Is a Graphic Designer Worth the Expense?

While most people get a little sticker shock when it comes to hiring a professional graphic designer, it’s important to step back and think about WHY you’re hiring them in the first place. Whether it’s for branding, a website, or new signage it’s an investment in your business. A graphic designer assists with helping you make a killer first impression – they help to show the true value of your business to potential clients. That’s worth the investment, right?

It’s worth it…if you do your research. While it might be tempting to hire your niece who “knows Photoshop” to create a logo for your business, it won’t bring a big return on investment in the long run. Hiring a professional graphic designer is hiring an advocate for your brand. As professionals, we know that this is your baby, your livelihood, and we don’t take that lightly. It’s part of the job to get to know you, your brand, and make the graphics work FOR you.

What is a designer worth?

Graphic designers typically come with a large price-tag, which is the major deterrent for most business owners. Usually, this comes from not understanding the true value that they provide. The actual value comes with years of experience and a perfected skill that they use to create a visual representation for your business that highlights the key aspects of your brand. That’s why we believe that when you hire a graphic designer, you are investing in your brand.

Here’s what makes them worth their cost:

Expertise.

We’ve already touched on this, but a professional graphic designer has an extensive background that they utilize for you. Take a look at their portfolio and see what they have provided to previous clients. You should quickly be able to see how talented they actually are, plus get a peak at their professional reference.

Advocacy.

Designers don’t walk into a project thinking that they’ll pull out a template and knock this out as quickly as possible. They start a project by learning about your brand – they want to know the full story and see how they can help visually connect you to your target audience. This takes time, effort, and dedication to you, the client. At the end of the day, whatever is created is for YOU. This means that you have the opportunity to collaborate with your designer. After all, no one knows your brand like you do. Feel free to interview designers before choosing one! Find someone you can trust and understands your heart.

Delegating.

As a business owner, you know that you can’t do everything on your own. If graphics aren’t your strong suit, having a designer you can lean on will save something that is extremely precious: your time. Not only will you receive personalized graphics for your brand, but you won’t have to lay a finger to get them. Once you’ve found a graphic designer that you trust and understands your brand, they will work to create the best graphics for you while you focus on running your business.

Still not convinced? Keep reading.

How can a graphic designer help my brand?

If you’re reading to this point, you have asked yourself, “okay, they are professionals in their field, but how do they actually benefit me?” To that we would ask, “do you want to take your brand to the next level?” Having a graphic designer can make a difference in your marketing.

Let’s be honest, you have a singular idea of what your brand looks like (or should look like) and you don’t see it any other way. Which, in and of itself is not a bad thing, but it could be holding you back. Graphic designers bring in outside perspective – they have fresh eyes on the problem and aren’t afraid to look at it from every angle. Through previous experience or knowledge, they will be looking for a unique, but effective way to solve whatever problem you’re experiencing.

If you only look at a graphic designer as someone who knows some fancy program, then you will never see the true value in what they provide. In short, they are problem solvers of a different variety. Like you, they want your brand to be the best it can be. Unlike you, they will explore many options, facets, and outside the box thinking in order to achieve it. They do this mostly by asking the hard questions that make you evaluate your brand.

For those who have never done thing, you might be intimated by the questions they ask. However, they aren’t meant to demean you or hurt your feelings; instead, they are to challenge you to truly think about your brand in a unique way.

What sets you apart? What’s your mission statement or company values? How do you showcase those throughout your marketing? Are you communicating effectively? Are you reaching your target audience?

Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.” You aren’t hiring someone to help make you pretty images. You’re hiring someone who is advocating for your brand to make it better than before! A professional graphic designer can help you dig deeper in order to answer their questions. Just be honest and genuine with them.