When it comes to business and marketing efforts, graphic design should not be taken lightly. Graphic design isn’t just pretty pictures and not everybody can do it. The number one thing graphic design does is communicate. In fact, 92.5% of people site visuals as the #1 factor to their purchasing decision. 

GOOD DESIGN COMMUNICATES

Brands use design to effectively communicate a message and capture attention. Bad design can quickly ruin your marketing efforts. Many will focus on sales and service, which is important, but will leave design to the sidelines and wonder why their revenue is decreasing. According to Justin Harrison of the Weidert Group, “There’s supposed to be a 360° flywheel approach to inbound marketing, sales, and service — and design is a big part of delivering a consistent brand experience.”

According to the book “White Space is not your Enemy”, good graphic design does four things– “It captures attention, it controls the eye’s movement across the page or screen, it conveys information, and it evokes emotion.”

Design has a purpose. It requires a lot of research to make sure you are sending the right message to your target audience. For example, good design leads to good branding. Why do you think some of the largest companies like Apple and Coca-Cola have the following they do? Branding is important because, according to Seth Godin, marketing guru, says, “a brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”

In the end, good graphic design in marketing is about balancing visual aesthetics with function.

Like I said in the beginning, it isn’t about just pretty pictures. Sure, aesthetics are important, but it also serves a broader purpose within a strategy. A research study from Quick Sprout found that users will literally stop interacting with a website if they do not find it visually appealing. When marketing and using design, companies need to think about the bigger picture. What problem are we trying to solve? Who are we trying to market to? What goals are we trying to accomplish? What’s the best way to get there? Is the design visually pleasing enough to capture their attention and is the message being clearly stated? It’s a lot to think about, especially if design was initially at the bottom of a business’s priority.  Design should never be an afterthought. It’s an extremely huge part of marketing and growing a successful business.