
POV: You’re a small business owner and you need an advertisement. You really want to hire a professional graphic designer that can design something eye-catching and awesome, but you’re not sure if it’s worth the money. Can you create it yourself? Before you decide to swing it and do it yourself, you should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of creating your own brand visuals.
Advantages
- Saving money: Creating your own brand visuals is definitely less expensive. You don’t need to pay any agency or professional an hourly fee. That can definitely be beneficial in the long run for your business’ finances.
- Complete control: You will have complete control over the process. You can make the necessary changes yourself without worrying about more expenses. You will have more flexibility and can experiment with ideas and designs.
- Be On Brand: You know your business better than anyone else. By creating your own visuals, you can incorporate elements that accurately reflect your values, and mission and reach your preferred audience.
Disadvantages
- No Professional Design Skills: If you don’t have any design experience, your designs might not look as professional or polished as you envisioned. Unprofessional graphics can harm your overall brand appearance and it might look cheap. This may cause your clients to lose trust in your brand.
- It’s Time-Consuming: Good design takes time. Designing your own graphics might divert your attention from more important factors in your business, like developing more services or products.
- You Will Be Less Objective: It is a lot more difficult to be objective about your business and your visuals. You can easily become too attached to certain elements or colour schemes that might not be the best for your brand.
So the question is: Should You Create Your Own Brand Images?
It all depends on your personal skills, experience, and the needs of your company. If you have some design experience, creating your own graphics might definitely be worth it, if you have the time to spend on it. If you don’t have any design experience and you don’t have time to invest in learning the skill, it will be better to hire a professional graphic designer to do it for you.
Whatever you choose, the most important thing to remember is that your brand visuals must reflect your brand’s values and goals and it needs to effectively attract and retain customers.
That being said, I also understand the financial challenges entrepreneurs and small businesses face. I know you may not have the budget to hire a professional designer. If that’s the case, keep an eye on my content. I will do a series to show you free tools you can use, what to keep in mind, and how you can create consistency in your visuals to create polished designs that attract your perfect client.