Reduce Overhead Costs with Professional Sign Design Outsourcing

Running a sign manufacturing business or wrap business is full of expenses. Between materials, equipment, labor, rent, and utilities, keeping overhead under control is a constant challenge. One effective way to reduce costs is by outsourcing graphic design tasks, especially for signage and commercial sign projects. In this post, we’ll explore how outsourcing graphic design can help your sign company reduce overhead, increase efficiency, and maintain high-quality results. We’ll also explain what to look for in outsourced services, how to partner with graphic designers, and how Simplify Graphics can help wrap shops with flexible pricing options.

Reduce costs is by outsourcing graphic design tasks, especially for signage and commercial sign projects

Why Overhead Costs Matter

Overhead costs are those recurring expenses not directly tied to any one job — things like rent, insurance, utilities, software fees, and salaries for in-house staff. In the sign business, overhead can quickly eat margins, especially when demand fluctuates.

Some key overhead burdens for sign companies include:

• Paying full-time salaries for designers even when work is slow

• Investing in design software licenses and updates

• Training and supervising in-house design staff

• Maintaining workspace, computers, and backup systems

• Managing quality control, rework, and inefficiencies
  

When you outsource design work, many of those fixed costs shift into variable costs. You pay per project or per hour instead of carrying full-time costs. This flexibility can make a big difference in your cash flow, especially during slow months.

What Does Outsourcing Graphic Design Mean?

In simple terms, outsourcing means hiring an outside party to perform work you would otherwise do yourself or pay staff to do. In the context of signage:

• You send your design files, ideas, measurements, or technical instructions to an external graphic designer or studio.

• The outsourced designer creates layouts, branding, signage technical drawings, and proofs.

• You review and feedback, then the final art is delivered ready for production.

• You integrate that art into your workflow (printing, cutting, installation).
  

You might outsource just occasional design tasks or decide to outsource most of your design needs and reduce or eliminate your in-house design team.

"Outsourcing means hiring an outside party to perform work you would otherwise do yourself or pay staff to do"

Benefits of Outsourcing Graphic Design 1. Lower Fixed Expenses

Instead of paying a full-time designer’s salary, benefits, and overhead, you only pay when you actually need work done. You shift part of your fixed costs into variable costs, which gives your business more flexibility.

2. Access to Specialized Talent

When you outsource, you can hire a signage graphic artist or commercial signs graphic artist who specializes in sign layouts, large-format design, vehicle wraps, and technical drawing. These specialists already know the constraints of materials, print tolerances, bleed allowances, and installation needs.

By using someone who understands signage technical drawings, your designs are more precise and you reduce the chance of errors or rework.

3. Scalability

Outsourcing allows your design capacity to expand or shrink based on demand. If you land many jobs in a month, you can bring in more outsourced help; during slow months, you scale back. You don’t have to carry the cost of idle designers.

4. Faster Turnaround

Many outsourcing studios have multiple designers and workflows in place, meaning they can turn around work quickly. They may deliver proofs or final files faster than a single in-house designer juggling many tasks.

5. Quality and Fresh Perspective

A good outsourcing partner brings fresh ideas and often uses best practices from across many clients. They can suggest improvements and bring experience in various industries. Having someone external review things can catch design flaws early.

6. Reduced Training and Management Overhead

You won’t need to spend time training designers or managing their workflows. The outsourcing partner handles the staffing, quality control, and training, while you focus on your business and production.

What Tasks Can You Outsource?

Here are typical design tasks you can outsource in a sign or wrap business:

• Concept sketches and mockups

• Branding and logo adaptation for signage

• Layouts for banners, storefront signs, vehicle wraps

• Production-ready artwork and print-ready files

• Signage technical drawings and templates

• Vinyl cutting files or plotter-ready designs

• Permits and city sign plan drawings

• Revisions and design updates

• Design consultations and proofing

Because of your specialized needs, you’ll want to make sure the outsourcing partner has experience doing sign work — not just general graphic design.

A good outsourcing partner brings fresh ideas and often uses best practices from across many clients.

How to Choose the Right Outsourcing Partner

Choosing the right designer or design studio is critical. Here are steps and factors to consider:

1. Check Signage Experience

Look for a signage graphic artist or commercial signs graphic artist who already works with sign companies. Ask for portfolios showing sign work, vehicle wraps, technical drawings, and examples of actual installed signs.

2. Ask for References

Request references from other sign businesses. A good outsourcing partner should be able to provide clients to vouch for quality, responsiveness, and delivery times.

3. Gauge Communication and Responsiveness

Design is a back-and-forth process. You want someone who responds quickly, asks the right questions, and clarifies assumptions. Miscommunication is a major source of rework and delays.

4. Understand Turnaround Times

Ask how long a typical job takes, how quickly they can do rush work, and whether they have resources to scale. Find out their queue and how they prioritize work.

