TL;DR: Cancel your Canva account right now and hire a professional already.
Alright, let's talk about graphic design.
As someone who spent several years in the graphic design industry, explaining to people what it is can be a daunting task. Especially when you're met with blank stares, head nods, and the occasional "oh, so you like to draw stuff?"
WTF is graphic design anyway?
Well, it's not just drawing stuff. In fact, you don't even have to be particularly good at drawing. To help you understand what graphic design is (and what it isn't), let's dive deeper into some key aspects of this field.
If you're a graphic designer yourself, this may catch you off guard (yes, I'm talking to you Barbara): graphic design is more than making something pretty.
Professional graphic designers take into consideration the message, your audience, and purpose of the design before playing with their font and color library. It's why Comic Sans shouldn't be your first choice for wedding invitations (unless you're Comic Book Guy).
It's about creating a meaningful connection with the viewer through strategic design.
At its core, graphic design is about conveying information through visual elements.
Okay, but, what does that even mean?
Ever seen a social media post that just makes you scratch your head? It can make you wonder, "What are they even selling? Why am I reading this? Why should I care?" If it misses the mark, you scroll past it without another thought. Don't be a bad social media post.
A client of mine in the real estate industry showed me a piece of marketing material their company provided. The company wanted their agents to use this post to gain more leads. This graphic may mean something to people in real estate, but not to anyone else.
First of all, what is iFinder? And how does that help me if I'm selling a house? The headline, being the largest and first thing people read, can make or break whether people read on. In this case, this graphic totally misses the mark. It doesn't take into consideration that it's target audience isn't interested if you're a "Certified iFinder Pro", they want to know if you can sell their house in the most efficient way possible. Switching out the header to the first line of copy in the smaller print provides clarity the previous graphic lacks.
With the right graphic designer, you can communicate your brand's personality, values, and benefits with just a quick glance.
In the last 30 years, the graphic design field has evolved at a rapid rate. New technology and changing trends means graphic designers must stay up-to-date with the latest developments to stay relevant (and keep your business relevant too!) This means that many designers may have a niche, or specialty. There are designers that work to specific industries – think textiles, publishing, even some that design PowerPoints *a graphic designer cries in the distance* – to designers that focus on a specific skill like illustration, animation, branding, and product design. Whatever you need, there's someone out there to help!
Sure, you can DIY your brand's design, maybe tinker with Canva until your eyes bleed, and hope for the best. But if you're serious about building a strong and memorable brand, investing in a professional graphic designer is a must. It's like a hair stylist – you could cut your own hair for free, but should you? (The answer is no.)
A professional will make you look like a million bucks (or at least a few thousand).
So, the next time someone asks you "what the hell is graphic design anyway?", you can confidently tell them that it's so much more than just drawing stuff.
