Sydney Jones here,

Companies hire design firms to help them develop their brand. That usually means the company logo, stationary package and a couple of major pieces such as the corporate brochure or company web site. But after that, many managers believe (sometimes mistakenly) that their in-house staff can do the rest.

It's great to do some work in-house, but it's important to recognize that there can be limitations. Software knowledge does not equal design training. Good design takes experience, craftsmanship, and usability knowledge.

At Honeycomb Creative Solutions we understand that sometimes it's necessary to do the work in-house. We've asked our Director of Creative Services, Riley Haslinger, to offer her advice for doing-it-yourself.

Sydney

DIY Design Basics

1. Don't over compensate with your logo size
More people will be interested in what you're selling than the size of your logo. Yes, your logo is important. But it is not the most important item on the page. Most logo's are designed to stand alone, and don't belong as part of the title or a sentence. Give your logo importance by giving it space rather than increasing it's size.

2. Limit the number of fonts that you use
Just because your computer has hundreds of fonts, doesn't mean that you have to use all of them. Limit your font usage to one or two fonts. Make sure they're easy to read and consistent with your company image.

3. Colour is good. Too much colour can be bad
More colour doesn't necessarily make something better. Sometimes it just makes it look garish. If it feels like the document is screaming 'look at me' - you've likely gone too far. Try to stick to your corporate colours to maintain consistency.

4. Use good quality photos and illustrations
Invest in professional photos of key people and products. If the photo has bad lighting, poor composition and isn't properly exposed - don't use it. Make sure that you use a high enough resolution image in your print materials - that means 200 ppi (pixels per inch) for laser prints and 300 ppi for pieces you are sending to an offset printer. Most photos that are used on web sites are not large enough.

5. Avoid cramped spaces
White space is good. It lets your photos and text 'breath'. There's always more information that could be added - but doesn't have to be. Remember, less is more!

6. Don't use a new design every time
Variety is good, but consistency is more important. Use similar types of images, keep the dimensions of the pieces consistent and place the logo in the same spot each time. Choose a style and stick with it for a number of pieces.

Bottom line, if it's important enough to do, it's important enough to do it right. For materials that need to be done internally, it is a good idea to use templates or a brand manual developed by your design firm.

If you feel like you don't have the time or expertise to do-it-yourself, call the design and marketing experts at Honeycomb Creative Solutions - we are the print and internet problem solvers.