Graphic design may seem like a pretty simple, straight forward task. Rip open the shrink-wrap sealed copy of Photoshop, install it on your computer and jump into designing your own web sites, business cards and ads. Just to be sure, once you're done, you run your new designs by a few friends or family members, who as it turns out, just happen to love them.

So now you've got a brand new web site and business cards that you designed all on your own, saving yourself a boatload of money by not hiring any graphic design companies to produce them, and now you're ready for the orders to start flowing in. But they don't. Days turn into weeks, then months and you can't figure out what went wrong. Simple put, effective graphic design is far more complex than it seems.

On the surface, it may appear that graphic design is just playing with images, text and colors until you get the look that you want. In reality, there is a tremendous amount of though that goes into an effective design. Plus, your personal taste in art has very little to do with the image of your company. After all, you are trying to appeal to your target market, not your own ego.

Simply having access to a particular piece of software and going through the motions does not make one a professional graphic designer, nor does it make the finished work graphic design, any more than running on the same track with Olympic athletes makes you an Olympic athlete.

While many small business owners have handled their own graphic design successfully, a majority of them have experienceda completely different outcome. Unlike many of the other professions, such as law or accounting, were an unsuccessful approach can be immediately devastating to a business, graphic design appears to be a field where an unsuccessful approach can go unnoticed for quite some time. Nothing could be further from the truth. Poorly executed graphic design will not land your company in hot water with the IRS, nor is it likely to expose your company to any significant legal risks. But it will present a poor image to your prospects, who will in turn, choose your competitors over your company. The effects may not be apparent for quite some time, because unlike a situation such as a lawsuit, which is an active consequence, poor graphic design, which motivates your prospects to do business elsewhere, is an inactive consequence.

Another potential challenge in handling your own graphic design is that it often will take longer than turning it over to a professional designer. A professional has the knowledge and experience, along with the ability to utilize the necessary tools, quickly and efficiently, so you can generate revenue sooner.

You have to determine the value of your time. If you're starting a business out of your spare bedroom with a few hundred dollars from your savings, then you'll probably need to design your own marketing materials. On the other hand, if you're running a business, chances are that you time is better spent focusing on running the business instead of trying to do everything yourself. If you're the expert in your field, don't you deserve a chance to get in front of your prospects so that you can help meet their needs while earning a profit? A professional graphic design company can help you present the image that will let you earn that chance.