The Graphic Design Industry - Essay Example

?Design and Creative Enterprise Graphic design is a field of creative arts that deals with the communication of ideas through art and technology (Landa, 2001). Image and typography are two of the most important tool in graphic design. Graphic designers normally design images through drawing, painting, photography or computer generation. The elements of design that are important in graphic design are images, typography and space which the designers use in order to put across a certain message. Graphic design is part of everyday life. It is found on almost all the print and non-print materials that people use everyday. Graphic designers have to know all these things about the art of graphic design in order to operate competitively in the current industry (Heller and Fernandes, 2010). The graphic design industry is a fun and creative one. Being a graphic designer enables one to spend the whole day doing what he laves to do. The industry is also quite a lucrative one as it is possible to earn a lot of money from the designs. It is possible for graphic designers to work in a variety of environments. Many graphic design graduates normally find work in companies that deal specifically with the field of graphic design. These companies include design consultancy firms and branding agencies, publishing, marketing and communications companies (Gold, 1995). However, with the introduction of PCs into the industry, the shift is quickly changing and more graphic designers are opting to work independently. The innovation of new graphic design software that is easily available has also contributed a great deal to the increasing number of independent graphic design enterprises and free lance jobs. The graphic design business is easy to scale and one can work with as much flexibility as he wishes (Foote, 2004). Graphic Design Business Graphic design, regardless of whether it is practiced as a large enterprise or as a freelance job, has an important place in the social scene. It can be used to communicate a particular social ideal. It is also used by many business people to attract clients or consumers. It is used as a motivational tool for political campaigns. Graphic arts is also used in travelling guides to help people find their way in places that they do not know (Landa, 2001). In other words, graphic design does much more than just make things look pretty. It is an audience centered approach of visual communication and it is always geared towards meeting all of the clients needs. This is the ideal design practice that helps in the protection of creative values and enables a creative professional set up his design business (Goldfarb, 2006). In order to meet all of the clients’ needs, the professional designer has to know the intended audience very well. The ideal design practice requires graphic designers to fully understand the audience so as to be as effective as possible when they are communicating their clients’ ideas (Heller and Fernandes, 2010). This means that he must analyze all relevant data about the audience, including their class, education level, gender, buying habits, favorite television shows, personal traits and many more. The designers then use this psychographic and demographic information to determine what exactly it is that the audience perceives (Foote, 2004). A successful graphic design enterprise does not only rely on the understanding of the audience, but also on the grounding of fine art and creativity which is combined with ample technical knowledge. This technical knowledge encompasses special processes, digital file presentation, paper stocks, quality control printing inks and troubleshooting. The ideal design process is a combination of these technical skills as well as creative and research skills. A graphic designer wanting to start his own business must therefore ensure that he has all the technical and non-technical materials he needs to ensure that his business starts off on the right note (Gold, 1995). How to start the graphic Design Business Like any other business, a person planning to set up his own design practice must have the resources needed to establish a business (Myers, 2009). He should have enough capital to buy the necessary equipment and software that is necessary for work. The designer also needs to have a website, contacts networking skills and a more than general knowledge of how to run things in a business environment. Below is a breakdown of everything that one needs in order to set up a functional graphic design business. A website with a virtual portfolio is very important as one starts his freelance design business. The website should have plenty of print materials and links that will enable clients see what the business has to offer. The website should also contain a guideline of products that services that clients should expect from freelancers. The guidelines should also include price per item so that prospective clients can calculate the amount that each project would cot them. Apart from developing a personal website, a freelancing graphic designer should ensure that he knows the legal and tax requirements of running his free lance business (Goldfarb, 2006). Another important thing is for the freelancer to establish good working relationships with suppliers of design materials. As the free lance graphic design business grows, the designer will eventually need assistance in running some of his operations. This is when he can recruit students and interns to help him handle some of his projects. The designer can place adverts on local print media so that capable interns can apply for the job (Foote, 2004). One way of building a reliable customer base is by building a good reputation. This can be done by offering low cost services to clients such as charities and other needy establishments. According to Sheldon (2008), this gives the designer more public esteem and more people can seek his services as time goes by. In order to prevent payment problems at a later date, it is important for the free lancing graphic designer should produce relevant and well detailed contracts and other documents before accepting projects from clients. When one is starting off a graphic design business, there are some things that he cannot do without. A graphic designer who wants to make it in the competitive world of graphic design must have relevant design programs to help him make the best designs for his clients. He must also have a good computer which will enable him use his design software efficiently. It is important for any graphic designer to learn how to use as many programs as he can. PhotoShop and illustrator are some of the most important programs that every graphic designer worth his name should know about. Mac platforms are the best to use for some of these programs, but there are a number of PCs which can be used as well (Heller and Fernandes, 2010). Business skills are necessary for any graphic design business. Such skills include entrepreneurial skills, networking skills and organizational skills come in handy enabling free lance graphic designers carry out their operations smoothly. It is advisable for free lancers to work in conjunction with other players in the graphic design industry who may include advertising agencies, and website designers, who are most likely to need the services of the freelancers (Jefferson, 2005). Working with such people increases the designer’s opportunities of landing better paying clients. Taking additional and refresher classes is one way through which independent graphic designers can enhance their skills and have something better to offer to their clients. Designers operating new businesses should also avid selling themselves short as this creates suspicion among clients. Offering competitive, but reasonable prices will help in creating confidence in the services that the freelancer has to offer. A graphic designer is not a good designer without the proper tools of trade. These tools include drawing materials, computers, and most importantly, the mind (Myers, 2009). Technology might have revolutionized the world of graphic design, but the designer’s imagination and creativity remains the sole driving force of any design business. A graphic design businessperson must ensure that he always uses originality and creativity in his work if wants his business to draw more customers and prosper. If the designer can use his imagination to come up with good designs, then he can use the technology he has to make the designs even better. However, technology should never take the place of the creative mind, otherwise, such a business is bound to fail. How to Market the Design Business Graphic designer needs to frugally market his business to his intended clients if he wants to make it in the design market. According to Bowen (1999), targeting as many contacts as possible is one of the ways through which the designer can ensure that his business has a firm foundation. The contacts can be made by mail, email or even through the phone. Being persistent is also important for someone planning to start a design enterprise. Finding clients is not easy, but if one is persistent enough, he is likely to get his contacts sooner rather than later. Perfecting one’s copyrighting skills is also very important for graphic design business. There are some graphic design tools that a freelancer or collaborator should make full us of in order to promote his or her design and creative enterprise (Jefferson, 2005). One of the most important of these tools is a computer, where the designer can create a website and send his emails from. Publicity is a very important aspect of any business, including graphic design enterprises. Without the publicity, no one would know about the skills and work of a graphic designer, which means that he would never have clients, and therefore he would not make any money from his work. In the graphic design world, the use of business cards is one of the most common means of publicity (Sheldon, 2008). A graphic designer’s business card should have all the information necessary to let people know how to contact them. Mailing address, telephone numbers and cell phone contacts are some of the most important pieces of information that the graphic designer should have on the business card. It is important that a graphic designer has a website whose address should be included in the business card. Promoting the design business using business cards is effective as the cards can be kept and clients can refer to them later when they need graphic design services. This is different from emails which can be wiped off and the prospective client would not have any other way of contacting the designer (Arnston, 2011). A graphic designer’s business card should be as presentable as possible. The card should not only be smart and clean, it should also have writings that are easy to read. Too much flamboyance on the card should be avoided at all costs, as this is a complete turn off for prospective clients. The designer should not be afraid to print as many business cards as possible. Having a number of the cars wherever the designer goes is also a good idea because prospective clients can be found anywhere. Another way of publicizing an up and coming design enterprise