How to Build In-house Design Team Structure?

An in-house presentation design team is essential to the success of an organization. They are the creative force behind generating aesthetically pleasing and useful presentation pieces for visual mediums, including branding, product design, marketing collateral, PowerPoint designs, etc. A well-organized presentation design team can strengthen a company’s competitive edge and profoundly affect its target market.

Assembling the finest in-house design team structure that meets your specific needs for any Google Slides or PowerPoint presentation is crucial. We are here to ease the burden since we recognize how difficult this choice might be. To help you confidently make well-informed decisions, we have put up a guide to thoroughly examine all of your alternatives.

Types of Design Team Structures

There are different ways in which you can structure your presentation in-house design team. The four primary ways you can structure design teams are: 

1. Centralized
2. Decentralized
3. Flexible
4. Contractual

Centralized Design Team

The centralized design team option is the most conventional method for organizing your presentation design team. The team operates as an internal agency in this arrangement. This presentation design team reports to a head or creative director who makes important decisions in a pyramidal system. A design manager who reports to the head of the design department oversees each team of designers. It’s an excellent example of a unified design experience.

Centralized Design Team Structure

Pros: 

• Excellent for developing a common vision and brand cohesion. 
• Roles and responsibilities are clearly specified in a hierarchy. 
• Ideal for pooling resources and pursuing shared objectives.

Cons: 

• The selection process takes longer. 
• The presentation design team may be cut off from other departments.

Decentralized Design Team

An in-house design team’s decentralized structure is opposite to the centralized in-house design team structure. This strategy, sometimes called embedded, distributed, or cross-functional, lacks a designated head. Instead, the presentation designers work alongside experts from other areas in multidisciplinary teams.

Decentralized Design Team Structure

Pros: 

• Requests are made directly to the presentation designers, speeding up the design process and increasing coordination amongst several departments.

Cons:

• This could result in spending excessive time or resources on monotonous chores.

Flexible Design Team

With a flexible internal design framework, you can have it all! Multi-departmental teams focusing on specific elements of a presentation and objectives include designers as members. On the other hand, a Design Director is also responsible for ensuring that the rest of the teams share the designers’ vision.

Flexible Design Team Structure

Pros: 

• It’s simple to adapt to each presentation’s requirements and sharpens attention to objectives.

Cons: 

• When it comes to hierarchy and decision-making, it might be complicated.

Contractual Design Team

The contractual model comes last. With this team structure for presentation design, you can have a smaller team that concentrates on a presentation’s most imaginative, strategic aspects while hiring external companies for repetitive and mundane activities.

Contractual Design Team Structure

Pros: 

• Cost-effective because only those needed to cover gaps are hired. 
• It fosters creativity in your internal design team and lightens their workload, freeing them up to concentrate on other important duties.

Cons: 

• Operating it flawlessly with your in-house staff may require extensive research and a steep learning curve.

With different ways to structure your presentation design team, it can be overwhelming to decide which way to go ahead. Let’s explore the best way to build your in-house presentation design team.

Best Practices To Build A Successful Presentation Design Team

Let’s see the best practices for building a successful presentation in-house design team:

1. Create for scalability
2. Communication
3. Establish quantifiable targets despite the challenges

Create for Scalability

Scalability should be taken into account when building anything. Remember how crucial it is to build a presentation design team that can adjust to shifting needs both by scaling up during busy periods and down during slower times.

Scaling up demands significant recruiting, onboarding, and training investments, while scaling down might result in employment losses. In-house design teams for making presentations frequently struggle with these issues. You can manage workload variations by outsourcing presentation services to agencies for specific projects or activities while keeping an in-house staff.

Communication

Excellent teamwork in the area of creative design depends on excellent communication. To underscore the requirement for mutual understanding, it’s important to grasp exactly what the client wants and ensure that everyone interprets it in the same way. 

To communicate effectively, remember these suggestions:

• The right individuals should be assigned to ensure someone can effectively explain the client’s needs to the creative team. Hence, everyone stays on the same page.
• Encourage a collaborative culture where presentation designers are valued contributors rather than executors to foster shared ownership. Each team member should be responsible for their own task and offer suggestions.
• Keep everyone up to date by routinely sharing developments. It encourages openness, permits input, and allows for prompt modifications.

Establish Quantifiable Targets Despite The Challenges

Even though measuring creative work might be difficult, it’s crucial to aim for measurable objectives that show how design affects key performance indicators (KPIs) or the user experience. You can better grasp how your client views your work by doing this, too. 

Here are a few techniques:

• Assess the presentation design team’s contribution to the company. You might compare the time or money saved by hiring a presentation design team.
• User feedback on the design team’s work should be gathered through surveys, ratings, and qualitative comments.
• Performance evaluation is made possible by monitoring the team’s effectiveness in completing tasks on time and at a high standard.

Overcoming such challenges and building a successful presentation design team can take a lot of time and trial and error. Hence, a majority of professionals prefer to outsource their presentation needs. 

Why Outsource Presentation Services Is a Wise Choice? 

Here are some reasons you should opt for outsourcing presentation design services:

1. Expertise and Specialization
2. Resources and time are efficiently used
3. Enhanced creativity
4. Saves money
5. Scalability and Flexibility

READ MORE: A Complete Guide to Outsourcing Presentation Design

Expertise and Specialization

When you outsource presentation services, you gain access to a team of professionals who specialize in creating impactful and visually appealing presentations. These experts possess the knowledge and skills to design and structure presentations effectively, ensuring your message is conveyed clearly.

Resources and Time are Efficiently Used

Developing a high-quality presentation can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, diverting your in-house design team’s focus from core tasks. Outsourcing allows your employees to concentrate on their primary responsibilities while leaving the presentation design and content creation to experts who can complete the work more efficiently.

Enhanced Creativity

External presentation design team often brings fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to your projects. They stay updated with the latest design trends and technologies, helping your presentations stand out and capture your audience’s attention.

Saves Money

Outsourcing presentation services can lead to significant cost savings compared to hiring in-house presentation designers or training existing staff. You can choose from various pricing models, such as project-based or hourly rates, to control costs more effectively and avoid long-term commitments.

Scalability and Flexibility

Outsourcing offers scalability options that adapt to your business needs. Whether you require occasional assistance for important presentations or ongoing support for regular content, outsourcing presentation service providers can flexibly adjust their services to accommodate your requirements.

Hence, businesses wishing to improve their visual communication, outsourcing presentation design services like those provided by SlideUpLift is a good decision. SlideUpLift focuses on creating captivating and impactful presentations. Our team of skilled designers are knowledgeable about the subtleties of compelling storytelling and distinctive graphic design, ensuring your message is captivating and remembered.

You can access a variety of design expertise with SlideUpLift’s Presentation Services, saving time and money while improving the quality of your presentations. SlideUpLift can be your dependable partner in accomplishing your presenting goals, whether making effective pitch decks, instructional materials, or marketing presentations. Our presentation services are available on pay per slide, pay per hour or monthly retainer basis. Check out our custom-slides and presentation services. Schedule a call to know more.

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