When I worked for the University of West Florida back in 'the day' I'll never forget an individual that had to approve the advertisements I was making before they were sent out. I was a young Communications major with a focus in public relations and advertising (I also had a lot more hair then I have now) and she was a 20-year administrative assistant. Every time I showed her one of my ads she said the same thing. "Look at all of the blank space on this ad!" she would say, almost horrified."

In my presentations I often mention the importance of good design. It always amaze how many real estate professionals I hear from afterward that say "I am a graphic designer." or "I do all of my own artwork." To be fair I usually don't ask them about their experience.

I don't want to be insulting here but unless you graduated from a reputable school and have spent 4 years learning graphic design OR have spent years studying Quark, InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, please understand that you are probably not a graphic designer. If you use Microsoft Publisher on a regular basis, it does not qualify you as a designer.

I bring this up because as a real estate professional, it's important to protect your investments. Many of you hire designers to create a brand for you that will do one or more of the following:

• Attract attention
• Create familiarity
• Use a message to position yourself in the marketplace
• Show your professionalism

Whatever your reason for creating a brand it is important to allow the professionals to produce a piece that will best fulfill your objective. Again, assuming that you have hired a reputable person, let her do her job. Over and over designers have heard their clients say; "There is too much white space." "Make my logo bigger." "My photo needs to be big." "Can't my colors be brighter?"



I want to be clear. It's not that you shouldn't have any say in what your designer produces, especially if they are writing the copy for your pieces. It is that you need to let them have the upper hand.

Watch this video put together by agencyfusion. It outlines the things that agencies and designers hear all of the time from their clients. Plus it's a lot to fun to watch!

Matthew S. Gosselin is the author of My Blue Goose, Exploiting The Wow Factor In Real Estate Marketing. The book can be purchased on MyBlueGoose.com or Amazon. Stay tuned for more information about his new book, "Stand Out, Stick and Stay. Transforming Real Estate Marketing"