What Does a Graphic Designer Do Anyway?
Ask a lot of people to imagine a graphic designer and they picture a hipster in tight jeans drinking coffee while 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over pretty pictures. Or worse still - playing with crayons all day! Unfortunately that’s not the case. Graphic design is serious business (we actually never get to play with crayons). An experienced, talented designer can have a huge impact on your business in a positive way.
Multiple Years of Study
Graphic designers spend a number of years studying how to communicate effectively through the sense of sight. We learn to collect elements like stock art and fonts in complementary styles that build a connection between a business and its potential customers. Business process Most graphic designers have a particular process that they prefer to follow, like any business. Generally, it will be something like this:
1. Meet with you to discuss what you need, your target audience and the message that you want to send to your customers.
2. Develop a couple of rough sketches for possible designs and check back with you to see whether you like where the design process is going.
3. Once a direction has been decided, develop a more polished version of the design.
4. Make small changes – for example, to font sizes or image placement – to fine-tune the finished product to match your vision.
What do you Need a Graphic Designer for?
If you’re marketing tools aren’t bringing you enough business, or aren’t clear, consistent and uniform across the board - then you need a graphic designer! When should you engage a graphic designer for your business? Ideally, from the very start. But if you haven’t previously used a graphic designer, that doesn’t mean you can’t start now. Any time you’re creating a visual representation of your brand, you can involve a designer to ensure that your message is on point and reflects your business’s core values and offerings.
Once you have key templates in place for all your design needs, you may not need the input of a graphic designer again for years. But remember that as the marketplace changes, new fashions in the look and feel of websites and communications tend to come and go. So consider consulting a designer every 2-3 years to ensure that your business’ public image stays up-to-date and relevant.
A Case Study: The Village Fish Bar
The Village Fish Bar came to us because they wanted an overhaul of their whole persona. It was starting to feel outdated and out of touch with the people they wanted to attract. They needed something more contemporary that improved their position in the market – something they could be proud of. Here’s their old logo:
And below is the end result of our designer Jordon's work rebranding the eatery. It was a huge change to what they had originally, and in particular, uses unconventional colours and imagery for a fish and chip shop. A unique take on fish and chips is exactly what the client wanted and their ideas meshed perfectly with Jordon's expertise as a designer.
