Why is graphic design important?
Graphic design is an essential element in achieving your marketing goals. It’s art in action. Good graphic design takes an intangible idea and translates it into a visual statement, which persuades, influences and communicates the intended message. It sounds easy when you sum it up like that doesn’t it? But like most things worth doing well there are a lot of details involved in getting it right. Here are some tips to help you with your design project or to help you communicate better with your designer.
Know your audience and how you plan to reach them
The designer needs to know the intended target audience and how they are to be reached. It seems obvious but it’s worth focussing on that point at the outset. If you are working with an Agency they might even do this part for you. Everything has to be done with the target audience in mind. What do they look for? Who are they? What values do they share? What has influenced them previously? Is there a genre that captures their attention?
Use trends carefully
Nothing can date your design faster than including a trend. The moment that trend is over and out of fashion, so is your work. But this isn’t a concern for an advert that needs to be in the moment – as with most adverts. In this case, trends work wonders to capture the attention of the target audience. But if you are designing something that needs to last, keep this idea in mind.
Know when to stop
Stopping a project can be just as challenging as starting one. Passion for your work makes it difficult to stop: you are always driven to seek further minuscule improvements. Of course, in the commercial world, you are constrained by a budget and a deadline.
To deal with this challenge I ask myself, ‘Does my work fulfil the client’s brief?’ If the answer is “yes”, and the deadline is looming I’m able to finalise everything.
Be inspired
Some graphic designers can look upon their style as fixed, something that can never be changed. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Design is all around us and has been seen to be part of human culture since the earliest records. It never hurts to delve into good design and let it inspire you.
Try keeping a scrapbook of designs that you like. Looking through it might provide inspiration for the task at hand.
In conclusion
These are just a few tips to help you with your design project. I am fortunate to have a job that lets me apply my creativity to the subject I love and work with other passionate people on a daily basis. I hope you feel the same way about your project. Look out for more tips on design issues here on the Azzurro-Blu blog.
