Why not? Well unless you have experience and know what you’re doing when it comes to promoting your brand then it’s like saying you can fit your own gas fire – which of course, you can but it’s illegal – you need a Corgi registered professional to do it, and that’s because they will do it properly and know exactly what they’re doing.
Now I am well aware that the seriousness of a potential gas leak far out weighs having a stab at doing your own designs but in my opinion it should be against the law. Your brand, your design is your shop window it is what people base their opinions on, do you really want to cut corners and try and do it yourself or would you rather invest a little more and get the job done properly?
Sometimes you can also be too close to your own brand so you don’t see it like a designer does, they will think about the target audience, the marketing strategy, the design, the proposition, the colours, the wider picture and they will do it as an outsider, as someone who has not got an emotional attachment to the business. Believe me this makes a big difference! I can design logos and brands for anyone but when it comes to my own it’s a totally different ball game because I’m too close to it, so I have to distance myself and act like it’s not my company so that I have my ‘marketing head’ on instead of my ‘emotional and financial investment’ head on.
You might also not have the right tools for the job – the amount of times I have been sent ideas from clients done in a word document with clip art attached and they truly believe that this is a near finished piece of artwork, until of course they see it laid out by a professional with elements that they won’t have thought about and decent pictures that reflect the brand.
As most of you know I’m a sole trader and concentrate on design and marketing but I also offer website development, PR, Copywriting and Printing, I’m not a jack of all trades, I just have a close network of trusted individuals with many years in their particular field who I use for certain jobs. I have done all of the jobs listed and could learn those trades but I prefer to keep to what I am good at and continue to better myself in that area and leave the other jobs to people with the same outlook in their chosen career. So next time you’re sat in front of Word conjuring up your next marketing campaign – think about the effect that may have on your audience. If you’re wanting a cost effective designer to help and advise on any aspect of your brand, marketing or design – get in touch.