You started your small business with big dreams and limitless passion. But as you build your brand, you may find yourself wondering – should I just create my own graphics and content, or invest in hiring a professional designer?
The choice between DIY design or delegating to an expert boils down to your business stage, bandwidth, budget, and design needs. To help you decide what’s best for your small biz, ask yourself these key questions:
Where Are You in Your Business Journey?
If you just opened your doors, DIY design may be your best bet for starters. Creating your own graphics on free or low-cost apps allows you to get your feet wet in establishing an aesthetic. Plus, it saves on startup costs.
However, as you move into a growth phase with more customers and services, consider seeking professional design help to level up your branding. The right designer can craft a polished, consistent look across platforms.
Well-established businesses have the means to invest in pro design. Your look should align with your position as an industry leader. Custom graphics and content keep your image fresh while underscoring credibility.
How Much Time Can You Spare for Design Tasks?
In the beginning phases of your entrepreneurial journey, you’ll most likely have more time than money. This is the time to DIY graphic design. We offer many resources that can help you accomplish all your design tasks in less time so that you can focus on the things that will help you make money. Tools like Canva make it easier than ever for people with little to no design experience to create beautiful graphics that will make your business look polished and professional.
That being said, if you’re noticing that you are spending too much time creating instagram graphics when there are a lot of better things you could be spending money on such as client work, production, or working on other things that will move the needle, it might be time to outsource this part of your business.
Hiring a pro doesn’t have to be extremely expensive either. There are many different ways to find a designer and many different levels of pros that you can hire. This is when the next question comes in.
What’s Your Budget for Design Services?
As mentioned above, if you’re just getting started and are not yet making money or have just started making sales, it might not be smart to spend that money on a graphic designer. And yes, as a graphic designer,I’m all about having that perfect logo, killer packaging, and a stunning, flawless website, but I also understand that other business expenses take priority early on. You need to get the operational foundations set up first and start making those sales!
If you’ve been doing this for a while and you’re making consistent sales, you might be getting busier and busier which means that you might have some money to invest in hiring a pro. If you’re not sure where to even begin when it comes to looking for a professional graphic designer, here are a few pointers:
Check out websites like Fiverr or Upwork. These websites are a great start to learn how to work with a designer and they are ridiculously inexpensive. You can literally get logo for $5, no joke. Just set expectations accordingly – these bargain designers won’t invest much time researching your niche or branding strategy. But it’s a fine way to test the waters if you’re brand new to hiring designers.
Another way to find a great designer can be word-of-mouth. Ask other business owners you know who they use and contact that designer directly to see if you would be a good fit. A lot of designers offer day rates so this is my favorite way to hire designers for a day on a as needed basis and they can work on social media posts, flyers, ebooks, anything you have going on or need done. Pricing for services like this varies from designer to designer, but be prepared to pay a premium price.
The most important tip? Once you’re ready to take your brand visuals to the next level, don’t just choose a designer based on price alone. Make sure they’re the right fit for your brand vision and niche. Their portfolio should showcase visuals for brands similar to yours. Take your time finding the perfect match! It’s worth getting this foundation right.
Do You Enjoy Being Hands-On Creative?
Let’s chat a bit about your design interests and skills. Some entrepreneurs enjoy unleashing their creativity through DIY graphic design work. If that sounds appealing to you, great! I encourage tapping into your visual ideas and getting hands-on with your brand’s aesthetics.
However, before immersing yourself fully into DIY design, consider learning some core graphic design principles first. Research tips on composition, color palettes, typography, and other foundations. Study designs you find effective and analyze why they work so well. With key skills and knowledge, you can create graphics to be proud of.
Now, if DIY design seems more stressful than enjoyable, that’s completely understandable. Not every entrepreneur has a flair for it, and that’s ok. Instead of forcing the design aspect, consider hiring a professional graphic designer aligned with your vision.
Provide them with clear direction and examples you admire, then let their expertise shine while you focus on big-picture business goals. Bringing in a pro means avoiding creative struggles and getting polished, professional visuals for your brand.
How Comfortable Are You with Design Tools and Software?
No, you don’t need to learn how to use Photoshop and Illustrator to be able to DIY graphic design. Canva completely changed the game with their easy-to-use software and templates that make it easier than ever to jump on the DIY train. Even beyond Canva, there are many AI tools such as Looka that will literally design a logo for you so you don’t have to do any design work yourself. Check out this article for more tips on how AI can help you DIY graphic design for your small business. This big shift in accessibility is the biggest reason why I am so passionate about pushing people to try DIYing design in their business. You can 100% do it.
Now, if you really struggle with learning new software and are not a very techy person, you might notice that trying to figure out how things work and then getting them to work the way you want them to is costing you too much time, it might be smarter to hire a pro. Another thing to consider is if you just don’t think you’re a creative person (which I believe we all are in our own way), you might feel drained after trying to design things leaving you with little to no energy to do other important tasks in your business. This is not ideal, and hiring some help might work for you.
Is High-Quality Design a Top Priority for You?
If you believe quality design directly fuels business success, don’t just dabble in DIY projects. Seek out and partner with a professional designer who is fully invested in optimizing your brand’s visual identity and aesthetics. Make design a top priority in your business strategy rather than an afterthought.
A skilled designer can guide your brand’s visual evolution in a purposeful, meaningful way. They can ensure your graphics, branding, marketing materials, and other assets project a consistent, professional look and feel. This further cements your business as a leader in your industry.
However, if you simply want to create some basic graphics just to get by for now, DIY graphic design is just fine. There are certainly times in a business lifecycle when a DIY approach makes practical sense. But keep in mind your design skills and aesthetics can always be improved and scaled up.
As your business grows, so should your brand visuals. Reassess periodically if it’s time to level up your design investment. Your vision and needs may change. Stay open to revisiting the DIY versus professional design decision in different stages of your journey.
As you reflect on these questions, you’ll gain clarity on the design approach best suited for your business needs and bandwidth. And remember, your choice doesn’t have to be black and white. Many businesses use a blended approach with professional help for key assets coupled with DIY for basic graphics.
Ultimately, the right design solution comes down to aligning your business stage, budget, skills, and goals. Let your entrepreneurial spirit guide you toward the graphic design path that fulfills your vision. Just take the first step, and your brand look will continue to evolve over time.