Design work is a topic that very few business owners want to talk about. They simply aren’t very knowledgeable about how design works or what makes a good design. The only thing they know about is how design can improve their business. For example, they know that a good logo can increase a brand’s recognition and bring in more customers, but they don’t understand what a good logo implies or how to design an unforgettable logo.
Luckily, there are thousands of useful guides, tutorials, and videos on the internet to increase your knowledge about design. You can always hire someone to do design work for you, but it’s an expensive and lengthy process that very few startups can afford. So instead of shelling out your hard-earned money to designers, here are some tips to get you started on nurturing a design employee, or even learning how to do simple and effective design work on your own.
Here are some of the most crucial tips you should follow if you want to save money on design outsourcing. Creative work takes a bit of experience and passion, but if you want to save hundreds or thousands of dollars on creative design work, then look no further than this guide on how to do it yourself.
Engross yourself in design blogs and articles
Good design can be learned from experience, but it’s even better if you have professionals guiding you. http://designrfix.com/ is an excellent website where designers post articles and guides on how to use different pieces of software or tackle various concepts. While some of the jargon might be alien to you, it’s’ an invaluable collection of resources that’ll teach you everything you need to know. In addition to that website, you can always Google search something like “effective logo design” and you’ll receive thousands of pages on design principles that can make your logo stand out in a sea of monotony.
Consult video guides
There are dozens of online courses that you can follow, such as the ones on Lynda. For just a small price per month, you get access to thousands of tutorials on how to use different software packages. But if you want to be more frugal, there are hundreds of free sources that can be found on websites such as YouTube. While you can’t be sure that YouTube videos are from creative professionals (like Lynda) you’re still guaranteed to find lots of useful videos that are infused with the personality to make it easier to watch and make it feel less like you’re studying.
Practice and get feedback
You need to work on your ideas, you need to grow them and you need to get experience. Every time you create something like a mock logo or banner to place on your website, show it to colleagues or friends, and ask for their opinion. Take their feedback and criticism on board, and refine your design following their advice. It might take a couple of tries, but as long as you’re dedicated and put in the effort, you’ll be creating wonderful design pieces for your business in no time.
