Forewords
Competitive advertisement is one of the most common business communication methods in the business world today. Characteristically, the media (both outdoor and in-house) are typically awash with advertisement as competitors try to create an impact to the customers via effective passage of the message concerning the product that they offer and objectively win the market.
To achieve efficiency in advertisement use of graphic designing in passing on message in creative appeal has virtually taken center stage. This is evident in most of the advertisement that are targeted to the market all over the world today (White 8). Consequently, creativity in commercial advertisement that is greatly rooted in the ever advancing skills and expertise in graphic designing has become a major tool for competition as rivalry in the market place continues to intensify every other day. Furthermore, massive computerization coupled with the ever advancing technological environment and positive trends in the incorporation of technology in marketing has made use of graphic designing in advertisement the in thing in today’s business world.
Irrespective of the fact that it is hard to measure the direct impact of advertisement and ascertain in empirical terms the response level to creative advertisement appeals, marketers upholds great trust in advertisement as a method of marketing communication. Consequently, use of graphic advertisement continues to increase as creative appeal marketing become more and more widespread. Being a relatively recent development in corporate marketing however, use of this approach makes it a less researched and documented area. The purpose of this paper therefore is to provide an in-depth review of the use of graphic design in advertisement.
Graphic design in advertisement
Graphic designing is use of an individual’s creativity in the packaging of a message in a way that draws the attention of the clients and communicates the intended message to the latter in the most effective way. In fact graphic designs are intended to draw, in the most captivating way the attention of the targets audience with an objective of communicating the intended message to them to generate the most positive response (Bucknam 48). In attaining this objective, the designer’s creativity and appeal in communication, as well as the ability to draw and hold the audience attention throughout the communication processes takes the central point. Ideally, it is critical as lack of it would mean failure. Examples of graphic designs includes but not limited to the cover of a book design, creative advertisements, designs in magazine, posters products packages, environmental graphics, logo designs to name but a few (Barringer, 4).
Typically, graphic designs are-by creation captivating-on the eyes of the target audience with great ability to draw and hold the attention of the latter (Wakeman, 11), perhaps the reason why it has won the favor marketers in its use. In fact, it has today become the most ideal and most widespread approach to creative advertisement. In the creation of graphics, the graphic designers fundamentally concentrate on creation of visual images using the aiding technology at their disposal. As such, the quality of graphic designing and its use in corporate advertisement has evolved over the years along with the changing and advancing technology. Relative to the early times, graphic designing today has been crowned by technological advancements to become very colorful and pompous in characteristics.
Visit any city in the world today and witness the widespread use of graphics designs in advertisement especially using the outdoor media such as billboards, transits advertisements (where such designs are displayed in the bodies of automobiles), posters and signboard, walls of the building among other mediums, all displayed in a form that exhibit the highest sense of creativity, beauty and color. This gives them the ability of giving the message to the highest audience via their attractiveness. The adverts in facts creates a sense of beauty and color as marketer try to stand out in the market place and get the greatest attention relative to rivals.
While using graphic designing for advertisement, the graphic designer -also referred to as the graphic artist- plan, evaluate, and come up with visual designs to offers a communication solution to the advertiser or rather to help his client (advertiser) communicate to the target audience (customer) in the most effective, entertaining, and captivating way thus holding the latter’s attention and interests throughout the communication process. As a results, the designers aim at creating an advertisement appeal message that yields the greatest response from the market (customer/ audience) (Wakeman, 11). Through print and film media, the designers comes up with the most powerful way in creating awareness as far as particular product is concerned.
To succeed in creating an advertisement using graphics with a far reaching effect in getting such response and attention from the audience (market), it is of the essence, -in fact critical- that the designer determine the needs of the client well in advance, and proceed to plan on the message to be displayed in the design. Bucknam (50) points out that the underlying principle in the use of graphic designs in advertisement is its ability to appeal to the market or rather customers. The graphic designer therefore- while planning on the graphic design -considerations of its appealing capabilities must take center stage. Thus, the designer interest lies on cultural, emotional among other factors at the time of coming up with an ad (graphic designed) for the target audience (customers). In addition, they collect pertinent information through organized interviews, embarking on personalized (market) research et cetera. Ideally, the recognition of the needs of clients is progressively more becoming imperative for these professionals as they maintain organizational strategies (strategies) together with designs & layouts development (White 4).