5. Pricing Structure

Understand how they charge:

• Per-project pricing — a flat fee for the entire job

• Hourly rates — you pay for the time spent

• Monthly subscriptions or retainer — pay a fixed monthly fee for a certain amount of work

Compare these models and see which fits your business volume and cash flow. Be sure the pricing is transparent, without hidden fees.

6. File Formats and Delivery

Ensure they can deliver files in formats your shop uses (e.g., Adobe Illustrator, PDF, EPS, DWG for technical drawing, etc.). Also ask if they can send print-ready files with the right bleed, color spaces, and cutting paths.

7. Intellectual Property and Licensing

Clarify who owns the artwork once it’s delivered. Make sure your agreement states that you have full rights to use, modify, and reproduce the designs without additional fees.

8. Quality Assurance Process

Ask how they review their work, how many revisions are included, and how they prevent mistakes. A partner with a strong QA process reduces costly remakes.

Steps to Successfully Outsource Your Sign Design

To successfully outsource, follow a structured process:

Step 1: Define the Scope Clearly

Write clear job briefs: dimensions, materials, mounting methods, colors, branding guidelines, content, and installation constraints. Provide sketches or photos if possible. The more information, the fewer revisions.

Include whether you need signage technical drawings or permit-ready plans.

Step 2: Choose the Right Partner

Use the criteria above to select a few candidates. Ask them to do a small test job or sample design to test compatibility.

Step 3: Start with a Pilot Project

Begin by outsourcing a small, low-risk project. Review how well they deliver on schedule, match branding, and communicate changes.

Step 4: Develop a Feedback Loop

Give clear feedback. Use markups, comments, version control, and track changes. Encourage the designer to ask questions if something is unclear.

Step 5: Scale Up

Once the partner proves reliable, outsource larger portions of design work — or even all of it. Move major projects, routine design tasks, and repeat jobs into the outsourcing workflow.

Step 6: Monitor Quality and Metrics

Track metrics like:

• Turnaround time

• Number of revisions

• Design cost per job

• Rework or remakes due to design errors

• Customer satisfaction

If something drops off, talk to your partner and adjust.

Cost Comparison: In-House vs Outsourced

Let’s look at a simplified cost comparison to illustrate the benefit:

In-House Designer (Hypothetical Annual Cost)

• Salary + benefits: $50,000

• Software licenses and upgrades: $3,000

• Hardware and backup: $2,000

• Office space and utilities: $5,000

• Total annual overhead: $60,000

If that designer handles 120 projects a year, the overhead per project is $500 (not counting their direct labor).

Outsourced Approach

• Suppose you pay an external firm $300 per project

• You don’t incur the extra overhead costs

• Even with some management or review time internally, you may end up paying only $330–$350 per project

You save $150–$170 of cost per project. Multiply by 120 projects, that’s $18,000–$20,400 saved annually.

Of course, these numbers will vary depending on project complexity, the rates of the outsourcing partner, your location, and volume. But the point is: outsourcing often results in measurable savings.

In-House vs Outsourced

Common Objections and How to Address Them

When considering outsourcing, sign business owners often raise concerns. Let’s address some:

Objection: “We’ll lose control over the design quality.”

Response: You can retain control by giving clear briefs, reviewing proofs, and setting quality expectations upfront. A trusted outsourcing partner works like an extension of your team, not a replacement in the dark.

Objection: “The external designer won’t understand our brand style.”

Response: Choose someone with sign experience. Provide them with brand guidelines, past projects, and reference files. On your first few jobs, give tight feedback. Over time they will internalize your style.

Objection: “It’s risky to share files and client data.”

Response: Use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and secure file-sharing methods. Most reputable design firms are used to handling sensitive data and will sign contracts.

Objection: “What if we get stuck or delayed waiting on them?”

Response: Negotiate SLA (service-level agreement) terms for guaranteed turnaround times and penalties or guaranteed response windows. Maintain one in-house designer or backup for rush jobs.

Objection: “We prefer to have someone in-house who knows everything.”

Response: That’s fine for certain strategic or branding work, but for routine layout and production jobs, outsourcing is cost-effective. A hybrid model often works best: one senior designer in-house, and the rest outsourced.

Tips to Get the Most Out of Outsourcing

Here are practical tips to make your outsourcing arrangement successful:

• Create a design style guide or brand book to ensure consistency

• Use templates and shared libraries to reduce repeated work

• Automate file naming and version control

• Use cloud-based project tracking tools (Trello, Asana, Monday)

• Batch similar jobs to send at once rather than one by one

• Use shared file formats like PDF or AI with appropriate layers

• Build long-term relationships with your outsourcing partner

• Set thresholds: if a job is below a certain size or complexity, handle it in-house
  

Over time, your partner will become familiar with your processes and you’ll spend less time explaining details.

