As small business owners, it’s in our nature to cut costs when possible. That’s how we find ourselves doing things we never thought we would do: coding HTML, creating email campaigns, balancing the books. And while some of the hats you’ll wear in running your own business are necessary, there are other areas you shouldn’t try to do yourself, otherwise you risk doing a shoddy job and jeopardizing your brand. Case in point: graphic design.
I can’t tell you how many DIY logos I’ve seen from small businesses. Unless you run a design firm, stay away from trying to do your own design! Leave it to the experts. Trust me.
Why DIY Design Hurts Your Biz
It may seem simple enough to create a logo or design an ad, you’re better off hiring an expert because…
- A bad logo makes your company look unprofessional
- It will take you far longer to do than a designer would take (consider the value of your time)
- Designers know how to make an ad or logo more appealing to your audience
- You have more important things to focus on
The Budget Argument
Let me guess: your argument for doing your own design is financial. But you’d be surprised how affordable it can be to hire a freelancer or talented college student. And there are sites like LogoMojo that let you get multiple logos to choose from for a low fee (starting at $299). Most of the time, small business owners just don’t know where to look for quality work at a reasonable price.
If you’re interested in going the college student route, check with your local university’s design department and let the head know you’re looking for a student with potential who wants to build his portfolio. You can also post your project on sites like Guru or Elance and get bids to choose from. If you don’t mind working with someone overseas, you can save even more, and there are plenty of talented designers in Asia and Europe.
If you value your brand’s reputation, don’t skimp on something as important as graphic design. Your logo, website, and ads are your brand’s introduction to who you are as a company. Don’t you want customers to get a positive first impression?
Photo: Horia Varlan on Flickr
Susan Payton is the President of Egg Marketing & Communications, an internet marketing firm specializing in marketing communications, copywriting and blog posts. She’s written two books: 101 Entrepreneur Tips and Internet Marketing Strategies for Entrepreneurs, and has blogged for several sites, including The Marketing Eggspert Blog, as well as Mashable, Small Business Trends, CorpNet and Lead411. Follow her on Twitter @eggmarketing
