What is Graphic Design and Why Is It Important?
From our previous blogs and social media posts, you may have learned that we offer graphic design services. You might be thinking to yourself “Yeah, that’s cool and all but that doesn’t pertain to me at all.” The purpose of this month’s blog is to teach you a little bit about graphic design, how we can help you, and why graphic design is so important, not only to us as a small business, but to you as a consumer.
Sage & Oak Branding Colors
I can almost guarantee you’ve heard the term “graphic design” at least once or twice in your life, but what does it really mean? To put it simply, graphic design is the art of creating visual content that communicates a message to an audience with the use of words, shapes, form, and color. It is about combining forms (the shape or visual quality of something – aesthetics), ideas, and images to create a new concept. The success of the design is determined by how well the message has been conveyed. Graphic design is not only used for branding and marketing for companies and products but also services, technology, sports, entertainment, culture, and even ideas.
I am willing to bet if you asked your friends or family how graphic design impacts them on a daily basis, they might not have an answer for you. That’s okay! Most people are unaware of the extent that graphic design exists in our modern-day world. It is present almost everywhere you look. It is included in television commercials, internet ads, street signs, books and magazines, food packaging, and even clothing. It goes without saying that graphic design plays a major role in all our lives. It’s at the heart of every product we have grown attached to, and it is the life-blood of advertising.
Color Emotion Guide by Creative Market Blog
A simple example of graphic design is that billboard you pass on your way to work each day. Chances are, the purpose of that billboard is to either communicate a message, remind you of a brand, or advertise a company or product. Think back to the last billboard you saw. What did the “aesthetics” of the design communicate to you? What about it made your eyes gravitate towards it? Let’s assume the billboard was advertising a new hamburger from a local restaurant. I’m willing to bet this specific billboard caused a hunger sensation that may have made you want to pull off the highway and head towards that burger. Are you wondering how the billboard may have caused you to feel hungry? If you assume it was from the photo of the burger, you would only be half right. The other half of the answer can be found in another important aspect of graphic design, color psychology. Color psychology is “the study of hues as a determinant of human behavior,” according to Wikipedia. The brain will process color before words or shapes so the color is arguably the most critical aspect of design. McDonald’s, very wisely, uses the colors red and yellow in their logo and advertising. In terms of color psychology, red conveys feelings of hunger by causing one’s heart rate to increase and the color yellow is associated with happiness. Now that you know that, do you see why I say McDonald’s was very smart about the colors they chose to brand themselves with? Make you hungry and happy, then ready to take a nappy.
Visual Designer vs Graphic Designer Graphic by Toptal
Not only is graphic design present in our everyday lives, but it is also imperative for any brand or business. Almost every business you will ever see, no matter how big or small, uses graphic design in one way or another. From their website appearance to flyers they hang around the city to advertise a new product or sale, graphic design plays a key role in the success of a business. It is crucial for business owners to stand out from competitors and because most people remember what they see versus what they hear, graphics are becoming more and more important. Not only are graphics used to help businesses stand out from their competition, but they are also used to build brand recognition and provide credibility to the company. To put it simply, graphic design plays a major role in turning a person into a client or consumer and by utilizing well-crafted graphic design, you are more likely to establish a successful business or brand.
We all know how powerful first impressions are, but did you know that they are not just significant when you are meeting someone for the first time? They are just as vital in graphic design. Think about it this way… When you see a commercial or an ad for a company you’ve never heard of having a sale, the first thing you are going to do is have a look at their website or app to see what they offer, right? Right. What if the app or website was almost impossible to navigate and the layout was very confusing? You probably wouldn’t even consider purchasing something from them even if their products were on sale. If you can’t trust a company to keep a clean and organized website, how can you trust them to deliver a clean and organized product? That means the company lost your business simply because of the design of their website. Imagine how much their sales would increase if their website was in tip-top shape. It only takes us as consumers a few moments to begin forming our own opinions towards a company, brand, or product so it is for important that companies put time and care into all aspects pertaining to graphic design and their companies.
Graphic design is a huge economic driver in our consumer-based society because it influences and reinforces loyalty to the products and brands we buy, as well as the places we choose to shop and eat. Have you ever seen a menu at a restaurant that was less than enticing? Maybe it contained low-quality photos or was laid out in a confusing manner. A menu that has been designed well from a graphic design aspect will feel like an old friend and will leave your mouth watering for their products. The appearance of things plays a huge role in influencing whether or not a person will buy into the product or not. Remember what I said about first impressions being crucial?
Can you imagine a world with no video games, no animated films or CGI, no street signs or traffic signals, no magazines, no books? The internet wouldn’t even exist the way it does now if not for graphic design. Could you imagine how clothing would look without all the roles graphic design plays in the clothing we wear? Just imagine what it would be like to wear plain colored graphics-free t-shirts. I know it may not seem like a huge deal because technically we wouldn’t know any different, but could you imagine how dull and boring the world would be if that were the case? There would be no Minecraft shirts for our children, no Nike shirts for the athletically inclined, and Disney wouldn’t be sending out cease and desist letters to anyone who even thinks about using one of their designs without permission. The previous examples would be our reality if graphic design weren’t what it is today.
Though it may be easy to dismiss graphic design as being unimportant, we don’t fully perceive the influence it has on us as consumers. Graphic design truly is a very significant aspect of our everyday lives.
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Now that you know what graphic design really is and how it may influence your life, I challenge you to be more conscious of it the next time you visit a new shop or take a look at a magazine. Maybe you will think about how that ad influenced your decision whether or not to purchase or look up a new product? How did the logo of the shop catch your eye, enough to check it out or not enough for you to take a second glance?
If this blog resonated with you and you feel like you could use our help in creating branding, ads, flyers, web banners, or anything else of that nature please feel free to reach out to us! We would love to help you create your own logo and branding, custom graphics, t-shirts, and more! We frequently help small business owners create their logo and identity, custom invitations, labels, and pretty much anything else you may need. Reach out if you have any questions about the process or how we can help!
To learn more about how we can help you, check out our Custom Commissions blog.
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