Graphics on a Budget for the Small Business Owner

Starting a new business is not a cheap endeavor. Why spend more than you have to on graphics, logo design and making the website look flashy? Hiring a certified graphics designer may be out of your budget, at least to begin with. Likewise, buying the latest graphic software on the market can also be above and beyond the available resources of your startup capital.

What are your options, at this stage in developing your new business? If you are at all creative, one option would be to do your own graphics designing. This has several benefits. First of all, there is the personal touch aspect. Any graphics that consumers associate with your company came from within your company. They connect directly with the vision you have for your company, rather than an outside designer’s interpretation of that vision.

If you create your own graphics, you save the money that you would have paid a certified designer. This money can then be used to develop other areas of your business. And the software that you use to create your new graphics doesn’t have to be top of the line, at least not to start. In fact, there are many easy-to-use graphics programs available for download online, priced anywhere from free all the way to the downloadable versions of programs like Adobe Photoshop which cost around $150.

While the freeware programs will save you money, many of them offer only a limited range of what can be created with them. Because of this, you many need to download a variety of different programs to create your desired graphics. However, as long as you save all graphics in jpg or gif format, the need to use two or more programs to create your graphics shouldn’t give you any trouble.

Another option, if you are the type who finds difficulty in drawing straight lines even with the aid of a ruler, would be to contact a local college. Because they are still in the process of learning their trade, you can hire a student for less than you would pay a certified designer. If you are able to find a Junior or Senior in the graphics design program, you can hire them on a contract basis, then, when they graduate, you will hopefully have your business off the ground and be able to hire them on full time. This benefits both you and the student, giving you the opportunity to test a potential employee on a project by project basis, and giving the student much needed career experience, even if you decide, in the end, not to hire them full time.

Graphics and logo design doesn’t have to break the bank of a new small business owner. From creating one’s own graphics to hiring college students, there are definite options for a fledgling business to save money and still create fantastic graphics.