Templates versus Designers

In a DIY world, can a graphic design firm give more than a point-and-click site? Technology has given the novice the opportunity to develop his own logos and business cards, leaving us to wonder if graphic design is a dying art. On the contrary, graphic design is now a revolution of form and function.

Roger Shepherd, a member of AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts), recently commented, “…effective design comes from the union of physical experience, collective memory, and common sense, writing about and reading about anything meaningful keeps us from losing "our plot. Our story line."

His comment defines our need for more than just an image or line of text; design is the collaboration of text and image to create a sustainable message for the viewer. A graphic design firm will fuse technology with aesthetics to stand out from the crowd in a very personal way. Using all the tools available to them, along with artistic vision, designers offer more than color and font choices – they offer vision.

Creating a logo should not be limited by the technology; quite the opposite. The vision should force technology to stand up and take notice. The graphic design firm goes further to bring that vision to all communique including print, apparel and web. The designer brings talent to the table, an immeasurable asset.

That asset becomes a branding experience that is consistent and defines a company to the world. This visual image is as important as any corporate asset and should be valued as highly. Professional designers understand color theory – what will excite or calm the viewer. Designers are artists who absorb the nuances of imagery and text every day – bringing their skills to levels that cannot be replicated by machines. They work in an ever-evolving field that allows them to reach beyond the scope of ordinary advertising. They accommodate the technology to their concept to offer clients fresh ideas

The templates offered on the web have a place for many businesses and organizations. They offer the ability to quickly create a banner for a furniture sale or brochure for a sports team at low costs. Templates are a welcome technological advance but should never be confused with the creative edge that a graphic design firm can offer.