The Graphic Designer Value-Add
In the evolving world of social media, visual content, and marketing initiatives, we are constantly being asked to deliver diverse visuals for growing businesses (print, digital-web, digital-social, apparel… the list goes on). What’s most surprising to our Studio is how often clients come to us with DIY media that doesn’t meet presentation standards per their desired delivery vehicle — a clean-up on aisle 5 situation in other words. Many of these visuals are generated via tools like Canva. This leaves us constantly educating clients on the value-add of a Graphic Designer and an honest lesson in when these “express design” tools/apps work best.
What is Canva?
Canva is an online designing tool/app that allows designing graphics to be easily accessible to everyone. It features a drag-and-drop interface, ready-made templates, and design elements that essentially allow anybody to make something good-looking — good enough looking even. That being said, Canva (in our professional opinion) will not replace great graphic design.
When you use Canva, you are not “designing.”
Canva designers are arranging ready-made graphics and elements on a template-based canvas. One excellent metaphor that we recently came upon — Canva is the classic microwaveable dinner, whereas a Graphic Designer is a seasoned chef creating a unique, from-scratch, wow-factor, delicious dish! * We will circle back to when that microwaveable dinner is appropriate.
Canva’s limited formats constantly fall short.
Many small business owners rely on Canva to make “quick” graphics. Don’t get us wrong, the tool/app is fantastic for that! Our Studio even creates via the tool/app internally for social media stories, blocks, quick content posting, and other small-resolution web applications. However, where Canva falls short is in its ability to create a graphic that will truly stand out; one that will rise above ubiquitous compositions. It’s been done before. Canva falls short in creating a high-resolution format that will visually soar in professional print applications. Canva falls short in creating a graphic that can be endlessly scaled, exported as a vector with layers/outlines, and that is (truly) properly rendered.
When a Graphic Designer becomes invaluable.
As our clients scale their businesses, engage with their audience, and seek forms of visual expression, we take pride in educating them about how they can maximize the quality of their output, their internal efforts, and overall affordability. At the end of the day, tools/apps are fantastic — if you know when to use them. If you are looking for high-quality, unique, brand-aligned materials for your growing business; especially to share in intimate settings via stunning print outputs and crisply elevated web or book formats, we highly suggest exploring Graphic Design resources. If you are looking for a credible graphic/logo that has endless uses (apparel to billboards) and is properly created, we suggest collaborating with a Graphic Designer. As for social media and that 11:30 pm post that you almost forgot to send off on Monday night — DIY that all day long!
