Why Graphic Design?

We have previously touched on why Graphic Design is an Investment in terms of a quality end product, the purpose of the design, the return that it brings plus the time, and surprisingly money, you can save by having your branding and advertising done professionally.

But what exactly are the nuts and bolts of Graphic Design?

Graphic Design is about responding to visual problems, not just the visuals themselves. Of course an effective logo must be both aesthetically pleasing and interesting however the reasons for any branding must run much deeper. The fact there isn’t a 100% right or wrong answer for design is a tough concept to comprehend, alternatively, ‘design’ can be viewed as a continual quest for improvement.

Consider the rapid evolvement of social media in the past 15 years. First we had MSN Messenger, then MySpace, then Facebook – all of which expanded on and learnt from the problems faced by its previous competitor. And even now within Facebook, not a month goes by that they don’t study the interactions of its members and re-design and re-program the site to stay on top of the market. This embodies exactly what we must do as designers, we must continue to stay on top of growing trends and how people, business and society evolve and interact to give the best solutions to the problems we face.

Something I am continuously stressing to clients and, more frustratingly, friends is that ‘Design is not Art’. That is why truly effective and enduring design cannot be mocked up in half an hour between other jobs. It needs to be understood ie. the ‘what’, the ‘how’ and most importantly the ‘why’ need to be questioned and confronted in any project.

This post is summed up beautifully by Design and Illustrator Frank Chimero – ‘People ignore design that ignores people’.

When interacting with a designer – expect questions, then expect answers, then expect results.