Get on my Soap box

  I would like to get on the soap box about how the small business industry is hiring Secretary's to do Graphic Design. Don't they realize that it is a art form that reflects on their business success?

  I have been going around lately drumming up business for myself. The way that I do this is I find business advertising that needs work you know the one that has has mismatched colors and doesn't follow any design rule. Well I do a quick small redesign of there thing that sucks then I put together a "what can I do for you" package. I make appointments and talk to the people that be....... well even without saying how much I cost they say: well Sally the receptionist does all our work........ This is when I have the "fun time" educating them on what good design does for them and what bad design does to them. 50% of the time the person that I am talking too believes me but 20% of them buys into it. But lately it has become worse two months and not even one bite and today I got a call from one of the secretary's asking me to tutor her in how to use the the programs she herself will pay me!

  Now its real bad that I am getting paid by the secretary to teach her how to do her/my job but her boss can't save her some money and just pay me to do the work. I explained to the girl that knowing the programs is only 10% of the work the 90% takes years to learn and it isn't the programs. She insists I continue to teach her. 

  I can understand that times are tough but it is so bad when the employee sees a problem with there business and spends there hard earned money to fix it. When it should be the boss or manager to realize the problem and do it yourself or at least pay for the employees tutoring or pay a Designer to do do the work so the secretary can do the work she was hired to do.