Let's say you are a business owner or maybe a marketing manager for your company. You have few choices when it comes to your marketing:
- Do I hire a graphic designer to work for my company?
- Do I skip hiring a designer and try to do it myself?
- Do I outsource my marketing efforts to a marketing agency or firm?
Each of these options has its pros and cons, but the real question to ask yourself is: "how much time am I willing to give towards my marketing and will it be effective in the end?" For this article, we are going to focus in on the benefits of outsourcing graphic design work for your next marketing campaign or web site design project.
1. Outsourcing graphic design can save you time.
This is a no-brainer. This point falls into the 80/20 rule in business. What can I do with 20 percent of time that will bring in 80 percent of my revenue? If trying to hack through design on your own will take up 80 percent of your time, then it is probably not beneficial to get all DIY on your marketing campaign or project.
Graphic Designers have been trained and are very efficient in using design software. If you've never used Photoshop, or maybe did 10 years ago, it's probably not beneficial for you to start using it now.
2. Graphic designers know how to be creative.
You might have the technical components to running a design program, but it doesn't mean the work you may produce will be eye appealing to your customers in the end. Graphic designers have to take many fine art classes before they even begin to click a mouse. Designers are classically trained and have an eye for creativity.
Also, we are in the industry and you can count on us to stay up on design trends to keep your marketing materials and web site current.
3. Project Based vs. Hourly Work.
At 5j Design, we have our processes nailed down and can produce finished work very efficiently. There are some pieces, such as a business card, brochure, or flyer, where we will have a base rate for the project because we know how long it will take for us to create. Other times you may be charged by the hour, which could end up costing you more if there are many revisions. For us, we'll make sure you know your costs up front before working on the project.
4. Lower overhead costs.
When you outsource work to a graphic designer or agency, you're going to lower your overhead costs of having an employee on staff dedicated to design work. When you hire us, you won't have to pay us a salary, benefits, or overtime. Also, you're going to only pay for the work that is done. When we're working for a client, we'll keep track of time that was allotted for the project. If you have a designer on staff and want them to create a brochure, they might spend all day on the project, when we could have it done in a few hours.
5. We know brand consistency.
When you hire a marketing firm, like 5j Design, we will keep your materials consistent with your brand. Keeping your brand consistent is very important when communicating to your customers. This all begins with your logo design. From there, we can design a look that will represent you and your company well.
Too often have we seen companies that don't have an integrated marketing package and make mistakes on their logo or marketing materials. Their website may be designed professionally, but then you receive a brochure that looks like it was thrown together. This will turn off potential customers and ultimately affect your bottom line.
Now that you know some of the benefits of outsourcing graphic design work, it's up to you how you want to spend your time effectively without shrinking your profit margin. The biggest takeaway from this is that you don't have to outsource completely; we know there are some things you can do on your own. However, make sure you don't cut any corners. Doing so could harm your reputation. Design matters!
If you want to learn more about ways to improve your graphic design materials, check out free e-book below on 7 graphic design hacks that anyone can do. Let us know how we can help you out in the future by dropping us a line, or leaving a comment below. We'd love to tell your story through effective design.
