P.L. Dunbar Classes

Do You Really Need a Graphic Designer?  Part 2
by Karin Nead
First published online on 2 December 2004.

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.

Do You Really Need a Graphic Designer?  Part 2
by Karin Nead
First published online on 2 December 2004.

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.

Do You Really Need a Graphic Designer?  Part 2
by Karin Nead
First published online on 2 December 2004.

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.

Do You Really Need a Graphic Designer?  Part 2
by Karin Nead
First published online on 2 December 2004.

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.