Canville Communications: Article
Marketing is the cornerstone to any business’ ability to grow
their client base. Promotional displays and marketing brochures
for products and services, distinctive logos, and signs and signage
systems all come into play when trying to promote a company. Many
times, businesses turn to graphic designers for help in creating
the solutions to these communication issues. This involves the
use of a variety of print, electronic, and film media and technologies
to execute a design that meet a company's communication needs.
But, is it really necessary to hire a graphic designer for this
purpose? The first part of finding the answer to this is to define
what a graphic designer is. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
graphic designers plan, analyze, and create visual solutions to
communications problems. They consider cognitive, cultural, physical,
and social factors in planning and executing designs appropriate
for a given context. This sounds complicated and may convince
you that a designer would be a great person to have on your side
when planning your marketing initiatives. However, the reality
is that many graphic design services can be very expensive. While
creativity is key, many firms only hire graphic designers that
hold at a minimum of a bachelor's degree, and candidates with
a master's degree are highly sought. While this seems like an
even better deal for clients of such designers and their firms,
this also raises the price of the services. In addition, designers
often use expensive computer software to develop their designs,
thereby increasing the cost to their clients.
Many businesses fall into this expensive trap of using graphic
design services for their communication needs. However, many times
this cost extends beyond just the fees for design services. Trying
to develop a company identity is difficult when the person doing
the designing doesn’t understand the ins and outs of the company
itself. No one knows better than the principals in the company
what they stand for, their ideals and goals, and in what way they
want this communicated. No number of meetings and brainstorming
sessions will allow a designer to really understand your business
the way you do. Positive images and branding are essential to
any company. No amount of experience a design firm brings to the
table will guarantee that their design will work for you; and,
if it doesn’t, it may be too expensive to change.
Even free design services can come at a cost. A commercial cleaning
company in Indianapolis took their clients’ needs very seriously;
however, the overall attitude of the company was one of friendly,
easy-going service at the best possible price. The company didn’t
have a logo and thought that having one professionally designed
would give them a bit of an edge and would compliment any printed
materials they distributed. They were also in need of informational
brochures to give to potential clients that included a professional
overview of their services, but also communicated their light-hearted
attitude toward their business. The owners of the business had
friends in the graphic design industry and entrusted them to create
the logo and develop the layout and design of the brochure. It
seemed like an inexpensive route and they figured their friends
knew enough about their business and their attitudes to be effective.
However, after weeks of meetings, and multiple mock-ups, they
just didn’t see any real prospects for their designs. Every logo
was either too complex or too cartoonish; the brochure didn’t
have the professional feel they wanted while still exuding the
attitude they carried. But, in the weeks of waiting they were
losing out on the opportunity to promote their business to potential
clients. So, they decided that something was better than nothing
and finally resigned themselves to a logo and brochure design.
Things only got worse when they took the design to a printing
house. The paper the designers had recommended for the brochure
was very expensive and the number of colors in the logo design
would put the cost for printing it way out of their budget, something
they had clearly relayed to the designers as a consideration.
Bottom line–they couldn’t use any of it.
Another company wasn’t so lucky. They relied on a graphic designer
to create a large graphic to be used on an eight by five foot
sign for advertising. After relaying what they wanted to the designer,
and approving the design, they went to print. When the sign was
posted there was a major problem–one of the words was misspelled.
This was a very large, very obvious mistake that turned out to
be a costly one. The sign needed to be reprinted and, although
the designer discounted their fee for the mistake, the ad was
not up at a crucial time and the company may have lost potential
business.
These scenarios happened because the companies decided that a
“professional” would be better suited to design their materials.
Had the first company relied on their own creativity, there would
have been no long delay in the design and they could have gotten
exactly what they were looking for. Even though they got the services
for free, it cost them more in wasted time and potentially would
have busted the budget when it came to printing. The better option
for this company would have been to consult with the printing
house to find out what their options were for paper and colors,
based on cost. This would have allowed them to use their own creativity
and ideas of their business to design something that worked well
for them and was less expensive. For the second company, ownership
of the ad guarantees that you are going to be responsible for
any mistakes, and much less likely that you’ll make a basic one–like
a spelling error. In both cases, doing the work themselves would
have enabled them to easily make changes later in the instance
that something didn’t work well.
Again, the key to graphic design is creativity. What many businesses
and organizations don’t realize is that they likely don’t even
need a graphic designer–just their own imagination and knowledge
of their business. Most printing companies will give you whatever
information you need to help determine what weight of paper you
should use, how much it will cost to print in two or four colors
versus black and white, what format the file should be in and
any other information needed to create your own design. In addition,
they can look at your final design and tell you, from their experience,
whether it’s going to work or not. They see designs on a weekly
basis and can readily tell you if a design is too complicated
or would require special materials or techniques to print properly.
In addition, many printers have in-house design services that
usually cost a lot less than using a separate designer. They want
your business, and they are willing to discount such graphic design
services in order to get the print order. If they don’t have an
in-house designer, and you are determined to use a professional,
they usually have designers that they work with on a regular basis
and can recommend one to fit your needs, both in design and budget.
The other caveat to using a graphic designer is you may end up
paying more for the printing services than if you did it yourself.
Often times, when designers coordinate the printing for you, they
tack on a service charge for “handling” the printing. So, even
if you utilize a designer’s services, be sure to get quotes from
several printing companies on your own so you can be sure you’re
getting your money’s worth.
In the end, it all comes down to cost. It may seem convenient
and more professional to have someone else do your design work
for you. But that convenience may end up costing you more than
you realize. Delays in design, expensive color and paper options,
service fees, mistakes and redesigns all add up to more than the
cost of your own time and energy. Only you know your business
well enough to convey your ideals to the world. Consulting with
your local printer and utilizing their in-house design services,
or simply designing the materials yourself, will go a long way
towards saving time, money and head aches while still getting
out an effective message.
Karin Nead is the president of Midwest Biz Solutions, Inc. in
Belton, Missouri. Her company provides small business owners with
outsourcing options for administrative support, bookkeeping, desktop
publishing and graphic design.
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Do You Really Need a Graphic Designer?
