5 Reasons to Hire a Design Professional
Being a small business owner is tough. Let's make it easier by checking out 5 reasons you'll want to hire a graphic design professional.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had clients reach out with designs created in Word, Powerpoint (and even PicStitch - holy cow) asking to use these logos in their new collateral that the Peach is designing. In the early days of business they were looking for ways to cut back and it is costing them more than just money down the road.
It’s pretty simple, unless you are a designer, you are going to want to hire a professional to develop your branding from day 1. I know, you’re all thinking, “of course the designer would say that.” I want to give you 5 of my top reasons for hiring out a professional designer that will help you later in business.
1. Brand Consistency.
Your brand is the image you present to the world. By showcasing a unified look, your professionalism shines through and attracts potential customers. Once you have your brand, you will want to use these colors, fonts, elements, and textures in all of your printed materials, your web presence and your social media efforts. Of course, your designer can assist in creating these pieces for you as well if you wish.
2. The Devil is in the Details.
Designers understand the nuances of colors, imagery, spacing and font. Unless you are in the design field, these things are not your forte. Let your graphic design professional create the textures and elements that you will need to best represent your brand visually across all mediums.
3. Saves Time.
As a small business owner, you wear a million hats. You are the customer service, business development, quality control, creative expert, accountant, manager and that is all in the first hour of your day! You deal with enough. Do you really want to take the time away from the other start-up tasks to brainstorm through your brand? Your logo? Brochure and business cards? A professional designer will take the stress of this item on your business “honey do” list for you.
4. Saves Money.
Working alongside a professional designer WILL save you money. We already talked about saving you time, but did you think about how much your time is worth? How about the fact that a designer will know the most cost effective way to design your project in order to keep costs to a minimum (think printing, stock photography, revision rounds)? By starting off with a professional designer, you’re also skipping the duplicate charge for having your logo created (remember the examples I mentioned earlier? Those poor folks had to have their logo recreated or business rebranded because they cut corners. Don’t do it.)
5. Winning Results.
Think about the media you see on a daily basis. It’s all filled with advertisements that are constantly competing for our attention. The job of your designer is to make your company stand out in order to help draw in your target audience and achieve the goals your have set for your business.
There is a difference in throwing something together in Word or snagging a $30 logo from a website and working alongside a professional designer developing a custom brand for your business. The branding process is about communication, capturing your personality, knowing your audience and competition (yeah, we check that out too.) Trust me, you’re going to want a vector file when it comes time to print your projects!
