October 14, 2016

5 Things You Should Never Say to a Graphic Designer

Laura Wilcox – Assistant Creative Director

1. Make it pop.

Ah, make it pop – the designer’s Rubik’s Cube of doom. This ambiguous phrase could mean literally anything – brighter colors, larger fonts, bigger photos, more white space…

Instead: If you’re struggling to articulate your thoughts, bring a few samples that stand out to you and come prepared to talk about why you like them.

2. It’s great exposure!

When it comes to design (and questionable Craigslist ads), most great things are not actually free. Quality creative takes a lot of time and energy, and unless you are Beyoncé, most artists appreciate compensation beyond exposure. Beyoncé, if you’re reading, this does not apply to you.

Instead: If you’re working on a limited budget, ask your designer how to save money during production or design instead of taking a pay cut.

3. Can you just grab a photo from Facebook?

Hint: The answer is no. Unless you want your ad to look like a bad NES commercial from the 80s, Facebook photos are off-limits. The low resolution produces grainy pixelation on graphics larger than a thumbnail.

Instead: There’s really no easy way around this one. For high-quality work, you have to send high-quality images! Thankfully, if you don’t have one handy, there’s paid services like Shutterstock or free image sources like Pexel.

4. I sent it to you in Word.

Unless you’re referring to newsletter copy, you are living in sin. Not only is it time consuming to export images from Word, but the photo quality often suffers. For quicker results, try sending a .png, .jpg or PDF file directly.

Instead: If you’re unsure what file type, just ask! Designers always appreciate clients and colleagues who want to improve efficiency. To quote Better Middler, you are the wind beneath our wings.

5. Can you make this an editable file?

Unless you want to spend two hours doing something a professional could do in 15 minutes, some things are simply better left to the professionals. Trust me on this one! Editable files = frowns all around.

Instead: Ask your designer to create a template to easily replace photos and content in just a few minutes. But if you’d rather call us hysterical at three in the afternoon after lighting your computer on fire (0/10 would not recommend to a friend), you do you.

Alright, fellow designers. I know you’re dying to chime in! What’s the number one thing you hate hearing in the field?

Share: