Your Graphic Design Questions Answered

If this isn’t your first time to our page, you’ll know that PHd Design are big believers in transparency with the goal of making graphic design simpler to understand and to make it more accessible for those that may need it.

With this in mind, a few weeks ago, we gave our newsletter subscribers the opportunity to anonymously ask our team any questions they have…And here are their questions;

“I think that we could use your help to make our business stand out more, but as marketing manager, I don’t want to lose face or look as though I can’t make the business stand out on my own. Is there a way I can approach this with our business owners, that doesn’t make me look bad?”

This is a fantastic point, and believe it or not, this is something that a fair few marketers have mentioned over the years to our team during initial discussions. Rest assured, our team are not here to overshadow your efforts – in fact we’re here to help amplify them!

If your current branding is out of date, not an accurate representation of the brand etc, then it isn’t serving it’s purpose. And this actually results in a knock on effect for marketers. Think about it, if your brand identity doesn’t align with your business’s values, message, or the expectations of your audience, it can be challenging to create cohesive marketing campaigns. This misalignment can dilute your marketing efforts, making it more difficult to capture your audience’s attention and stand out in a crowded marketplace. In short – your branding could be making your job as marketer much harder than it should be. That’s where we can step in and lend our expertise, and help your business to bridge the gap between your marketing strategies and the visual representation of your brand.

So, when you consider seeking help to elevate your brand, it’s not about losing face or admitting a shortfall in your abilities. It’s about making a strategic decision to strengthen your brand’s presence, connect with your audience more effectively, and ultimately achieve even greater marketing success.

“Is it true that if I work with a design agency, that they own the copyrights to the designs?”

Yes, that’s correct. Technically the copyright belongs to whoever creates the design. But this is something that doesn’t sit right with us; after all if a business pays for design work, they should own it. It’s like buying a car outright with cash, and then being told by the dealership that technically they still own the car!

So we are always happy to sign over copyrights to our clients, provided they’ve paid of course.

“I’d like to have a chat about how you might be able to help me, but I’m unsure about reaching out as I don’t know what your pricing is like. Can you share a rough guide to pricing?”

This is another big concern for people. And we completely understand – but unfortunately it just isn’t possible to give even a rough quote without specifics.

Let’s head back to that imaginary car dealership we mentioned before…. Imagine walking in, and asking the manager how much it is to buy a car. He’ll have a fair few follow up questions for you before he can give you even a rough answer. Do you want a brand new car, or an older model? Do you want a car that runs on petrol, diesel or electricity? 3 doors or 5 doors? Would you like a more affordable make, like a Dacia, or something more luxurious like a Lamborghini? Etc….

And the same can be said for any design project. We would need to ask a number of questions before we are able to gauge the cost of a project and present you with a quote.

“It looks like you guys know your stuff, but at the same time I really don’t understand design. How do I know I won’t accidentally ask for the wrong thing and get ripped off?”

It’s easy to understand why people are so guarded when it comes to considering hiring a designer. After all, there seems to be hundreds of freelance ‘designers’ who claim to be experts in design simply because they can open Canva on their web browser, who then disappear, leaving their clients disappointed when their £30 logo doesn’t do it’s job and causes damage to their brand…

Our team truly are design experts, with over 30 years of experience, numerous national and international design awards, and of course we’ve been independently ranked in the top 100 of all UK creative agencies. But possibly most importantly the vast majority of our projects are from repeat clients. We endeavour to make working with our team as stress free as possible, avoiding overcomplicated jargon, explaining things in simple terms and just generally doing whatever we can to help. We’re here to give advice and guidance, to help you make the right decisions for your business. Because we know that if we do everything right, you’ll be our next repeat customer.

Looking for Design Support?

We believe that the world of graphic design should be easy to understand and accessible to everyone, and this Q&A session was a small step in that direction. Whether you’re an existing client or someone exploring the possibilities of working with us, we’re always here to answer your questions, provide guidance, and help you achieve your design goals. Get in touch with our team to discuss your next project and learn how we can help your business to shine!

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