Great design is a powerful tool!Why? Because marketing materials with strong graphic design can transform consumer trust, sales, engagement rates and brand recognition. In research commissioned by Adobe, companies investing in a “design driven” approach were found 69% more likely to exceed their business goals.Social media posts featuring bespoke graphic design deliver 650% higher engagement rates than text-based posts. What’s more, over 90% of all top-performing videos on YouTube use custom graphic-designed thumbnails.You get the picture, good design is good business.
Today, we’ll dive into why a graphic designer is an essential part of your marketing team, and explore the pros and cons of in-house versus outsourced. Let’s get straight to it…
5 reasons why you need a graphic designer in your team
In today’s digital age, visual design is more important than ever.Businesses need the help of gifted marketing designers to boost brand awareness, attract and retain loyal customers. Having an in-house graphic designer in your marketing team can:
1. Grow your profits
It pays to invest in great graphic design.Poorly designed visual assets, clunky websites and boring branding negatively influence perceptions of your business. Even a seemingly simple business card, if poorly printed or designed, will create a bad first impression.On the other hand, high-quality visuals grab attention and increase sales. Professional imagery is cited as the most important purchase factor and key trust-marker for online shoppers.What’s more, changes, delays and redesigns all cost time and money.So whilst you may think you’re saving money by not employing a professional graphic designer – the business costs are everywhere.
2. Improve brand consistency
Consistency is key when it comes to brand identity, and graphic design is the outward face of your brand.This is one of the fundamental ways an in-house marketing designer can help your business.With long-term understanding of your brand guidelines, they’ll work within your company culture, effectively communicating your organisation’s mission and values.This has knock-on benefits for the rest of your workforce too. Positive workplaces have a strong brand identity, and positive workers are more efficient and driven. It all adds up…
3. Provide rapid turnaround
Over 82% of marketers actively use content marketing strategies… and someone’s got to design all those assets.With a graphic designer in your marketing team, you can wave goodbye to competing for a designer’s time and attention.They can prioritise projects to suit you, send files in the right formats (without even having to ask!) and seamlessly implement your brand guidelines across print, web and socials.This means faster turnaround and less time ironing out problems.
4. Generate ownership
A graphic designer is a key member of a team. This results in a greater sense of ownership and accountability on projects.When combined with opportunities for continuing professional development, internal career progression and a positive working environment, they’ll be fully invested in the success of your organisation.More often than not, this leads to better designs that better fulfil your business needs.
5. Enable communication
What’s the purpose of great graphic design? It helps communicate your business’s identity, mission and values, gets core messages across to consumers and creates a compelling narrative surrounding your products.When outsourcing work to an external (often un-vetted) marketing designer, miscommunication and conflicting timescales are a constant risk. Don’t underestimate the importance of having an in-house colleague to bounce ideas off, ask questions and clarify directions.
What are the drawbacks to an in-house graphic designer?
Whilst modern businesses undoubtedly need graphic design services, there are drawbacks to employing in-house marketing graphic design:
1. Increased costs
Employing a marketing designer is an expensive undertaking!They’re knowledgeable and highly skilled professionals, commanding high salaries for their unique combination of creativity and technical know-how.At the middle-level, a full-time graphic designer will earn between £25,000 to £35,000 with salaries easily reaching £55,000 for senior graphic designers or creative leads.Can your business afford this?Outsourcing is often cheaper than hiring a full-time in-house employee. Instead of one constant salary, it provides businesses with the flexibility to choose how much to spend on each project.
2. Lack of diversity
If you’ve only got one in-house designer, then you’ve only got one set of ideas and one skill-set.There are so many different types of marketing graphic designers, from UX designers working on websites to professionals specialising in brand identity and logo design, print and packaging and graphic illustrators.By outsourcing, you can scale your team in various specialisms depending on your project needs and work volume. If it’s a busy month full of website updates, you might want more UX designers. If you’re looking for some bespoke marketing visuals, you might require the services of a graphic illustrator.As well as increasing flexibility and diversity, you’re still saving money. It’s a win, win.
3. Scarcity of fresh ideas
Can one individual provide the creative flair and design reinvention necessary for your brand?By outsourcing talent, you’ll benefit from a constant fresh stream of new ideas, perspectives and styles. It’s a great option if you’re refreshing marketing graphic design assets, enticing new audiences or keeping existing clients engaged and inspired.You never know, a new approach could boost creativity and motivate your existing workforce too…
The best of both worlds
Struggling to decide between in-house or outsourced marketing graphic design? Design Buffs offer the best of both worlds. We augment your team with highly skilled, dedicated and vetted graphic designers, without adding to your payroll.Discover how we work and get professional design, on demand, without increasing your headcount or breaking the bank.
