GRAPHIC DESIGN
A Fresh Breath of Creativity
Graphic design is the department where ideas come to life. Effective visual communications with consumers are paramount to building a successful brand identity. Consumers place an incredible amount of emphasis and focus on aesthetics. Quality products or services are expected to present themselves accordingly. An eye-catching website coupled with appealing print materials will create a positive impression of your brand in the minds of potential customers.
As important as quality is, so is cohesion. All of your brand’s marketing materials should evoke the same response. Colors, themes and layout should be similar, so consumers can recognize your brand quickly and from a distance. Creative, quality graphic design is an effective manner to favorably influence purchasing behavior.
The Importance of Color
Color makes all the difference in your marketing message. We are accustomed to perceive colors to symbolize certain meanings or actions (e.g. a stoplight). When used correctly, the right colors will attract your target demographic and go a long way toward favorably influencing his or her purchasing behavior.
Red and orange attract the eye. These colors are often employed by restaurants and retail stores to target impulse shoppers. Blues and greens are less intense, and have traditionally symbolized security and loyalty. The choice of color is an important one, but often overlooked.
Color has one of the greatest subliminal impacts on the purchasing behavior of consumers.
Facts About Color
85% of consumers stated color as their primary reason for purchasing a particular product.
Color was the most important feature for 93% of consumers when buying a new product.
Color is capable of increasing brand recognition by 80%, while also augmenting consumer confidence.
52% of online shoppers did not return due to a website's overall aesthetics.
42% of shoppers form their opinion on a website based only on its design.
What's in a Logo?
A custom logo should be simple, yet memorable. Consumers need to be able to recognize and recall it from only a mere glance. As mentioned above, color plays a major factor in determining which target demographic your logo will perform the strongest with. Some of the most recognizable logos are simple text or watermarks.
With whatever designs and color you choose, there are two essential qualities that all effective logos share. Scalability is integral; your logo will be reproduced at both small and large sizes. It cannot lose image clarity at either end of the spectrum. The ability to be printed in black and white is also important, as many advertising opportunities will only offer this format. Without these two qualities, the opportunity to place your logo will be severely limited.
Typefaces
What is the difference between a font and a typeface? A typeface is the name of the text style, such as Times New Roman. A font includes all of the other features and characteristics, such as size, bold, and italics. Typography, or the placement of your text, can greatly advance your marketing message. It creates interest in ideas and keeps consumers engaged, which also keeps them reading. It allows for the organization of thoughts and ideas, presenting them in a fashion that generates the strongest desired response. But what's often times effective at drawing attention isn't the most suitable for sustaining it.
Large, bold text is eye-catching and draws attention. Normally reserved for headlines and titles, these fonts emphasize significance. A popular trend has been to juxtapose them with a lighter, thinner script that evokes grace and elegance. But for more verbose content, a bold or script font would be horrendously difficult to digest. It would be best to use a Serif or Sans Serif typeface, depending on which format the content would be appearing. Bullet points are also an excellent way to organize larger, more detailed lists and content.
Proper typography allows for clear, concise communication. It maximizes the opportunity your brand has to make an impression, connecting with consumers and increasing their rate of recall.
Serifs are the small accents on the main bodies of characters. These typefaces are often used for headlines and body copy in print mediums, but their online viability has been debated.
Sans-Serif fonts are named as such because they lack the serif accents. Created in the late-18th century, Sans-Serif typefaces are utilized heavily in online and digital mediums.
Script fonts are adapted from the fluid, dynamic stroke of cursive handwriting. They are often light and feature long, over-exaggerated lines. They are often used to foreshadow or suggest class and elegance.
Display typefaces are loosely defined as any font size 14 point or larger. These fonts are routinely employed in headlines and are often used to foreshadow the mood of a particular article or piece.
CMYK vs RGB
When creating your own in-house marketing materials, it's important to understand the difference between CMYK and RGB color modes. Many businesses fail to reproduce color-accurate collateral due to confusing the difference between the CMYK (print) and RGB (digital) color modes. RGB is the best option for websites and other digital advertisements. CMYK is best for print collateral, like business cards, trifold brochures, posters and banners. We will ensure that your brand identity is cohesive across your entire campaign.
If your design isn't in the correct color mode for your desired application, we'll be happy to convert it over for a quality, beautiful product.
Blurry, Distorted Designs?
High-quality images and vector designs are the best way to prevent blurry, pixelated graphics. These graphics will generate the best possible printed and web product available, taking advantage of the advances in modern printing. Build your brand's value by presenting a beautiful, high-quality product.
