Graphic Design: The Future of Design in Media

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For a lot of people, graphic design is a mystery. Well, from an outsider’s perspective, many know that graphic designing involves a computer, and because pretty pictures are the end results, it has something to do with the combination of drawing using the computers. With this consideration of graphic design in the minds of many people, it is not realistic to expect everyone to understand that graphic design is the future; especially when it comes to media. 

If someone would ask me to define design in three words, it would be: thinking to improvise. Similarly, if I were to describe the graphic design in the shortest way possible, it would be: thinking to improvise and present in a visual manner. One may assume that most of the graphic designers’ time is spent on a screen using software, or sketching and drawing, etc.

However, if you have spent any amount of time in designing any sort of graphic, you would agree to the fact that most of the time in a graphic designer’s day is spent in thinking – thinking about how something came to its existence, how was it made, and eventually, how to make it better and visually more understandable. All in all, graphic design involves thinking and making. That is precisely what matters when we think about the future of media. 

Potential Landscape of Digital Media

We understand what graphic designing means, but before we try to zero in on how exactly graphic design affects media, let us take a look at the digital media industry. 

Definitionally, media means a set of tools to help with mass communication. With the need for businesses to become more about quality communication, the role of media simply cannot be overlooked. Let us look at it in a simpler way: companies thrive on profits that are derived from various branding, marketing, and sales efforts. Media is the platform through which branding, advertising, awareness programs, and overall marketing are conducted. From billboards advertising to a detailed understanding of products through virtual reality and augmented reality, media is where a business begets. 

Also, read: The Future of Media: A New Framework for Valuing Content

Ways Graphic Design Plays a Role in Media

The importance of media is as noticeable as a meteor shower. However, the element that supports it: visual representation, is often not understood that well. With digital media being the bridge between a business and its customers, visual representation of ideas, products, offers, and any message that needs to be conveyed to a customer, is the anchor that holds the entire bridge together. In order to get a clearer understanding of the same, let us go through the ways in which graphic design is applied in media:

Advertising

A YouTube advertisement video, a flyer about an Airbnb rental, vehicle wraps, a regular social media advertisement, or any other form of advertising is simply impossible to be carried out if it was not for a graphic design embedded in the same. The foremost purpose of an advertisement is to tap the target audience and influence their decision-making preferences in favor of the associated company.

Without an appealing visual representation that conveys the required message to the potential customers, companies cannot fill this gap between their brand and the customers. Therefore, companies have been investing intensively in hiring illustrators and graphic designers to conceptualize an idea, a product, or any information that a brand wants to convey to its customers. Through this conceptualization, you take a leap from merely contacting your customer and informing them about your brand or product, to aspiring them with the ways in which you can improve an aspect of their lives. 

Publication

Yes, usually, most of the publishing aspects revolve around print mediums such as magazines, books, newspapers, etc. Be that as it may, with digitization entering every field there is, publishing is no exception. 

With digital publishing becoming more popular by the day, graphic designers have been specializing in publishing and editing-based designs. These editorial designers help the publishers by creating layouts, promotional materials for their books, book covers, and various other graphics. In addition to this, many publishers and authors are exploring online publishing, which requires similar – if not more – graphic design materials.

Having said that, it is important to understand that this form of graphic design requires a designer to take a step further: besides color and typography knowledge, editorial designers must have excellent organizational and communication skills as editorial designing is a bit more specific than other forms of graphic design. 

Environmental

Alright, this is going to seem contradictory to what we know until now: graphic design is not limited to digital design. This form of graphic design, environmental graphic design, is a set of elements and efforts taken by designers to make people connect to places. Reading from a screen, it may seem unnecessary to design places and buildings. However, with a combination of architectural, interior, and graphic design, one can build a place that is more effective than the regular ones. This is not done merely to give the place an aesthetic appearance (although, that does help in its own way) but to provide easier navigation tips, required information, and to make the place memorable in its entirety. 

