Business Benefit of Creative Graphic Design
Art and commerce are not irreconcilable. They are inextricably intertwined.”
— Screenwriter and director Nicholas Meyer, Writer of Houdini, Time After Time, Star Trek II, IV and VI
Simply put, art is the way consumers connect to brands.
Before any consumer experiences a company’s product or services, there must first come an initial awareness of that company. In the digital age, those first contacts al-most always happen via some kind of artwork — logo, Website, billboards, video, ban-ner ad, etc.
The best graphic designers use multiple techniques to attract and hold a consumer’s attention. Think of the world’s top brands, and it’s almost impossible to separate that recognition from the graphic design they use to define their looks.
McDonald’s has its golden arches, Rolex has its crown, NBC has its peacock and Ap-ple has its, um, apple. Obviously, if these companies failed on their particular brand promises, the artwork wouldn’t matter a whit. But when a brand succeeds, it stays in the consumer’s memory with the visual design created by its branded graphics.
After all, how many times have you, or a friend, said something like, “I want to go to that place downtown where we got the delicious wings, but I can’t remember the name.” That’s a restaurant that did not have any kind of signature style to its graphics or logos. A sharp, striking piece of art is easier to remember, than even the easiest of names.
Today’s digital graphic design also makes use of a wider variety of tools than ever be-fore, making it easier than ever for an artist to create pretty much whatever anyone can imagine. With the advent of photoshop design, font tools, 3D vectoring and more, we can find graphic arts solutions faster and more affordable than any time in modern his-tory.
“Understanding how design in advertising influences the way consumers behave is im-portant in the field of marketing,” wrote Nicole Thomas from Ohio State University’s Medical Center, in her recent whitepaper Influence of Design on Consumer Behavior. “Consumers live in a world filled with clutter and noise, and in order to create effective advertisements it is imperative to learn and practice efficient design that is capable of capturing attention in a way that will also be easy to comprehend.”
From the time we wake up in the morning, we are exposed to brands and their artwork. Stopping for a cup of coffee on the way to work? Will you stop at Fred’s Coffee Shop, or will you absent-mindedly just pull into the driveway when you see the big green Starbucks logo with the siren and her flowing hair?
Every day, brands reveal their graphic design portfolios to us in ways intended to make us want to extend our time, wallets and loyalty to them. Using art to build your brand one of those that stands out, that penetrates all the “clutter and noise” to make an in-delible impression, is one of the most critical tactics your marketing team can execute. When it’s time to find a graphic designer, you want people who understand this para-digm — and that’s the Peartree team.
