After attending the Creative Freelancer's Conference and HOW Design Conference this past week, I have come away very aware of the fact that graphic designers are not just people who make things pretty. We are the marketing powerhouse, the idea factory for any business, and we should be considered as an integral part of a business team.

A successful business owner will surround him or herself with other professionals to help that business run. A graphic designer should be part of that team right along with the accountant, bookkeeper, attorney, financial planner, etc. A graphic designer is the one who helps get business in the first place.

There are tools out there to let small businesses do everything themselves these days, including all the professions mentioned above. But we all know we can get only so far doing those things ourselves, and that includes our own marketing and graphic design.