Why Hiring Your Cousin to Create Your Marketing Materials Might Not be the Best Idea

Learning to work with a graphic designer is a win-win for you both. Graphic design is a skill and talent and isn’t learned by knowing the latest cool new program, so why do small business professionals hire a family member to design their marketing materials?

Why is it important to hire a professional designer – experience will save you money!

Graphic designers who are experienced in the industry will save you money overall. Initially you may pay a little bit more than hiring a designer straight out of college, but experienced designers are faster and have solutions for you in design for printing and web as well as can troubleshoot any problems with ease.

Hiring a designer with typically five years experience or more is a good starting point and have at least two years working as a freelancer or owning their own company. Less than this does not mean they are not capable, but may lack the overall experience which could cause you delays or problems on your project.

When looking for a designer to work with, ask them if they have experience working with a variety of outside resources such as printers, web development, writers and even other designers. This shows they are staying in touch with the industry standards, printing methods and new technology to help you save money on your project.

A big piece of advice is don’t hire a designer that is “learning” on your project, this could potentially cost you a lot of money. Your marketing budget is precious so be sure to understand what you need and what they are expected to be doing. Saving a little bit of money so the designer can "learn" a software program is never a good business decision.  So I am telling you to please do not hire your “cousin” unless he or she is a professional in the graphic design industry. 

Professional and experienced designers have the know-how, training and design eye to create a much better product for you that will sustain time and you will be proud to use it over and over again. Remember, your time is valuable and every minute you spend on doing something yourself, keeps you away from working on what brings customers to you, so please don’t spend those hours creating something that a professional could have done in less time.

Many times when I talk to small business owners, they have already decided that working with a designer is too expensive, but then I ask if they ever got an estimate or talk to the designer about working within their budget and the answer is always "No." How can you make a decision not to use a designer if you've never asked? Professional designers are used to providing quotes for projects and we are also used to working within budgets. We will tell you if we can't do what you want in your budget, but your expectations should be realistic too. Our job is to find a solution for you, either with another idea that accomplishes the same result or maybe there is a better way to market your business that you didn't think about.

When Working With a Graphic Designer

Get the estimate for the work you'd like them to do in writing. Be sure to read through the Scope of Work detailed out related to the price. If you aren't sure if it covers all you wanted, ask them. Ask yourself these questions when looking over the estimate provided:

1. Did any items get left out that you expected the price to cover?
2. Does the designer bill by the project or the hour? Which way works better for your budget?
3. Are there fees to start the project? Upfront deposit?
4. What is the billing cycle? Broken up in thirds or 50/50.
5. What is the estimated timeline for the project?
6. Does this timeline fit with your timeline schedule?
7. Do the costs work with your budget?

Remember, you need to feel comfortable with the designer that you hire—this is a long term “dating” experience.

Ask questions and express concerns about the estimate you have received right away and be sure everything you discussed is in writing. Be sure your questions and concerns are answered. Start your relationship with a designer off right with no unknown clouds hanging over your head. If you don’t talk openly with the designer this can get you in trouble and worse yet end up costing you money. Now is the time to have your questions answered. If items are left out of the estimate, ask them to send you an amended estimate to cover those items. If the designer listed items that you don’t understand, ask them to explain.

Approve the estimate of work
The estimate looks good to you, within your budget and all your questions answered, now it is time to approve that estimate and begin the work. This is a binding contract so be comfortable with it. Some designers will also provide you with a written contract that outlines your relationship and the ins and outs of your rights. Always ask for both an estimate of work and a contract and please do not proceed with the working relationship without knowing how much everything will cost you.

Do the homework upfront, keep the communication open and grow your relationship with your designer
It’s sometimes an uncomfortable feeling to discuss money, but if you keep this topic open and light and remember it’s still a business transaction, there won’t be any “icky” feelings. When we purchase from retailers and other businesses we know how much it will cost us, so don’t let hiring a designer on a project be any different.

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Excerpt from, Demystifying Graphic Design – How to Successfully Work with Your Graphic Designer, written by Diane Bridgwater and co-authored with Gina O’Daniel.

Buy the book at http://www.vizcomdesign.com/Order_My_Book_.html

In 1995, Diane moved from the corporate graphic design field to start a graphic design company that provides government agencies, associations, speakers and authors with easy access to a wide variety of professionals, without the creative limitations and overhead of the typical design firm. Since then, she has combined her education in organizational communication and marketing with her experience in design to help clients make the best design choices for their marketing efforts.

She also owns speakerpublisher.com that helps speakers and authors create the informational products they need to increase sales in the back of the room. With over 20 years of experience in the design industry her mission is to help demystify working with graphic designers and help educate small businesses to get the most out of their budgets.

Diane can be reached at info@speakerpublisher.com.