If you’ve never worked with a graphic designer before, you might wonder where to start.
Let’s say you’re repurposing your existing articles into an e-book. And let’s also say you’re thinking of having a custom graphic design. Some obvious questions pop up:
- Will a graphic designer guide you through the unfamiliar world of design?
- At what point in the content development process should you talk to the designer?
- How can you tell if you and your designer are a good match before you work together?
To answer these questions and more, I sat down with graphic designer Eduardo Barrios of Barrios Advertising.
Our conversation explored several areas that will increase your awareness about how to work with a graphic designer for the first time. Join me in this enlightening conversation.
Create a framework for us, Eduardo: What is the first thing writers and content marketers need to know about graphic designers?
Well, first of all, we’re both creative partners. There’s not really a separation—we just do different things. In other words, when you’re communicating with content, you have a huge palette from which to draw, but it’s the copywriter’s main objective to be as efficient as possible with the language to get the idea across. Well, it’s the same thing with a graphic designer.
A graphic designer would want to know from their copy partner:
- What is the main objective that you’re trying to get across?
- What is the main point of the article or the content piece, and how do you—the copywriter—envision the kinds of graphics you’d like to see?
So it’s a working relationship. It’s about starting out with concepts, and then it’s a matter of getting to a point where the communication is delivered efficiently and effectively.
When does the emotional “feel” or “flavor” of the content come into play?
First, look at the message. What kind of flavor does it have? Does it have a humorous touch to it? Is it more introspective and serious? There are those kinds of sub-levels of concept and execution that you can discuss with a designer. You could even get down into the nitty-gritty of color and typography because each color has its own mood. And the typography—there’s so many different fonts out there. A designer will help you limit your universe because there are some classic font faces and some font faces now that can be used on digital format that are easier to read. So there are some practicalities in this also.
When is the best time to talk to a graphic designer?
Well, if you have your content firmed up or you’ve been working on a committee, it’s not likely you’re going to change the concepts. There are certain mandates you’re working with, so it’s best to wait to bring in a designer until those decisions are settled and you have a clear direction. If you think that the designer may solve the internal problem by guessing what you want, that probably won’t work too well.
However, if you have a clear direction—your team is in agreement on what the copy or content should say and do—then it’s probably the right time to bring in a designer. Start by summarizing what your content is about and laying down your expectations. A large part of what the designer will want to know is who the audience is. That will inform the type of design that the designer presents to you, and there could be a couple of different options that the designer might explore depending on what tone you discuss.
But if you’re a sole proprietor or writer, you may want to bring them in for a brainstorming session prior to creating the content if you’re having trouble getting your fix on what you should be talking about.
What are two common myths many people have about graphic designers?
1) A big myth is that graphic designers don’t read; they just design pretty pictures, which is not the case. Graphic designers are very interested in content. It’s not just pretty pictures or fine art for its own sake. This is commercial art, and so it’s about selling ideas and making money.
2) The second myth is that graphic designers are not interested in business. In other words, graphic design is not about winning awards—it’s about helping you sell your product. So designers want to know about your product, your content, and what you’re selling. They’ll probably ask questions about what other content you have published, what your brand is, and what your readers are looking for. The answers will enable graphic designers to produce effective, branded, and relevant designs for you.
What if someone doesn’t have a clue what the design should look like?
Trust your designer. Hang out with him and just say, “I don’t know anything about color.” The good graphic designers will stay with you and help educate you.
For example, there’s a great color resource—Pantone.com. The Pantone system is a color-matching system used worldwide. You can go on this website and find all kinds of interesting information about color and the science of color. I’ll often direct my clients to the Pantone color website and invite them to ask questions. But I will generally teach them about the warmth of a color, the coolness of a color, and how that translates into communication for their readers, and how it connects with the concept that they’re trying to get across to readers. It’s the same for typography or even design principles, for that matter.
Sometimes, I’ll just get out a pad of paper and my trusty number two pencil and will just sketch and say, “See, here’s a composition that’s balanced, and here’s one that isn’t.”
And then there are things like white space. Generally, I think people are tempted to say and show more than is necessary. What happens is the message becomes muddy and difficult to comprehend; there’s so much to take in at one time. So we just educate in a gentle way about what can be done and what shouldn’t be done for a design to be efficient and clear.
How can someone start learning the basics of design on their own?
If you don’t know what the design should look like, start by observing the things you see around you that you like. You could find inspiration to show a designer; but, just like copywriters, designers won’t plagiarize.
And inspiration comes in all forms. You could find something on the Internet, you could read a book or see a book jacket cover, a printed piece, go to Barnes and Noble, or you could be at a baseball game, and the way a little kid swings the bat creates an image in your mind. Just write it down and be aware that inspiration is everywhere.
You can bring these ideas to your designer who will immediately understand what you’re sayingand showing. He’ll see patterns and understand the tone you’re trying to set. You also want to discuss designs you don’t like; sometimes it’s helpful to discuss this first.
Why would someone spend money on a custom-designed e-book cover, for instance, when there are so many inexpensive ways to create a cover?
It’s a great question. Your content isn’t generic, and it would be a disservice to your project to get something free online instead of really customizing your graphic design to match your content. You want it to be packaged in a unique and customized way.
At the end of the day, you’ll feel good about knowing that the graphic design is completely yours. You won’t be seeing the design used by some other content provider who downloaded a stock design from the Internet.
Let’s say a project is already finished. Is it too late to work with a graphic designer?
It’s never too late to call in a designer, but here’s my caution. Some people will wrap up their writing and have strong feelings about what they want for design, but they may not communicate that specifically or explicitly. So a designer may go off developing ideas that don’t track with your vision, which will create undue stress and misunderstanding. Designers are good, but they are not mind readers.
So if you’ve written something and you have a very clear vision of what you want, let the designer know that this is what you would like. If you don’t know, express that too. After all, too much design development time may yield design charges that neither you nor the designer expected. Be very clear about how you initiate the project with a designer.
Thank you, Eduardo, for sharing your time and insights about the world of graphic design. Your insights will definitely help people who have never worked with a graphic designer before.
Summary
- Graphic designers are creative partners in your communications process.
- If you don’t know much about design, your designer will help educate you about your choices.
- Content is just as important as design.
- Graphic designers understand business; they want to help you sell your product or service.
- Customizing the graphic design to match your content ensures your brand will be unique and stand out.
Over to You
What other tips can you share with those who have never worked with a graphic designer?
What questions do you have about working with graphic designers for the first time? (Hopefully our readers can pitch in with their answers!)
