Questions to Ask Your Graphic Designer

…and why it’s important to do so

When you’re getting ready to hire a graphic designer, there are some basic things that every good designer will know and provide. You should be ready to ask the following questions and you should get the right answers…or you should move on to someone else. Price is not always the deciding factor when it comes to design.

1. What software do you use to create graphics?

This is important because you want clean crisp graphics, not only for print but also for the web. Did you know that you can go into programs like MS Powerpoint and MS Publisher, and create a document, then save it as a .jpg? This may seem like a really awesome and easy way to create a graphic, however there are issues with doing that…such as resolution. A true designer will have graphics software such as Adobe Illustrator (if hand drawn), Adobe Photoshop, Ulead PhotoImpact (great for photo editing), or CorelDraw. Keep in mind that while Quark, Publisher, and Powerpoint are all great Desktop Publishing programs, they are not intended to be used for logo design or website graphic design.

A good designer will provide you with final graphics that have smooth edges on the text as well as any other elements. Good graphics are very important to your business image. If your graphics appear to be designed by your brother-in-law’s friend with Powerpoint, your business will not be taken seriously. View an Example

2. Is there a difference between website graphics and print graphics?

The answer is always yes. If the person you are dealing with says “No”, you need to find someone else.

Print graphics are always high resolution (at least 300 dpi) and typically not provided to you as a .jpg or .gif. Most often your print graphics will be in one or all of these file types: .ai, .psd, .pdf, .eps, or .bmp. But be careful…some of these file types can be created using the software we mentioned in question 1…so they still may not be the clean, crisp graphics you should be getting.

Website graphics are typically a lower dpi, such as 150 or less, and are optimized for the web. Web graphics such as .gif, .jpg, and .png can all be optimized with the right software programs, so that they look exactly the same to the viewer, but the file size has been significantly lowered in order to load faster in a web browser. In today’s image rich website design, this can be extremely important. Visitors do not typically wait more than a few seconds for a website to “load” in their browser, and if your images and graphics are not optimized, you are probably losing a significant amount of traffic.

3. Can you provide a file for my print shop?

When you go to a print shop with any high resolution graphic (such as a logo or a print ad) you will typically be told that you need to provide them with camera ready artwork. Your graphic designer should have this artwork already on file if the artwork was created using the correct software. Many times a print shop will use the term “vector file”, and your designer will know exactly what is needed.

If you are having an ad designed, it’s important to let your designer know if it will be going to print, and what that print size will be. For instance, if you’re placing a magazine ad, your designer will need to know whether the ad will be in a portrait (short side up or vertical), or landscape (long side up or horizontal) layout.

4. Will you provide me with color codes, and if so what types?

At the very least your designer should be able to provide you with an R-G-B code for each color within your design. Your web designer will need something different, however: a hex code. Hex codes start with the ‘#’ symbol, and are six digits long. Print shops will typically need one of two common code types: CMYK or Pantone. A true graphic designer can easily provide you with with all four types.

Good graphic design can be hard to find in this age of computer driven business. If you know what you need before you get started you can avoid the pitfalls that come with a “person who does logos”, and find a graphic designer who’ll provide you with the image your business needs to succeed.