Why You Need to Think about Design in Your Marketing

The other day while surfing the web, I came across this infographic that took me back.

Many moons ago at the beginning of my college career, I had an art/design professor named Mark who enlightened many of his students on the true nature of the design business. He informed many of his wide-eyed students that there would come a day when we would realize that although clients will appreciate your work, they won’t want to pay for it. He went on to tell us that even way back then that he had to deal with clients who said “my kid could just draw that for free” or “whaddya mean it costs that much…? It probably took you ten minutes!”

Fast forward roughly years. Nowadays designers hear “My kid can whip that together in Word in no time” or “whaddya mean it costs that much…? It probably took you ten minutes!”

I hate to break it to you, but good design costs money folks. And it’s not a cost…it’s an investment.

There are many professionals out there who understand this rule, but there are tons out there who refuse to accept it. In my years I have come across many clients who have turned to cut-rate design sites, school-aged kids who are good with Word (and clipart) or one of the many other cheap and easy routes. While thinking they saved a buck or two, the problems start to come about down the road: The cut-rate design site that they turned to is no longer in business AND they realize the logo/site/etc. they paid for is actually a template, so what they thought was original and innovative work looks like 13 other companies logos/sites/etc. The school-aged kid who was good with Word (and clipart) is no longer willing to work for pennies on the dollar OR they can’t be found. The problems go on and on.

Face it, would you trust a $15 tune up on your furnace that is normally $150? Although the $15 bucks is enticing, I think it’s easy to say that it wouldn’t be the safest bet.

We run into this every day with HVAC Contractor sites.  Many contractors paid nothing for the design of their site, and that’s exactly what they got…nothing.  When a customer comes to your site and takes a look, they will leave instantly if the site doesn’t look professional.

So friends, when you have your brand’s identity in hand, trust a professional designer. One with a good resume and portfolio (and don’t be afraid to ask to see it!). One with a good attitude that knows how to work with you. One that can ensure that your identity is strong, concise and a great representation of your brand. Trust me, it pays off!