what does a graphic designer do? A small guide for business owenrs on what they’re missing out on
So you’re staring at your logo wondering why it looks like it was made in Microsoft Paint during a caffeine crash. Or maybe your Instagram feed feels like a ransom note made out of five different fonts and colors that don’t know each other.
You’ve heard the phrase graphic designer thrown around like glitter at a craft fair, but what do these mythical creatures actually do?
Let’s break it down.
1. We Make Things Not Look Like Trash
First and foremost, a graphic designer makes stuff look good. Flyers, social posts, websites, business cards, packaging, pitch decks. If it’s got words and images, a designer can make it not make people’s eyes bleed. That’s the baseline.
You’ve got about 3 seconds to grab someone’s attention before they scroll past your ad and go watch a raccoon eat spaghetti. Good design buys you that time.
2. We Translate “Vibes” Into Visuals
Ever tell someone, “I want it to feel modern but also timeless and like... natural but techy”? Yeah. We speak fluent client.
Graphic designers take all those buzzwords bouncing around your brain and turn them into color palettes, typefaces, and layouts that actually say something to your audience. We’re visual translators. We take your vibe and make it legible.
3. We Keep Your Brand from Having an Identity Crisis
One day you’re teal and playful. Next week, you’re black and gold with a gothic font and motivational quotes. Sound familiar?
Consistency builds trust. Designers create systems—logos, typography, imagery, templates—so your brand looks like it has its act together. Because if your brand looks chaotic, people assume your business is too.
4. We Fight Crimes Against Typography
If you’ve ever used Comic Sans, Papyrus, or stretched a logo “just a little” to make it fit—don’t worry. We forgive you. Barely.
Graphic designers are the guardians of good taste. We align things, we kern text (that’s adjusting the space between letters, not harvesting grain), and we make sure your visuals don’t look like a design crime scene.
5. We Make You Look Legit
A professionally designed brand makes a business look like it means business. It tells customers, “Hey, I didn’t cut corners here. I care about the details.” That kind of energy translates into more clicks, more calls, more sales.
DIY might work for shelves and sourdough, but your brand deserves better.
So, What Does a Graphic Designer Actually Do?
We make things pretty and powerful. We tell stories without words. We make people feel things before they even know what you’re selling. And we keep your brand from looking like it was built in a basement with expired clip art. Also, when you start diving into the world of advertising you need someone there to manage all the different ad sizes and files so that you’re not ripping your hair out trying to figure out how to do all of that.
Need that kind of help? Hit up Nine Lives Creative. We’ve been doing this for over a decade, and we’re real good at making your stuff not suck.
