Why Hire a Professional Graphic Designer?

Believe it or not, it’s more cost-effective in the long run. Professionals work more skillfully and generally faster than do-it-yourselfers. They make far fewer mistakes, saving you time and money. They use high-end feature-rich professional software packages and resources, and are trained in their use, rather than cheaper or low-end resources. The results always look better, and in the case of printed materials, are also much easier for a print house to handle the resulting graphics files for the project. In the case of web design, professionals don’t allow what we call “garbage code” to creep in and slow down your system, or make the code hard to read for other developers. Their code is “validated” to make sure it meets minimum standards for use on the web or in emails.

Put another way, here’s what you get with a professional: You will get more efficiencies. Efficiencies in asking the right questions. Efficiencies in proper training. Efficiencies in using more proven marketing tools and techniques. In the end, you will pay to do it right, instead of paying more to do it over.

On the list below are the elements to analyze when making your choice for a designer. Analyze these elements in light of the specific project, budget, and timeline you have in mind.

• Experience (not just years, but industries, teams, roles, and ability to ask the right questions) Paula Scher, principal at Pentagram Design was quoted once as putting it this way, “It took me a few seconds to draw it, but it took me 34 years to learn how to draw it in a few seconds.


• Design Style (impressionistic, web vs. print, bold vs. delicate)


• Disciplines (print, packaging, promotions, trade show collateral, logo design, illustration)


• Marketing (strategic vs. tactical, knowledge of target market, ability to suggest alternatives)


• Good Communication (follow-up, status re: timeline and budget progress, relationships)


• Professionalism (from the contract to handling problems to final product)


• Portfolio (what does it demonstrate/why included, and is there more to the story of each piece? Range of work presented? Consistent in quality?


• Price (don’t choose on price alone. Yes, you will likely pay more for an experienced designer, but what are you really paying for?)

So, do yourself a favor and hire a professional. You won't be sorry.

Marketing Budgets and Templates

In these days of economic squeeze, companies are looking for ways to cut costs. Marketing budgets might seem like a target for budget-cutting, but if they are cut too much, a company’s message – and the bottom line – may weaken, precisely at a time when it’s imperative to keep strong.

Desktop publishing and presentational software packages have come a long way in recent years, and many of these programs come with a variety of pre-made templates. More templates are available on the internet, and others can be purchased on a CD. Templates for layout, templates for business forms, templates for web sites. Seems like a great idea – use a template and save the marketing budget. This is especially attractive to small businesses.

But how many times have you endured another boring PowerPoint presentation and recognized the template they used? Or seen a web site and recognized a home page from a FrontPage template? Or looked at a newsletter and recognized a Publisher template? The templates were originally designed by professionals and do prevent you from making obvious gaffes. But then, what makes the presentation or web site or newsletter you saw different, if it looks like someone else’s? And what does it say about your company when the templates you use are so recognizable?

To position your company as unique, the marketing materials you use should also be unique. Hire a professional graphic designer to create custom designs. One who understands your business and your audience. One that will help you stand out from your competitors. One that can work collaboratively with you or your writers to craft a message that is irresistible to your clients and prospects. And keep your bottom line strong. One other thing: professionals can guide you with creative ways to save money that you may never have thought of.

Templates aren’t all bad, by the way. There’s no reason a good professional designer can’t design a set of custom templates just for you, so you present a consistent look with your marketing materials, whatever the format. That’s a win-win: you can reuse your own custom templates again and again, differentiating yourself from everyone else, and you can do so without breaking your budget. That should be music to the ears.