According to White (5), graphic designing is adopted by virtually every organization in the current world of business. These professionals come up with designs for journals, company reports and newspapers to name but a few. In addition, they design ads as well as packaging blueprints for theses firms.
In the most recent development, many of the contemporary designers have widened their tentacles on those projects in the internet sites, interactive media among others. Furthermore, Graphic designers are in most cases involved in the actual creation of the ads and credits that proceeds or come after television programs and movies. Consequently, graphics designers consist of marketing experts, with high degree of creativity, imaginative ability, and experience in use of specialized computer software packages which assist them to come up with layouts and design elements as well as aid them in programming animated graphics (Bucknam, 48).
In the business world today, graphic designing has virtually entrenched itself as the marketing core. In fact, it forms one of the major activities in the advertising and marketing firm’s due to its growth and preferred use in creative advertisement. According White (5), the whole scenario is quickly degenerating into an industry, creating employment to very many such graphic designers. While many of the graphic designers are employed by established and large advertising, publishing and designing organizations, the entrepreneurial graphic designers have seized it as an opportunity to invest in the profession/ field. Consequently, Wakeman (51) argues that Graphic designers at times supervise their employees/ graphic assistants, while giving those instructions directions to complete components of the design process. Furthermore, those professional (Designers) who privately invest and operate individual ventures in graphic designing devote a considerable amount of their business time to examining catalogues, net working for new contacts, and general execution of their tasks (managerial).
Empirically, increase in use of graphic design in advertisement is statistically evident. According to a report published by Elaine i.e. the Elaine work index 2008 (Wakeman,, Oct 2008), in which the top 100 skills were ranked, it indicated a great need for information technology and marketing skills; in fact depicting that the skill supply especially for creative marketing fell short of the demand. From the report among the most desired skills and which topped the ranking included, IT and marketing expertise graced with graphic design, open source technologies, and online marketing skills. Of these skills, the graphic designing skills and their application in creative advertisement formed the most desired skills in business today.
Widespread Use of graphic designing in creative advertisement is evident not only in the united states but also across the world. For instance according to the reports from the company (i.e. Ad Trends Advertising) the firm has entrenched a full service workforce in graphic field (since 1991) that has the ability to rejuvenate customers’ ideas when printed. practically the firm (which classically put forward client services in creation of striking designs primarily for its marketing) has a well qualified design team that knows the client needs. The company’s chief executive pointed out that Ad Trends Advertising, Inc. has an extremely experienced marketing staff ready to provide real aid in the undertaking of the client (companies) advertising and marketing endeavors irrespective of whether the company is starting from scratch with a new product launch or creating an event driven marketing plan [Ad Trends Advertising Marketing News, 2009).
Conclusion
In conclusion, use of graphic designs in advertising has taken center stage in business marketing today as competitors strive to gain more attention from the customers and maximize their market share in the ever intensifying rivalry in the market place. As such, advertiser favors use of graphic designs due to their great ability to draw the attention and interest of the target audience and hold them throughout the marketing communication process. Furthermore, graphic designs as a form of marketing communication helps the advertise pass on his creative appeal message in the most entertaining and effective way. In addition, advancement in technology has made use of graphics in advertisement an ideal form of marketing communication, particularly development of the internet. However, the widespread in its use may culminate to the clogging effects leading to confusion on the part of the consumer (audience) as they are often presented with a lot of ads which are equally appealing and intriguing their attention.
Works cited
Ad Trends Advertising Marketing News. “Marketing Strategies & Articles” (2009). Web.
Barringer, David. “Answering the Call to Service Design” An Interview with Phi-Hong Ha (2009). Web.
Bucknam, Julie. “WHY DESIGN?” Social Change One Poster at a Time Arts and Activities; Skokie: Vol. 143, Issue. 3; p. 48 -42 (2008)
Wakeman, Miranda. “Re: DESIGN Changing the Message”
Wall School Arts. Needham: Vol. 108, Issue. 2; p. 11 (2008)
White, Alex. “Words and Pictures” Communication Arts. Palo Alto:2007. Vol. 49, Issue. 4.