Link to an existing debate I couldn't resist getting into:
http://www.graphicdesignblog.org/design-agency-or-freelancer-part-2/#comment-3742

"I think i’m just about caught up with this debate and if I were a more sensitive lass I’d be offended at some of the comments. 😂.

I am a freelance designer of eight working years in both corporate and freelance environment and since freelancing I have three large design agencies on my books that use me as holiday cover resource or when they are stretched. My passion is design and I work to 100% of my ability whether that is for the agency or my own client base. To say that freelancers are not as professional as agencies is in-accurate.

When working in an agency I am briefed by a third party ‘the account handler’. This has its ups and downs. If you get a good one who has worked that client for a while, they know what they want. If not the brief is panicked and just a stab at what the client has asked for. In an agency environment time is so tight because there are so many things going on in the studio and in the account handling office. Its a rare treat to work in a team on one project. Plus quite often you are picking up someone else’s work and as much as we adapt as designers, even within one studio there are very different ways of working, and someone has always used a font without putting it on the server! - time spent sorting systems is time not designing. That said when you don’t have the time to read up on the latest design news it gets discussed and keeps you in the loop.

When I work directly with my clients I too build the relationship with them that allows me to learn and know what they are after. It also allows me to maximise design time and not ’system’ time. It also means that I can help the client understand why it is sometimes better to print or design one way rather than another. I give realistic deadlines and can stick to them because I manage the workflow and time for each client.

I agree it depends on the client’s needs, but in times such as these when budgets are tight, why spend so much money with an agency when you can get quality one on one results with a freelancer?"