I don’t recall the number of times a small business owner or work colleague came to me with a logo designed in PowerPoint looking to expand their marketing materials for their business. As most small business owners do they try to cut corners when they first open their business and unfortunately skimping on your businesses look and feel can be a costly fix later on.

Graphic design requires a creative expert. There is a major difference from a $25 logo you purchased from an online site and one that has been customized for you and your businesses. Good graphic designers will know the best approaches to communicate your products and services to your customers. They will know what your competition does (because they will research it), the will take your preferences into mind and then come up with a number of creative solutions to get your message across. Most importantly they will develop the logo/art in the proper software so that it can be printed by any printer. Designing anything in Microsoft Office is not going to go far when it comes to printing your projects!

Here are a five reasons why you should hire a graphic designer for your business?

1. Saves Time

You have enough on your plate already. Do you really have to spend time trying to come up with designs for your logo, brochures or powerpoint templates? A graphic designer can come up with a design or format a marketing document in a quarter of the time it will take you to do it yourself.

2. Save Money

A graphic designer will know the most cost effective ways to design your materials to keep your printing costs to a minimum. By the time you’ve been able to create a layout using Microsoft Publisher (a program printers hate, and will charge you an arm and a leg to print from), a designer would be able to design a proper file in their graphic suite of software, that printers will not have an issue with.

3. Helps You Stand Out From the Rest

Having a template logo or look and feel you bought cheap online is not going to help you stand out from your competition. The only way people are going to remember you and your business is if your materials stand out compared to the rest. Having a distinct brand is what is going to raise your business above your competition.

4. Keeps Your Look Consistent

If you’ve gone through the effort of hiring a designer, but then try and mimick their work on your own, your look and feel may lose it’s edge by being inconsistent. A designer will know which fonts to use where, will keep font sizes and colours consisitent and ensure the overall look and feel of all your materials will consistently capture your brand.

5. Help You Get the Results You Want

Many clients have an idea of what they want their business materials to look like, but have no way to convey them. A designer will be able to get through your list of preferences and ensure that your end results will not only look the way you want but will help you achieve the goals you set out for your business materials.

Don’t start your business off on the wrong foot. Make a lasting impression with the right logo and the right marketing materials to help you get your business off the ground. Improve your image, stand out from the rest of the pack and spend some money on a graphic designer from the get go. The right designer will work with your budget and help you prioritize what items you need in the first year of your business and what you should consider as your company grows.

by Sharon Mendelaoui