A strong brand image is essential—it shapes how customers perceive your business and builds trust and loyalty. Today’s business leaders can use online tools like Canva for simple graphic tasks, but working with a graphic designer elevates your business’s look and important marketing materials.
A professional graphic designer creates high-quality imagery for your ads, logos, websites, signage, clothing, and swag like water bottles, keychains, and t-shirts. They have the training and digital tools to create, refine, and produce graphics that make your business stand apart from the competition.
Worried about spending precious marketing dollars on a designer? It’s true, a design professional will take a piece of your marketing budget, but it pays dividends in your branding, collateral, and advertising.
Let’s dig into the details:
First impressions matter. Your logo or sign is often the very first thing a customer sees about your business, so it’s important to set the right tone.
A professionally designed image gives your company a polished look and conveys that you’re a serious expert in your industry. It conveys your brand’s personality, values, and expertise.
But, if your firm uses low-quality images and different graphic versions on materials and signage, it can appear ragtag and unprofessional, and give customers second thoughts about your services and products.
Today’s tech-savvy business managers are accustomed to multitasking online, but it’s smart to know your limits. Free or low-cost design programs like Canva are good for simple social media graphics and quick image edits, but they’re not a replacement for a professional designer.
Even the best DIY graphics may not reproduce in the same quality and be available in all the file formats you’ll need for printed materials, digital outlets, signage, and clothing.
In contrast, when you hire a trained and experienced designer, you’ll have an expert in your corner. A graphic pro can help you design your logo and images, and then deliver it in all the necessary formats.
You can find a designer through networking events or on online job board sites, such as Fiverr, Indeed and LinkedIn. You may also be able to work with a designer through your marketing partner, such as Federated Media.
Many designers work on a freelance, or per-project basis – no contract required. That helps you control costs without sacrificing quality.
The exact cost will depend on the scope of your project, the number of revisions, and your schedule. Remember that you are paying for a designer’s expertise and time. Their design will be truly unique to you and can be trademarked for legal protection.
The short answer: Everywhere! From billboards to digital display ads, staff uniforms and swag like water bottles and key chains, you should splash your professionally designed graphics on every available surface and platform. That includes websites, digital and print advertising, signage, uniforms, business cards, and packaging.
It’s important to use the same graphics, including your logo, consistently to maintain a uniform look.
A professional graphic designer will provide you with multiple formats (jpeg, png, etc.) and help guide you where and when you’ll use each type. They will also provide different versions, such as a single-color version, and can create a brand guide you can share with vendors and marketing partners.
To help your staff understand the portfolio of graphics and formats, create a cheat sheet that explains which version to use under particular circumstances. For example, logo no.1 is for signage, while logo no. 2 is for printed materials, like letterhead and business cards. That will cut down on mistakes and reduce the need for costly reprints.
Once you’ve found a designer, set a meeting to discuss the following:
When you work with a professional graphic designer, you benefit from their expertise in creating visuals that are both intentional and impactful. They craft custom logos and brand materials that reflect your values, communicate your message, and give customers a strong introduction.
Interested in working with a professional designer but not sure where to start? Federated Media’s creative team of experienced designers can guide your project and deliver polished, high-quality visuals. Contact us today to get started on your graphic design project.