Your brand is your company’s icon, its mark, its reputation, its signal to the world that displays what your business stands for. The very word “brand” is a hat tip to ranchers who would mark their cattle with a unique symbol as a means of marking what belongs to them.

What does all of that have to do with graphic design? Everything.

A Graphic Design Print Agency Makes Your Business Collateral Look Professional

In the same way that a cattle brander wouldn’t settle for a 10-year-old with a Sharpie to mark their cows, a business shouldn’t settle for “good enough” when it comes to their print collateral. If you want your brand to be taken seriously, design shouldn’t be done by amateurs.

“What if my marketing manager knows how to use Photoshop?”

It’s true. Many graphic designers use Photoshop or other software tools to create print collateral for businesses. However, not everyone who is capable of using Photoshop or InDesign is a graphic designer. That would be like saying everyone who can use a paintbrush is an artist. We all know that’s wrong. You want your brochure designer to have a trained artistic eye, to understand color combinations and typeface, and to use that knowledge to present your brand personality accurately and clearly. In other words, a business card design company shouldn’t just be a plug-and-play platform; it should involve custom design for your specific business.

In short, if your marketing manager couldn’t win at Pictionary, they shouldn’t double as a graphic designer.

Design for Businesses Should Be Cohesive Across All Platforms​

It should be obvious that all of your print collateral belongs to the same company. Think of the different types of collateral as fast food franchises. A McDonald’s in Portland still has golden arches and Happy Meals, just like the McDonald’s in Podunk, Arkansas and the McDonald’s in Bougie, Massachusetts. Similarly, your restaurant menu designer and your corporate t-shirt designer shouldn’t take your brand in different directions. Colors should be consistent. Typeface should be consistent. Iconography should be consistent. Ditto for your local banner designer and professional poster design agency. Professional graphic designers ensure all your business collateral has a unified look and message.

In short, if somebody drops one of your brochures at a tradeshow, an attendee should be able to identify which booth it belongs to because the branding is that cohesive.

Graphic Designers Understand Visual Hierarchy

The surest sign of an amateur graphic designer, or a bad graphic designer, is a poor understanding of hierarchy. For example, if the preposition in your book title is the first thing somebody sees on your book jacket, design has gone wrong and your book’s intended message hasn’t been communicated clearly. The best Fort Worth print design highlights (not literally, mind you) the most important stuff so glancers are able to get the gist quickly. It’s about guiding the eyes graphically.

In short, good graphic designers don’t put the emPHAsis on the wrong sylLAble visually.

Good Branding Represents your Company Well

It seems simple enough, but sometimes people prefer shortcuts over common sense. Your brand represents who you are as a business. You want it to represent you well. Just because something is “pretty” or “polished” doesn’t mean it reflects your brand personality accurately. A children’s hospital should have a different brand look than a roller derby team. They exist for different purposes, have different target audiences, and vastly different personalities. Their brands should as well. A brand (and all the print collateral it produces) should tell your story visually and verbally.

Your Unique Brand Should Be Identifiable on all Print Pieces

A good brand is iconic. Think Apple, Nike, or Coca-Cola. Each has a unique icon or typeface that makes it recognizable in any language. The messaging is consistent. The marks are timeless. Your brand may never reach that legendary status, but it can still be recognizable enough to keep you top of mind. It could be as simple as making sure your letterhead matches your business cards and your website. The more a prospect interacts with your brand, the more emblazoned on their mind it should be. Just like a rancher, you’re marking what belongs to you for all to see.

Let Us Help You

If you’re looking for a graphic design print company that can help you keep (or get) your brand out of trouble, you’ve come to the right place. Ardent’s team of graphic designers are artistic professionals with business minds. Contact Ardent