Remember your vision for your company and the brand or statement you want to make when any of your current or potential customers come in contact with you. You have to impress them in all the ways you connect with them.

DIY (Do-It-Yourself)

?? Knowledge is Power
??? I highly recommend reading and
??? learning about graphic/web design.
??? It's a good idea in a long-term sense
??? whether you do design projects yourself
??? now or hire in the future. You will be
??? able to communicate more effectively
??? to your graphic professionals when
??? your business is ready to outsource.
??? By learning design techniques, it will
??? help you organize how to present
??? your image to your target market.
??? The most important lesson to remember
??? is if you start your design project,
??? don't forget about Quality. I may not
??? call myself a copywriter, but I do write
??? my own content and persuasive
??? marketing materials... But I feel fairly
??? confident about my copy because I
??? have taken steps to learn about writing
??? copy that sells and you can do the same
??? for design. Read books. Take classes.
??? Learn the software.

?? It's an affordable route
?? Nothing is more affordable that pulling
?? up your sleeves and doing it yourself
?? especially if you don't have a budget to
?? spare on outsourcing.

?? It gives you instant gratification
?? It's nice to have control and once your
?? learn the tricks of the trade, you can pat
?? yourself on the back for a job well-done.

Hiring a Professional

?? How much time do you have?
??? Designing your marketing materials
??? (website, business card, stationary,
??? ezine, postcards, etc.) is not just about
??? learning about the graphic design
??? software and, in the case of web design...
??? learning HTML. Your designer will know
??? how to harness color theory and how to
??? organize your content & information to
??? readable chunks, allow your viewers to focus
??? on the important benefits, evoke a certain
??? feeling or thought, and add supporting
??? graphics that clearly and effectively
??? communicate your message.

?? Don't you want to concentrate on business?
??? When you are a small business, you probably
??? play the role of sales, customer service,
??? accounting and need to concentrate on
??? strategies to build business. Hiring lets you
??? make the decisions to take your business to
??? the next step, communicate your wants/needs
??? but then hand it off to someone who can
??? effectively and productively implement the
??? project.?

?? You do care about quality, right?
??? You get what you pay for. A quality designer
??? will only want the best for you and your
??? business. They live off long-term relationships
??? and want great testimonials from you.

?? Don't think "service provider".
??? Think long-term partnerships.

With over 100+ websites designed in the past 4 years, Maya Sunpongco is your Chief Imagination Officer for Design Insomnia, in San Diego, CA - an internet/web graphics firm that harnesses the "Power of Design to Communicate." She supports women-owned businesses and is a member of the National Association for Female Executives and the Professional Women's Network.