Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Paul DeBock on February 15, 2010 at 12:09pm

I didn't go with a designer at all. I felt that it would be easier and more efficient to do it myself. there are a lot of great servers out there with different applications and software pre installed. I use a content management system called Joomla it is open source and simple. I can have any one of my staff update the site and none of them have any knowledge about web design. I would be more than happy to show you what I have and how it works I know how frustrating it can be email me at paul@threedscoffee.com and we can talk.

Permalink Reply by Sloan Coleman on February 15, 2010 at 12:19pm

Hey Paul, thanks for connecting.

I visited your site and think you did an amazing job doing it yourself. I think having a CMS is very essential these days for a number of reasons and am happy to here that you went that route.

One thing I did notice your site lacks is a strong brand presence, which would be something the right graphic designer would help and advice you on. From visiting the site I don't have a strong idea what Three Dee's is about, who your target market is, or how you are different and why I should go there.

Once again, I want to commend you for making a professional site yourself, but want to encourage you to push it even farther, establishing your brand and telling your customers what Three D's coffee is all about!

Permalink Reply by Matthew Palmer on July 2, 2010 at 3:16pm

Hey Sloan,

Great question! But before I start, please read the following disclaimer.

CAUTION: I am not a small coffee business owner, but I am an online store and brand designer who works with small business owners. I have listened to many of my client's stories (good and bad) about finding designers for their projects.

Begin Answer:

I feel it's possible to hire just one person to do everything, but it has to be a unique individual. Every graphic designer (a very broad name) has different discipline, skills, and abilities to execute effective projects. The usual frustrations I hear from prospective clients are from working with graphic designers who are merely pixel pushers. They don't take a step back to understand the big picture of strategy and goals vital to the execution of an effective communication piece. It could be there isn't good direction from the small business owner OR that the designer didn't do enough research and strategizing to really understand what's required of them.

Freelancers are freelancers – they typically have a mindset for the start and finish of the project, not what will be generated by the project they create, or the long term effects. Agencies and marketers have a much different mindset, taking a holistic approach to the problem (which in the end makes you money). Your graphic designer should have some competencies in marketing to make suggestions and come up with creative angles to enable your business to succeed.

Make sure you conduct your interviews carefully and ask about the graphic designers process of work. How collaborative is it? What words to they use to describe what they do? Ask for references and case studies on work they have done. Have they generated sales with the work they've done for their past clients?

I would encourage finding a designer who has experience in the coffee industry, but it's not mandatory. It will save you time and money to go with someone who has worked with vendors to produce the projects you have (i.e. bags, signage, booths). It will also save you time to choose someone who is familiar with the selling points of the typical coffee customer. But it's more important they can know your distinctive and how you want YOUR business to be communicated to YOUR customer.

Above all, make sure the foundation of your branding and messaging is solid. Spend careful time (and resource) here, as it will set up everything else you do. I recommend you find someone who does your branding and messaging and can then carry everything forward to the other pieces (bags, labels, signage, website, emails, postcards, booths etc.). You will save money and time not having to communicate or reintroduce things to a new party, and the continuity between the pieces will show with a strong presence. Even if the designer cannot do web work, keep them on as an art director/consultant to make sure the programmers of the site are keeping things consistent to the foundation you've set.


Lastly, I don't know where to find graphic designers other than the networks I am a part of. I am open to talking to anyone about their project(s) and what their goals are. We can determine if we are a good fit for each other, and if not, then I can try to match you up with a designer I know who might be a good fit. You can reach me at matt@asteravenue.com

Permalink Reply by Amy on July 16, 2010 at 12:01pm

I was a graphic designer before I jumped into roasting so I didn't use one. I would get one to do everything, because it's a bit cheaper and you want this to be a relationship, that will see you through changes to your website and business. If you have any specific questions, you can message me. Anyone can make a website on a number of different sites or programs, but if you don't have a clear idea of your over all scheme, it gets muddy. Branding and a clear straight forward idea helps a whole bunch.

Permalink Reply by Matt Fitzwater on July 16, 2010 at 12:29pm

Go with a designer whose style you like. 'In the industry' is neither help nor hindrance. You want someone with whom you can relate your ideas and who can relate your ideas back to you.

Personally, I work on Logos, Packaging and Advertisement leaving the web design to someone with far more experience than myself.

Put an add on Craigslist, look at portfolios, get quotes and go from there. Don't limit yourself to local artists, the internet broadens our availability.

Permalink Reply by Chase Mann on January 22, 2011 at 9:20am

Great question! I agree and disagree with some of the previous comments, but being a coffee professional whose been involved in the industry for over 20 years AND being a graphic designer, I'm a bit prejudiced.

 

Small business owners often make the mistake of thinking "oh I can just do this myself and not have to pay someone" ... without considering the fact that if they themselves, or an employee, create all the materials, they are spending much more time doing it than a specialist like myself who has the templates and organization to churn out excellent products at affordable costs.

 

I do agree that it's often best to have one resource for your graphic design needs, then the consistency is in place and there's not the extra hassle of files being thrown around to various people ... it winds up being a lot less messy and more convenient to the client.

 

I also agree that CMS are the way to go, I've switched to only creating WordPress blogsites for all my clients ... it's super easy now to actually make it look like, and have good SEO of, a real hard-coded website.

 

I've found that my experience has lead to me being a great resource to clients because I KNOW what to look for and see the big picture and put all the pieces together in the right context. It makes it should make it very easy for someone with direct industry experience to make appropriate designs, use their collection of purchased coffee-related graphics and illustrations, and be able to create these specific designs in shorter time than someone without such experience and resources. My long coffee industry background has lead to me having a large library of materials to use as starting points from everything like coupons, up to employee guidebooks, training materials and simple things like cash drawer count sheets.

 

Using a graphic designer with coffee industry experience often means that they share your passion about coffee and therefore can potentially create passionate designs that have the emotional connection intended for your target audience.

 

Just my two cents beans worth :-)