What is the Purpose of Graphic Design in Business?
Have you ever wondered what role graphic design plays in business? If so, you’re not alone! We get asked this question all the time.
The simple answer is: to bring life, energy, and creativity to your brand. It’s about creating a visual identity that makes you stand out from the competition and communicates your message in an engaging way.
Graphic design is a powerful tool that can take your brand to the next level – it’s about creating an emotional connection with your audience. With the right approach, graphic design can be used to build brand recognition and attract customers.
“Your visual identity plays a huge role in how people perceive you, what they think of you, what they remember about you, and what action they take after seeing your work.” – Gary Vaynerchuk
Businesses need to invest in graphic design; to communicate what it stands for, and to make a lasting impression on customers.
Let’s take a deeper dive into what the purpose of graphic design is in business.
1. Making a lasting impression
Stand out from the rest with great graphic design that makes a lasting impression. This could include anything from an eye-catching website design, to appealing visuals that convey what your business is all about. Anything visually eye-catching leaves your customers with something to remember you by.
Brightland, a brand that sells olive oil and balsamic vinegar, has redefined what we know about marketing ‘boring’ everyday grocery items. From the packaging design to its playful and vivacious aesthetic featuring dazzling hues and bold typefaces, Brightland rises above any other conventional olive brands on the market.
2. Visually communicating what your business stands for
Graphic design allows you to visually tell the story of what your business is about, what it does, and what it offers. Whether it’s through logos, illustrations, iconography, imagery, or typography – graphic design helps to bring your message to life in a visually engaging way.
Chobani, uses clean and minimalistic design in its packaging and branding to communicate its commitment to natural and healthy ingredients. The brand uses simple, easy-to-understand labeling to communicate the nutritional content of the products. On the front of every packaging, the product’s flavor takes center stage as a way to showcase its purity and illustrate just how delicious it is.
3. Making a statement with color and typography
Graphic design allows you to make a statement with the colors and typography that you choose. This can be used to distinguish what your business stands for or what message it is trying to communicate.
Take a look at Tesla’s strategic choice of colors black, white, and silver. These are combined to create a sleek, modern, and high-tech identity. The colors align with the brand’s focus on innovation and sustainability and likely resonate with its target audience of environmentally conscious consumers who value cutting-edge technology.
Chanel, on the other hand, uses a classic and elegant serif font in its logo design and marketing materials to convey sophistication and timelessness. This choice of typography aligns with Chanel’s image as a high-end brand and appeals to its target audience of consumers who value luxury and style.
4. Creating an emotional connection with customers
Through graphic design, businesses can create an emotional connection with their customers. This could include anything from vibrant colors that evoke certain feelings to illustrations that reflect what a customer is looking for in a product or service.
Japanese snack subscription box service Tokyo Treat does this well by featuring vibrant, whimsical, and playful illustrations in its packaging design. Arguably the most important aspect of the product they deliver, the box that holds all the goodies evokes feelings of excitement, fun, and childhood memories — and that’s all before you even open the box!
5. Establishing your brand identity
Strong brand identity plays a key role in helping people remember what your business is about. Graphic design allows you to establish yourself as a leader in your competitive space and by creating something visually distinct and memorable.
We’ve all devoted countless hours to piecing together pieces of Ikea’s flat-pack furniture, but have you noticed the branding within its manual? These manuals use a combination of diagrams, images, and symbols to provide customers with step-by-step instructions. They’re designed to be (arguably) simple and easy to follow, and the consistent visual language is instantly recognizable as Ikea.
6. Helping customers find what they’re looking for
Using visuals is the simplest way to ensure that customers can easily find what they’re looking for. Techniques such as intuitive navigation, informative icons, or clear typography all help create an easy user experience.
When it comes to selling a mattress, an online retailer will always have to be innovative in order to compete with traditional bricks and mortar stores. Casper’s website does this perfectly by providing clear product descriptions and side-by-side comparisons for customers looking for a new mattress. This approach simplifies the buying process, making it easier than ever before for consumers to make their purchase decisions with confidence.
Casper uses a clear, concise, and straightforward way to visually present side-by-side comparisons
7. Improving customer engagement
Graphic design can help improve customer engagement by creating visuals that are appealing and captivating. This could include anything from an engaging infographic or stunning video to interactive content, all of which can help keep people interested and engaged with your business.
Take a look at how Mented, a beauty brand that specializes in creating makeup products for women of color, uses its color picker quiz to provide a personalized experience for each customer. The color picker allows customers to select their skin tone, types, coverage, and other foundation preferences which then generates a range of recommended products tailored to the customer.
The color picker quiz allows Mented to build a deeper connection with their customers
Takeaway
With the right approach, graphic design can be a powerful tool to build brand recognition, attract customers, and make a lasting impression. Investing in professional graphic design can be the key to making your brand recognizable and setting you apart as an industry leader. So why not get creative with your graphic design and see what kind of impact it can have on your business?
Happy designing!