You know you should contact a graphic designer when…
If you’re struggling to decide whether or not it’s time to contact a graphic designer to help you with your marketing and design materials, this blog post is for you! As a fellow small-business owner, I totally understand that budgets are small, time is money, and energy can be hard to find! Especially at the end of a long work day. It can be hard to decide whether it’s worthwhile to invest in visual branding, and I’m hoping that this blog post can serve as a guide to make that decision easier on you.
#1: You feel that your visuals look disorganized.
This can be anything you create, whether it’s a social media carousel post, a printed flyer, an event banner, etc. If your marketing materials feel incohesive, you’re probably using a variety of different fonts, color palettes, icon styles, and layouts. A professional graphic designer can help you come up with a design system that outlines what visual assets to use in all different contexts. Many graphic designers are trained in Canva as well, which is a free online design program that is more accessible and user-friendly to use for non-designers. By creating templates, a graphic designer can make your design process a whole lot simpler and consistent while also helping you create a streamlined, cohesive visual brand.
#2: Your marketing materials are outdated.
Whether it’s the brochure you created back in 2015, the website that has looked the same since the pre-pandemic days, or the business cards that haven’t been updated with your new phone number… it’s probably time to update all of your designs! At the very least, it’s smart to review your marketing materials every calendar year to check that the information is all up to date. Although design trends come and go, some aspects of design make it clear to viewers that marketing materials are outdated. Things like tons of website sidebars, “file folder” tabs in your website navigation, using certain fonts, etc. Although nostalgia and retro are legitimate styles, there’s a way to incorporate visual assets in a modern way.
#3: You spend hours on Canva designing your own stuff, and need that time back.
There are always aspects of business ownership that no one wants to do - like answering emails, tracking expenses, sales, etc. Lots of business owners do their own design work, thanks to easy-to-use tools such as Canva. But that doesn’t mean that you HAVE to do your own design work! Especially if it takes time away from doing what you really want to do - your job! Outsourcing to a graphic designer can sometimes be the best thing for your business, so that you can focus on what you’re best at. It frees up valuable time in your schedule!
#4: You’re launching a new service or product, and it all feels overwhelming.
We’ve all been there - knowing you need to update your website, print more flyers, or make the social media graphics for your new product launch. Graphic design can feel like a lot to handle on top of thinking about how all the pieces are going to come together. A professional can be that neutral party you need to take a whole-picture look at your design needs and help prioritize. There are a lot of moving parts when launching, and often when you need to update your website those edits will also apply to other aspects of your marketing materials. A graphic designer knows what questions to ask to ensure that any global updates will be made across all marketing channels.
#5: Your current visual brand doesn’t align with the growth of your business.
If you’ve been in business for years, you know that things change. Your services evolve, your ideal clients can change, and the way you talk about what you do can shift. I always describe visual brands as living, breathing creatures: brand guides shouldn’t be treated as the end all be all. You’re allowed to make changes to your visuals as your business grows. However, if you’re looking to create a whole new look and feel for your business, it’s a good idea to contact a graphic designer. A graphic designer can visualize all the great ideas you have in your mind and help come up with a strategy for relaunching your brand to the world.
#6: Simply put: you don’t have the skill set to create what you need.
Even though there are awesome design tools out there (such as Canva) it’s possible that you don’t have the skill set you need to create the deliverable you want. Whether it’s a complex infographic, a 100 page eguide, or a Squarespace website, you may feel like you are “technologically challenged” and incapable of getting the result you strive for. That’s okay! Enlisting a professional is sometimes the best decision you can make. It’s why there are so many different careers out there - no one can do it all.
I hope this quick list has been helpful in clarifying whether or not it makes sense for you to contact a graphic designer. If you read all of this and want to chat, I’d love to hear more about what you’re looking for, and to see if we’re a good fit for each other!