is by using online portfolios. Creating a portfolio and posting it online will ensure that lots of people get to see what the designer is capable of (Bowen, 1999). Having a personal or business website is important since it is the best way to let people see portfolios online. The website will enable people to access good copy done by the graphic designer and they may refer to him or recommend him to other people. For the online portfolios to impress clients, they have to have the perfect copyright. One does not have to be a web design professional to create a website which can be used for posting portfolios. There are low cost website templates that the designer can get and he will have no problem posting his work online using his own website (Myers, 2009). Mailer postcards can also be used for promoting graphic design business. Mailer postcards are normally combined with business cards as a means of promoting businesses. Post cards normally give the designers a chance to show off their creative skills while at the same time, using them to attract possible clients. Freelancers can especially make use of this method of business promotion as it gets them noticed by executives in the design industry. The best post cards are those that have creative visuals on one side and good marketing copy on the other side. The marketing copy should not be overdone or else the post card will not be as attractive as it is supposed to be. The copy should essentially contain a brief description of the benefits that the clients can get from using the designer’s services (Shaughnessy, 2005). Posters are also ideal for graphic design business marketing. Most people learn about the work of graphic designers through posters created by the designers. The designer should ensure that he puts his logo on the poster so that the people looking at it will know who to contact in case they need graphic design services. The designer should also ensure that he puts up the poster in a strategic place where visibility will not be a problem. The poster should have design work that makes a statement (Myers, 2009). Everyone who looks at the poster should be impressed enough to recommend the designer to other people. A freelance or graphic design business person who is planning to expand his business should make use of word of mouth as a tool for disseminating information about his services. Word of mouth is a very influential means of promoting ones business (Fishel, 2002). If one person finds out what a certain graphic designer can do, it will not be long before he tells the rest of his friends about it. Within no time at all, a lot of people will know that there is a graphic designer somewhere offering very good services. Old clients who are satisfied with a designer’s work are also likely to recommend him to other prospective clients (Sheldon, 2008). This means that as a graphic designer, one must always ensure that his work is of the highest standard so as to attract as many clients as possible. Promotion Strategies Business promotion is one of the most important aspects of marketing. Graphic designers who are working independently need to remind the public every once in a while about their services (Myers, 2009). The following are some of the promotion strategies that upcoming graphic designers can use in order to uplift their businesses. Targeting Clients Designers when they are marketing anew or established design business is to think about their target clients or the companies that they want to sell to their freelance work. Aiming high always has better results than going for small businesses. Large corporations are likely to have better leads and the working relationship with these companies is likely to be more lucrative and long term. There is also a better likelihood of getting more recommendations with a corporate client than with a small-scale business enterprise. However, one should not disregard the small business as an important starting point (Dougher and Berger, 2003). In other words, one should target as many clients as possible, even if those clients are not from the corporate world. The internet is a good place to start looking for possible clients. Using the most advanced search engines such as Google, one is likely to find numerous individuals and companies that could use graphic design services. The local directory is also a good source of information about where to source for clients. The designer should ensure that he always has his clients’ and prospective clients’ contacts with him at all times (Crawford, 2005). Formulating Marketing Strategies Every businessman normally has a marketing strategy that he uses to get customers. For a graphic design or creative business to be successful, the owner has to know who he is targeting first before he can formulate any marketing strategy (Bowen, 1999). For a freelance designer, the target market can be anyone, form a small business owner to a corporate entity. The designer should follow a rigid marketing strategy. This means that the strategy should have business goals that do not change all the time. The business goals should be used as a guiding principle on how the designer should find his clients and how he should serve them (Shaughnessy, 2005). Client-Focused Attitude The first meeting with a prospective client is very important, therefore, the designer should ensure that he has planned for this meeting very well so that nothing goes wrong. The preparation is not enough without the designer being client focused (Myers, 2009). This means that the designer needs to find out as much as possible about his prospective client. If the client is a business