Affording Good Design

By
Angie Herrera

The average small business owner is usually surprised, sometimes downright shocked, at the price of good design. Notice I said good design. You can get anything designed for cheap these days, unfortunately. But that's a different topic altogether. It's not a complete mystery to most of us in the industry as to why this is, but it still baffles me every once in a while. The fact of the matter is, good design is more affordable than most people think, so long as you're thinking in terms of investment. Most small businesses advertise. The smart ones advertise in more than one place. And we all know that advertising isn't exactly inexpensive. But that money spent can also be put to strengthening your brand and giving your small business a bigger and better look that customers will remember time and again. Let's break it down. Let's say you place an ad with a local phone book company, but the ad is strictly online, not in the book itself. You're placed in more than just one category - let's say 5. And let's say that they charge you $90 per month. For one year you're paying $1080.00. But remember, smart business owners advertise in more than just one place. So we can easily multiply that initial total by 2 or 3, even 4 times. Advertising is a good thing, don't get me wrong. But how much good can it do if the website it lists in the ad isn't user-friendly or is simply outdated? Or what if the logo in the ad isn't anything more than a typed-up word with no uniqueness that truly represents your business? Is that the kind of first-impression you want to give potential customers? Of course not. Depending on what you need, prices for good design vary. And it truly is important to do your homework and shop around a bit. But realistically, if you can afford advertising, you can afford to hire a good designer to produce top-quality marketing materials for you business. It's an investment that will pay for itself time and time again.