How much does graphic design cost?

This is a question that customers are usually afraid to ask, perhaps because they wrongly assume that it is not affordable. A better question might be," What is the cost of not having your work professionally designed?" Here's a story we recently heard from a customer:

This business attempted to place a large full-color display ad in two local publications. The first publication used one spot color and put the photos in as black & white images (although they didn't hesitate to charge the full color price!) The second publication printed an unproofed version of the ad in which about half the people in the pictures were identified with the wrong names. Can you say embarrassed?

Our customer said, "If you had asked me before I placed the ads if it would have been worth it to pay someone a small amount to design the ads, I would have said 'No way.' After all, why pay for something that the publications offer for free?" She found out the hard way that oftentimes you get just what you pay for!

Nowadays, almost everyone has access to page design programs and clip art collections on their computer. Does this make them a graphic designer? Not really, but many people are determined to "save" by doing the design work themselves.

You wouldn't go to your brother-in-law (unless he is a dentist!) to have your tooth pulled, and you shouldn't entrust your image to someone without graphic design experience and training. The simple fact is that people judge by appearance, and especially first impressions. If you want to be taken seriously as a professional, you need to have a professional look.

In most cases, the graphic design charge is just a small part of the overall cost of producing a product. The cost is even less per piece when you consider that we will keep your design on file so that you can re-order it (with or without modifications) as many times as you want.

Now getting to the price. We charge $30 an hour for the graphic design work if you do the printing or (web site creation) with us. A little more if you don't. Remember, however, that we are very experienced, so what might take you two or three hours, we can probably knock off in 15 minutes!

Please feel free to give us a call for an estimate on your next job at 585-243-3530. Thanks!

Graphic Design⁺

Good graphic design is all about communication and there are many elements that go into good communication. The most important thing we do at Genesee Graphics is take the time to understand your business and find out what your goals are for every job we work on. Once we understand that, we are in a better position to advise you about a lot more than just how to make a pretty design (although we can do that too!)

With over 20 years experience in the newspaper and magazine businesses, we have designed literally thousands of ads and collateral materials for hundreds of local businesses. We can make suggestions about what copy, logos, images and typology would best serve to communicate your message.

When you retain Genesee Graphics to help prepare a project for printing or online publication it is really more like hiring a full-service advertising agency. You will get the benefit of our years of experience in marketing, copy writing, design, layout, and most importantly, expertise in how to produce your piece in the most cost-effective manner.

We can also help you integrate your marketing campaign across different media. Genesee Graphics is your one-stop shop for all printing and online applications. Whether you are planning a print or direct mail campaign, a web site, an e-mail marketing newsletter or all of the above, we can make it happen at a very reasonable cost. Remember our motto is, "If you can dream it, we can do it!"

Give us a call today for a free consultation at 585-243-3530.