No matter where you lie in the timeline of your business plans, you will cross a point where you find the need to succinctly define your product or business through aesthetics. When coming to this point you may be tempted to have a go at it yourself. After all, who would not want their own input in their product and business one hundred percent of the time? Also, you may think, "how hard could it be?" You may think you will save money.
If you find yourself thinking these errant thoughts... think again. Take long hard look at other successful businesses and think if they have done the same. Many successful products from countless sectors continually hire graphic design professionals for what may or may not seem to be glaring reasons.
The following are just the most obvious reasons to hire a seasoned graphic design professional for your business needs.
You are a business person
Your time and experience is better served concentrating on your business. It can be very easy to be allured and enticed by getting into every subtle part of your business (in fact it is normal).
The attraction to micromanage things should be quelled for the greater success of your business. If you are concentrating instead on the strategic, long term goals and not the tactical, short term and nuanced matters, chances for success will be increased.
Access
The infrastructure needed for a properly executed graphic design project, whether it be packaging design, product design, or otherwise, is more substantial than an outside observer could know.
Firstly, the knowledge needed to efficiently and effectively use graphic design software takes countless hours. Coming from a business perspective, it is not at all efficient to try and learn the ins and outs of these programs. You will be spending time that would better be spent on your product and your business.
Secondly, the direct cost of acquiring the hardware and software associated with graphic design can be restraining and more than what you might think. Most likely you would be using these materials this one time. The cost of hiring a graphic design veteran would most likely be less depending on the project at hand.
Since time and money are both in short supply in most start-up businesses, the most efficient thing that you can do in your product design and packaging design projects is to hire a graphic design expert.
Experience
It sounds like a cliché, but experience is one of the most important qualities to look for in most any new hire. Excellence proven time and time again, is irreplaceable. On it, no quantifiable value can accurately be placed.
As far as professional graphic designers are concerned, their expertise is not just being someone who creates thoughtful visual wonders, but also acts as a translator. They can take your business and product ideas, no matter how impossibly vague they may seem, and succinctly package your ideas in the chosen medium. For this to be done well, your graphic designer needs to be carefully chosen and needs to be someone that has experience creating an aesthetic that you connect with.
It may benefit you to find someone who has had past successes with a wide product range and a deep field of aesthetics to draw from. One such graphic design outfit that demonstrates this wide range of graphic design expertise is Lien Design based in San Diego California. From billboards and pamphlets, to packaging and business cards, they have executed streamlined work on recognizable brands time and time again.
The above are just some guidelines to keep in mind when thinking about whom to choose for your design project. They are not a one-size-fits-all solution. However, they should act as a compass in what can be the turbulent seas of finding a competent graphic designer. Good luck in your endeavors.