VISUAL CULTURE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF GRAPHIC DESIGN IN CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION
Once, images were the only means of expression. After the invention of print, writing became increasingly common and eventually marginalized the importance of visual content. This began to change with technological progress. Easy access to cameras – especially cameras in mobile phones – along with the invention of MMS made it more common for people to send each other photos or images instead of text. The massive popularity of social media finally tipped the scales in favor of visual content.
Academic circles often criticize this trend, claiming that young people read less, and that forming longer sentences, both in speech and writing, is becoming more challenging for them. However, many sociologists, linguists, cultural anthropologists and communication specialists hold a different view – image-based culture is not a threat as long as we use visual content skillfully. There’s nothing stopping us from combining scientific or popular science articles with well-crafted graphics, infographics, photos and other visual elements, encouraging a wider audience to read the text.
For marketers, PR specialists, business owners and salespeople, image-based culture offers enormous opportunities. Thanks to graphic design, our communication with clients becomes easier, more enjoyable and more effective. Valuable content combines high-quality text with engaging visuals – graphics, animations or videos. Images, illustrations or infographics make it easier to capture the client’s attention and help them remember our message for longer. Sometimes a single good logo is enough for our brand to stay in a client’s memory, making them more likely to choose our offer over the competition. Since most of us are visual learners, we should use graphic design in client communication if we want to reach the broadest possible audience.
THE ROLE OF GRAPHIC DESIGN IN BUSINESS
More and more entrepreneurs appreciate the potential of graphics and visual content. However, many still fail to fully recognize the entire range of possibilities that computer graphics offer. When thinking about graphic design in the context of client communication, we usually picture banners, ads and graphics used to illustrate blog articles. In reality, graphic design goes much further and allows us – or at least greatly helps us – build a relationship with clients. A good-quality product or service, competitive prices and excellent customer service often aren’t enough to make clients return. The closer the relationship we build, the higher the chance that a client will not only come back, but also become an unconscious ambassador of our brand. A consistent visual identity – that is, good graphic design – will help us achieve this.
Before starting a business, we should properly prepare for operating it. Every entrepreneur should create a brand book and visual identity guidelines. The logo, logotype, color palette, typography, brand book, graphic style of promotional materials, vehicle graphics and employee uniforms – all of these elements help distinguish the company from competitors and build trust, which ultimately translates into profit. A consistent visual identity also makes work easier (for example, for the marketing department), which can use ready-made materials when preparing new graphics for social media ads. However, to be useful, the visual identity must be created by a professional graphic designer. The misconception that a brand book is only useful for large companies makes later brand promotion and client communication much more difficult, time-consuming and significantly less effective.
Business cards, flyers, posters, banners, social media ads and paid Google ads are just a few examples where graphic design plays a central role. Graphics are also essential for running a blog, managing social media profiles or creating a professional booth for trade shows. To make it easier for clients to remember our brand, we must consistently follow our brand book guidelines – only cohesive communication will deliver the expected results.
OTHER APPLICATIONS OF GRAPHIC DESIGN IN A COMPANY
We already know that graphics play a major role in client communication. We use them not only in advertising, but also on packaging and company vehicles, increasing the likelihood that clients will recognize our logo or even just its color palette. Graphic design is also an essential part of website creation – something modern companies cannot function without. An appropriate layout, a website structure user-friendly for visitors (UX) and search engines – all of this requires a solid overall design, including the graphic design.
However, the role of graphic design reaches much further. Thanks to professional graphics, infographics and presentations, we can improve internal communication (internal PR), which is crucial for strengthening relationships among employees and between employees and company leadership – yet it remains undervalued. The importance of internal communication becomes especially clear during crises – whether global, industry-level or specific to a single organization.
Information presented through text and visual elements speeds up and simplifies communication. We should not hesitate to use presentations, infographics, animations, videos and other visual materials in emails, training sessions, conferences, meetings, calls and other forms of communication. Reports, analyses, summaries, plans and other graphic materials make our message clearer and more useful to other team members.
GRAPHIC DESIGN – CAN ANYONE BECOME A GRAPHIC DESIGNER?
No. Creating many types of graphic design requires artistic abilities (if we want to design an illustration) and holistic knowledge from various fields. Designing a good website requires experience in UX, SEO, graphic design and programming. Creating branding or rebranding requires marketing expertise. To ensure consistency and accuracy in visual identity, and to make a website profitable, the design must be handled by specialists who can transform knowledge, experience and creativity into a graphic design that helps us succeed in the market.
Effective employee communication, standing out from competitors, building brand trust, successful online and offline advertising, and even more effective remarketing are the main benefits of using visual content. Since graphics dominate over text, we cannot ignore these forms of client communication that rely on various types of graphic design. A substantive, consistent and visually appealing message will help us build a strong brand and make marketing and HR activities easier.
