Challenge: How do you quickly educate non-graphic designers on the basics of working with a graphic designer for the first time? Solution: Interview a world-class graphic designer on what clients should expect when working with graphic designers. This is one of my most popular Content Marketing Institute blog posts.

1. About
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By THOMAS CLIFFORD published JULY 13, 2011
The ABCs of Working with a
Graphic Designer (for the
First Time)
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If you’ve never worked with a graphic designer before, you might
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wonder where to start.
Let’s say you’re repurposing your existing articles into an e-book.
And let’s also say you’re thinking of having a custom graphic
design. Some obvious questions pop up:
Will a graphic designer guide you through the unfamiliar
world of design?
At what point in the content development process
should you talk to the designer?

2. How can you tell if you and your designer are a good
match before you work together?
To answer these questions and
more, I sat down with graphic
designer Eduardo Barrios of Barrios
Advertising.
Our conversation explored several
areas that will increase your
awareness about how to work with a
graphic designer for the first time. Join me in this enlightening
conversation.
Create a framework for us, Eduardo: What is the first thing
writers and content marketers need to know about
graphic designers?
Well, first of all, we’re both creative partners. There’s not really a
separation—we just do different things. In other words, when
you’re communicating with content, you have a huge palette from
which to draw, but it’s the copywriter’s main objective to be as
efficient as possible with the language to get the idea across. Well,
it’s the same thing with a graphic designer.
A graphic designer would want to know from their copy partner:
What is the main objective that you’re trying to get
across?
What is the main point of the article or the content piece,
and how do you—the copywriter—envision the kinds of
graphics you’d like to see?
So it’s a working relationship. It’s about starting out with concepts,
and then it’s a matter of getting to a point where the
communication is delivered efficiently and effectively.

3. When does the emotional “feel” or “flavor” of the content
come into play?
First, look at the message. What kind of flavor does it have? Does it
have a humorous touch to it? Is it more introspective and serious?
There are those kinds of sub-levels of concept and execution that
you can discuss with a designer. You could even get down into the
nitty-gritty of color and typography because each color has its own
mood. And the typography—there’s so many different fonts out
there. A designer will help you limit your universe because there
are some classic font faces and some font faces now that can be
used on digital format that are easier to read. So there are some
practicalities in this also.
When is the best time to talk to a graphic designer?
Well, if you have your content firmed up or you’ve been working on
a committee, it’s not likely you’re going to change the concepts.
There are certain mandates you’re working with, so it’s best to wait
to bring in a designer until those decisions are settled and you
have a clear direction. If you think that the designer may solve the
internal problem by guessing what you want, that probably won’t
work too well.
However, if you have a clear direction—your team is in agreement
on what the copy or content should say and do—then it’s probably
the right time to bring in a designer. Start by summarizing what
your content is about and laying down your expectations. A large
part of what the designer will want to know is who the audience is.
That will inform the type of design that the designer presents to
you, and there could be a couple of different options that the
designer might explore depending on what tone you discuss.
But if you’re a sole proprietor or writer, you may want to bring
them in for a brainstorming session prior to creating the content if
you’re having trouble getting your fix on what you should be

4. talking about.
What are two common myths many people have about
graphic designers?
1) A big myth is that graphic designers don’t read; they just design
pretty pictures, which is not the case. Graphic designers are very
interested in content. It’s not just pretty pictures or fine art for its
own sake. This is commercial art, and so it’s about selling ideas
and making money.
2) The second myth is that graphic designers are not interested in
business. In other words, graphic design is not about winning
awards—it’s about helping you sell your product. So designers
want to know about your product, your content, and what you’re
selling. They’ll probably ask questions about what other content
you have published, what your brand is, and what your readers are
looking for. The answers will enable graphic designers to produce
effective, branded, and relevant designs for you.
What if someone doesn’t have a clue what the design
should look like?
Trust your designer. Hang out with him and just say, “I don’t know
anything about color.” The good graphic designers will stay with
you and help educate you.
For example, there’s a great color resource—Pantone.com. The
Pantone system is a color-matching system used worldwide. You
can go on this website and find all kinds of interesting information
about color and the science of color. I’ll often direct my clients to
the Pantone color website and invite them to ask questions. But I
will generally teach them about the warmth of a color, the
coolness of a color, and how that translates into communication
for their readers, and how it connects with the concept that they’re
trying to get across to readers. It’s the same for typography or even

