April 21th, 2018
Hello Business Friends,
For the first 10 years of my graphic design career, I only designed for musicians. It was VERY creative and exciting. I had a front row seat to the death of the big-box record stores, the rise of digital products, and the power of Youtube videos helping artists and bands DIY their own music marketing, without label support.
Now, I feel like we might be watching the death of the graphic designer. New design apps and website builders are making it easy to start a professional looking business without the need to hire a design professional. Even graphic designers are being replaced by robots! Honestly, it's a good thing. Designers can focus on the higher-level design problems and solutions. By teaching clients how to use the app robots, clients may add a more personal touch to their digital marketing plans and social platforms themselves.
A lot of new apps make it extremely easy to create professional-level marketing materials without expensive design programs or professional design knowledge. Two apps I suggest you check out are ADOBE SPARK @adobespark and A DESIGN KIT: A COLOR STORY. @adesignkit @acolorstory These digital marketing apps can take any business' online presence to the next level.
DIY design and digital marketing teaching is going to be a huge industry in the next 5 years. You might want to start creating an arm of your graphics business that focuses on teaching clients how to create their own marketing materials. Let them do the busy work in-house, while freeing up more time for you to say YES to opportunities that are more exciting to work on, and simply pay more.
Charge your clients a teaching fee, so they can start creating their own professional digital marketing materials. This will save them money, so they can spend some time building up a bigger budget to hire you for something bigger, better, and more awesome.
As an example, check out my class shop GIFTBOX AUSTIN to see all the DIY Marketing classes and workshops I provide to my clients.
Thanks so much for reading all of this if you are still with me! It's a creative weirdo business journey with some business tips, inspiration, and of course getting to know me! Love, Valerie Aiello
If you have any questions, feel free to send me a direct message on my Instagram.
If you would like to contact Valerie Aiello: please email her here: valerieaiello@gmail.com
Valerie Aiello - Owner of GIFTBOX AUSTIN
ALL PHOTOGRAPHY IS BY FAITH BENITEZ PHOTOGRAPHY
Credits:
Photos by Faith Benitez