Many business owners are hesitant to hire a professional graphic designer. Not because they doubt the quality of the work, but because of the cost and the belief that they can do the same level of work themselves. Unfortunately, the result is logos and other graphic images which portray their business in a negative light, losing them money and customers.

Recently I created a new logo for Sharon from Totally Balmy. She was clearly unhappy with her old logo, with feedback from her clients that her logo just didn’t really match the image she was trying to portray. Sharon focuses on selling natural products, yet her old logo had dark and bold colours, totally counteracting what she wanted clients to feel about her business.

Making Contact with A Graphic Designer
Sharon and I are members of Network NZ, a business networking group. Sharon had seen the design work I had done for other businesses within the group and liked what she saw. She contacted me to engage my graphic design services to create her a new logo. As she was still in the start-up phase of her business, keeping her costs down was important.

“Helen's prices are incredibly reasonable, and her service is impeccable. She ensures you receive the best service, and keeps you informed along the way.” Sharon, Totally Balmy

Once Sharon made contact, I emailed her a list of questions. This small questionnaire is a great tool for both my clients and myself, helping me create the specific designs they require. By giving me a detailed explanation and examples of the type of image you want to portray, it helps me create the exact type of images you require. From here, I shared with Sharon a range of ideas and together we worked on perfecting the best choice for her and her business.

“The end result? Fabulous. I'm so incredibly happy with it. So much so, I got Helen to design me a business card too!” Sharon, Totally Balmy

Life After a New Logo
Sharon absolutely loved her new logo. So much so that she said, “I'm now proud to have my logo out there! I wear it on t-shirts, have it on the side of both our cars, and am delighted to be recognised in our community. People now spot me everywhere, so there's no hiding!”

I am so thankful that Sharon gave me the opportunity to revitalise her brand. It is an exciting part of my work that I can change how clients and customers see your business for the better. My work has given Sharon the confidence to place her business amongst others and actively compete with other small businesses.

“The new logo makes me feel more professional, more trustworthy and it just fits my business so well. People can now look at my logo, and have a good idea about what I do. I don't worry about my image at all now.” Sharon, Totally Balmy

Sharon’s new logo has completely transformed the way her business is seen by her clients. Her old logo did nothing to demonstrate her passion for creating natural merchandise. 

It’s a new year and you want your business to start off with a bang!
You’ve created a business plan, identified which products and services you’re going to sell this year, organised your blogs, worked out your social media posts and are ready for a fresh new start, right? Wrong. You’ve forgotten to revisit one of the most important aspects of your business, which is your brand.

Your Brand Needs Professional Graphic Design Work
Your brand is your face to the world. It is what people use to decide whether to purchase your products or services. It is a way of creating customer loyalty and growing the instant recognition of your brand.

As your brand contains a lot of visual information, it is important that it looks fantastic.
That means creating a DIY logo, Facebook cover, social media template or website banner is not a good decision. Unless you have a background in graphic design, you are unlikely to understand about colour matching, pixel sizes, fonts and using images correctly. Sure, if you create your graphics yourself you will initially save money, but have you considered the big picture? A poorly designed brand or business image results in fewer customers, which means less income in the long run.

4 Reasons Why Businesses Should Prioritise & Outsource Graphic Design
Outsourcing your design work to a graphic designer is a smart move. Not only can they create from scratch a unique and attractive brand image, but they are also experienced at refreshing old ones too. Here are my top four reasons why you should hire a graphic designer like me:

1. Your business will look professional. First impressions do matter and having sharp, well thought out and presented graphic design work gives credibility to your brand.
2. Your brand tells a story. A graphic designer will be able to portray in images instantly what it would take many words to describe.
3. Great design gets more sales. If your business graphics have been professionally designed, you are more likely to attract new clients or customers.
4. Outsourcing saves you both money and time. Hiring a graphic designer lets you concentrate on the work that you do best. It lets you earn more money than it would cost to have hired the designer in the first place. By getting it right the first time, you avoid wasting time and rebranding or redesigning something that could already have been making you money.

​Now is the time to act and create your brand image or revitalise your existing one. Look through my design portfolio to see some of the work I have done to create amazing looking brand images.  Now send me an email and let’s arrange a time to chat about how I can help improve your business image this year! 

In my 20 years experience as a graphic designer I find that getting your logo right is one of the biggest decisions you will have to make regarding your business and branding. 

So much goes in to a logo design; fonts, colours, imagery overall style etc. As a graphic designer, in essence, I am trying to figure out what is going through your head. Some clients have no idea of what they would like in a logo and give the designer ‘free-range’. Other clients are a bit more specific in what they want. Either way there are a few things to think about when you are considering getting a logo designed by a professional graphic designer.

5 Points to Think About Regarding a Logo Design:

1. Make sure that you have a business name that you are happy with. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is good to be sure of your business name before logo design starts.
2. Think about if you would like an icon or any imagery included in your logo design. If you decide that you would like some form of imagery, have a think about what you might like that to be, even a general theme of what you might like.
3. Consider your colour choices. Do you have colours you really like and others you don’t? 
4. Now onto fonts… There are so many different fonts out there. Script, painted, handwritten, serif, sans serif, bold, italic… the list goes on. Think about what fonts you like the style of and communicate that to your designer.
5. GOOGLE IMAGE search logos. You will get a feel for the logos that you don’t and do like. Copy those images and hold on to them. Look at them closely and try and see what it is that makes you like the logo. 

When you hire a professional graphic designer, like One Bite Design, to work on a logo design for you, you will have a huge head start. Having information under your belt with make the logo design process easier for you and me as your designer. Logo designs are so much fun and are so fulfilling. At the end of the process the main thing is that you, the client, is 100% happy with your logo. Careful planning and thought goes a long way in the success of the logo design process. Have a look at the before and after of this logo design and check out this review from Zoe...

Your logo is more than your business name. It’s your brand identity and without this, your business is likely to fall off your customer’s radar. A professionally designed logo gives your brand the credibility it needs to be successful. It’s a bit like a box of chocolates. All the pretty wrapped ones get picked first, with the dull and boring wrapped ones being left till last. If your business doesn’t look good from the outside, no one is going to take the time to find out more about it.
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If you haven’t already got a logo already or you are after a re-brand get in touch with me today!