A major share of retail sales have been taken over by the digital world, wherein the customers are buying and purchasing through mobile apps on their smart devices. These pseudo-stores are devoid of any saleswoman or salesman directly to present a business product or service to an intended customer, nor can these be pushed through merely by simple looking text. The importance of design in business has hence been witnessing an unprecedented spike.
Graphics designs are basically used by businesses to communicate better and thus, connect better with their intended clients. So, if you will have a closer look at the online presence of businesses, hoardings and even mails, etc. all have graphics that substantiate the text for clarity and easy retention by customers.
Powerful Graphics are the sales representative of your digital stores, be it a website or a mobile app.
Graphics in definition are basically digital images created and edited with or without overwritten texts to ensure the idea behind their creation is clearly communicated to the user. The experts in developing these images are called Graphic Designers.
Why are graphics so important?
Images are known to speak louder than words, and that is what our businesses want, a shout out to their intended clients. Graphic design is the most visually effective means for a business to connect with their intended customers. Their direct benefits for businesses include:
- They help create the first impression
Graphics of a business including flyers, pamphlets, website,social media posts, mobile app UI, etc. defines how an intended customer will look at your business. Graphic design tends to create the first impression that influences the viewer's mind as they would be further interested in knowing about you and interacting with your brand or not.
An ineffective graphic design herein, could lead to losing out on intended customer interest, sales as well as market outreach. Good graphic design would help a business create a lasting positive impression on their intended clients, giving them a reason to prod further and to even make a purchase. Thus, as a futuristic business owner you should be taking a timely tour of your business website and social media pages and update any graphics that no longer accurately represent your brand or brand message.
- Helps stay viable with consistency
As a business representative, say you wish to connect with a particular client and receive businesses. For this, you would have to send out effective emails or flyers to them for business introductions and further interactions. One email or flyer would not do the job in this regard, and you would require a series of them to create a lasting impression. Good graphics help to create this impression. So, when you send out mailers with a series of good graphic stories; you tend to stay within the user's mind. This is an important factor for any marketing strategy as it more than not, leads to the customers contacting the business back, when the need for their products or services arise.
- Most shared and effective form of media
As per global reports, infographics with bespoke graphic designs are the most widely shared form of posts on social media. They thus, form the most effective tool for marketing a business on social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, etc. Well, designed graphics or pictures can easily pass on the information or message in a subtle way. Moreover, it also improves the user experience on the whole, as the viewer does not have to spend time reading a lot of information.
- The most effective storyteller
With so much content already present online, audiences seldom wish to wait and read a piece of text, until and unless it is superbly written. A well-thought out and crafted infographics herein can help a business to convey its message or a brand story in the most effective manner.
Creative graphic designers with their impressive portfolio can make the above stated pointers a reality for any product, service or brand identity. But, before you hire an eminent graphic designer, you need to understand that there are various types of graphic design requirements by a business and then there are designated experts for each of them. You need to first zero in on your exact requirements and expectations before hiring one.
Types of Graphic Designs that a Business May Require
Graphics speak up for businesses, brands and what they stand for. Impressive graphics ensures that it will attract user attention and help create a connection with the brand that owns it. Thus, choosing ‘good graphics’ is always an inclusive part of a good business strategy. Let us now analyse the various verticals where graphics seem to make their mark:
- Brand Identity Graphics: Do you remember the ‘Nike symbol’? Well everyone does. The nike tick mark can be recognised from anywhere afar on any of its products, with or without the company name. It is a company logo and a brand identity developing graphics.
Businesses have been opting for a particular logo, color palettes, special writing fonts and topography of various shapes and sizes that they would like to stay uniform in all their products and services throughout, to develop a brand connection and identity of sorts. The concept seems to have done wonders for companies that have been able to taste success. Thus, it is important that each business holder give in ample thought and time to brand identity graphics as they cannot be changed from time to time. Once developed, they tend to stay with the company for a long time to come.
- Marketing Graphics: These are the most easily found graphics and graphic designers. Each and every business is as good as its marketing these days. With social media ruling this roost, every business requires eminent graphic designers who can regularly create and post graphical (in line with the product and businesses brand image) posts on their social media handles including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Linkedin to create a brand following and subscriber list. Even if a business hires a marketing company to create these posts; the marketing company would require graphic designers to complete the job.
