Thanks to the internet we’ve all seen our fair share of beautiful design work and designers with unimaginable talent. And again, thanks to the internet there’s never a shortage of content needed to supply your website, social media channels or day to day operations. This work is eye catching and conversation starting… so why don’t you have a designer on speed dial yet?
We address some of your concerns below and hopefully provide you with some information and reassurance to help you take that step!
How much should I spend?
Design is something that starts as intangible and ends with a final piece of work you can utilize across many mediums: video, print work, website, ads, etc. But because it is a service and then a product, it is hard to know how much to spend on your work.
Some design studios leave a place in their questionnaire for you to write your project budget. But what can be intimidating is when their drop down menu starts at the thousand dollar mark.
We understand that not every business has thousands of dollars they can throw into their marketing design budget but every company needs good design! So how do you budget?
Well first off, you find a company that fits your needs. A company that can scale down or up depending on the requirements of your project. You do not need a company that’s trying to oversell you and put you in a cost bracket that makes you uncomfortable. No, you need quality work for a reasonable price.
On average, design costs are as follows:
Video (concept, shooting, editing) - $1000 per minute of video
Graphic Design Work - $75/hour
Website Design - $5,000 - $10,000
Those numbers can be hard to swallow if you’re in the small business world.
Now you don’t have to go to your neighbor’s grandson to make you a subpar video for cheap but you also don’t need to go to a production studio looking to make you an Emmy worthy commercial either.
There is a fine balance between affordable and effective, quality content – Half and Half finds its comfort zone to be straddling that line.
Is my project too small?
Small business owners sometimes find themselves wondering if their needs may be too small for a company’s attention. If you only need limited services, will that company give you the time of day?
Well in design, no project is too small.
If you only need a business card designed, it should be the best looking business card around!
You don’t want to do business with a company that makes you feel as if you’re too small to consider a valuable client. Whether you need a complete branding overhaul or a flyer for your product sale, you come first.
What should I outsource?
According to Adobe: 59% of Consumers say they would rather engage with “pretty” content than “simple.”
To put it another way, looks matter.
With all of this professional level design software available to the masses there is an inherent desire to handle things on your own. It will save you money, it may even save you time (though rarely). However, looks matter.
You are more likely to have your customers start a conversation and even buy your product or service if you have clean, professional design.
And let’s be honest, you could be spending those two hours that you would be cursing at the flyer you created in Word doing something way more valuable for your business.
It’s time to work on your business, not in your business!
Why should I go with a professional design service?
Cohesion.
What a simple word.
All memorable brands have a look. For some it’s grungy industrial, for some it’s clean and modern, but they all have an aesthetic similarity to their content.
With a professional design service you get the knowledge of course and the fresh ideas and approach to your content but you also get a collective look that helps your client know it’s your content even without seeing your name on it.
How do I prioritize design jobs?
Lists. As a small business owner I have lists everywhere. Written on Post It notes, typed into my phone, etched into my brain and so on. We all have lists of “needs” and lists of “nice to haves.”
Same goes for design. We all have things we know we need like a new logo or a new website and then we have lists of things we wish we could have like posters to put up in the windows or a video for our homepage.
So how do we choose which projects rank higher than others?
There really is no one answer to this question, but it is something that should be thought about.
What is your priority?
Is it brand recognition? Is it web traffic conversion? Is it getting people to your store? Is it getting them to pick up the phone and call you?
For example, if your goal is brand recognition you probably want to focus on advertising or a video to highlight what makes your company different.
Or, if your goal is to get people to your store, maybe your priority is branding the next sale you’re going to have or setting up an incentive to get people through the door.
Once you take some time and establish what the goal of your content is, it will become increasingly clear what design work you need completed first.
Please don’t forget…
If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed by the endless design possibilities before you, Half & Half can be your design team that will help walk you through it.
Each of our customers receives one on one attention and personal phone calls to discuss your business and what we can do to help meet your business goals through our creative content.
Let us add value to your business.