I've worked in the design industry for a while now, and from my experience it can be quite hard to justify to yourself or others the value in commissioning custom design or a website. If you're a business owner, this may be something you've had to consider specially when Fiverr, Canva, Squarespace, AI tools, and page builders can get you started in minutes, for free.

Many people think fancy effects, corporate logos, trending tech stacks, and awards are the standard measure when it comes to hiring a competent designer or developer. But personally, I don't think it's as much about a person's skills, experience, or awards, but rather how adaptable a designer is, how well they communicate, and how they can apply their skills to work with and elevate the client's vision.

I've often felt that the value of art and design is often majorly overlooked because it has such a big impact on our understanding of the world and culture as a whole. So, I'd like to explain why I do what I do so you can get a better idea of my thought process and be in a better position to consider whether or not you might want to work with me.

My primary focus is people, not technicalities.

I take a lot of care and consideration with the projects I work on, but the tools and tech stack I use are only part of the story. My relationship with people is the most important part of my process because I believe the foundation of a good outcome is collaboration based on good communication and mutual trust.

Well designed things are naturally effortless, clean, and functional without unnecessary fluff. Simplicity is easier said than done though.

A well solved creative problem naturally looks simple, effortless, and easy. In reality, making something go from ok, to good, to great can involve a lot of iterations, late nights, brainstorming, and trying, and trying again to get things just right. The creative process can be a rollercoaster of ups and downs, self doubt, failures, successes, and persistence to make sure the outcome is the best it can be. Something budgeted for a few hours can take days, weeks, months, and even a year or more. Good design isn't necessarily constrained within 9am-5pm. Sometimes it comes through late nights, shower thoughts, and living life outside of the digital realm.

Design is an iterative process that is ongoing and changes with the flow of time, and I usually work with people over many years. I am often compelled to keep refining concepts I know can be pushed further so the outcome is clear and understandable to as many people as possible, though I do my best to stick to the client's budget because I believe reliability is as important as any technical skill.

I've learnt a lot and made many mistakes during my journey, including printing errors, colour inconsistencies, strange bugs in the code, and too many late nights to keep track of. I know I can't guarantee perfection, but I can assure you I am committed to each project I take on and try to make sure everyone's happy every step of the way.

My standard for working with people is to treat others the way I want to be treated— with respect, trust, integrity, transparency, reliability, and accountability.

The thing about the creative arts is that care and perseverance by both the client and designer is required to push through failures and produce memorable results. Authenticity is what we all search for in this world, and in design, it bleeds through the end result when the underlying foundation is based on vulnerability and trust.

If you have a one off project that doesn't require much design thinking or problem solving, sites like Fiverr can help you get started quickly and cheaply. One thing I'd like to emphasise though is that design is communication in visual form, and clear communication leads to more effective and impactful creative outcomes that speak to people's hearts. Unfortunately, if the client or I don't really care about the project, it is going to inevitably show in the final result.

Free templates are great for quickly producing designs that are trendy and engaging, but if you want to maintain consistency and quality over time, unless you plan on doing everything yourself it often means developing a solid working relationship with a designer. This relationship is what I believe makes a brand or website consistently stand out.

When people are on the same page, they can work and solve problems together effectively, more can get done, creativity can be pushed even further, and the heart's intent of the project is easily seen in the final outcome. Without heart, creating or building something unique can be a frustrating and time consuming experience especially if the project is ongoing.

And the thing about AI is that it's really not as good as people think it is.

I used to joke with my old colleagues that computers would never be able to code for us, and I am eating a lot of my words now. There have been many times I have questioned myself, 'why pursue creativity when it often means being undervalued and taken advantage of?'

AI can be a useful tool as a starting point, but I also strongly believe human reasoning is essential especially if you need solid architecture, design that is timeless and intentional, or a piece of art that speaks to people, heart to heart. Beautiful design brings joy, curiosity, and inspiration to everyday life. Sure, we don't need coffee table books, but they sure are nice to look at- because good design is about the story of being human.

When human reasoning is taken out of the picture, it can be a lot harder to keep your messaging consistent and authentic. It can mean compromising the overall tone and visual style of your project. It can make it harder to reach people through emotion because the human touch in creativity involves actual thinking and feeling which is what speaks to people.

When everything looks the same, feels the same, reads the same, and works the same, design begins to blur, homogenise, and get consistently boring. Generated code, art, or designs can easily turn into repetitive prompt generation which can eat up more time than than it would take a skilled designer or coder to make something well.

The added pressure to just go with whatever the AI spits out without properly thinking through a problem can be detrimental to overall creativity and thinking outside the box.

What about doing it all yourself?

I think the inevitable conclusion many people come to is to try handle managing the website/marketing/branding themself, because honestly hiring a designer or developer can be expensive. But, the reality is…

The true value of creativity depends on who you work with and how much you value it.

The reality is, we don't really know how things are going to work out until we take that leap of faith. Like home renovations, you can try to patch up things yourself by looking up a few Youtube videos, or you can hire someone who has the experience to do what they are good at.

Before hiring a designer or developer, I encourage people to dabble and research their options because it could end up sparking your creativity too. You don't know how things will work out until you try, and tinkering with different solutions and tools yourself can really help with brainstorming and narrowing down a particular look and feel you are going for.

Sometimes people have a very specific vision and not everyone is the right fit for the job. If I don't think I am capable of delivering on a brief I'll always try to be up front and honest about it.

Art, design, and code is more accessible and easier to generate today, but it doesn't mean it's reduced in value or importance. A well-solved creative solution brings joy and adds beauty to the world. In my opinion, it is worth going to the extra effort to work with someone who understands your vision. It is worth taking the time to think about the message you want to convey to the world, and not taking shortcuts (unless you have the relevant insight to make that decision that is)!

I love helping people discover the beauty, joy, and lasting memories thoughtful design can inspire, and I believe that is valuable and worth pursuing. That is my why.

If that sounds good to you, I would love to hear from you! I'm always open to new projects, working with like minded people, and making new friends, and perhaps we can have a lovely, fruitful working relationship if it's meant to be. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful, blessed day.

— Jaclyn