Graphics, Designed

Isn’t that just doodling? Any kid can doodle.

That’s really the nut of most objections from accountant types to spending money on graphic design and graphic designers. “Any kid can do that.” The initial answer to that objection (if it is actually offered in good faith, which cannot always be assumed) is that the person who asks such a question is a doo-doo head.  If we took all their accounting skills and multiplied by five, we’d still draw them as a doo-doo head, and we’d further suggest their mom is of questionable character. So. There.

A more socially acceptable response might center around a series of questions: “If I show you , what do you think of, and how fast did that happen? How hard is it to draw the Apple logo? How much is the  worth? What if they changed the logo to ★, would it matter?” The answers are telling. No one will be thinking that  stands for a shoe company, the response is close to instant. It’s not hard to draw (hmm wonder if that might be the point?). Yes, changing the logo would matter. Just ask the Gap. RIP.

And that’s just for logos. Graphic design is not just for logos. Graphic Design is just the presentation of information in an understandable and (hopefully) pleasing manner. 

Why do you need a Graphic Designer?

The necessity for good Graphic Design is easily identified in everyday life. Whether it’s confusing signage, unreadable menus, and logos that are accidentally suggestive (I’m trying not to look at you, AirBnB) or just plain bad – that would be you, Animal Planet, bad graphic design makes things objectively worse. That’s where designers come in.

So, don’t just let your receptionist’s nephew who has a logo-design YouTube video set the public-facing image for your brand. Whether you are presenting a graph that shows the superiority of your product, creating iconography for a theme park, or choosing a logo to represent your brand, bring in someone who is skilled at combining text, images, and shapes in a way that will tell a cohesive story, yours. I’d be pleased to make your acquaintance.