Graphic designers are brand heroes—championing your business through strategic design.
This article was updated September 16, 2025
A graphic designer helps your business look consistent, credible, and memorable—using graphic design to turn your brand into something people recognize instantly.
My passion for graphic design was unexpected. While pursuing accounting at Northeastern University, I was simply following the routine—let’s just say I wasn’t exactly a numbers person. I was close to abandoning my university path until I rediscovered my love for drawing and started creating designs for my friends’ music groups. That’s when I switched majors to design (despite my parents’ initial disapproval) and began a career that genuinely brings me joy.
I enjoy the challenges that design presents. Graphic design is about solving problems visually and championing the brands I design for. I’m here to help brands stand out.
Graphic design has never been more relevant than it is today. With every digital advertising channel evolving and the space becoming more crowded, the importance of graphic design cannot be overstated. It helps your business stand out from the sea of sameness and avoid bland (or ineffective) design that makes brands forgettable. Effective graphic design strengthens recognition, builds trust, and supports long-term loyalty.
But what exactly does “graphic design” cover? The term can feel vague if you don’t know the full breadth of what it includes.
Today, “graphic design” is an umbrella term for a wide range of disciplines: website design, logo design, motion design, UX design, product design, print design… okay, you get the idea. And that’s still just scratching the surface.
Businesses need all kinds of design services. The professionals who solve problems across these disciplines are broadly known as graphic designers.
Let’s talk about what we can do for you.
The Graphic Designer’s Playbook
Video: What is a Graphic Designer—and why does it matter for your brand?
What does a graphic designer do?
If you’re not deeply familiar with graphic design, you may think a graphic designer is similar to a traditional artist—or someone who makes marketing assets look nice. And while that’s not exactly wrong, it’s more nuanced than that. Professional graphic designers have the expertise to create designs that enhance brand identity and appeal to target audiences.
Traditional artists make beautiful things for the sake of self-expression and/or to pour their personal experiences and world views onto whatever canvas or medium they call their own. Art can take on many forms, but it doesn’t need to serve a particular purpose or have a function.
Seasoned graphic designers will follow the old maxim of “form follows function.” The design should fulfill its intended purpose first. The visual and aesthetic aspects (its form) should support that function, ensuring both work in harmony.
This is because the essence of what graphic designers do boils down to communicating ideas and solving problems visually.
Graphic designers balance aesthetic appeal with practicality. A crude analogy: if artists are purely right-brained (creative) and analysts are purely left-brained (analytical), graphic designers sit somewhere in the middle.
How designers communicate ideas visually (A bit of Graphic Design 101)
As we mentioned, graphic designers don’t just make things look pretty — the visuals adhere to an intended idea or purpose.
To accomplish that, graphic designers ask themselves questions while creating a lot of questions.
Here are a few examples:
- Does the design communicate the objective?
- Is it legible in its intended display format?
- Does the design make an emotional connection with the targeted audience?
- Would adding more visual elements serve a purpose—or distract from the primary objective?
And so on.
Designers ask these questions to translate a business’s values into a visual language people can understand and trust.
Every designer leans on four fundamentals: color theory, typography, imagery, and composition. These are the building blocks of graphic design—from branding to websites, animation, and beyond. Designers apply these principles to create compelling design assets based on the objectives of what they’re designing.
Color Theory
If you’re familiar with nearly any form of visual art, you’re probably already aware of color theory. Color is one of the most powerful tools in a graphic designer’s arsenal.
Color theory in graphic design is a cornerstone principle: using color in a way that’s both aesthetically pleasing and functionally effective.
Designers use color to evoke emotions, guide the viewer’s eyes, and distinguish companies from their competitors—among many other uses.
You may have heard that specific colors convey certain emotions. In logo design, blue is often associated with stability and trust, which is why many companies use it—Facebook, American Express, Samsung, and so on. But context always matters. Depending on the intention, meaning can shift drastically, especially when multiple colors enter the mix.
Choosing colors is an exciting process when designing for a brand. You want a palette that’s unique to you—one that helps you stand out. Do the colors align with your brand values and mission? Are you serious, playful, or a little bit of both?
Designers also use color to take control of the viewer’s eyeballs. Don’t believe us? Take a look below.
That’s a straightforward example. In practice, designers guide attention using color alongside other principles like scale, contrast, and spacing.
Color also helps companies stand out from competition. Walk down the soft drinks aisle—Coca-Cola is instantly recognizable by that bold red and white. Color is a key consideration when branding or rebranding.
