The theme was to “solve design problems with typography that has both visual and conceptual impact.” We had a weekly assignment. Most involved conveying a message through type alone. It was a fun and challenging class, and I learned a lot.

The assignment on one particular week was to rework the Super Bowl logo. This was just after Super Bowl XLIII (or 43 to those of us not wearing togas), and there was a lot of talk about that year’s logo. We here at Vibor loved it, but some critics claimed it was too commercial or too much like a bank logo.

Since this was a purely academic exercise, I decided on a novel approach. The Super Bowl, after all, is the most-watched sporting event in the world, so perhaps the logo didn’t need to say “Super Bowl” at all. Maybe all it needed was the number. I designed a logo with just the Roman numerals.

The instructor thought it was an aggressive and interesting approach, and there was some debate about it in class. But, in the end, the instructor advised me that this would never work in the real world. I agreed, and explained that I was just exploring the idea. I never really thought about it again.

That is until now.

We’re huge Giants fans here at Vibor, so I’ve been watching a lot of ESPN’s coverage. And guess what I’m seeing? The use of only the Roman numerals in several places (this time XLVI for 46). Sure, it’s not the official logo, but it’s being used in one place with letters that are 20 feet high. It’s also on the splash graphics for ESPN’s in-studio coverage.

I mention this not to gloat or to say I’m some sort precognitive designer, but to remind designers and anyone with a creative vision that you should always trust your instincts. Try and push the limit when possible. If your design or idea is sound, eventually the world may come around to your way of thinking.

You never know. And, go Giants!

The same holds true for the graphic identity of your business. Designers (like us) are trained in what it takes to make your enterprise look as good as possible. That’s what we’ve gone to school for.
Here are some other reasons why you need a designer:

1) Designers are trained.
Knowledgeable designers (like us) know all the nuts and bolts of design. Like a plumber knows about J-bends and power-venting, designers know about trap, bleed and process colors. When a good designer sends a file to be printed or preps it to appear on a website, you know it will look as it was intended to. We speak the printer’s language. Can you say that about a logo your nephew made while he was taking a break from playing “Call of Duty”? Really?

2) Designers save you time.
Even if you have an excellent eye for design, the time that you spend working on your graphic identity takes away from the time that you could be working on your trade. Good designers (like us) are experts at what we do, and hiring a designer will keep you focused on what you do best. Even smarter is to hire a professional designer first, so we don’t have to rework what’s already been done. Bring the designer in at the first step, talk through what you want, show us examples of what you like, and we’ll take it from there.

3) Designers help you stand out.
We’ve all seen the ads online for cut-rate printing and web design services. Sure, they seem easy to use and, in fact, they often are. And you can’t beat the price. But here’s the downside: we’ve been to so many networking mixers and trade shows. We swap business cards with business owners. We get home and start organizing all those cards. What do we see? Duplicates. The home alarm company has used the same template as the gardening center as the interior designer. See the problem? With template-driven design, you don’t stand out. It’s embarrassing to have the same business card or logo as another business, especially one in the same market. We’ve seen it more times than we care to say, and it makes us a little sad, every time. A good agency (like us) will take some time to get to learn about your business, your marketplace, and your competitors. We’ll then take the time to design materials that are of real value: documents and graphics that help you stand apart and draw attention to your business while conveying a sense of quality.

4) Designers know their stuff.
Just like carpenters, doctors and mechanics, who all have their own set of tools, designers do too. And good designers (like us) know when to use vector art or spot color. We know when to use Adobe InDesign™ rather than Illustrator™. We know when not to use Flash. (We’re talking to you, armchair website developers.) We know how to write cascading style sheets.  Oh, we could go on and on with the jargon but we won’t. A good designer knows when the job is done.

5) Designers care.
It might seem silly but good design agencies (like us) really care about the success of their clients. Sure, part of it may be self-serving: the better we help you convey your message the more your business may succeed and the more you will want to hire us again and talk us up to your friends. But more than that, designers really feel a sense of accomplishment when their designs work well for a client. When they have that aha! moment looking at how well their business is conveyed in a  website or brochure or logo. At least we do.