Abracadabra, Artwork Appear

Posted January 24, 2011

"If I hire a mechanic to fix my car then I expect to pay him for his work. The same is true of a graphic designer."

Those in pest control know their chemicals and how they work to exterminate pesky little insects that plaque us. Those in the medical field think nothing about spouting off complex names for the common cold or a sore throat. When that happens I can’t help but think will you please speak English. When a person works around something everyday they tend to forget that others aren’t as familiar with their product or service and many need it to be explained.

This fact has come to my attention when new clients wish to print with my company. For example, a client wanted to order business cards recently. They had a logo, knew what wording they wanted on the card and they knew the quantity that they wished to order. Ok, done. Right? Wait a minute, what about the artwork? A vital part of the print process was completely missing. Some do not make the connection that in order to print something you must have artwork. Pre-press can’t wave a magic wand and utter the incantation “Abracadabra let the artwork appear”. Nor can scanning a previous business card render artwork that is usable. It just isn’t possible.

It doesn’t cross their minds because they do not work in this industry. They’ve never had to think about the process. Just like I don’t know the medical terminology for the wheezing in my lungs or soreness in my throat, they don’t know what’s needed to go from point A to point B when printing a project.

If you don’t already have a .PDF file or other compatible print file of your artwork from a previous printing job then one has to be created. This can be done two different ways. Custom artwork can be designed by a professional graphic designer or you can do it yourself via consumer friendly design software found on some websites that offer print purchases online.

Custom graphic design requires “hiring” a designer to create the artwork. This can be as simple as a layout which is basically setting up the document according to the proper size then adding your logo and text in a plain aerial font. Nothing fancy here. There is no custom design to this style of artwork set up. This can be done in a minimal amount of time and doesn’t require a lot of thought regarding placement.

If I hire a mechanic to fix my car then I expect to pay him for his work. The same is true of a graphic designer. You are paying for his time. It is his job and his time and talent are what he sells to earn a living. If you want your project to have a cool font instead of a plain aerial standard font then it takes time for that person to search through thousands of fonts to find the perfect one that will complement the design project. He then may select different treatments to further enhance the look.

I have found that some individuals place little value on this facet of a custom project. But remember that what you put in is what you get out. A cool fantastic design doesn’t just happen and magically appear. It takes someone sitting down in front of a blank computer screen and conceptualizing how they will fill that empty void. So now we know why I am not a graphic designer! But there is some really good news. We have really great designers and you don't have to break your budget to create an awesome project. You should focus on what you do best and let our designers wave their wands (pens) and ABRACADABRA you'll get more results.

Check out our Design portfolio. You'll see why with Crigital designers you truly get the most bang for the buck.

Call or email a Crigital Media Marketing Team Member today. We'll show you just how easy it is to get your marketing plan started and stay brand consistent with our unique mix of traditional and "new school" print and digital marketing products and services. 615.754.9430 Email a Marketing Team Member now.