Australian INfront

There are plenty of successful business with crap logos and poorly designed collateral, I take your point.

That wasn't quite my point actually.

But I feel any business could benefit from having clearer communication with their clients or customers, I'd guess that's what I'm offering as a graphic designer.

My point is that professional design input is not going to make a difference to ALL businesses. Just as a website is not going to make any difference to ALL businesses. And part of a design professional's business expertise is to be able to assess and recognise this, not stubbornly insist that they can make a difference to each and every business.

Now this in no means is saying that you should not deal with small businesses at all, or that your ideas on finding out what research exists in this area is not a valuable one. What I am saying is, whatever benefits there may be to some - even many - small businesses from professional design input, it is not ever going to be relevant for every small business.

And it will be just as important from a design business point of view to recognise where it won't make a discernible difference as where it will, so you don't waste your own time, nor make promises to small businesses (with limited expenditure) that will not happen.

come up with a low cost solution for signage / printing / advertising eg stamps / hand drawn / chalkboards / stickers / photocopies / grayscale / social media etc to present when you meet them to. this will both impress them and allow any moola available to go to you. don't forget small businesses are often bombarded with reps from media outlets promising free creative with a ad package etc

Tough one. I'd have to agree with Looney...

With the fish & chip shop, paying a decent amount for design might totally pay off. If you;re talking about a total rebrand then you could be talking about going from an average greasy looking takeway to a boutique style food outlet. It may take a bit of shopfitting, new signage, uniforms, etc. Maybe adjusting the culture a bit. Add a few nice menu items.
Entice a whole load of new customers who would have ignored the place in the past. Now it stands out, is quality & different.
If you can keep all that to $20K , but it increases your net profit by $100 a day, it'll be paid off in 200 days.

Not impossible to pitch that to a store. I lived with a guy who made his living going shop to shop telling them their design was shit, and this is what he's done in the past (show examples) and this is what it'll cost to fix.

If you can keep all that to $20K , but it increases your net profit by $100 a day, it'll be paid off in 200 days.

You are just pulling numbers out of thin air, that is not going to convince the Fish and Chip owner. I know its just an example but realistically small businesses need evidence their investment will get a good return.

Design is a bit of a luxury that not everyone can afford and it can be quite difficult to assess its actual value to a small business.

Everyone knows the best chip shops have the worst design. It's how you know where to go.

I'd go to a chip shop if its website and collateral were all somehow made out of newspaper.

Memmmmmmorrriiieeeesssss.

And if the chips were shit, would you go back?

This:

You are just pulling numbers out of thin air, that is not going to convince the Fish and Chip owner. I know its just an example but realistically small businesses need evidence their investment will get a good return.

Design is a bit of a luxury that not everyone can afford and it can be quite difficult to assess its actual value to a small business.

And this:

Everyone knows the best chip shops have the worst design. It's how you know where to go.

Yes, pulling numbers out of the air. Shock. I'm not about to offer to rebrand a fish & chip shop though, I'm just talking shit on the internet. My point is I believe a rebrand of a business like that can go a long way to changing buyers reaction to them and make a massive increase to sales.

Probably more so than any other short term action they could take for a similar investment.

If I was going to proposition a fish & chip shop with this I'd bring in some case studies & research of similar situations, which wouldn't be too hard to find.