I don’t like to use the phrase “graphic design is expensive” but I hear it a lot from some of my clients. I like to think that GOOD design is an investment not an expense. It is my job to give my clients the best value I can when it comes to graphic design. Graphic design is one of the hardest industries to estimate pricing in due to the vast variations and expectations from different people and organisations. I can assure the public that most designers even my competitors genuinely want to impress their clients and do a good job for them, so first up we need to keep in mind that your designer isnt “ripping you off”. In saying that there are many consumers walking away unhappy with what their designer has given them and the price they paid. What causes this? Is it always the designers fault? What can you do to make sure you get the most out of your designer for a fair price that both you and your designer are happy with. Here is a couple of idea’s.

1 BE PREPARED.
*Get a pen and paper and write a list of things you think you will need the designer to take into consideration, eg. If you need a logo designed, make a list of the major things you will be using your logo for. Obviously business cards, letterheads, brochures etc are the first things that come to mind but also think of things for example “I need a logo designed which also has to be engraved into a piece of steel and still look right” A good designer should know the basic process (or at least find out) and be able to supply the correct format. A good designer should also be able to guide you as to limitations for such things for example there is no point at all designing a full colour logo which will often need to be printed one colour, faxed or stamped, but that same full colour logo would look fantastic in print and web applications if that was what it was intended for. In short tell your designer what it will be used for before they design it not after.

*Think about colours. Using colours that coincide with your industry are just as important as choosing colours that you are attracted to.

* Have all images, photo’s, illustrations, logo’s ready and labelled. Most designers charge by the hour and they will charge for searching for stock images and they will charge to redraw logo’s. If you have logo’s you need on a flyer or card etc supply them in a usable format usually a vector or high res file. High resolution photo’s are always best and even better when taken by a professional photographer who knows what they are doing. Good photo’s are often what makes good design and unfortunately graphic designers don’t have that magic button which “fixes” bad photo’s, it can be done sometimes but once again your designer will charge. www.istockphoto.com is a fantastic resource for finding professional royalty free images.

* This may scare some people but if you find a designer that you trust, tell them your budget. A good designer will want to give you the best work they can do for the money you want to spend, after all the way I’ve always operated is to make every design worth putting in your portfolio. Quite often they can come in under budget with a job your extremely happy with.

2 IDEA’S AND RESEARCH
* Look at other businesses (take photo’s if you can). Remember or write down things you like about that business. Keep flyers, business cards and brochures that have inspiring layouts. A good designer will never copy them but it helps dramatically when they can see the sort of theme you are attracted to, they can then use it to be inspired to create an original artwork tailored to you. When doing this research you should be starting to think about the theme or look you think your business would benefit from. Try not to give your designer too many TOTALLY different examples because that means your designer has to design MORE by giving you totally different mock ups.

* Keep samples of colours that interest you.

* Talk to employee’s, friends, family and your customers about idea’s. Remember what you think is “pretty” may not always be best for your business.

3 THE PROCESS
* Ask to be updated. Usually a designer will show you a progression after an agreed amount of hours of work. This eliminates the chance of a designer producing fifty hours of work only to find it is nothing like what you had in mind.

* Make sure all the key elements are well thought out before giving the designer the go ahead. If you change your mind half way through, the designer is still going to charge for the time they have spent on it already.

* When you get a proof for a design study it carefully. Make a list of all the changes you would like to see, so the designer can make them all in one go rather than a change here and a change there.

4 IN SUMMARY
* No one knows your business as well as you do. Be prepared and you will save money. Don’t be frightened to tell your designer if you don’t like what you see, just try to do it early on in the process. Lastly and most importantly be nice to your designer and they’ll give you their best work…
seeya in a couple of days