There are many types of customers that you will come across in the product decoration industry. One of the more complicated customers you will encounter will be the one who wants a product decorated, but does not have any artwork of their own. This customer will want you to create their design for them, whether or not you are known for your artistic abilities. There are a few ways to handle this situation without allowing the design process to eat up an excessive amount of your time.
The easiest method of handling these customers is obviously to decline to work with them. Now, this is not necessarily the recommended method of dealing with design-seeking customers, but it saves you the time and hassle of dealing with something you may not be familiar or comfortable with. The process can become both cumbersome and frustrating, as it can be difficult to please design customers even if you know exactly what you are doing. Constant communication and revision throughout the design process can take its toll on you and the client as well.
Sometimes you will just need to help a customer with a design. Whether it is an existing customer whose business you need to keep or a prospective customer whose business you desperately want to acquire, there are ways to make the design process easier for yourself. The first thing you should let the customer know is that you charge for design work. Design work is time-consuming and your time is a precious resource that you do not want to waste on something that is not your specialty. However, if the design is for a screen printing job, you may want to offer a half hour of free design work because your profit will be higher on the printing itself. Otherwise, it is wise to at least cover the cost of the time you will spend on the project.
If you will be taking the design job and doing it yourself, then you must be familiar with at least one of the three main design tools: CorelDraw, Adobe Illustrator, or Adobe Photoshop. Each of these programs is unique, and they all have their benefits and drawbacks. CorelDraw, for instance, is easier for beginners than the other design tools, however it only runs on Windows and is better suited to designing vector images. To become more familiar with any of these design tools, reference our design tool articles, which provide an overview of the most common functions necessary for product decoration shops.
Another option for creating a design for a customer is using our online design tool. Our design tool is powered by CorelDraw (and works on both Windows and Mac OS) and is easy to work with. We, at Print Phase, are continuously creating and releasing new design templates to make the design process as easy as possible. Another benefit to using our design tool is that either you or your customer can use it to make their design. If you can convince the customer to design their own image, then you save yourself the hassle and the time.
Finally, if you just do not have the design chops and you have a customer with design needs that you want to satisfy, then you can outsource the design. If you know an artist or work with one regularly, then that is probably the safest route, but it may not be the cheapest method. The website Fiverr.com, however, is filled with artists and designers who can help you with your design for as little as $5. Post a design job on Fiverr, or directly contact an artist whose portfolio or reviews you find intriguing, to have the job done inexpensively.
At some point in the life of your product decoration company, you will encounter a customer who needs design help. Whether you provide them with a design is entirely up to you. If you do decide to provide a design, then make sure you are compensated for it. Either create the design yourself or outsource it. Either way, be upfront with your customer about your abilities and make sure you both have a clear understanding of their needs. Creating a design for a customer can be a difficult and frustrating process at times, but it can also be a great way to attract new business or keep an existing customer satisfied.
