A vital component of communication, graphic design translates the overall message into a meaningful and engaging story. However, despite the fact that it plays a vital ro…
A vital component of communication, graphic design translates the overall message into a meaningful and engaging story. However, despite the fact that it plays a vital role in the success of any business, whether big or small, it’s still often misunderstood. Read on, as we debunk some of the most common myths we have come to hear about professional graphic design:
Misconception #1: “Design is Easy”
The process of graphic design is a complex and time-consuming endeavor. It’s just like trying to write an article. You need to conduct your research and make sure the facts you have are correct before you start typing. Then, you have to gather questions that you can answer with the help of the information you have collected for your article. After that, you need to find out what voice you would like to write in to elicit the proper response. Finally, you have to determine the audience you are writing for. It’s so much work, and you are yet to type your first words.
Yes… Graphic design is kind of like that. More often than not, it’s dismissed as just the last step in creating a business, but let’s face it – if Steve Jobs thought about design in the same way, then Apple probably wouldn’t exist today.
Misconception #2: “Design is about being Inventive”
Graphic designers are always under pressure to innovate. After all, clients are looking for the next big thing, and there’s that innate desire to be ahead of the next trend. Although trying new things is always good, innovation becomes dangerous when mandatory. The process of inventing something new is arduous and long. It requires inspiration and commitment.However, if you dedicate all your time toward inventing, you will eventually choke off the inspiration – you have to keep designing on the side as well!
Otherwise, you will not be able to package your creation in a way that appeals to your target audience, and that would mean your efforts will end up going down the drain. Therefore, focus on inventing but don’t forget that it’s just design.
Misconception #3: “Design is Just Decoration”
The term graphic design is thrown around a lot, but many people are uncertain as to what it actually means. They think designers are only there to make something look attractive by moving text, images and shapes around on a page and assigning colors to them based on personal preference. This, though, is far from the truth. Many graphic designers believe function is followed by form – their principal purpose is to communicate a message effectively, and this is made possible through design.
Misconception #4: “Design is not that Important”
Dismissing the importance of graphic design is the biggest mistake any business can make. Think about it for a moment – your business offers the best functioning product, which boasts the highest durability and most features, but there is one problem:it looks like it was made by a high school student in their basement. On the other hand, your competition’s product is nowhere close in terms of quality and functionality, but since they have invested heavily in the look of their product as well as its marketing collateral, it looks like the best product available in the market.
Now you can understand where we are going with this. Design is a lot more important than you think as we all are visual creatures and visual aesthetics have an impact on our judgment. For this reason, you should invest in design so that once your product hits the market it will already look like you have been around for years!