Typography
Words are one of the most important parts of graphic design, even if they aren’t flashy. The visual and strategic arrangement of words (letterforms or type) is known as typography.
Graphic designers use typography to make messages readable and visually appealing. Since almost every field of graphic design uses words or copywriting, it’s one of the most essential skills to master. After all, design is about communicating ideas—and words are one of our primary tools.
Good typographic skills are crucial for graphic designers and advertising agencies. Typography is a deep dive, and font choice can profoundly affect any design or marketing campaign. The font you choose can change the meaning (and feel) of the words.
Designers use typography to ensure legibility, create hierarchy, and communicate mood or tone. And depending on the application, there are practical constraints to consider.
What will your font choice look like on a mobile device? Can the text be easily read at this size? Does the font color contrast enough against the background? Have scale and color differences created a clear hierarchy? These details make or break readability and user experience.
Your font choice matters. The fonts you use should align with your branding guidelines. Think carefully about the message, the medium, and the audience before choosing between sans serif or serif type.
Imagery and Design Assets
Whether it’s hand-made graphics, iconography, illustrations, photography, and beyond—graphic designers use high-quality assets and strong concepts to help the end-user understand a product or service.
Good design is invisible – “Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it.” Jared Spool
Effective design balances form and function. Good design should make things easy to comprehend and use. Imagery and content can be vital—after all, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Imagery can express abstract ideas faster than text. It takes about 13 milliseconds for your brain to process what it’s seeing—for context, that’s 30 times faster than the time it takes to blink.
If you’ve ever bought furniture from Ikea, you’ve probably used their assembly manuals with visual guides. Now imagine if those manuals were purely text. Yikes.
Graphic Design: Composition, Layout, and Structure
Many graphic designers struggle with composition early on. Composition refers to layout, structure, and arrangement. Beginners often crowd layouts with elements that are too close together and cram in too much information without finding an elegant solution—or a good balance. You may remember some websites that looked like this in the early 2000s.
…Well, jeez. Where do we even start with that?
Seasoned designers make sure the composition “breathes”—meaning there’s enough space between pieces of content on the page, formally referred to as negative space.
Sometimes, less is more!
Why Hire a Graphic Design Agency?
Business owners may think they—or someone in-house—can manage branded visual assets. But the results rarely have the same polish as professional design services, and there’s an opportunity cost. Most likely, that time is better spent elsewhere: operations, planning, and growth strategy.
Bad design can distract or confuse potential clients. It’s worth investing in skilled talent to ensure every impression lands in a positive light. We live in a hyper-competitive market—make sure your first impression is memorable. One that creates trust and empathy.
In fact, it takes 50 milliseconds for users to form an opinion of your website—that’s 0.05 seconds. Your website is one of the most important sales tools you have. A seasoned designer will also keep up with the latest web design trends. The competition on the web is fierce, so make sure you stand above it.
So while we encourage everyone to explore a creative outlet, it’s best to leave professional branding in the hands of someone who works in a creative capacity regularly. Doing so maximizes the value you get from graphic design.
Speaking of value, hiring a graphic designer to represent your brand visually delivers threefold value: elevating brands, creating awareness, and shaping perceptions. First impressions matter.
Professional Design Elevates Businesses
Sometimes, outstanding businesses have stellar reviews, great values, and loyal clients—but don’t yet have a visual identity that matches. It’s normal. People judge books by their covers, which is why designers exist to champion your brand identity and help your business look the part—so your clients, employees, and you can feel pride in your business.
Designers also help set your brand apart. Technical skill is part of it, but the bigger piece is creative vision—developing a strong identity that aligns with your long-term goals and tells your story in a way that resonates with your target audience.
And it doesn’t matter what field you’re in—agriculture or cutting-edge tech—skilled designers approach every industry with the same fundamentals.
They start by gathering information through a design brief—a questionnaire that surfaces competitors, target audience, positioning, and more. With that data, designers can immerse themselves in your market and create design systems that establish brand consistency across marketing. This builds brand equity over time.
Excellent Design Creates Brand Awareness
A graphic designer who can help you stand out from the crowd is crucial.
This is because people are visual learners. In fact, 65% of everyone is categorized as visual learners—meaning they need to see something to understand and retain information. And with attention spans being shorter than ever (under 9 seconds), you don’t have long to convey what you offer.
