DIY Graphic Design

So now anyone with a layman’s program such as MS Publisher and a cordless mouse fancies themselves a graphic designer.  I guess that makes anyone who has MS Word installed on his or her computer an accomplished writer, anyone who owns a camcorder a movie director and anyone who has played a chord on an instrument a maestro.  Oh yeah, and anyone who has ever painted their powder room – there's Michelangelo, of course.

I went to a “Women in Business Networking” session with my next-door neighbor last night and I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed.  The event was well organized, the presentations were very good, and it was a nice setting – semi-outdoors in the back of a local restaurant on a beautiful pre-summer evening.  But it seemed like the concept may be best suited for retail type, home-based businesses rather than service-based ones such as graphic design (which it seems that most people attempt to do on their own with such as the above mentioned clunky program, anyway). 

There were reps from premiere Jewelry, Miché Handbags, 31 Gifts, Arbonne and other home demonstration type companies as well as wineries and retail boutique specialty shops within surrounding communities.  There was a grief counselor (who used to be a graphic designer, what else is new?) a lawyer and a realtor.  About fifty women in all. 

Everyone sat at a table of eight, talked about their business for one minute and then handed out marketing materials or business cards and then switched to another table with eight different people and did the same thing.  Like I said, good concept.

How helpful it will be remains to be seen.  But a night out is a night out and I am always ready for a night out.