Direct emails also require graphics. You cannot have your intended customers to only look through boring text, when they open your business mail. An included graphic that communicates with the viewer is sure to do the ‘marketing’ job better and reiterates the importance of design in business. Flyers, Brochures, handouts, menu cards, etc. all come under this purview of graphic designs.
- UI/UX Graphics: A website and a business app can simply not do without impressive graphics. An intended customer browsing through the internet has many options for each product and service to buy from. As a result, they seldom choose to stay on a certain website or pages for a long time. If in this time period, he or she encounters a page with no images, and a requirement to sort through texts, they are much more likely to than not leave the page for some other competitive and attractive website or application option. Graphics help a website or a mobile app to connect with the viewer and explain the company’s offerings in a clearer, focussed and more approachable manner. Thus, effective graphic design by web and app development companies is a must.
- Packaging Graphics: In a supermarket store wherein a customer is to choose from several product options in every product vertical; eminent packaging and its capturing graphics can easily do the trick. Packaging look and feel , especially forms a very important part of business strategy for businesses dealing in product retails. For instance: A kids related product cannot be marketed in a simple looking package. It needs to have an element of childishness amongst its graphics to attract their intended users.
Generally, as per current trends packaging graphics should be classy and able to effectively attract user attention in comparison to the other available options.
Which alkaline water bottle will you pick?
- Videos are also a string of Graphics: Videos are slowly becoming the new text of visuals for businesses to connect with their customers. Videos are also a string of creatively developed and connected images. The oh-so-famous gif’s, trailers, animated videos, all come under this purview. Motion graphics designers begin by developing graphical storyboards and then bring their concepts to life with animation, video and traditional art. Depending on the industry, a strong working knowledge or experts of marketing, coding and 3D modeling with eminent graphic designers can be definitely developed as an asset.
- Gaming Graphics: This especially requires a separate mention. Gaming industry is one of the largest technology-based industries in the world. Gaming industry and especially the success and failure of a game is heavily dependent on the quality of the graphics used and the creativity of the graphic design team. Games basically tell a story to its viewers and they connect with its graphics. So an excellent graphic designer team is a must-have for any and all gaming businesses.
It is the graphics that decide the game for the gamer. What do you say?
Understanding The Science Behind ...
‘Images speak louder than words’ is just not a saying. As per researchers worldwide, when a human mind sees and analyzes an image and gets some information through them, their chances of getting retained within the human mind are more than double. The learning pyramid proves its viability:
In technical terms it is called the ‘Picture Superiority Effect’. In literal terms it is the phenomenon in which pictures and images are more likely to be remembered than words
This science is being utilized by businesses as well. Making videos or going to discussion platforms for every nook and thing, becomes really expensive and time consuming for businesses. Thus, image graphics are the optimum choice for conveying all information to the users.
How to Use Powerful Graphics as an Asset to Business
Businesses, however big or small and from any industry require an effective mix of graphics across various verticals of its existence. Let us now analyze why impressive graphics seem to hit the right ‘chord’ and how can you make it better:
- Choosing the appropriate color palettes:
Every color in the digital graphic industry has its special meaning and seems to have a particular effect on the human mind. For instance: ‘Green’ color palettes are mostly chosen to implicate things that are ‘organic’ or somehow related to nature. Similarly, ‘pink’ is often chosen as the color of good health and youth. These color choices also tend to affect the customer mindset. Thus, businesses should be wisely choosing this palette and if possible keep it similar across all their physical and digital assets.
- Developing Creative Infographics:
More the creative graphic designers, the better it is for a business presence.
It is a fact that one single thing can be said and displayed in numerous distinct ways. The creativity of a writer and a designer lies in finding the best one out of them. Try to develop infographics and charts that clearly state the required facts and also create a distinguishable connect with the viewer’s mind for easy brand retention.
- The Humane Touch:
Graphics for a business should include a means to connect with the user, somehow or another. For this, it might include realistic human or other images in a creative manner. It is not necessary for them to be beautiful or aesthetically pleasing images. At times, creatives just need to do their task of connecting with the customers and showing them true colors of things. As a business, you should be looking out for bespoke engaging graphics.
Conclusion
In these ‘user-centric’ times wherein products, services, businesses and brands are being created around user requirements, graphics are the key to direct user engagement. One way or the other, every business needs them, creating a perennial demand for Creative Graphic Designers globally. The trends in various types of graphics may change as per industry or user expectations; but the graphic requirements are in themselves here to stay and in fact to increase manifolds in the coming times
