It´s important when planning the graphic design for your printed materials to keep them unique so they stand out. Often, people will collect quite a number of brochures, fliers, business cards and other printed material and you really don´t want to blend into the rest. However, there are a few basic graphic design tips to follow in order to make your fliers and brochures easily readable.

Graphic Design for Print

White space. It´s a good idea to let the eye rest between paragraphs, but you should also have some blank space around photos and in the margins. Think of this as a frame for the text.

Stick to standard sizes. While a business card that is larger than normal might catch people´s attention, it will be more difficult for them to store it since a large business card won´t fit into regular card holders. The same goes for anything else, you want it to be easy to file and save for later.

Use captions. Letting people know exactly what they are looking at in photos or images will make your graphic design easier to understand.

Be consistent. Using the same colors and graphic design elements can keep all your print materials cohesive and will help to promote your brand.

Graphic design doesn´t have to be super flashy and the point is not to cram everything about your business into as small a space as possible. Give the relevant points in an easy to look at format and make sure you offer plenty of white space to rest the eyes.

It´s very easy to get caught up in the whole idea of graphic design and spend a fortune on it. While that might help you get the best logo out there and choose the perfect colors, it will also leave you broke if you aren´t careful. Sometimes, the graphic design becomes the focus of a small business, but don´t forget that your image is NOT everything.

Yes, graphic design is good and it helps to have a great logo. But, if you focus only on designing your business cards just so, and forget about the marketing side of things or the customer service part of your business, you won´t be successful . . . even with the most gorgeous logo around.

The point here is to spread yourself out a bit. Running your own business is like juggling, you have to be able to keep all the balls up in the air and that is not always easy! Graphic design is important, but it isn´t all you should pay attention to in your business! Aim to spend some time and money on each area of marketing, including ads, trade shows, a website, etc. Each of these will require your logo, so this is something to have done, but don´t waste too much time designing business cards and banners when you could be out there making sales!

Most people think graphic design is highly overrated. Anyone can throw together a simple three-way brochure on Publisher or any similar program. You can even do your own logo if you´ve played around with Photoshop . . . right?

Wrong.

While you can definitely do your own brochures, there´s more to graphic design than dragging and dropping photos in your text areas. So, you can do your own work, but there is a reason that people go to school to learn graphic design! A good graphic designer should be able to make your brochures come to life and grab the reader, making them want to buy from you. The copywriting is a large part of this obviously, but when it comes down to it, people just pay more attention to images than they do text.

If you have been letting someone inexperienced do your graphic design, it might be time to check out what a proper graphic designer can do for you. You might be pleasantly surprised with the results that your professionally designed brochures bring in. The right dynamics are important though, so make sure that you spend time researching your options for graphic design before jumping into a deal with the first designer you meet. Take a look at the work done by several companies and get quotes to help you make your decision. Try it for one element of your business promotion and then, if all goes well, keep using the same company for all your graphic design needs.

Anyone who has ever tried to find a decent graphic design company on a budget knows how difficult this can be. Many graphic design artists are either lousy at what they do or are priced far too high for the small business on a shoestring. But there are still companies out there that can serve your needs and meet your price range, they just require a bit of work to find.

Ask friends. Talk to other small businesses with great graphic design on their business cards or logo. They should be able to point you to the graphic artist.

Make a quote easy. Taking all the information with you to meet with the potential graphic design team will help them give you a proper estimate up front. You should have a basic design worked up and know what your printing options are before meeting the team.

Price compare. Check with more than one graphic design company and don´t hesitate to let them know you´re talking to the competitors . . . they might give you a price break just to get the business.

Ask for a discount. Is there any way you can get a discount? Ask if there are lower prices if you agree to buy more product in the future or if you order extras or refer friends.

Let them know your budget up front. This will prevent any hugely overpriced estimates and won´t waste anyone´s time. They´ll know right off the bat if they can work within your parameters.

It can take some time to find a good graphic design company that fits your budget and your quality requirements, but it is worth it. Once you find a company that works for you, be sure to help them out by sending more clients their way and stick with them.

Yesterday I talked about the benefits of image branding. To do image branding correctly and effectively you need some graphic design. At some point in your business you will need to interview graphic designers to see if they can handle the kind of graphics you need to perform the work you need. But what work is that exactly?

Your graphic design should tell the world who you are. Your images, your logos, your photos, your website, everything that uses graphics in your business is a communications tool. You want all of your business communications to speak the same message. That’s branding. And it can’t be done properly without the right kind of graphic design services. The Small Business Mavericks blog had a great post on graphic design this morning and I think the list of graphic design services you have at your disposal are worth repeating. So here it is:

* Sales Brochures
* Corporate Identity Packages
* Instruction Manuals
* Getting Started Brochures
* POP/POS Display Materials
* Posters
* Tent Cards
* Catalogs
* Product Packaging
* Logo & Corporate Identity Design
* Newsletters
* Full Website Development/e-commerce
* Static Websites
* Web Pages/Landing Pages
* Web Graphics & Logos
* HTML Newsletter Templates
* Flyers, White Papers & Reports
* Business Cards & Letterhead

If you find yourself in need of any of these services then you might check on a graphic designer to help you with your needs.