5 Quick Tips for Saving Money on Design
Design
Not every business has an in house designer or marketing person, but design needs pop up ALL the time. For big projects, you obviously want professional support, but what about all those little everyday needs? Maybe you’re publishing a blog of your own, and you need featured images. Or you need a poster made for the office party. Or a quick mockup for a new page on your website. How do you get it done quickly and cheaply? Here are 5 great tricks for saving money on design:
1. Use an Online Design Tool
For simple designs, try using an online design tool like Canva or Pixlr. Built for the non-designers, these tools help anyone with a computer produce great graphics. Canva comes preloaded with thousands of free images so that you can bust out great designs in minutes.
2. Use Stock Images
A picture is worth a thousand words, but with sites like iStock.com they can also cost a thousand credits :-). I’ve been using Freeimages.com for years to find high quality stock photos for any purpose. Recently, I’ve found DepositPhotos to be another great paid resource that’s more affordable.
3. Outline Before You Design
Have you ever tried to describe something to a designer and gone through revision after revision trying to get it right? For web designs, use the free tool Moqups to drag and drop elements of a website and create a wireframe (undesigned rough draft). Then, your designer can get to work with a better idea of where to start, saving you from wasting any time.
4. Get Cheap and Fast Help
Professionals like the designers at Printing Solutions are around for a reason. They help you create big campaigns, new web projects, and amazing things worth printing. But, if you find yourself reaching out to your neighbor’s sister-in-law or computer savvy grandson for those little tweaks you need done yesterday, take a look at Swiftly or Fiverr. These services offer quick designs for as little as $5.
5. Find Inspiration
Sometimes, all you need is great inspiration. For new branding or identity projects, I use Logopond and CardFaves to see galleries of amazing logo and business card designs. Picking a style to serve as an example of your vision can be a great starting point for your designer. Need more inspiration? Pinterest is a great tool for browsing the creative creations of the world. With the right tools, you can ensure even the projects without a budget come out beautiful. For everything else, ask the pros. Looking for more tips and tools? Get access to 450+ web services and counting from Chris Ronzio here: http://chrisronzio.com
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