Graphic Design Trends

Graphic Design Trends. Graphic design is the art of communicating a message through visuals and text combined. The graphic designer is part artist, part craftsman, and part marketing professional. He or she must be able to not only imagine a visually arresting logo, brochure, or advertisement, but also create that image and target that image towards the right audience. It is a skill that takes years to learn but a lifetime to master.

Graphic Design is literally everywhere you look. The billboards you pass on the way to work bear the mark of a graphic designer, as do the advertisements you see when flipping through the pages of a magazine. Think of the logo for your favorite products. That logo was created by a graphic designer. Picture a brochure you remember catching your eye or a website that caught your interest–a graphic designer was behind those as well.

Graphic Design Today

Most graphic design work today is done using complex software programs that can be found in any computer store. These programs are so powerful that even the CGI animated movies use them as part of their workflow when creating effects. In the hands of a graphic designer, they are the surgeon’s scalpel and the architect’s pen.

One of the benefits of using graphic design software is the ability to quickly share ideas among peers. Many creative services companies utilize inter-office networks to send their designs to one another for corrections, approvals, or advice. Because everyone uses the same software, anyone within the company who possesses the skills of a graphic designer can contribute to a project almost instantly.

The need for Graphic Design

Too often companies overlook their graphic design needs and try to hastily put something together themselves. These companies suffer in ways that they do not even realize. On a business card, for example, difference between a sharp logo and a boring one cannot be directly linked to sales, but it affects sales none the less. A bad advertisement may still bring in a few customers, but a great one will bring in many, many more.

Things like logos and brochures help to create a perception about a company. Sharp logos lead potential customers to believe that a company is polished, experienced, and knows its business. They also help imprint the company name on a customer’s mind. That brand recognition leads to future sales.

Choosing a Graphic Design Firm

Because there are so many graphic design firms battling for business, it can be tough to narrow down the field of choices. Obviously, recommendations are great place to begin, but more often than not the decision to go with one company over another boils down to a company’s portfolio. A gaggle of great work from a company’s past means they will likely produce great work in the future.

It’s also important that a graphic designer and his or her client see eye to eye. Graphic designers are placed in charge of communicating one or many messages on behalf of the company that hires them. A designer and a representative from the company need to be able to work together. If they are constantly butting heads, the designer will never be able to achieve results.