If you have clicked on this blog, I’m guessing that you are considering whether hiring a Graphic Designer for your business is necessary. It may be that you need help to design a logo, website, stationery or other marketing collateral. I’m pretty biased when it comes to the advantages of investing in good design (after all, it’s my job!), and since you are searching this very topic on Google, chances are you understand the importance of the look and feel of your business.
So, should you hire a Graphic Designer? Let’s dive into some benefits when engaging with a Graphic Designer for your business.
A strong brand identity is everything
Let’s face it, there is a lot of competition out there – no matter what area your business lies. In today’s market, it’s so important to have a business with a clear brand identity. Your brand needs to be bespoke, streamlined and a clear reflection of what your business offers. It should also speak to your ideal target market as you only have seconds to make an impression. So, what is the best way to do this, I hear you ask?!
Well, that’s where a Graphic Designer comes in. An experienced designer uses their honed-in skills to research your industry, understand your clients and develop a unique, carefully-crafted look & feel tailored to your business. Think of it as creative problem-solving. This is then carried across all touch-points of your business, including your website, signage, stationery and social media. Having a strong brand identity shows your potential customers that you are an established business and can be trusted.
Save valuable time and money (don’t DIY!)
If you’re a business owner, it’s safe to say that you are probably a busy person! As a business owner myself, I know that we all wear a lot of different hats, but that doesn’t mean that all the hats fit haha. There is no way that I would do as good a job as my accountant, which is why I happily pass on tasks to the experts. I’d much rather be sitting in my local cafe in Newcastle, sipping on coffee whilst working on design for my clients.
When it comes to design, hiring a Graphic Designer will save you the time and trouble trying to figure out design programs such as Adobe Creative Cloud. A designer will also know how to set up files correctly for printers and ensure you are using the correct colours and fonts. This is their job and through years of experience, they should be able to do this with their eyes closed (not literally, of course haha).
A Graphic Designer will also be able to set up design templates for you. For example, once the initial look & feel of your business is established, they can hand over a few social media templates for you to use in-house. I love creating social media templates in Canva for my clients so they can easily create posts that are on-brand and look the goods.
Graphic Designers can create a variety of branded marketing collateral
Somewhere down the line, your business may need marketing collateral designed. It is important to note that a business needs to ensure their brand is consistent across all facets of their business, including any print and digital collateral. When you think about your brand, think about the entire experience behind it. There is generally is a huge variety of branded marketing collateral needed. This is why it is so important that everything is designed professionally – hence why hiring a Graphic Designer can be really beneficial.
There are so many different pieces of collateral that a business may need to market themselves. Here are a few that many of my clients ask for:
Custom stationery (print is not dead!)
Business cards, letterheads, thank you cards and notepads are a few stationery items that businesses regularly need. Utilising a Graphic Designer’s skills, these can all be custom designed with your branding. This will ensure your brand presents a professional look and feel. Have a look at some bespoke business cards that I created for a small business, Wonderful Me.
Often I see businesses trying to do this themselves. Not only does the design not turn out as great as it should, but they also waste a heap of time trying to set up the files for their printer. Use a Graphic Designer and they can sort this out for you.
Brochures and flyers, of all shapes and sizes
A carefully-crafted brochure or flyer can be a great marketing tool for your business. A designer will be able to piece this together like a puzzle, ensuring that there is clear messaging of what your business does and the products & services you offer. As your brand needs consistency, your designer will ensure that every piece of collateral is part of the bigger picture.
Email marketing for online campaigns
There are a lot of benefits of email marketing, which is why it’s still one of the most effective marketing tactics for businesses. A designer experienced in creating digital newsletters will be able to stylise your e-newsletters so they follow your brand guidelines and align perfectly with other marketing collateral. To give an example, Somewhere Studio designed a custom eDM campaign in Mailchimp for a client’s newest residential development in Sydney. The campaign was targeted to different demographics, with content tailored for each market. Have a look at the result here.
Front-end website design
Every business needs an online presence and a website is a must! Having a website and showcasing your brand/business is one of the most important things that you can do. It is an opportunity to make a great first impression and gives people comfort that you’re a real business they can trust. It’s not simply enough to have a social media account, as a website provides great opportunities for organic traffic through SEO.
A Graphic Designer will be able to work with a Website Designer to ensure your site is designed following your brand guidelines. This design is called front-end website design, which is all the pretty stuff you see when you click into a website (not the code). This would include correct use of your logo, fonts, colours, imagery and tone of voice.
As both a Graphic Designer and Website Designer (you have come to the right place!), I’m experienced in both designing websites, as well as building them. I love to use powerful platforms such as WordPress and Squarespace for my clients. I recently wrote a blog on the process of a website build and what to expect, which you can pop over and read here.
Final thoughts
It’s safe to say that your brand’s visual identity can make or break your business, which is why it is so important that you engage with a professional designer. A Graphic Designer has the experience, tools and resources to provide you with the best outcome. Not only will it save you time and money in the long run, but you will be left with lots of custom marketing collateral that will get your business noticed for the right reasons. I hope this has helped make your decision easier when considering hiring a Graphic Designer to help with your businesses creative needs.
We can help!
Do you need marketing collateral designed? Somewhere Studio can work with you to create on-brand, custom designs for your next event, project or promotion. We also provide on-going services and support for businesses that require additional collateral from time-to-time.
Reach out via our contact form and we’d love to see how we can help!
