Five things you should never ask a Graphic Designer.

Believe me, we can be hard to communicate with. We have a design jargon & some software and people outside this graphic design world might have no idea how this works and what it means. So, if you are working with a Graphic Designer and want your final product that pleases everyone, please don't ask the following questions:

Can you design a draft till the time we finish writing a copy for you?

Ever since a designer takes his first design lesson, he is told that "Always Design around content". In fact marketing experts believe that "Content is king". Presenting already existing content in a graphic will of course look better than pushing content into an already existing design. Also, replacing dummy content with final content increases the turn-around time thus resulting in increase in cost. So, from next time get the copy close to its final stage before asking your designer to get started. This is best for both the parties.

Can you complete it by tomorrow?

Graphic Design isn't an hour's job.  Every design project will require a different time span for completion. Some designs can be accomplished in a day, while others might take longer. The completion time varies from project to project and a designer's creative process. Once you finalize your designer, tell him your constraints and ask him for a fair estimate on how long it will take to accomplish this task.

Can you create it in an editable format?

Asking a designer to create an editable design is like asking a doctor to give the patient a homemade medicine. If you want a quality design never ask for an editable version as you might end up changing it to a bad design since you will not have the design knowledge yourself. If you want to make edits regularly than you might like using options like 'Picmonkey' or 'Canva' where you can use already existing templates created by designers and customize them as per your need.

Can you create something exactly the same as this design?

No Designer is happy copying another artist's work. Creating something similar and creating something exactly the same are two different things. You can definitely ask a designer to take inspiration from a particular design and create a graphic in his own style but never expect him to copy the same design. Copying is not just a copyright issue which might lead to legal consequences but it is also a matter of ethics for a designer.

Can you make it look modern?

Terms like 'modern', 'fancy', bright' or 'pop' don't give a clear picture to the designer of what you are looking for. Make it clear and be more detailed about what you are looking for. Share some examples of something similar to your expectations. These things are important as the designer can't read your mind and instead of wasting his and your time, it's better to be precise about your expectations.