Communicating via visual means is central to the
selling process. Imagine trying to explain your product or service without
having the assistance of a brochure, a display ad or a web site. Think how
difficult it would be to differentiate your product from others on the shelf
without attractive packaging. All buying decisions include some amount of
emotion – how would you quickly evoke emotion without the assistance of images?
Visual
communication is a process that uses investigation,
analysis and planning to identify a communication requirement as a first step
in designing something meant to be seen rather than heard or felt. Visual
communication is a broad discipline that uses graphic design, drawing,
illustration, typography and color to convey a thought, to inform, to educate
or to persuade a target audience.
You may have heard us use the term graphic design when discussing a
marketing or sales-related printed piece, creating or refreshing a logo, or
updating a web site. What we mean is all the techniques, from composition to
page layout, that are needed to prepare for the final step – printing, taking a
web site live, branding, etc.
Graphic
design as a discipline
Graphic design combines words, images and symbols
into a coordinated whole that communicates to an audience. Graphic design can
mean both the process of designing and the finished product. Here are some of
the tools of successful graphic design:
- Lines direct the
reader to points of interest, create shapes and forms, and divide space
into sections.
- Color attracts
attention and evokes emotion.
- Typography creates
emphasis and contrast.
- Images and
photographs convey meaning and bring forth emotion.
- Symbols represent
ideas or concepts.
- White space
separates elements so they are easier to read and provides the
eyes with a brief rest.
- Grids and
templates provide underlying structure and organization.
A layout refers
to how these elements are arranged to convey the message. An effective layout
uses a grid or template to organize the lines, color, typography, symbols,
images and photographs into a visually pleasing whole.
The layout influences how much time the reader
initially invests in the communication vehicle (i.e., whether to continue reading, save for later reading, or
discard) and controls the order in which the reader moves around on the page,
column or panel. An effective layout quickly captures the reader’s attention
and leads him through a series of steps to understand the message and what
action to take next.
Preparing
for graphic design
Graphic design is not the starting point for
visual communication. Rather, it is a subsequent step after investigation,
analysis, planning and organization. At PaperGraphics
we can walk you through all of these steps until all of us are clear on the
purpose of the marketing and sales material, the web site, or the display ad.
The
art of graphic design
Graphic design is a combination of technical
skills and artistic creation. A type of commercial art, graphic design differs
from fine art mainly in its purpose: to convey a message to an intended
audience.
Graphic design shares with fine art many
principles of design including balance,
emphasis, movement, rhythm, contrast, proportion and unity. These principles,
when combined with planning and technical knowledge of print and multimedia,
results in marketing materials, sales collateral and cross media promotional
materials that convey an advertising message in a visually pleasing manner.
At PaperGraphics we can show you the
difference good graphic design can make. Select a brochure or sell sheet whose
information needs to be updated and let us redesign it using the principles of
graphic design. We predict you’ll be impressed with the results. For more
information and a quotation, call us at 254-773-7391 or www.papergraphicsltd.com
to set up a no obligation consultation where we assess your current situation
and offer a plan of attack that works for your budget.
No comments:
Post a Comment