5 Graphic Design Mistakes You Seriously Cannot Afford to Make

We all love sleek graphics. Statistics show we do, I know I do, and I bet you do.

If you run a small or medium business, your marketing budgets are usually small. You have to do what you have to do with what you have.

As a small business owner, I understand the struggle you are going through. I’m lucky because I am a web and graphic designer, but I also am willing to pay for quality services in areas where I don’t excel.

I want to share my experience of owning a graphic design company here in Montreal with you. A lot of businesses make simple mistakes that make their websites look amateur and damage their brands.

Whatever you do – don’t make these mistakes

1) Find the Cheapest Graphic Designer Possible

So many business owners try and skimp on their content marketing and graphic design. Sometimes they will outsource it to the cheapest writers and graphic designers they can find.

Look, Fiverr seems attractive because it is so cheap. The idea of getting custom graphics created for $5 is great in theory.

But there’s one huge problem

You almost never get quality work when you hire a budget designer. They usually cut corners, sell you premade work, or promise you everything and underdeliver.

I’m not suggesting you hire the best graphic design agency in the world, but consider paying a little more for quality work.

Like anything in life, you get what you pay for and that same message rings true when it comes to graphic design.

2) PROOFREAD

You won’t believe how many times I’ve seen a print ad or website that features graphics with spelling mistakes or noticeable errors.

Even big brands make this mistake.

If you are going to spend a lot of money creating custom graphics, ads, or promotional material, make sure everything is correct.

Guess what?

It’s too late once you physically print a flyer or business card. By that point, you either have to accept the mistake or spend more money fixing it.

After each project, take 15-20 minutes to thoroughly proofread your graphic designers work to make sure everything checks out.

A quality graphic design company will be willing to fix those mistakes. If they aren’t, it’s time to move on to a company that actually cares about your business.

Proofreading isn’t hard. If you have absolutely no interest in checking your work over, find an editor to look over it. A single hour of editing may cost you $20-$40, but it could save you from a lot of embarrassment and wasted money.

3) Using the Wrong Font

I don’t care if you love a specific font. When you are building a brand, consistency is everything.

Sophisticated customers buying professional products and services don’t want to see a bubbly and happy looking font. They probably want something more firm, bold, and sleek.

Graphic design is a useful tool that helps you build brand consistency by keeping you in control of the design process.

Typography is really important and one of the focal points of great images and advertisements. Take the time to choose the right fonts that help sell your business.

This small step will go a long way to improving the image of your brand in the eyes of your customers.

And there’s more

Using the right font can help you generate additional leads, sell more, and grow your business. All of these things are a win-win to me.

4) Too Much Font

It doesn’t matter if I just told you to use the right font if you overload it and use too much of it.

Moderation is key in the world of advertising.

Your customers have short attention spans and they have no interest in reading a book. Your ad copy has to be direct and on-point if you want to engage your customers and convert more sales.

A lot of businesses are so high on their products that they waste too much space on an ad gushing about their products, features, and everything else you can think of.

The average consumer doesn’t care what year you were founded, what your values are, and other fluffy stuff.

They only want to know one thing

• How can this product help me?
• What value can I get from using it?
• How can I logically justify purchasing it?

So, don’t overload them with useless information. Keep it relevant!

5) Overdoing Stock Images

Stock images are great when used in moderation.

One problem

Companies often overdo them because they don’t want to pay to hire a graphic designer.

Look – I said it above, I know graphic designers seem expensive. Think about it like this. You don’t want to damage your brand by using the same images that thousands of other businesses have used.

Stock photos are easy to spot. The last thing you want is to lose customers because you didn’t want to spend a few extra dollars hiring a quality graphic designer to create original images for you.

I’ve seen it countless times and I want to save you from this kind of outcome.

Graphic Design Done Right

I’m not going to gloat and say I’m the best. I’ll let you be the judge.

But here’s what I want for you

I want you to find a graphic design company that caters to your needs. This company needs to help you create digital assets that work for your brand, but also have the willingness to tell you when they think a design is bad.

Montreal Graphic Design is all about transparency in the design process. We don’t believe in overcharging you for shoddy work. Instead, we provide you with quality work and explain our methods.

And guess what?

Who knew that being honest and upfront would work in the graphic design industry? Well, it does.

Are you ready to say no to crappy graphic design and show your brand the love it deserves? Let’s get started today!