Running a business · 10 guides
Graphic Designer: problems and fixes, explained by Vicky
Vicky Gouge is the only graphic designer member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- What a logo and brand identity cost a small business, and what moves the price There is no standard price for a logo, because a logo alone and a full brand identity are different jobs. Here is what actually drives the quote, and how to keep it inside your budget. The honest answer on priceA logo and a brand identity are not the same purchaseThe six things that move a quote up or downPackaging, vehicles and signs change the math
- Template website or custom design: how a small business decides without overspending A template site can look professional and launch quickly. A custom site fits a business that has outgrown standard layouts. Here is how to tell which one you need. Which one fits most small businessesWhat "template" and "custom" actually meanWhen a template is the smart callWhen custom design earns its cost
- Naming and branding a new Texas business: what to check before you pay for a logo The name comes before the logo, and a few searches before the name. Here is the order I recommend for a new Texas business, from availability checks to a brand that stands out. Check the name before you design anythingThe availability searches, in orderA filing is not the same as owning the nameTesting the name the way customers will meet it
- Making your own logo with Canva or AI: when it works and when it costs you later A free logo tool can get a brand-new business through its first months. Here is where DIY logos hold up, where they break, and what to check before you build a business on one. Yes, you can, and sometimes you shouldWhen a do-it-yourself logo is good enoughWhere template and AI logos break downOwnership and similarity: the part people skip
- Inside a logo and brand identity project: what happens at each step and what slows it down A brand identity project follows a predictable path from discovery to final files. Knowing the steps, and your part in each, is the best way to keep it on schedule. The path in one paragraphStep one: the discovery callStep two: settling the strategyStep three: concepts
- Do you still need brochures, cards and mailers? Which print earns its keep Print is not dead, but a lot of it is wasted. Here is how to tell which brochures, cards and mailers your business actually needs and how to make them work. Yes, but probably not all of itFive signs print would help your businessSigns you are printing out of habitThe pieces that usually pay their way
- Branding myths that cost small businesses money, and what is actually true Most branding mistakes start with a belief that sounds reasonable. Here are the ones I hear most often from owners, and what is actually true about each. The short version"My logo is my brand""I paid for it, so I own it""Registering the business name protects it"
- Before you hire a graphic designer: the questions that separate decorators from partners A portfolio shows taste. The right questions show whether a designer can build a brand that works for your business. Here are the ones I would ask if I were hiring. The short list, before the detailQuestions to answer yourself before the first callQuestions about how they thinkReading a portfolio the right way
- After the new logo: what a brand style guide holds and how to keep the brand from drifting A new brand starts drifting the day a staff member makes their first flyer. A short style guide, organized files and a yearly check keep it looking like one company. What the guide needs, in briefWhy brands drift after launchThe pages every small business guide should haveColor, contrast and the details that trip people up
- Your website, brochure and logo look like three different companies: fixing the brand The brand got built one piece at a time by whoever was available. Here is how to tell whether that is costing you customers and what a strategy-first rebrand involves. Six logos, four fonts and a website your nephew builtHow a brand scatters, and what it costsA brand audit you can do yourself in an hourWhen a tidy-up is enough, and when to start over