Graphic Design + Green Topics

It would be unthinkable to attempt do-it-yourself surgery but do-it-yourself graphic design is a different story. There aren’t licensing requirements, no board certifications, no legal barriers to entry. But just because you can do your own designs doesn’t mean you should. Here are some thoughts to consider before starting:

The Pros

• Graphic design is satisfying: No doubt about it, there can be a tremendous pride of authorship when you finish your graphic design project.

• You can make decisions on the fly: Doing a graphic design project on your own lets you to experiment with different ideas in real time or create something at the last minute when there’s no time left to collaborate with someone else.

• You can save money by doing it yourself: If you simply don’t have the money to spend, do-it-yourself is the only option.

The Cons (why you SHOULD use a graphic designer*)

• Effective time management: Let’s say you’re a capable DIY graphic designer but your main job isn’t graphic design. In fact, if you’re a business owner, you’re probably supposed to be getting numbers to your CPA right now. Or maybe you should be taking inventory, reviewing payroll figures, helping a customer, or any number of tasks that keep your business moving. If you’re a marketing professional your boss might not be amused if the quarterly market share and margin enhancement reports aren’t completed on time. Resist the DIY temptation and instead use a graphic designer and leverage your time to focus on your to-do list.

• Design expertise: Once you finish your layout do you know how to prepare the file for professional printing? Do you know how to color correct your images? Do you know how to save your logo file in formats suitable for print and web? Do you know if the HTML file you prepared is W3C compliant? When you use a graphic designer you don’t have to worry about production issues.

• Aesthetics: OK, you have the software you need to work on your project, but that’s not all you need. You need a practiced eye for layout composition. You should know the finer points of typography. You should have an appreciation for branding consistency. You’ll need an understanding of the elements of design: line, shape, space, texture, value and color. Your designer cares about these subtleties and will know how they affect your finished project.

• Collaboration: Have you had a chance to step back to review your campaign from another viewpoint? You have in-depth knowledge of your business and your customers, but your designer will bring a fresh perspective to the project. Your designer can partner with you to brainstorm — or simply point out — new ideas.

• Objectivity: So you ignored my advice and did the project yourself anyway. Now you’re showing a draft to your friends or colleagues. If they know you did the work they’ll tell you they love it. You’re much more likely to get credible reactions and constructive feedback when there’s a third party involved (whose feelings won’t get hurt).

* “Use a graphic designer” is another way of saying “Use Renaissance Graphic Design”! For more information go to http://www.rengraphicdesign.com