or company, e should find out more about its background and profile so as to understand the kind of graphic design that the client wants. Before the meeting, the designer should create a portfolio that reflects the kind of services that the prospective client would like to have. At the first meeting, the designer should present his most relevant work, and it should be as error-free as possible. The first meeting is about making lasting good impressions and the designer should do everything in his power to ensure that the client is well impressed. This can be done by giving them as much information about the services to expect from the designer (Arnston, 2011). However, it is always a good idea not to overdo the first meeting. The designer should not over analyze his work if the client has not asked him to, rather, he should only summarize his best work and give the client time to digest it all. At the end of the meeting, the graphic designer should ask for contact information from the prospective client. The clients should be made to feel that they c an always rely on the designer whenever they need graphic design services. Calling the client up later and reminding them the availability of design services is a good way of keeping in touch with clients (Dougher and Berger, 2003). Persistence Dealing with different clients in the graphic design business can be quite a tedious and at times, frustrating task. However, to be able to compete with the best in this business, one needs to master patience. There are a lot of good graphic designers out there and many clients know this. Therefore, it might take more than one meeting in order to convince a client that one’s services are better than someone else’s. Myers (2009) insists that instead of giving up, the designer should always persist to remain visible. If a client likes some design work, the designer should ensure that he maintains his quality so as to keep the client for a longer time. The designer should also have the patience to carry out more than one or two meetings with a single client if it is the only way of getting them to do business with him (Crawford, 2005). The designer should also be persistent in giving out his portfolios and business cards to those people he thinks might want to use his design services for one thing or another. Giving up is clearly not an option for a graphic designer who wants to start up or promote his business. There are very many people who might refuse the design services the first time they are approached, but with time, and after a number of meetings and portfolio presentations, they might come around and accept to be clients (Shaughnessy, 2005). Conclusion The graphic design industry is growing at a very fast rate and now, more than ever, more graphic designers are looking for ways to start their own design enterprises. This trend has been necessitated by among other things, the innovation of new technologies which have greatly diversified the industry. The graphic design world is dominated by large design corporations, and this single fact has made it quite hard for single designers to penetrate the market. However, with the right attitude and footing, up and coming graphic designers can survive and find success in this growing industry. Any person planning to start a graphic design business must be ready to target as many clients as possible. This can be done through the use of emails, mailer postcards and phone calls. Persistence is very important in this business. Graphic designers who are new in the market have to be persistent in following up on all prospective clients. They should not let go of chances where they can meet with contacts. It is always important to remember that clients are likely to trust more if they see the person they are dealing with face to face. A graphic design company will succeed if the designer has brushed up on his copywriting skills. This enables him to write those postcards that will be persuasive enough to boost his chances of getting clients. References Arnston, A.E. (2011). Graphic Design Basics. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Bowen, L.C. 1999. The Graphic Designers Guide to creative Marketing: Finding and Keeping your Best Clients. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Crawford, T. 2005. The Graphic Design Business Book. New York: Allworth Press Dougher, S. and Berger, J. 2003. 100 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers: Insider Secrets on Working Smart. Gloucester, MASS: Rockport Publishers, Inc. Fishel, C. 2002. Inside the Business of Graphic Design. New York: All Worth Press Foote, C. 2004. The Creative Business Guide to Running a Graphic Design Business. New York: W W Norton & Co Inc. Gold, E. 1995. The business of Graphic Design: A Sensible Approach to Marketing. Baltimore, Maryland: Watson-Guptill Publications Goldfarb, R. 2006. Careers by Design: A Business Guide for Graphic Designers. New York: All Worth Press Heller, S. and Fernandes, T. 2010. Becoming a Graphic Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design. London: Routledge Jefferson, M. 2005. Breaking into Graphic Design: Tips from the pros on finding the right position for you. New York: All worth Press Landa, R. 2001. Graphic Design Solutions. Stanford, CT: Thomson Learning Myers, D.R. 2009. The graphic designer’s guide to portfolio design. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Shaughnessy, A. 2005. How to be a Graphic Designer without Loosing your Soul. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd. Sheldon, G. 2008. Start Your Own Graphic Design Business. New York: Entrepreneur Media, Inc. Read More