Graphic design for your brand

If you have the budget, working with an experienced graphic designer is money well spent.

They can help bring your vision to life and create a design style that works across all your marketing touch points.

What is graphic design?

Graphic design is the art of selecting and arranging visual elements like typography, symbols, images and colours to convey a message to an audience.

It can also be key to the visual representation of your brand, when a designer takes your business’s personality and values and turns them into a ‘house style’ specific to your business, that customers see and connect with.

Good design helps your business look polished, trustworthy, and easy to recognise.

It also plays a major role in how people feel about your business – and whether they choose you over a competitor.

Graphic design can include:

  • your logo
  • business cards
  • uniforms
  • building signage and vehicles
  • posters, newsletters and brochures
  • your website and social media graphics.

Using the right colours, images, and concepts helps you grab attention, tell your story, and make your message clear.

It’s one of the most important tools in your marketing toolkit.

If you’re just starting out or working with limited resources, consider these options to create a professional-looking brand:

Hiring a freelance graphic designer

While working with a full branding agency can be helpful it can also be costly and may not be essential to get a start on your brand.

Freelancers can offer equally creative and far more affordable design services. Be sure to read customer reviews first or ask to see samples of previous client work before you engage a designer.

Then they will need a clear design brief which includes your business values, who your customers are, and some examples of styles you like. Getting them to create a logo is a good starting point.

Using Canva to design it yourself

Canva is a free, beginner-friendly design tool that offers templates for logos, business cards, social media graphics, style guides, and more.

You can create good designs even if you have no design experience.

Quick Canva tips:

  • choose a logo template that suits your industry sector
  • stick to two or three main brand colours and one or two fonts
  • use Canva’s Brand Kit to save your visual elements
  • keep your design clean and simple for a professional look.

Looking for a bit more guidance?

The Department of State Growth has a great library of presentations on digital marketing, including one on Canva basics for beginners