Why Hiring a Graphic Designer is Still Important in the DIY Era

When to Invest in Professional Branding instead of Doing It Yourself

When people look at the cost of hiring a professional graphic designer, they tend to pick their jaw up off the floor and move on to a drag-and-drop tool like Canva, or Wix. While these are great tools for people who know how to use them, it can be daunting to design something that sticks out from the crowd if you’re only comfortable with templates. 

So, in a world where you can easily drag and drop your way to a brand, when does it make sense to invest in professional branding to elevate and accentuate your brand and its story? 

The rise of DIY graphic design tools and why they’re great

Using DIY tools like Canva, Wix, or Squarespace can be a great way to get a website up quickly or to quickly create a social media graphic in a pinch, these tools are not a long-term solution. If you get a flat tire, your temporary spare works great — that is, just long enough to get your car to the mechanic. Drive on it any longer, and you’ll risk doing permanent damage to your car. In the same way, you don’t want to make a quick fix the centerpiece of your brand strategy if you want to set your business up for long-term success.

To achieve sustainable growth, working with a graphic designer is an important investment. A professional will help your brand stand apart from the competition by creating an unmistakable and recognizable identity. Their expertise will also elevate your message and values while building credibility and trust with your target audience.

The limitations of these tools

Canva, Wix, and Squarespace are tools. In the same way that hammers are tools for carpenters and a camera is a tool for a photographer, tools don’t negate the expertise a professional can bring to the table. Their experiences enable these professionals to create a compelling end result. 

Even though these tools can be beginner-friendly, they still have a learning curve and still require a significant time investment to develop the proficiency you’d need to get the results you want. By working with a professional who already has the expertise to create results you’ll love, you won’t be wasting your valuable time. 

As a business owner with a to-do list a mile long, you’re constantly asking yourself what you can do that will best serve the long-term growth of your business. Outsourcing to professionals, whether it's for graphic design, copywriting, or even office management, is one important way we can give ourselves more hours in the day to focus on the reasons we started our business in the first place.

What makes graphic design effective?

If you’re wondering whether or not you need graphic design support, ask yourself if your graphic design as-is:  

1. Makes a good first impression

Your design is the first thing your audience will notice about your brand. For example, if a customer lands on your sleek, well-designed website, they’ll understand that your brand values excellence and style before they even know what product you sell. Ask yourself: is your first impression conveying what you want it to be? 

Because first impressions are so important, getting input from a skilled designer is a great investment in your business, especially for pillar pieces of content, like your logo, website, print materials, and your brand colors/fonts. 

2. Captures attention and stand out from the crowd

Is your design engaging and captivating? How does it stack up to your competition?

Templates and trends that you’ll find on Canva and other DIY tools can look overused or make your brand feel generic. That’s why custom designs draw views in: they are fresh and engaging.   When you work with a graphic designer, you know that your audience isn’t going to find branding like yours anywhere else. 

In an increasingly digital world, hand-drawn designs feel especially unique. They stand out in a social media feed because they feel organic, human, and special. I still love using pen and paper for my designs for that reason!

3. Gives your brand an identity and a personality

Good design tells a story, specifically, YOUR story. It conveys identity and personality, so your brand feels three-dimensional and real. According to Forbes, having a consistent brand presentation across all platforms increases revenue by 23%!

Design helps your audience interact with a personality. It a point of human connection in a virtual world. Whether your brand wants to convey refinement, elegance, and style or a more playful, approachable, and conversational personality, a professional will create the logo, color palette, fonts, and design assets for your website and social media that will communicate your brand personality with consistency. 

4. Conveys meaning and fulfills a purpose

You’ve probably heard that most of the meaning in a conversation between two people is conveyed through their body language and their tone of voice. Visual design has the same impact. 

You’ve probably spent hours agonizing over the perfect product description because you wanted to convey the right meaning to your audience. Getting your design right is just as important as choosing the right words.

Take a hard look at your website, logo, social media graphics, and overall aesthetic. What message is it conveying to your audience about your product, what you do, and who you are?

What does a professional graphic designer do?

A professional graphic designer will create custom, original designs that feel representative of your unique brand identity. They’ll take into account what makes your brand special, as well as the audience you’re targeting. Graphic designers have experience working with a variety of industries, so they’ll be able to communicate with your target market.

Graphic designers are also aware of the rise and fall of design trends – instead of getting caught up in the latest wave, they’ll create a design aesthetic that will stand the test of time. 

Ready to find a designer you love?

Graphic design is a craft that takes time and experience to do well. While DIY tools like Canva, Wix, and Squarespace are great for getting started, hiring a graphic designer early in the process will ensure your branding tells the right story from the beginning.

If you’re looking for design help, we’d love to be that support for you! You can inquire to be a client so we can get the conversation started!