Case Study: A Sign Shop That Outsourced

Imagine “Bright Signs Co.” in Texas. They had two full-time designers but inconsistent workload. During slow months, the designers had little to do. During peak months, they were overloaded. Bright Signs switched to a model where they kept one senior designer and outsourced the rest of the work.

• In the first year, they reduced design labor overhead by 40%.

• They improved design turnaround times by 25%.

• Fewer design errors and customer revisions occurred because the outsourced team had deeper experience in sign layouts.

• The internal designer supervised and handled critical branding work.
  

Overall, Bright Signs increased profitability, kept a lean in-house team, and handled more volume without burning out staff.

Integrating Outsourcing Into Your Workflow

Here’s how you might integrate outsourcing into your existing workflow:

Stage	Who Does It	Notes
Initial concept & client discussion	In-house or sales team	Gather client needs, site photos, specs
Brief and send files	In-house project manager	Send dimensions, images, content
Draft design / proof	Outsourced graphic designer	Provide options
Review & feedback	In-house	markups and comments
Revision	Outsourced	Incorporate feedback
Finalize print-ready files	Outsourced	deliver files with cuts, bleeds, etc.
Printing, cutting, installation	In-house shop	Use the delivered files

This division helps free your internal team from routine layout tasks and keeps focus on production and installation.

Key Considerations When Outsourcing Sign Design

• Turnaround times and deadlines – always agree on delivery windows.

• Revision limits – specify how many rounds of revision are included.

• Rush fees – define how much extra you’ll pay for urgent tasks.

• Licensing and file ownership – ensure you get full rights.

• Quality standards – specify resolution, fonts, color mode, etc.

• Backup and archiving – make sure final files are stored safely.

• Country and time zone – outsourcing across time zones can be beneficial for overnight work but may cause communication delays.

• Language and communication – clarity is vital. Use visuals, annotations, and references.

By addressing these items upfront, surprises and misunderstandings are minimized.

Challenges and How to Mitigate Them

Outsourcing isn’t perfect. Here are some challenges and ways to manage them:

Challenge: Communication gaps

Solution: Use clear briefs, checklists, annotated mockups, and regular video calls. Use collaboration tools like shared PDF notes (Adobe Acrobat), or design review tools (like In Vision or Figma).

Challenge: Time zone differences

Solution: Identify overlapping working hours, set deadlines appropriately, and use asynchronous communication (email, Slack) to bridge gaps.

Challenge: Language barriers

Solution: Use clear, simple English. Use visuals to communicate. If needed, attach reference examples.

Challenge: Loss of immediate changes

Solution: For small or urgent tweaks, maintain one in-house designer or use a fast-turnaround backup. Use phased outsourcing (outsourcing bulk work, retaining quick fixes in-house).

Challenge: Quality inconsistency

Solution: Use a consistent design review process. Create design checklists with tolerances, fonts, margins, bleeds, color profiles, etc. Ask for proofs and test prints.

Tips to Maximize Value When You Outsource

• Bundle jobs to reduce startup time

• Reuse existing templates and design elements

• Standardize file setup and naming conventions

• Give your outsourcing partner feedback on what works well

• Ask your partner to suggest improvements or cost-saving adjustments

• Monitor ROI: track how much you spend vs. how much you save

• Rotate design tasks to keep external designers familiar with your brand

The more standardized your processes become, the more efficient and economical outsourcing will be.

When Outsourcing Might Not Be Right

Outsourcing isn’t always the best solution. It might not fit if:

• You have extremely low volume

• Your designs are highly specialized to your craft and need constant tweaking

• You require instant design changes on-site (e.g. during install)

• You want all design control in-house for branding or security reasons

In such scenarios, a hybrid model may work better: maintain a small in-house team for urgent or detail-intensive work, and outsource the rest.

Final Thoughts

Outsourcing graphic design for your sign or wrap business is a strategic way to reduce overhead costs, access expert design talent, scale your operation, and maintain high quality without overloading your internal team. Hiring a signage graphic artist or commercial signs graphic artist through outsourcing lets you tap into specialized skills—especially when dealing with signage technical drawings and complex layouts. By following a clear process, choosing your outsourcing partner wisely, and keeping tight feedback loops, you can minimize risks and reap the cost-saving benefits.

If you're ready to explore how outsourcing can help your sign shop, consider Simplify Graphics. We specialize in sign design outsourcing, offering both per-project pricing and monthly subscription options. Whether you need someone to hire a graphic artist for signs occasionally or you prefer a consistent design partner, Simplify Graphics is here to support wrap shops and sign shops with flexible, high-quality design services tailored to your needs.

Let us help you lower overhead, speed up delivery, and keep your design quality high—without the full-time burden. Contact Us!