Things to Consider When Hiring a Design Firm

Graphic Design No Comments »

With the myriad of chores filling up most entrepreneurs’ “To Do” list, it seems that many side tasks - like getting a logo - get put off until the last minute. That’s when countless business owners realize how important finding the right graphic design firm is to getting their company’s logo.
Here are a few questions you should ask yourself when you’re browsing for a graphic design firm, be it traditional or online:
Guarantees.
Given that many entrepreneurs are strapped for cash to begin with, finding a design service that offers recompense to unhappy customers is a must. Nothing can be so frustrating as spending countless hours working with a designer to get revisions on a logo design, and end up with a logo that isn’t at all what the owner envisioned. Make sure the company you choose has a money back guarantee.
Adequate Resources.
Since small business owners that go to an ad agency typically go only needing a logo design, most agencies won’t dedicate a great deal of time and resources working on that account. This means they will rarely if ever assign more than one person to work on your logo design. Freelance designers normally work solo as well.
Whenever possible, find a company that assigns more than one designer to your project. Look at online design services such as LogoWorks.com that offer at least two designers on every project. The extra brain will give you added creativity, and you’re twice as likely to like the design concepts they provide.
What is the revision process?
Most logo design firms will revise your logo for no extra as part of the design process, but, depending on what you negotiate or what your design package is, you could end up paying out your ears for each round of revisions. Look for a company that will give you unlimited revisions at no extra cost.
Timeliness.
A good design firm will provide you with an exact deadline by which you should expect to see their work. Always find out beforehand how long it will take them to come up with initial concepts, and look into how long each revision will take. Don’t take the chance of hiring a firm that takes weeks on end for artwork.
Professionalism.
Though more difficult to pinpoint, do all you can to find out if the company is professional in its practices. Find out if the company uses clipart or if they provide custom graphic design, and make sure the Better Business Bureau (BBB) supports them. Also, find out how many customers they have served and how many would recommend them to someone else.
Additional services.
Do they offer additional services? Once you have your logo, you’ll probably want to do something with it. It will save you a headache if you’ve hired a firm that will design your stationery, business cards, website, brochures and advertisements. It’s even better if they will put your logo on shirt, stickers, mugs and hats for you.
Follow these guidelines and your logo design process should be a pleasure instead of a headache, and you’ll probably save a lot of money and time in the process.

Developing the Right Systems for Website Success

Graphic Design No Comments »


If you have ever looked at the templates available at some hosting sites, you know that the basic website is made easy for anyone. You can have a decent looking homepage with information about your services, several pages of details, and a contact page. Visitors will be able to find you on the World Wide Web if they search for your name. But if they already know your name, what’s the point? Aren’t you on the web in the first place to find new clients?
So the trick is to get a web presence that is more than just the basic five page template and an email address. You need a space that will draw visitors to your site who have never heard of your company, and perhaps have never heard of your product or service. You want to appeal to the masses of people in the demographics targeted by your market research.
To do this, you need to know what they are looking for beyond what you have to offer. You need to know what type of person, what type of buyer, and what type of browser they are. You will need to do some of this research and brainstorming on your own or with a Denver application development team to get where you need to be. A marketing specialist can also help you to focus your marketing dollars on areas that will be profitable.
For your website to be successful then, it needs to draw these potential buyers to your business. And of equal importance, it needs to keep them there once they arrive. Application development, Denver business owners find, is the most effective means of accomplishing this. Why? Because application development is the way in which you can tailor your website to the needs and habits of your buyers.
Say you sell a wide variety of products related to gardening. You design a wonderful website with a green color scheme and have it up and running in no time. You hire a copywriter to create some informative articles and you have a web designer help you with SEO. You establish links with other outdoor companies, including pool sales, yard maintenance services, and patio product websites. These are all wonderful ways to get people to your site.
After they arrive, you need to give them something to come back for. This is where Denver application development comes in. The first thing you need is an effective search feature that will help these visitors to find exactly what they are looking for in your site. An effective Denver application development team can do this, optimizing the search results for related items within your inventory.
Next, you need an application that can handle all the inventory varieties you have to offer, plus the shopping cart experience that will go with your site esthetics, as well as provide the smoothest check out experience for you customers. You will also want an email listing application that can automatically send a thank you or a welcome to your new customer after they make a purchase. Plus an opt-in email newsletter for gardening news, articles, and product updates.
Without application development to suit your particular website, none of this is possible. So take the time to research Denver application development and invest in the future of your company.

Entries RSS Comments RSS Log in