the communicatrix recommends these designers

designblue_ahadyrezan

To read more about the genesis of this list, check out this post on Make-a-Referral Week from March 9, 2009.

Good design is not an accident. It’s the result of a good client (i.e., someone who shows up with a realistic budget & timeline, a clearly defined need and a respectful attitude towards the designer as a professional) meeting up with a good designer (creative, professional and conscientious) and everyone respecting the other’s part in the process.

This means that you should have some idea of budget before you go looking for a designer’s help. None of the people on this list are outrageously expensive designers, and a

It also means clearly defined goals. By which I mean, have your brand and marketing message defined before you go looking for someone to help you translate them into design (or text, or anything else).

If you don’t have a clear grasp of your brand or your marketing message or your goals, consider seeing me first. I consult with people on this very slippery subject: they bring me their big, messy, I-don’t-know-what-I’m-doing-or-where-to-start pile of ideas, dreams, goals, and currently existing messages, and I help them come up with a clear vision and an orderly to-do list they can DIY or take to one of these fine designers to help them execute any part of or the whole magilla.

Who made this list? People I know, either in-person or via extensive communication over the Internet. People whose work I like (even if it’s my style, thank GOD for different styles!). Mostly, people who have earned, over time, my seal of approval as good business folk who are ethical, reliable, and nice. Life is too short to spend any of it with assholes.

Save your money; do your homework. Then call one of these fine providers of graphic design services. They’re who I recommend over and over again.

  • Margaret Yang (affordable general service graphic design) Marge is a very young, very smart, very hard-working designer with excellent taste. Her first book reminded me very much of my style: clean, orderly, no-nonsense, and good use of white space.
  • Parlato Design (identity-focused design) Principal/Creative Director Heather Parlato is practical, has impeccable taste, is easygoing, and “gets” it. Heather is like me, only a better designer, ergo I love Heather, and you will, too. She even has dark hair, geeky glasses, and a mordant sense of humor. What the hell are you waiting for?
  • Tokyo Farm (full-service design shop) Like me, Spencer Cross has a background in advertising; unlike me, he trained in some of the more cutting-edge studios and design departments around town, AND he’s the brains & brawn behind KERNSPIRACY, a community of designers, photographers and other visual creative professionals who share ideas and inspiration daily via mailing list and occasionally via meatspace events.
  • Silver Echo (full-service design shop) Mark Leroy understands the needs of bigger businesses who market high-end products and services. He’s run three highly successful businesses himself, and gets that it’s as much about good communication and service as it is sexy design.
  • Wayne DeSelle (full-service design freelancer) While Wayne is good at pretty much everything related to design (damn him), he excels at detail-oriented work like print and publication design (and re-design). If I could, I’d hire him so I’d have him all to myself. As it is, I cannot, so he may be available for your ID, web and especially print needs.
  • The Zen Kitchen (graphic and web design for foodies) Dani Nordin is a foodie who knows how to design and gets the marketing thing, and works well with other foodies.
  • Jeff Fisher (identity design and re-design) Jeff does logos, period. He’s got an impressive portfolio, is charming and funny, and gets stuff done while remaining annoyingly easygoing. I hate Jeff; I love Jeff.
  • Orange Bike Design (full-service design shop) Audra and Shachar can do it all, and if they can’t, they can refer you to someone who will. Extremely upbeat and professional ladies, their conscientiousness extends to their relationship to the environment: they’re eco- and socially conscious, for reals. Plus, they love my dog, Arnie, and all other dogs. (Please, no dick-y people show up on their doorstep!)

List updated on July 7, 2009

Image by ahadyrezan via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.