Chances are that if you’re reading this, you’re either a designer or someone interested in design at some level. On top of that, a good percentage of you readers freelance either full or part-time. There are a lot of freelance designers out there, and the majority of us brand ourselves as just that: a freelance graphic designer. But is that really accurate? Do we only offer graphic design services, or do we offer a wider range of services – one of which is graphic design? Allow me to explain.
Graphic design is a skill. This skill can be manifested in the design of a business card; the design of a marketing print piece; the design of a website. It is a skill that is required by every small business at varying levels; however, it is also a skill that has to be in touch with a variety of previously defined goals and strategies of that business in order to be effective. Here at Paper Leaf, we preach about knowing the end user and designing with them in mind. We also talk about goals and designing towards achieving those goals (for example, for a web user to follow a predetermined path throughout a website that culminates in a phone call or email). With all that in mind, ask yourself: do your clients come to you with these goals and end users already defined? Or do you help them strategize and set goals prior to setting pencil to paper?
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