Heading a small design firm comes with its share of challenges. However, Dean Gallagher, co-founder of Fresh Folio Design, a design firm in suburban Chicago, has found that technology eases burdens, streamlines operations and opens new doors for businesses.
Technology influences myriad elements of Gallagher’s company, including how designs are created and delivered. He’s not alone — being aware of tech trends can help every business operate more smoothly, market more effectively and find new ways to pivot products and services. We sat down with Gallagher to discuss how technology in business opens new doors and brings business opportunities. We’ll also share some important tech trends to watch for to help guide your business’s future.
How technology leads to new opportunities
Today, every company is a technology company as our digital-first world governs customer service, business communications, marketing, operations and much more. We asked Gallagher about technology in his business, including how it’s utilized and the opportunities and benefits it has brought about.
What devices do you use daily?
Gallagher shared that he uses several devices daily for business operations, each with a different purpose. “The primary go-to devices would have to be our Mac Pro, iMac and iPhones,” Gallagher told us. “As far as actual design work we do, the computers are indispensable, but as far as timely communication, working without smartphones seems unthinkable.”
What technology do you use to get ahead of your competition?
Standing out from the competition is critical in a competitive business landscape and technology makes it easier to update your processes and stay current. Gallagher said that in the past, his firm would have to update its computers every few years to keep up with demanding design programs. Today, processing speeds have caught up, so software design improvements don’t necessarily require new machines as often.
In his particular business, aside from working with the best design software and having devices that can take advantage of it, technology isn’t necessarily a differentiator. “From a technology standpoint, there really isn’t much that a small graphic design company can do to get ahead,” Gallagher explained. All design firms likely use similar technology and understand it’s important to stay current. However, technology can improve other aspects of running a business and that’s where Gallagher’s company stands out. For example, technology can improve customer communication and help a business deliver a customer-delight standard of service.
Gallagher’s business also takes advantage of technology to facilitate sharing work with clients — a crucial way to stand out from the competition. In the early days, file sharing required proximity to the client or delivery via UPS or the United States Postal Service. However, that has changed thanks to tools like Dropbox and file transfer protocol (FTP). “Fortunately, as connectivity speeds have increased, almost all of our file delivery has become digital,” Gallagher noted. Digital file management practices also ensure the security and accessibility of crucial documents and data.
Is technology a significant enabler for your business?
“Oh, absolutely,” Gallagher said, noting that when his wife first started in the industry, computers were just beginning to be used as part of graphic design. “I can’t even fathom what it must have been like to concept and lay out any sizable pieces,” he mused.
But it isn’t just about the speed and ease with which graphic design work can be done today. Technology has changed the industry itself and fueled new graphic design trends and best practices. For example, website design is a graphic design subset with significant tech underpinnings. Additionally, digital, variable and high-quality printers have equalized the playing field for smaller graphic design firms, allowing them to compete with bigger outfits.
However, being able to set up an online store is one of the biggest tech enablers for smaller graphic design businesses. Customers can now reach even a small firm’s products with ease. “[We] started an Etsy store to sell our hand-lettered art and we are currently putting together our own store,” Gallagher explained. “Even 10 years ago, being able to create, print and easily shop those pieces would have been very different.”
Has social media influenced your business at all, from internal employee policies to the way you promote your company?
Social media has significantly changed Fresh Folio’s promotion and reach. “When we started, most of our business came through word of mouth and networking was more face-to-face,” Gallagher explained. The internet has changed that and the company is no longer restricted to local clients. “You can easily work with a company on the other side of the country or the other side of the world,” he added.
Gallagher acknowledged that keeping up with a social media presence and social media marketing is challenging for a smaller design house. Still, fresh content, including a small business blog, is essential to the firm’s social media strategy. “One of the priorities that we’ve had was producing a weekly blog for each site and working on improving our social media outreach for both sites,” Gallagher shared.
Have you had to adapt your business because of security concerns from the increased use of technology?
Cybersecurity and risk management, fortunately, haven’t been huge concerns for Gallagher’s firm. “Because of our [small] size, up to this point, there hasn’t been much of a need for concern,” Gallagher said. Still, he stresses that the company does everything possible to protect vital business and client data. “We continue to keep updated on potential threats and have antivirus and malware protection to prevent being blindsided,” he said.
