There’s a time and a place for everything.
At least, that’s what mama always said. And at PPA, we agree.
Sometimes you need to create something quick and easy to show your business partner how you want the logo to look. For those times, sketching on the back of a napkin, or even putting together a concept in Canva, will do just fine.
At other times, you really want something to look beautiful, so it makes a great impression on everyone who sees your design. For those times, it’s best to recruit expert help.
Factors to Consider Before Choosing a Design Professional
Everyone in marketing has faced the dilemma at one point or another: should we do it in-house or do we need outside help? Before answering that question, there are some factors to consider.
1. Longevity
First, consider longevity. How long will the material be used? How often do you plan to update it? If the answer is a long time, it might be an indication that this piece should be created by a professional. If you’re planning to update it in a few weeks, maybe it’s ok to use the homemade design.
2. Importance
Second, consider importance. If this is the company logo, the visual signature of the company, it is highly important that it looks great. Maybe you’re designing something special, like an award or display. Consider carefully.
3. Audience
Will your piece communicate to an internal- or external-facing audience? If your piece is used to communicate within your company, is it something the whole company will see or just your department? If the material is used to communicate externally, is it vendor or client facing? Of each of these categories, external, client-facing materials should always be clean, consistent and professional, but that doesn’t mean good d
esign is unnecessary in other situations.
4. Complexity
Finally, consider complexity. How difficult will it be for you to create in-house? Some projects require special software or other tools which can add up to become quite the investment when you factor in capital, people and time. Consider if you’re prepared to make that investment.
Tips for Creating Your Own Design
If you’ve determined you’d like to create your own design, here are a few tips to make sure you get it right.
- Limit your fonts: Use one or two choices. Consistency is key.
- Use high resolution photography: If you don’t have access to Photoshop or Lightroom, you can use a free online photo editing tool to adjust the brightness and contrast of the image, if necessary. Instead of stretching a photo, crop it to fit the space.
- Respect your logo: Most logos are created by the careful, loving artistry of a professional designer who has entrusted it to you. Your logo is the face of your business, so treat it as such! Instead of stretching a logo to fit your space, modify the space to fit the logo.
- Pay attention to white space: Create hierarchy. When you need to create emphasis around a headline or callout, surround it with white space so the eye is drawn to it.
- Clean it up: Trim off the white margins if you print a full-bleed design on your office printer.
Need a More Professional Touch? Here’s How PPA Can Help
For times when you need to call on a professional, agencies like PPA can help in various ways. Here are two.
First, branded templates are a great option for projects that need to look sharp and need to remain customizable by your team. PPA offers custom Word, PowerPoint, poster and flyer templates that are easy to use and meet your company’s brand standards. Simply take the template and swipe in your information.
For those times when you need to create something truly unique and spectacular, PPA offers professionally designed materials that make a great impression. Whether you need a full branding campaign, a brochure, a catalog, sales materials or collateral, PPA has you covered.
Professional Designers Have Their Place
Everyone benefits from smart design. When you’re ready to seek professional design services, give us a call and ensure that your next project will be completed by a highly skilled design professional, both on time and on budget.
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