Your Design BFF: A Durable Design Relationship Saves Time, Makes You Look Great, and Grows Your Bottom Line
This article will:
Explain 3 keys ways a long-term design relationship will save you time, make you look great, and grow your bottom line.
- Want a quick summary? Watch the video
Before a plant or tree can flower, it’s gotta have roots. I think of this (almost) every time I bite into an apple: the tree spends energy to nurture its foundation and that effort is worth it once those Red Delicious or Granny Smiths start to appear in the autumn.
This is pretty much like where a long-term relationship with a visual designer can take you (minus the bad apples).
Starting over is hard work
Every time you begin a marketing relationship, you’re starting from square one.
You don’t know what you don’t know, right? There are questions to be asked, assumptions to be uncovered, and you need to make time for frequent, explicit communication to ensure every detail is perfect.
Without a design strategist who knows your brand, you’ll inevitably struggle to effectively organize your content (so the most important message rises to the top).
It’s easy to fall into traps like:
- Talking about your business first when your prospective clients and customers really want to know how you’ll make their lives easier
- Leading with three paragraphs that should be boiled down to one phrase
- Relying on the limited set of ideas that you and your team bring to the table
- Saying yes to shiny gimmicks and losing sight of the big picture & strategic vision
If you’re building your website in your spare time, relying on your Uncle Frank for copy, and crossing your fingers that someone on Fiverr can design your perfect logo, you’ll save money in the short term.
But when you’re continually starting over, with no vision, think of how much valuable time, precious energy, and your brand’s reputation you’ll forfeit when there’s no strategic direction and no dedicated partner to help you trim your tree so it grows captivating fruit when the sun shines.
Three ways a durable relationship with a strategic designer makes your life easy
- Time
A core benefit of working with a solid visual designer over the long term is that every new marketing piece comes together faster, and requires less hands-on time from you.
When we’ve already partnered to develop your visual brand, you don’t need to answer a thorough list of branding context questions before I can get started.
I know your brand, your customers, and your team, so new designs and iterations evolve rapidly, with much less back-and-forth.
When you need additional design work, you can skip that laborious process of developing an RFP, soliciting bids, interviewing designers, getting them up to speed, hashing through feedback and revisions, and worrying about whether they’ll really ‘get it.’
You’re freed up to do what you do best while I go to work for you – and it means that your final design product will be ready to go much sooner.
- Quality
With a long-term design relationship, the first round of drafts will beautifully represent the caliber and style of your brand.
You’ll go into each new engagement knowing that your designer is capable of hitting the mark and giving you a higher-quality product.
Because the need for visual design can ebb and flow for many companies, it’s the best of both worlds: having a part-time creative director who can integrate with your team when needed without the overhead of having to carry them on staff.
- Bottom line
Good design promotes business growth.
When your brand is solid, and your visual design is top-notch, you can charge more for your product or service.
The sweeter the harmony of your brand touchpoints (meaning every place your prospects come into contact with your brand), the more you’ll get noticed and stand apart from your competitors. And the more trust you build with people who are considering working with you, the more you’ll attract the clients you love working with.
This is where the investment you make into building a long-term relationship with a creative partner reveals a tangible ROI.
Three examples of impactful work I’ve done for my long-term clients
Relationships that begin with developing a core brand asset like a logo or website often blossom as a business grows. Here are three businesses that I’ve built long-term design relationships with, and some specific assets I’ve created for them:
Elder Law Answers attorney marketing
Marketing elements and campaigns I’ve developed for them:
- Logo creation
- Website design
- Online sales pages
- Client marketing + promotional packages
- Email campaign design
- Print marketing: postcards, brochures, promo letters for snail mail
- Conference booth displays, tablecloths, and lanyards
- Downloadable PDF guides
- Presentation decks
- App UI design
Diverse Charter Schools Coalition member group
Marketing elements and campaigns I’ve developed for them:
- Annual report
- Annual conference materials
- Logo creation
- Website design
- Landing pages for new offers
- Donor outreach
- Sub brands that visually connect with the main brand
- Brand and conference swag
Lifestarr productivity app for solopreneurs
Marketing elements and campaigns I’ve developed for them:
- Logo creation
- App UI/UX design consultation with their internal team
- Covers for online guides and downloads
- Icon design
Once you devote the time to build that alliance, you’ve built roots that will continue to flourish. You can move quickly to market your company in new ways, all while reinforcing how polished and praiseworthy your brand is.
An abiding partnership makes design work easy. Through the years, I can point to ways my work with long-term clients has helped build their bottom line, along with the trust and exposure their brands have gained.
It’s gratifying for me and a breeze for my clients to enjoy the fruits of our partnership!
Professional visual design that crystallizes your brand and lets it fly.
I help you get measurable results from your brand design without the hassle, cost, or stress of an agency.
Do you want better market positioning so you can command a higher market value? I’ll visually harmonize and effectivize* your brand content so that it can be better understood by the right people.
Here’s what I offer:
- Strategic Design Partnerships to help your company command more sales, deeper customer relationships, and premium pricing
- 90-minute sessions to fix that pesky design issue you’re facing
*Yes, I made this word up.
It's hard to market an unfocused brand.
Your business should tell a powerful story to attract loyal customers. Get a brilliant visual framework tailor-made to help you build trust.
Key Takeaways
- Solid visual design makes your brand stand out and builds trust with your prospective clients.
- Without a long-term relationship with a strategic visual designer, it’s easy to make design mistakes, focus on the wrong things, and waste your time (and money) spinning your wheels on work that doesn’t get you closer to your goals.
- A long-term strategic design partnership saves you time, heightens the perceived quality of your brand, and boosts your bottom line.
- The time and energy you put into building your design partnership make future design projects easy – and it pays off in real ROI.
Video summary
Here’s a breakdown of 3 keys ways a long-term design relationship will save you time, make you look great, and grow your bottom line.