I’m horrified, almost on a daily basis, when the owner of a business, proudly announces to me that he produces all his own design work in-house, using some obscure desktop publishing software, on his home PC.

If they are graphic designers then this is fine, but what the other business owners don’t realise is that their poorly designed corporate, sales and marketing materials are in fact wholly detrimental to the public image of their companies.

If a potential customer sees poorly designed sales materials, the customer will sub-consciously think the company produces products that are poorly designed or sub-standard.

First impressions last! – its that simple, and its a proven fact.

Next time you visit a major retail outlet, have a glance along the shelves and see how many ‘home-made’ logos you see there… My guess is none!? That’s because all of these manufacturers and producers know and understand that, for their products and services to appeal to their target audiences, and then create a desire to part with their hard-earned cash, they need stop producing materials in-house, and start employing experienced professionals instead.

It’s this decision, an allocated budget (however large or small) and a little time, that has the potential to change any popular local business, into a nationally recognised and respected company.

I’m constantly told ‘we can’t afford to produce this professionally’. My reply to this is always ‘when you risk losing potential sales and profits, you can’t afford not to produce everything professionally’.

Yes there are always cost implications – but the return always pays dividends.

Never underestimate the value of good design!