Reasons to Avoid Do It Yourself Design

If we had a nickel every time a client came to us with a request to undo the damage caused by an in-house design project gone awry . . . you get the picture. Technology is a wonderful thing and with so many first-rate and affordable design solutions on the market, we understand why businesses are tempted to take a stab at design projects using in-house resources.

But at Walker Sands, we also understand that in-house design rarely lives up to our clients' marketing expectations. The failures and setbacks businesses experience in DIY design aren't due to a lack of effort they're attributable to the fact that in-house design usually lacks specific elements that are essential for a successful design project.

• Expertise. Great design is about more than simply having the right tools. More often than not, skill, experience and expertise separate truly exceptional marketing designs from the rest of the field.
• Objectivity. For the sake of argument, let's say you have someone on your staff with first-rate design credentials. But you still lack an essential ingredient in design success: Objectivity. Marketing and design firms offer an objective third-party perspective and provide a much-needed reality check for your company's design concepts.
• Cost. Outsourcing is substantially less expensive than staffing a full-time, in-house design team. Unless your company generates enough marketing material to keep full-time hires busy year-round, you'll achieve a greater ROI by hiring a first-rate marketing design firm.
• Strategic integration. Another benefit of outsourcing design to a professional marketing firm is that your designs will be tightly coordinated with your overall marketing strategy. Although it's possible to achieve integration between an outside marketing firm and an internal design team, it's more likely that miscommunication and disjointed processes will dilute end products.
• Results. Good design is all about results. And in our experience, DIY design projects rarely deliver the same results as projects that have been outsourced to legitimate design professionals. Top designers specialize in creating innovative designs for offline and online marketing campaigns, and they know what it takes to achieve the desired results.

If you have recognized the need to outsource your company's design projects to a best-in-class design professional, you're well on your way to creating designs that make an impact in the marketplace. Contact the Walker Sands Chicago design agency today and learn how we can help take your designs and your company to the next level.

If you're looking for new ways to engage with your audience that you can do without a firm's help, try Going Native.