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Top Graphic Design Terms That Every Business Owner Should Know

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Graphic Design Terms for Business

The importance of graphic design to businesses cannot be overstated, but that does not mean that every business owner is a professional graphic designer, or even has a background in the subject. Graphic design represents the visual communications that convey a message or inspire people. Designs like these are commonly used on business cards, letterheads, marketing materials, brochures, and more. In this article, you will learn all about the top graphic design terms that anyone running a business should know.

Examples of Graphic Design

The umbrella of graphic design covers a lot more than many people may realize. Sure, It can be a company’s logo, or the font they choose to use, but it also means much more.

Marketing and Advertising

Graphic design has become increasingly important to businesses as they realize the scope to which graphic design can be used and the benefits it has. For instance, a company’s logo is a prime example of graphic design being utilized by a business. This logo often finds its way onto letterheads, memos, marketing materials, and much more. These items themselves are examples of graphic design being employed by a given company as graphic design can be much more than just the images we see.

Brand and Visual Identity

Graphic design is also used to develop the identity of a company. Visuals have the ability to communicate tones, provoke emotions and memories, and make viewers feel a certain way. Business owners everywhere are beginning to realize the importance of graphic design to help extend their brand identities and effectively communicate this identity to their customers. 

User Interface Design

User Interface design is a term used to describe much more than just the visual design of a company’s website. These types of designers figure out how users can best interact with software and have the most problem-free experience with a given site. When this type of design is thought of in terms of graphic design, it can be described as the visual experience that a given user is encountering. It’s important that a UI designer creates a high-functioning website, and it’s almost just as important that this is balanced with an aesthetically pleasing design. A blog post from Less Annoying CRM gave a good example of the difference between companies who focus on UI design in comparison to UI graphic-design, citing the visual appeal of Apple and contrasting that with the more impressive functionality of one of their top competitors, Google. 

These are some of the most important examples of graphic design for business owners, although the list continues. Examples include environmental graphic design that encompasses things like office design and layout or even motion graphic design seen in GIFs, animated logos, and more. There’s no exact number for how many types of graphic design there really are, but a blog post from 99Designs about their thoughts on the 8 types of graphic design gives a great overview of the basics.

The Definition of Graphic Design

It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly the definition of graphic design is because that can depend on who you ask. However, there are main themes that stay consistent throughout almost all definitions. I can say confidently that graphic design is the communication of certain ideas and themes through visual and textual content. It’s a method of communication in order to connect with customers and appeal to their visual senses. Think about this in terms of your own business, once you are able to pinpoint the messages and themes you want to convey, utilizing graphic design becomes far easier. Are there certain colors that aid the theme of your business? Certain fonts that do the same thing? It’s important to stay consistent in your graphic design usage and know what it is you want to accomplish for your business. At Graphic Design Chicago we specialize in making serious improvements to the success of your company through these visual and textual approaches.

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Design Terms

Digital Marketing and Advertising

After working with a graphic designer and developing your new design, what’s the next step? Sure, you want to make business cards, display your new logo, and hopefully have updated the layout of your website. Now it’s time to think about digital marketing. Just a few examples of this include email campaigns, having a social media presence, and content marketing such as blog posts. Take social media marketing for example, as a business owner you should develop social media accounts on platforms where you feel your customers are most present (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are a few of the most common examples). You can now use your custom branded graphics in your social media posts so that a consistent theme will start to develop and help to strengthen your brand identity. Reaching customers through digital marketing strategies allows you to successfully communicate a message to your target audience without needing significant funding and thus earn a strong return on your investment (ROI).

Color Palette/Profile

A color palette or profile is extremely important in graphic design and ties back to the brand image you want to convey and stay consistent with as a marketer. Colors have a profound effect on the way we think, for example, the color blue is supposed to convey trustworthiness and security, which is in large part why so many banking and financial institutions seem to have a blue theme (Chase bank, Venmo, Visa, American Express, etc.) So it’s important to keep this in mind when working with graphic design and in any aspect of your business. It’s also important to think about how colors interact with each other, and how to use this to your advantage. 

Brand Image and Strategy

Your brand image can be rather simply defined as the way that customers perceive your brand and the expectations they have. As a business owner, you want to identify what it is you want your brand image to be, and how you want your customers to think of your business. Do you want to be known for great customer service? Or maybe the lowest possible prices? The point is, you want to know the message you are trying to send and then utilize graphic design to help extend this theme into your target audience. Your brand strategy is basically that, how you plan to inform customers about your company and make sure they are receiving the brand image the way you want them to.

Graphic Design Elements and Principles

As Rasmussen University correctly states, graphic design elements are used in conjunction and opposition with each other in order to create visually impactful designs. I know that you’re reading this as a business owner and not a graphic designer, but that does not mean it’s not important to understand some of the most basic graphic design terms. These elements include, but are not limited to color, form, shape, size, and texture. All of these elements are thought about when designing and all have an impact on the visual success of your designs. Graphic designers also know the importance of adhering to the principles of graphic design that help to ensure a successful creation. Some of these include balance, contrast, rhythm, and more. To me, these design principles and elements help show how important it is to find a graphic designer who knows what they are doing because as we see there is a lot that goes into successful designs.

How Graphic Design Chicago Can Help You

One thing that I’m sure is becoming more apparent to you after reading this is that graphic design is not an easy thing to master, and it’s not something that should be overlooked. I’m sure you feel overwhelmed and may not even know where to start. Here at Graphic Design Chicago, we have a team of experienced designers that have been mastering their talents for many years that want to help you create successful designs for your business, and can do so in the most effective possible way. 

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