Why free design is bad news for your business

Times are tough, there's no secret about that. And with tighter and tighter budgets, it can be tempting to look at ways to cut corners. The lure of free design is a tempting proposition and one we often find ourselves up against but here's why I think it's damaging for your business.

Something has to give.
I passionately believe that when design is 'free', something has to give. When someone isn't making money from something, how much effort will they be putting into your design? And remember, a great design is crucial to a piece of print working. If the design doesn't communicate your offering in the right way, you'll be reducing your chances of a response. Do you think someone doing free design for you will be giving your company the consideration and time it deserves?

Who takes the hit in the end?
Along the theme of 'something has to give', money has to be made somewhere. If the designer is also producing the print for you, and they're doing the design for 'free', then the profit has to be in the print and this can often mean cheap, flimsy papers and cards. Think about the impression you'll be giving of your business if you hand out cheap business cards featuring a shoddy design at your next networking event (Vistaprint, anyone?).

Get to the back of the queue!
How long are you prepared to wait? If there's no money in it for the designer, how likely are they to prioritise your job? Chances are they'll stick you way behind the people who are paying or they'll have so much on because they're working for free, you'll be waiting a long, long time for a piece of sub-standard design work. You'll likely lose more money waiting to get your marketing out than you would have paid to have a professional design produced!

A false ecomony.
On a practical level and in our experience, companies who give away their services for free are rarely around in years to come. This can often mean that your design files, or even your website, can disappear with them. On this point, a company that has longevity must be doing something right in their own business. Taking note from successful suppliers can do wonders for your own!

Give your company the attention it deserves.
Why use someone to produce design for your business who undervalues their own service so much that they'll give it away for free?! You have to question a designer who is having to give away their service in order to win work. Or maybe they simply don't have confidence in their own skills. The cost of a designer often reflects their skills and knowledge. Pay nothing and you're likely to get nothing of value in return. Invest in your business and you'll see the return.

"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."    Red Adair, American Oil Well Firefighter

7 tips for achieving your goals

I finally bought my horse this week.

This has been a lifelong dream and my main motivation for being self-employed since I figured I'd have better control over what I can earn and what hours I work - both useful prerequisites of horse ownership!

What is interesting about achieving this life goal this year is that when I wrote down this year's personal goals at the start of the year, buying a horse was on that list. In fact, throughout my life, my lists have lead to me buying my first car, buying my house, buying my business... so on and so forth.

So, what is it about the power of the written word when it comes to achieving your goals?

A recent study conducted by the Dominican University supported the positive effect of written goals: those who wrote their goals down accomplished significantly more than those who did not write their goals. 

So, here are my 7 tips on goal achievement:

1. Write down your goals - this makes them tangible and real and helps provide focus.

2. Tell your friends and family about your goals - this creates accountability and you'll be more inclined to provide updates on where you're up to which is hugely motivational.

3. Break each goal down into manageable chunks - a big goal can be overwhelming and might only be achieved through other smaller goals being achieved. Work it back to achieving the smaller goals and the overall goal tends to happen organically.

4. Make your goals SMART - that's specific, measureable, agreed, realistic & time-based. Just writing down a list of your life's desires will not always turn into reality (although it still increases your chances) but planning each goal in detail will help with point 3.

5. Create visible reminders of your goal - if you're a procrastinator like me, you'll need visual prompts to motivate you. I've had a picture of me riding as my laptop screen background which has triggered conversation with clients about why it's there!

6. Review your goals regularly - maybe once a quarter to see how you're getting on and to make any neccesary changes to the grand plan.

7. Tell everyone once you've achieved your goal - you'll find people will celebrate in your achievement and crucially, it is also self-affirming to acknowledge that you have achieved yet another one of your goals!


So, with this in mind, here's a picture of my beautiful boy... all I need to do now is set another goal that will allow me to afford his huge food bills!!!

A strong brand is what?!!

I love Dragon's Den. It's a great mixture of entertainment, inspiration and, let's face it, self-efficacy!

I was especially intrigued this week by Evan Davis's summary of a strong brand being 'more than just a logo, it's a whole visual identity'. I know, I'm being picky - he was using this as a lead on to the three popcorn chaps - but my instant reaction was 'that's not what a strong brand is all about'!

He is, of course, not the first to get confused about the differences between a logo, a corporate identity and a brand. It's a potentially confusing topic, especially as many people hope they have a brand, but rarely do.

So, let's iron this out simply.

A logo is an icon, symbol or font style that represents your business in it's simplest form.

A corporate identity is the visual aspects that represent the brand, such as letterheads, signage and packaging.

A brand is an emotion or gut instinct about the company. Your brand is not what you think it is but what your audience's perception is.

HEALTHY... FRESH... TASTY... FUNKY... DESIRABLE... SUSTAINABLE... ETHICAL... FOCUSED...

Creating a strong brand does include an effective logo and it does include a fantastic corporate identity but the brand is driven by ensuring that everything that the company does, says and projects fulfils the values, aims and ethos of the overall business. 

It therefore goes without saying that you won't have a strong brand without planning at a strategic level. This planning will drive the 'promise' of the company, which is often communicated through the company's mission statement which will in turn drive everything about the way the business conducts and communicates itself - both internally and externally.

Crucially, a brand will only grow strong when the 'promise' is consistently delivered on.

So, do you have a brand? Do you know what people think of your company and does this match with what you want them to think of your company? And if not, do you know what to do to change perceptions?

Having a strong brand reduces the need to compete on price because your market comes to you rather than you chasing them. I'd say that alone makes it well worth the investment in time, funds and headspace!

Credit goes to Innocent Drinks for the use of their logo etc. to illustrate what a great brand is all about!