Is Your Graphic Designer Costing You Money?

Graphic Design Programs!

Often, I am asked what is my favorite program to use. My answer is always the same, "it depends on the job." To help illustrate the point it could be said that a good graphic designer is like a good chief. That to achieve the desired result the individual will require the right tool and technique. If a chief is making rice and chicken, a pot can be used to boil the water and a frying pan can be used to cook the chicken. If a graphic designer is making a custom logo, an illustrating program can be used to do the illustration and a paint program can be used for some additional effects. Of course there are a myriad of ways to cook chicken and rice, as there are just as many ways to make a logo. That's the point! What do you want to do, and what is the best program, and technique to get the job done? Each program has its strengths and weaknesses. Importantly, a designer needs to understand theses differences and the pros and cons of each.

Different Designing Software

Getting the job done is only half the battle. To have a file that is not prepared correctly can have drastic financial and emotional consequences. Financially, a file built incorrectly will result in unnecessary expense according to the time required to rectify any problems. If outputting for print, the cost can be associated with the service provider or press house. Personally, my time as a pre-press operator was spent correcting graphic designers work. There are a number of things that must be understood when building a layout; looking good on the screen is only a small indication of how the project will come off a press. It is necessary that: a designer knows how to correctly build a bleed; that the designer checks that the panels will fold correctly; postage regulations must be following under certain circumstances; color separation is understood; Pantone colors and how to use them; overprinting and trapping concepts are followed ...and the list goes on. If these and other topics are not understood, there may be a price to pay. Importantly, the one who pays (in most cases) is the customer, a print house or service provider usually charges to fix these problems.

Emotionally, the client also suffers. If no press check is done and the job is printed to the dissatisfaction of the client, the client may be left with no alternative but to take what is available. Specifically, this is the situation when a client has a last minute job for a presentation or trade-show. There is no time to re-run, and the customer is left with little options.

A graphic designer without the proper experience can make these mistakes, and more. In regard to the internet, a designer must understand more than how to optimize images, put some text on the page and upload it to a remote site. If the designer does not understand search engine optimizing and basic HTML, the beautiful web page may never be seen. From the beginning of the project, search engine optimizing is something that needs to be incorporated into the design. If the web designer does not know the basics of optimizing, someone will have to go back into the web site and re-design, costing more money.

So you need a graphic designer

There are a lot of people working as graphic designers and web designers. Many of these individuals are well trained and understand what it takes to created a project that the customer will embrace with open arms. However, many times a customer is paying for the mistakes that come from a designer's inability to produce a correct job for press, or a web site for the internet. These are the designers that end up costing the customer in two ways; that is, financially and emotionally.

Gary Reichel

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