and banners
- Creating display ads and email campaign visuals
- Crafting print ads and marketing brochures
- Designing promotional graphics for websites and blogs
For one-time campaigns or limited-time promotions, outsourcing to a specialized marketing designer helps bring fresh ideas and expertise. If your business has ongoing marketing needs, hiring full-time might be the way to go.
4. Product packaging and label design
Graphic designers play a key role in how your product shows up on the shelf—or in the mailbox. While they don’t typically design the packaging structure itself, they create the branded visuals, layout, and information that go on the packaging and labels.
What it includes:
- Designing artwork for boxes, bottles, bags, or pouches
- Laying out product labels, ingredient lists, and usage instructions
- Creating visual consistency across different product lines
- Preparing print-ready files that align with dielines and vendor specs
- Collaborating with packaging vendors to ensure proper formatting
For new product launches or seasonal promotions, outsourcing to a packaging-savvy designer can bring fresh energy and help avoid costly print errors. But if you produce and update packaging regularly, having someone in-house who knows your specs and brand system can save serious time.
5. Presentation design
Presentation design is about making your message clear, convincing, and visually polished. Whether you’re pitching to investors, presenting to clients, or sharing internal updates, your slides can make or break your presentation.
What it includes:
- Designing investor decks, sales presentations, and pitch materials
- Creating branded slide templates for consistent internal use
- Visualizing complex data or processes clearly
- Formatting slides for live or virtual presentations
- Aligning presentations with your brand’s voice and style
Tight deadline? A freelance presentation designer can polish your pitch fast. But if slide decks are a weekly staple for your team, it’s worth investing in dedicated design support.
6. Infographics and data visualization
You can’t just slap some text and numbers on a file and assume everyone knows what you’re talking about.
Data visualizations and infographics make complex information easier to digest. This service is especially useful for B2B companies, SaaS platforms, and thought leadership content where clear communication is key.
What it includes:
- Creating static or interactive infographics
- Visualizing survey results, timelines, or workflows
- Designing charts and graphs that match your brand
- Supporting blog content, whitepapers, and social media
- Translating complex topics into easy-to-follow visuals
Need to dress up a report or whitepaper? Bring in a freelance infographic specialist. But if data storytelling is core to your content strategy, a dedicated designer ensures every piece stays on-brand and clear.
7. Print design
Print is far from dead. In fact, global print ad spending is even projected to reach nearly $33 billion in 2025.
While digital marketing gets most of the attention, print design still matters in industries that rely on physical touchpoints to connect with customers.
Industries like real estate, hospitality, healthcare, and local retail often depend on print to effectively reach their audiences.
What it includes:
- Designing brochures, flyers, and posters
- Creating business cards and branded stationery
- Laying out print ads for magazines or newspapers
- Producing event signage or point-of-sale displays
- Preparing print files with the correct specs and bleed
If you produce print materials occasionally, like for trade shows, events, or product launches, outsourcing to a print designer makes the most sense.
However, for companies relying heavily on print media for their operations and marketing, having someone in-house (or on contract) who can deliver promptly may be more worthwhile.
8. E-commerce graphics
Visuals play an important role in e-commerce success. From product images to homepage banners and promotional graphics, strong design directly impacts how much people trust your brand.
Businesses like fashion retailers, electronics stores, beauty brands, and marketplaces depend heavily on this kind of design work.
What it includes:
- Editing and retouching product photos
- Designing promotional banners and seasonal graphics
- Creating icons, badges, and overlays for product listings
- Producing email visuals tied to product campaigns
- Formatting images for platforms like Amazon or Shopify
If you run occasional campaigns, outsourcing to a reliable freelancer or agency can work well. However, if your online store frequently updates promotions and products, a dedicated designer may be a better fit.
9. Motion graphics and animations
Animated visuals help bring your stories to life by using movement to communicate ideas across videos, apps, and digital platforms.
What it includes:
- Creating animated logos and brand intros
- Designing UI micro-animations for web and app elements
- Producing explainer videos and product walkthroughs
- Making animated graphics for social media and YouTube
Since motion design requires specialized skills and tools, it’s often best to outsource this work, especially for short-term campaigns. But if your content strategy relies heavily on video or animation, having a motion graphic designer or illustrator on retainer or full-time can help you stay consistent and speed up production.
10. Internal design assets
Internal design assets support your internal operations, including HR documents, training decks, onboarding guides, and internal branding materials. Though not customer-facing, these materials shape your team’s experience and foster a cohesive company culture.
What it includes:
- Designing branded templates for HR or finance teams
- Designing training manuals and onboarding materials
- Internal newsletters or company-wide announcements
- Presentation decks for internal meetings or leadership
Internal design work often involves ongoing updates and a deeper understanding of your processes, so having someone in-house is often more practical. If a full-time hire feels like too much, a part-time or contract designer familiar with your brand can keep internal materials polished and on-brand.
Top Ways to Engage Graphic Design Services
There are different engagement models to consider when deciding how to meet your graphic design needs.
Should you bring on a freelancer, let a graphic design agency do the work, or hire an in-house designer? Each option has its pros, cons, and ideal use cases.
It also helps to understand which model fits your budget, as graphic designer costs can vary widely depending on experience, location, and scope of work.
Here’s what you need to know.
Freelance graphic designer
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Hiring a freelance graphic designer means bringing in an independent contractor for project-based work, which is ideal for quick turnarounds, niche skills, or one-off tasks like a logo refresh or ad design.
While juggling multiple freelancers can get tricky, they’re still a solid choice if you don’t need design support daily.
Graphic design agency
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Specialized agencies bring a wide range of graphic design expertise and a high level of polish. They’re great for more complex initiatives like rebrands, product launches, or building out brand systems.
Although on the pricey side, an agency is best when you need multiple designers or services managed under one roof.
In-house graphic designer
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An in-house designer becomes a part of your team. They’ll get to know your brand inside and out, helping support ongoing needs like product updates and consistent marketing design.
If your business needs steady design support across areas like marketing and product visuals, hiring dedicated designers is the smartest move.
Worried about the costs? If full-time support feels out of reach financially, nearshore hiring may be the answer.
Nearshore hiring—hiring from nearby countries—offers full-time talent at competitive rates without sacrificing quality or ease of collaboration.
For US businesses, partnering with skilled graphic designers in Latin America means lower costs than hiring in the US and smoother collaboration than working with designers in distant time zones.
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Final Thoughts
Graphic design is often treated like a one-off task—but for most growing businesses, it’s an ongoing need. From product launches to pitch decks to social content, design touches nearly every part of your brand.
Knowing what type of design work you need—and when to outsource versus bring someone in-house—is key to scaling smartly. For some companies, that might mean assembling a bench of reliable freelancers. For others, it might be time to hire full-time design support.
If you’ve assumed hiring in-house isn’t realistic due to your budget, it may be time to think differently. More businesses are discovering that hiring experienced, full-time designers from Latin America gives them the best of both worlds: consistent output, strong collaboration, and salaries aligned with local market expectations.
Curious how it works? Download our Free Guide to Hiring Remfotely in Latin America to learn how it’s done—and whether it’s the right move for your team.
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