So whether in person or on the web, first impressions are key to building positive brand awareness.
The bar for design is also higher than ever. Fortune 500 companies spend billions annually creating high-quality visual assets and content. And for small businesses, cheap (or free) design software has raised the baseline level of polish. But you still need a captain to drive the ship.
Unless you have a one-in-a-million offering, the right designer can be the difference between standing out and staying invisible. Well-designed marketing materials—brochures, websites, and social posts—enhance recognition and make stronger first impressions.
Graphic Designers Shape Brand Perception
Graphic designers are the great equalizers in business. They craft a visual identity that allows any company—whether it has fewer than ten employees or more than a hundred—to compete on a national scale.
Perception is king in advertising, where first impressions are paramount. People’s urge to interact with your products and services depends heavily on their impression of your company and its principles. Suppose you go to the supermarket for your preferred orange juice, only to find it’s temporarily out of stock.
On the shelf, you see two options that are the same quantity and price. If you can’t try them first, you’ll rely on appearance and description alone. When all other factors are equal, you’ll likely choose the one with more visually appealing design. That’s the impact aesthetics can have on decision-making.
This also applies to rebranding. Markets change—eventually, outdated strategies stop working. Designers can help reinvent brands that are struggling, giving them a breath of fresh air so they can bounce back.
And designers don’t only use rebranding to shape perception in doomsday scenarios. Sometimes a company outgrows its audience and needs a new strategy to keep growing. Kia is a great example: known for reliable, economy-friendly cars for years, their designers rebranded the company to shift perception toward something bolder—moving from “economy” toward “premium.” That’s what good design can do.
What Kind of Designer Should I Hire?
Much like building a home, there are similar considerations when hiring a professional graphic designer.
Unless you have an unlimited budget, there’s no one-size-fits-all option. Graphic designers exist in many capacities and spaces, so let’s look at the most common types you can hire.
What’s within your budget? What’s the scope of work needed to execute your vision? How soon do you need it? And more.
In-House Graphic Designer
Graphic design support is a great fit for businesses with ongoing needs—especially when a designer can learn your workflow and stay long-term. In that role, they act like the quarterback—owning your design systems and keeping the “playbook” consistent.
But if your needs shift often, you may end up choosing between keeping them on board or spending time and money retraining someone new later. If flexibility matters, outsourcing may be the better option.
Freelance Graphic Designer
Freelancers can be a strong option for budget-conscious businesses. Because they typically work from home or a personal office, you’re not paying for agency-style overhead. Many are specialists, too—so you can often hire true experts for specific needs.
The tradeoff is capacity. A freelancer can usually only handle so much, so larger or more complex projects may require multiple freelancers—which means more coordination on your side. You’ll also be working with them directly, which is great when they “get it,” but can become a headache if you have to re-explain goals or give constant direction.
The best freelancers don’t just execute—they understand your objectives and translate your brand story into visuals that communicate clearly.
Most importantly, are they accessible when you need them?
Creative Design Agency
If you need a variety of skill sets and want less time spent on project management, hiring a professional design agency is often the best option. Overhead costs are typically higher, but you get the peace of mind of being backed by a professional design team that can deliver on time and handle the full scope of what you need. Agencies work collaboratively and bring a broader perspective and deeper experience.
Professional advertising and design agencies will also have a seasoned creative director overseeing every project to ensure brand continuity and quality output, including visually appealing social media posts.
To avoid starting from scratch and to guarantee brand consistency when new work is on deck, an agency will maintain your design systems. This design library can also contribute to cost savings. Consider this: every time you need a design solution, you’re not rebuilding the wheel—the agency can pull from your existing playbook.
Choose the Right Graphic Designer For You
Meaningful design provides clarity in messaging, making it more likely people take action. Graphic design is at the heart of everything we do at Mighty Fine Co. Our professional graphic designers don’t just create visuals—they also strategize to maximize the effectiveness and reach of your marketing.
We create design systems for web development, motion graphics, digital advertising, and anything that requires a creative’s touch. Our team is well-versed in all styles of design, so we’ll know the right treatment for your next project.
Images tell a story, so make sure they’re telling yours—not everyone else’s. Design systems keep your content consistent and unmistakably on-brand. Compelling graphic design shows your audience you care about what they’re seeing—and that you have the creative horsepower to make it worth paying attention to.
It’s all yours for the asking—so give us a shout and Mighty Fine Co. can help your business evolve.
