When and why should you hire a professional designer?

Since almost everyone has a personal computer and loads of software (including Microsoft Word, Paint, Corel Draw, Photoshop, etc.), there are a lot of folks out there that can mock up a decent brochure, sales flier, business cards and all the necessary printed documents to run their business or organization.

On the flip side, there are too many business owners producing a lot of bad design. Really bad design to be specific. How do you know the difference between good and bad design? Well, if you don't know then it's time to hire a professional.

So why should you consider hiring a professional designer and how do you know when to budget for that added expense? And is it worth the expense? These are questions that I am most often asked by fellow business owners.

Here are my answers.

Your business or organization needs to present itself as a legitimate organization to obtain funding, capture new clients, keep existing clients, attract top talent and keep employee morale at an optimum level. A good rule in business is to hire peoplethat are smarter than you in their areas of expertise. This not only makes you smart in running your business, it frees up your valuable time to focus on growing yourbusiness.

The skills that a professional designer should bring to the table are:

> a good understanding of your business structure
> skills to accomplish the job(s) at hand and the equipment
> an understanding of color theory
> know the rules of graphic design and when to break them
> a good grasp of the rules of typography
> a network of vendors to produce a good quality end product for the best price
> a portfolio of work performed for other clients
> references from other clients
> be a member of a professional organization

A good designer will be able to give you a customized quote for the projects that you need help with and be easy to work with. You have to be comfortable with the designer or design company you choose to work with. I would suggest meeting with 3-5 different companies of various sizes. You might find that you like working directly with your designer and want to hire a smaller company such as my company, studio3b.

My clients prefer the one-on-one attention that I can give and the level to which I research and understand their business. This helps to make my designs effective to their target audiences and helps them achieve their sales and marketing goals. You should feel as though you are receiving a highly valued service and that you are getting a return on this investment.

Think of the websites that you visit and the websites to which that you are willing to give your secure information. 80% of online purchases are made because of how legitimate the website appears. If you've had your cousin throw together a website with hopes of increasing your online sales, only to find that this cousin really doesn't know much about web design and your business is suffering and you have become frustrated and have headaches all the time, then it's time to consult a professional.

A professional should make the process of building a website as quick and easy as possible for you. The end product should not only look good, but be functional and easy for any user. If you have hired a professional and are unhappy with their service, then fire them immediately. There are good professionals and also professionals that just squeaked by in their design classes. You want to sift out the bad ones by interviewing and asking probing questions.

Be specific in the questions you ask and don't be shy to talk about the cost. Design is a service that is billed on time spent and creative thinking. I always give a cost per project in writing so my client knows what she will spend and not be surprised when the bill comes. If your designer is unwilling to commit to a price, then move on and work with someone who is honest and forthcoming about what she will charge for her time and creative thoughts.

Another question to ask is how long it will take to complete a project. A timeline should always be included in the proposal. Again, if the designer can't pin down a specific time, then work with someone that can commit and can produce results as promised.

There are horror stories out there about designers taking months and months to work on a given project and never completing the work. A good designer will give you a timeline that is appropriate for the project. There are some web and database projects that will take 4-6 months to complete, but you should know this up front. Don't let your designer string you along without providing hard dates.