Designing Business Cards, Postcards & Flyers Online: Is It Worth The Time And Effort?

Why would you want to take the design process into your own hands? You can express your own unique creativity and if it is simple or already knows what you want, there is no need to spend extra money for someone else to create a design. Almost all online design applications offer templates in different categories, making it easy for you to edit and personalize your business information. Business cards, postcards, and flyers are still used in different professions, for promotion and networking, such as…

• Real estate agents or Realtors
• Automotive Repair Shops, Mechanics
• CPAs – Certified Public Accountants, Tax accountants
• Beauty salons, hairstylists, barbers, cosmetologists
• Health professionals - chiropractors, doctors, dentists
• Carpet cleaners, janitors
• Equipment professionals -  plumbers, HVAC, electricians

Consider these things when deciding if you hire a graphic designer or create your own designs online from templates.

1) How much time do you have?

You can create a business card online using a design application from websites like VistaPrint.com, DesignsnPrint.com, or Zazzle.com. They all provide templates, listed in various categories. You select the one you like and edit it to include your business information. There are the options to upload images, a logo, and select different font types. You can quickly have a business or postcard designed within a few minutes.  After you are satisfied with your awesome creativity, complete your order from the shopping cart by selecting options such as quantity, size, paper stock, if you want printing on one side or both, shipping options, etc. The cards could be delivered to your address within a couple of days. Doing it yourself can speed up the process.

Using a professional graphic designer can be fast too, but in general, it will take more time. This is especially true if you don’t already have a designer that you work with. Going through the agony of deciding which graphic designer to work with is no fun and can be time-consuming. On the other hand, you might be the type of person who is busy and would rather have someone take care of it, no matter how long the process takes. This way you can have a unique design done by a true professional.

2) How much money do you have to spend?

The price is always right for using an online design application because it is FREE. Using a graphic designer could cost you as much as $200 or even more. Don’t forget the time that you have spent going back and forth with the designer. As they say, time is money. We are not naïve; therefore we know that the other side of the coin reads, “You get what you pay for”. The graphic designer get’s paid because he or she can create dazzling unique designs that will grab attention. They provide much more flexibility in terms of the overall graphics, sizes, shapes, folding options, etc.

One should also be aware that not all online design applications are made equal. Some offer much more flexibility in terms of color choices, fonts, sizes, products, etc. It is important to consider how easy the process will be to create your business card, postcard, or flyer online. For example, the app at DesignsnPrint was created using Adobe Flex. It is easy to move text, shapes, and images in place. You can save your design or continue to the shopping cart and complete your order. There is a telephone number where you can also call customer service if you need technical assistance in editing a template or requesting a custom design.