Jun 12 • General discussion
Should founders learn graphic design?
I have a dirty secret. It's a secret that I don't often share, and it's cost me thousands of hours spending time on "low value work." But I love it.
Here's the back story:
Years ago, when I was a first-time VP of sales, I needed some new marketing material.
We had an internal graphic designer.
He was great.
But, I found myself running to his office to get another pixel pushed to the left or right, or adding a title, new graphic or icon.
It made drafting sales content and material slow, tedious, and frustrating.
If he wasn't available, I was dead in the water, and I couldn't do anything about it.
He also didn't like the fact that I was constantly looking over his shoulder, trying to get things done.
One day, I couldn't stand it anymore.
I wanted more control and freedom to design what I needed.
And, I wanted "it" faster.
So, I decided (before the days of Canva) that I would teach myself how to graphic design.
I jumped in head first...
I purchased an Adobe Illustrator license and attempted to learn all the intricacies of this complex design application.
Let's put it this way.
I was obsessed with the pen tool. If you know, you know.
I would spend hours at night trying to improve my graphic design skills.
The problem was, I enjoyed it too much.
In the early years, I spent three-plus hours a day trying to figure it out.
I wanted to understand the theory and the art...
- Color theory.
- Alignment
- Spacing
...and all the basic design principles that any professional designer knows...
... but I knew little about it because I was not a professional designer and had not been trained to be one.
I just taught myself, with grit and determination (my superpower).
And, to be fair, with a little help from my graphic designer, whom I paid in "after-work beers."
Fast forward years later:
The skill set that I never expected to be a superpower has become one.
It allows me to launch brands on demand, spin up websites and landing pages, brochures, and marketing materials quickly and efficiently WITHOUT relying on someone else who doesn't "get" my vision or needs.
In fact, I just redesigned my:
- Brand
- Website
- B2B community (link on my profile page)
- And, sales materials
...only using my skills, Canva, and ChatGPT.
I hope it turned out all right (you be the judge).
Fun fact: I did it all in a few hours.
The example in the LinkedIn carousel below is the result.
Is acting as my own designer the best use of my time? Probably not.
Should I outsource this? Yes, I probably should.
But at the end of the day, I like it, and it allows me to be creative while also being effective for my branding and content strategy.
P.S. The entire design below was done using Canva and my brand kit.
If you'd like to see how I quickly spin up a B2B brand, comment "design."
Don't forget to connect with me.
I'll shoot a quick tutorial on my brand process, design thinking, and how you can get started today.
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Should founders learn graphic design?
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