Why Does Graphic Design Take So Long to Complete?

Graphic design is one of the most important aspects of any business. It can be the difference between a customer staying on your website and leaving or picking up a brochure from your table and putting it down. But why does it take so long to complete?

Graphic design primary has two parts; creative and production. The creative part can take a few minutes or hours, but the production part is way more complicated and takes longer. This is mainly due to factors like budget, design needs, the complexity of the design, and back and forth between the designer and client.

Many more factors influence how long it takes to complete a graphic design. This blog post will discuss some of the most common ones. You can work more efficiently with your graphic designer and get your projects completed on time by understanding these reasons.

Why Do Graphic Designs Take So Long to Complete?

Graphic design is one of the most important aspects of any business. It can make or break a company. Therefore, it only makes sense that you’d want to get your graphic design completed as quickly as possible.

But the truth is, the process of creating a graphic isn’t always straightforward. There are several reasons why it can take so long to complete a project:

1. Budgeting Issues

One of the common reasons for delays in graphic design is budgeting issues. Sometimes, businesses don’t have the money to spend on a project and need to wait until they do. 

In other cases, the designer may need more time to create a design within the budget. If the designer has to spend a lot of time tweaking and adjusting a design to make it more affordable, that can significantly increase the overall project time.

2. Lack of Communication

Another common reason for delays is a lack of communication between client and designer. This often happens when clients provide minimal feedback or change their minds about what they want halfway through the project. This can cause delays as the designer tries to figure out what the client wants and make changes to the design.

3. Requests for Changes

Sometimes, clients request too many changes or ask for something simply impossible. This can add hours (or even days) to a project that would otherwise be completed on time.

Clients need to be clear about what they want from the beginning and provide timely feedback to avoid these delays.

4. Designers Have Multiple Projects

Graphic designers are often juggling multiple projects at once. Unfortunately, this means that they may not be able to dedicate all their time and attention to your project right away.

This may be frustrating, especially if your project is urgent. Still, it’s important to remember that designers are not robots and can only complete so many projects on a given day.

How Can I Speed Up My Graphic Design?

While some factors are out of your control, you can do a few things to speed up the graphic design process.

1. Provide Clear Instructions and Feedback

Clients need to be clear about what they want from the beginning and provide feedback promptly. This will help ensure that both parties remain on the same page.

And if you don’t have a lot of design experience, be sure to research the types of fonts and graphics you want to use before meeting with the graphic designer. This way, you can provide specific instructions and avoid any delays.

2. Set a Clear and Realistic Budget

Another thing you need to do is set a realistic budget. To ensure that your project will be finished within your budget, it’s essential to research the average costs of graphic design services in advance and determine how much you are willing to spend on each stage of the process.

For example, if you want a website designed for $200 and have no idea how much it will cost, you need to research how much website designers are charging.

You may also want to consider hiring a professional who can help you with your project and guide the process. This is especially important if you don’t have a lot of experience in graphic design. This way,  you can focus on your business and not worry about the details.

3. Prepare Some Materials Yourself If Applicable

Another way to speed up the process is to provide the designer with all the materials they need upfront. This includes text, logos, images, and other graphics you may want in your design.

If you have a specific vision for your project, make sure to communicate it to the designer as clearly as possible. The more information and materials you have, the easier it will be for them to get started.

4. Make Yourself Available When Necessary

Graphic design is a collaborative process, so you should expect to be involved along the way. If your designer has any questions about your project or needs clarification on something, make sure they know that you are available and ready to help out whenever they need you.

5. Give Reasonable Deadlines

It’s also crucial to give your designer a reasonable deadline for the type of project you’re working on. While it may be tempting to try and get something done quickly, keep in mind that often quality suffers when there’s too much pressure put on designers.

If possible, try to allow for at least one week between each step so that they can take their time. While it may seem like a long time, it will help to ensure that your final product is something you’re happy with.

6. Use Pre-Made Graphic Design Templates

Believe it or not, professional graphic designers don’t always make their projects from scratch. Using pre-made templates as a starting point is becoming more and more popular for many reasons.

This means you may not even need to hire a graphic designer for your project! For instance, Placeit.net is the leader in pre-made graphic design templates, and they offer over 90,000+ templates to customize and use commercially. That’s right, these templates can be used commercially! You can sell them, copyright them, and trademark them!

Source: VMG Studios

Wrapping Up

In an ideal world, you’d be able to hire a designer who could complete your project quickly and easily. However, even the best designers need time to work on their creations.

 While there are things you can do to speed up the process, remember that quality should always be your top priority. By taking the time to plan and design correctly, you’ll end up with a product you can be proud of.