5. design principles, for that matter.
Sometimes, I’ll just get out a pad of paper and my trusty number
two pencil and will just sketch and say, “See, here’s a composition
that’s balanced, and here’s one that isn’t.”
And then there are things like white space. Generally, I think
people are tempted to say and show more than is necessary. What
happens is the message becomes muddy and difficult to
comprehend; there’s so much to take in at one time. So we just
educate in a gentle way about what can be done and what
shouldn’t be done for a design to be efficient and clear.
How can someone start learning the basics of design on
their own?
If you don’t know what the design should look like, start by
observing the things you see around you that you like. You could
find inspiration to show a designer; but, just like copywriters,
designers won’t plagiarize.
And inspiration comes in all forms. You could find something on
the Internet, you could read a book or see a book jacket cover, a
printed piece, go to Barnes and Noble, or you could be at a
baseball game, and the way a little kid swings the bat creates an
image in your mind. Just write it down and be aware that
inspiration is everywhere.
You can bring these ideas to your designer who will immediately
understand what you’re sayingand showing. He’ll see patterns and
understand the tone you’re trying to set. You also want to discuss
designs you don’t like; sometimes it’s helpful to discuss this first.
Why would someone spend money on a custom-designed
e-book cover, for instance, when there are so many
inexpensive ways to create a cover?

6. It’s a great question. Your content isn’t generic, and it would be a
disservice to your project to get something free online instead of
really customizing your graphic design to match your content. You
want it to be packaged in a unique and customized way.
At the end of the day, you’ll feel good about knowing that the
graphic design is completely yours. You won’t be seeing the design
used by some other content provider who downloaded a stock
design from the Internet.
Let’s say a project is already finished. Is it too late to work
with a graphic designer?
It’s never too late to call in a designer, but here’s my caution. Some
people will wrap up their writing and have strong feelings about
what they want for design, but they may not communicate that
specifically or explicitly. So a designer may go off developing ideas
that don’t track with your vision, which will create undue stress
and misunderstanding. Designers are good, but they are not mind
readers.
So if you’ve written something and you have a very clear vision of
what you want, let the designer know that this is what you would
like. If you don’t know, express that too. After all, too much design
development time may yield design charges that neither you nor
the designer expected. Be very clear about how you initiate the
project with a designer.
Thank you, Eduardo, for sharing your time and insights
about the world of graphic design. Your insights will
definitely help people who have never worked with a
graphic designer before.
Summary
Graphic designers are creative partners in your

7. communications process.
If you don’t know much about design, your designer will
help educate you about your choices.
Content is just as important as design.
Graphic designers understand business; they want to
help you sell your product or service.
Customizing the graphic design to match your content
ensures your brand will be unique and stand out.
Over to You
What other tips can you share with those who have never worked
with a graphic designer?
What questions do you have about working with graphic designers
for the first time? (Hopefully our readers can pitch in with their
answers!)
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Author: Thomas Clifford
Thomas Clifford is a B2B content marketing writer
and certified copywriter. He helps companies
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generate and nurture high quality leads through
eNewsletters, blog articles and free special
download reports. Tom has 25 years under his
belt as an award-winning B2B filmmaker. He's

8. produced hundreds of marketing-branding films
and brings his street-level interviewing
experience to every project. Tom is featured in
the book “Content Rules: How to Create Killer
Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and
More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your
Business." He has also written dozens of articles
as an “Expert Blogger” for FastCompany.com.
You can follow Tom on Twitter at
@ThomasClifford. His blog, "Humanizing
Business Communications," is packed with new
media business communication tips and writing
strategies. His eBook "5 (Ridiculously Simple)
Ways to Write Faster, Better, Easier" is free to
new subscribers.
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Discussion Share #
disputblog • 2 years ago
Hi, guys, a great interview and I second that's been
said here. I have built a strong and close relationship with
graphic designers I've been working with and it has paid out in
terms of great finished products, such as invitations, custom