How you can work with a designer to build your brand

I am a big believer that hiring a professional to do things that they specialize in is one of the best investments you can make for your business. And if you work with a designer can be invaluable for your business and brand.

When you work with a designer, you will have the ease of my knowing that you are getting consistent graphics that will reflect your brand and give you a professional look. Plus, you can spend more time doing what you do best and less time trying to learn how to be a designer too.

And the best part is that you can work with a designer on much more than just a brand and website.

There are many different ways a designer can help you with your business. In my own business, I use my design skills daily to create images, ads, and graphics in various areas of my brand and website. And while I do specialize in both print and web design, there are also several types of designers that you can work with to get everything that you need.

Here’s my top 10 list of ways you can work with a designer to build your brand:

1. Custom design – This may be a given, but hiring a designer for brand design is one of the most beneficial investments for your business. By working with a professional brand designer, you will get a clearly defined brand aesthetic that you can use as a foundation for your brand. Sometimes you will get lucky, and your brand designer will also design websites (like me). But that isn’t always the case, and sometimes you need to hire a website designer/developer to help you create an online presence for your business.
2. Semi-custom brand or website template design – Not everyone needs a custom brand and website. It’s a fact that most people don’t talk about enough. When you are in between DIYing your brand and needing a fully custom design, you can get a little lost. That’s when you want to work with a designer for a semi-custom brand or website template customization so that you get their hands on your brand without the huge investment of custom.
3. Branded marketing collateral – This is typically done by the same designer that created your brand, but having branded stationery collateral is one way to polish of your brand and give yourself a cohesive look online and in print.
4. Social media graphics – Sometimes you will come across a need for branded social media images or images that promote a sale, new product/service, giveaway, etc. A designer can help create professional images that stick with the look of your brand so you can share your feature on social media with pride. You can also utilize social media templates for this too.
5. Blog and podcast graphics – Every blog needs professional images and hiring a designer to help with your blog graphics will give you consistent, professional images to include with each of your posts. This also helps in making your content more shareable and memorable.
6. Ad design – Similar to social media images that promote certain items, you may need advertisements created for magazines, online publications, or other situations. A graphic designer can create professional advertisements for any of your needs and will be able to create files to the specifications that you need for your ad placement.
7. Magazines/catalogs/lookbooks – Whether you are a photographer, wedding planner, or shop owner, you will more than likely have a need for a sales magazine, catalog, or lookbook. You can use a sales magazine to display your services and offerings in a professional way, a catalog for your products and pricing info, or a lookbook to showcase your current collection of products or images.
8. Content marketing graphics – If you want to offer an ebook, guide, checklist, etc., you will want to hire a designer to layout your content. This will ensure that your content is laid out in a clean and easy-to-read way. The designer will also be able to create any different file types that you need for your item. Plus, a designer will also keep your brand in mind when designing your content which ensures cohesiveness.
9. Infographics – Infographics are a great way to explain detailed information with graphics and icons and can be included in content or blog posts. Working with a designer to create infographics for your business will help you explain your information in an easy-to-understand way.
10. Packaging design – If you are a shop owner, you may want to work with a designer to better create the perfect collection for your shop. Even if you are a designer yourself, sometimes two heads are better than one, and working with another designer can only make your collection better.

Working with a designer will help to make your business look more professional and consistent. And if you can work with the same designer for most (if not all) of your needs, you are even better off. Hiring the same designer to help with these things listed above creates a cohesive, branded look for your business and establishes a solid presence for your brand.