The definition for graphic design given by dictionary.com states it is the art or profession of visual communication that combines images, words, and ideas to convey information to an audience, especially to produce a specific effect. In more simpler terms, graphic design uses visual aids to communicate different feelings or ideas. But what does this mean to you? You might find yourself needing to create or design communication pieces like flyers, forms, mass e-mails, mailers, business cards, or even websites and you don’t have much knowledge of design. And that’s ok. We’re here to help. We want you to know that you don’t need to have a degree or background in design to accomplish most of these things, you just need to know where to start.
Graphic design is everywhere. From the commercial signs you see outside of businesses and billboards, even the video games your kids (or even your husband) are playing, even the websites you browse and the mobile apps you scroll through you’re looking at different types of interfaces all being used by graphic design.
What is the point of Graphic Design?
The whole point of graphic design is to make things more appealing to the consumers or customers. Yes, that’s right. Graphic design has nothing to do with what YOU want or what your preferences are. For your graphics to be portrayed successfully, you need to understand your audience. Graphic design is attracting viewers using images, color and typography. Even though the graphic design process is about something you want to represent your business or organization, but you also need to think about the customer or user’s expectations. Sure, you can build a simple website that has all the necessary information that a customer might need to know, but do you have all of the elements they are looking for? Is it esthetically appealing to your customers? How are you going to get them to scroll through more than one paragraph on your website? It’s all about the design.
“A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.”
– Steve Jobs
What tips do you have for utilizing graphic design in my business?
If I can give you one take away from writing this article, it is for you to get to know your target audience. This is overlooked by so many people, but this is the first thing Tabatha and I do when taking on a new client at Twinning Pros. I’m not going to go into too much detail because you can read the full article on how to reach your target audience. But here are key points to consider in order to understand your target audience:
- Demographic- Is your ideal client of a certain age or a specific gender?
- Location – Where are they located? This will help you with location-based marketing efforts.
- Industry – Is your product or service more relevant to one business model over another?
- Salary Range or Earnings – Is your ideal customer a high-end investor or are they your typical median salary employee? This will help you price your products properly.
- Hobbies – Does your product or service reflect a particular sport or something someone does in their free time?
If you can understand your demographic it will help increase brand awareness and encourage brand loyalty. Graphic design is used to help you visualize the appeal that their products or services can bring to you, all while trying to attract you away from their competitors. When you meet someone and they hand you their business card, that is their visual aid to attract you to their brand. As simple as the business card seems, the logo that someone either designed themselves or paid someone to design for them, is there to provide you with a small token to help you remember them. That is what graphic design is all about. It’s about what the image says about you and what you want it to represent. Twinning Pros knows how to use graphic design to build your brand whether you are local to the Covington or Destin area or are located nationally throughout the U.S. We are here to help you and your business grow your reach and build your brand!