Читать книгу Start & Run a Graphic Design Business - Michael Huggins - Страница 6

Graphic design as a profession is often misunderstood. People are unaware of the impact it has on both business and society, because it’s so diverse and ubiquitous. Graphic design can incorporate many things; from T-shirt design to annual reports; from movie posters and book design to street signs and beer coasters. Still, many people are unsure of what it is. Is it the ability to draw a picture? Is it creating a caricature of someone at an amusement park? Is it creating poster graphics, or is it graffiti on a wall? The short answer to all those questions is, yes, it’s all of these things and more.

The simplest way to understand graphic design is to think of it as art applied to commerce. Graphic design is most often applied to marketing, advertising, and commercial communications. Graphic design is a creative process that involves developing ideas, creating visuals, and organizing content for the purpose of selling, marketing, or advertising.

The art and business combination is what makes graphic design so unique. You may be a very creative person. Maybe you’re someone who is able to paint, draw, design, and conceptualize all sorts of fantastic images and ideas on the computer, but if you aren’t able to apply it so that others can use it to their advantage in their businesses — it probably isn’t graphic design.

Design is valuable because of what it does for the businesses it serves. Companies use it to help draw attention to their products and services by making them stand apart from their competitors. In a nutshell, graphic design helps them sell their stuff quicker and more easily than their competitors.

Graphic design includes print ads, websites, logos, stationery, sell sheets, TV graphics, multimedia presentations, billboards, trade show displays, packaging, Point-of-Purchase (POP) displays, direct mail, and so much more. In fact, the list is almost endless. If you can see it, then graphic design most likely played some part in it. The big point of differentiation between art and graphic design is its purpose: Graphic design is used to promote somebody’s business, product, or service.

Graphic design has some big uses in the business world:

• To communicate important messages: Graphic design is commonly used to make information easier to understand and digest. It’s often used to bring clarity to complex or convoluted content, or to help communicate important messages.

• To make something more appealing or more valuable: This is commonly used on items such as books, magazines, and product packaging. In fact, sometimes the only real difference between products or services is the way they are packaged or presented! Graphic design can make one service or product seem more valuable simply by the way it looks on the outside. Manufacturers know that products can experience new growth by receiving a graphic design overhaul without any real modification of the product. This means graphic design can help increase sales.

• To sell something: This can be in the form of attracting attention or helping someone through a sales message as he or she reads a brochure. It can be used in an advertisement or billboard, or it can help someone navigate information on a website more effectively.

• To get attention: Design is a key tool for attracting attention. Having an important message is worthless today if no one takes notice of it and reads it! Businesses know this. They spend millions of dollars annually just to get their message out to an overly stimulated market. They need communication that cuts through the clutter, and diverts attention from their competitors to their own products.