We could have chosen to print a big picture of a mighty oak tree and the symbolism of a tiny little acorn. Or we could have written some really lovely things, using fluffy words and clever language. There's a good chance that would have persuaded you that design is worth investing in. But no. There's a good reason why you should invest in design and it's measured in one thing. Cold. Hard. Cash.

The Design Council conducted a national survey of firms and identified those where the use of design had made a direct impact on a number of measures, such as competitiveness, market share and turnover. They called these businesses "design alert" and here's what they found...

The first: how much does BAD design cost? The answer is sadly, an awful lot. You don't get a second chance to make a first impression. People judge you. If you present yourself well, they'll trust you. If your marketing looks amateur, you'll turn them off. They'll make an instant impression of what you're like to do business with.

In this economic climate, we all need to make sure we're not missing out on valuable opportunities, just because we're putting potential customers off.

The second question: how much does GOOD design cost? That's a lot more straightforward. Our main Buying Guide is packed with loads of fixed price printing deals. Find the item you're interested in and look for the little artwork logo next to it. Then simply check the price in our Creative Services and Artwork Package Guide. That's the starting price we'd expect to charge and will depend on what you'd like to achieve — give us a call to chat through the options.

Some clients like us to do everything, others send us their artwork files ready to be checked. And some are happy to write their own copy and organise their own photography — they just send us all the bits electronically and we assemble them, following their detailed design brief. Basically we can do as little or as much as you need ...