Graphic designs such as signage, which is not as well known as other forms of graphic design, help people find their way. Whereas, other graphic designs can be used to tell a story. After all, the history of graphic design in the form of wall scribbles has proven to be highly effective when it comes to digging deeper into things we are not aware of.

Besides these, environmental graphic designs can bring a hint of uniqueness and sophistication to the place. In addition to the same, in terms of business, you can also enhance your brand by including environmental graphic designs in your office branding. Furthermore, as a designer, if you like designing but would like to explore it beyond screens, you can specialize in architectural design, drafting, mechanical design, and begin as an associate designer to ensure if this field is for you.

Motion Graphics

As the name suggests, motion graphics are graphics that are in motion. Similar to graphic design, motion graphics also involve typography, color, and imagery. However, in addition to these, motion graphics include video and audio effects, animation, and various other aspects which are required in television, film, and online media. Be that as it may, in today’s world, the use of motion graphics is not limited to a movie title, or an animated video, but is also implemented to create apps, website designs, GIFs, etc. 

In the last decade, as we continue to digitize, motion graphics have been becoming a part of our daily lives. Consequently, the field has been profitable enough to reduce costs concerning productions and technologies. This has resulted in more and more graphic design professionals specializing in this new yet growing field and offering the market the best video games, promotional videos, GIFs, trailers, and many other forms of content. 

Corporate

We have been discussing the significance of communication – rather, effective communication – between a brand and its customers. It goes without saying, you need to convey meaningful information to your customers in order for them to get associated with you and your brand, and eventually, lead to the success of the same. Nonetheless, it does not end there. 

With the markets growing faster than ever, customers have numerous options to choose from, be it a product or service-based industry. Therefore, in order to stand out from the crowd, a brand will need to have a rock-solid brand identity. In simple terms, brand identity is the face of a brand: its tone, tagline, logo, style guides, color palette, and overall personality of the brand. 

Related: Logo Design: How it Sets The Foundation of Company Branding

Through the means of graphic design, a designer can either make or break a brand. From business cards and logos to regular newsletters and announcements, graphic design is needed for building a brand identity that serves the brand in terms of customer engagement turned to customer loyalty. Moreover, ironically, once this brand identity – with graphic design as one of the core elements – is created, it sets the foundation for scalability. Having said that, it does not restrict a brand or its designers to redesign certain elements as required with the changing times and customer taste. 

Website

Before we dive into this, let us be clear with the fact that the difference between web design and graphic design is not as blur as some of us might think. With that being said, graphic design is one of the most crucial elements of a website. Through unique graphic designing, not only can you increase the visibility and value of a website, but also turn it into a way of effective client procurement, while decreasing the cost per client acquisition. 

If you compare a website that is simply heavily filled with words, and a website that has meaningful visual communications integrated into the same, you will notice the degree of effect that graphic design has on the viewers. Be that as it may, while preparing graphics for your website, you must ensure that these graphics are based on research and market trends. This does not apply only to infographics and statistic-centric graphics, but also to something that is entirely owned by a company but affects the customers, such as a logo design. 

Certainly, it is a task to align graphic design with various website optimization requirements. However, as it results in brand recognition, enhanced customer engagement, and an increase in conversion rates, it all turns out to be more fruitful than one would think. 

This is Just The Start

Graphic design has been seeping into our lives through media at the speed of light. Furthermore, with 51% of the marketing professionals considering visual communication tools to lead their list of marketing strategies, we can expect this to be simply a subtle beginning of ways in which design and media align with each other. 

One of the many reasons for this association is the freedom that these two industries bring to their professionals. Be it in the graphic design or digital media field, professionals have a lot to explore without having to be restricted by traditional full-time jobs. Having said that, both freelancing and full-time employment has proven to increase the efficiency of professionals, varying from person to person. 

Additionally, with graphic design becoming an ever-growing field, effects in ways of marketing, publishing, packaging, etc. will continue to improve the tiniest of aspects of our lives.