You will find attractive, seductive, and provocative visuals all around us these days to lure you into clicking, reading, or watching. We move along until we are captivated by something without these enticements. There are many words that can do this. However, phrases are more accurate. The right mixture of information can help us to stop our tracks and get more focus. Combining that with the right picture will make it a sure win. Let’s not stop there. A combination of the right words, the right visual, and a professional presentation can make you go down the path without a turn. You are now free from all doubt.
The attraction is so strong, you may have lost all awareness. Your curiosity propels your deeper into the beckoning pit. This is effective marketing at its best, one of most manipulative forces in all of existence. This phenomenon transcends culture and intelligence, profession, or any other human characteristic. It has the potential to move an entire lifeform towards a desired goal.
We are a very fickle lot. With a attention span of less than one nanosecond, it seems that we are a nation riding the coattails the latest trend, intoxicated with a brief infatuation of the latest fad, often a product the media circus. Right now, we’re all caught up with the LeBron James decision and the BP oil spill. We also have to deal with the global recession. It will take a few more days before we can see new issues.
For those seeking to excel in marketing, the competition is fierce. Because of the multitude of marketing channels available to us, which includes a preponderance that is visually driven, it can be complicated. Therefore, I bring back the subject of this article: The importance of graphic design.
What is graphic design exactly? Graphic design can be both science and art. It is the ability of presenting a visual presentation within the trappings psychological influence, intellectual brilliance, and cosmetic glamour. A successful graphic designer uses style and contents to maximize viewer reaction. The result is a message delivery experience that is powerful, convincing, and memorable.
If you look down an aisle at a supermarket or drive down any major thoroughfare, you’ll be bombarded daily with visual stimuli. Color, shape, size and composition are all variables that influence our options. Are we drawn to the bold and powerful or the subtle and delicate? What is more classic: Modern or classical? Plain or decorated? Is it busy or simple? Do you think you are smarter than others? Or is it absurd? There are so many possibilities. The power of graphic design makes us feel compelled to act on our instincts. We can either like it or we don’t. Accept it, or completely ignore it.
This can make it a risky proposition for marketing teams, as they may be betting their lives on a single concept that uses a certain style of graphic design. We all know sales professionals can’t please everyone. You can’t please everyone, but that doesn’t apply to the client who expects everything on a silver platter.
What is more effective: the tried and trusted or the revolutionary and ingenious? What makes people feel more secure with the same old thing than the excitement of something new? It all depends upon which market you appeal to. Many marketers have the ability to use graphic design tools to their advantage to seduce the masses. These tricks often involve making improbable claims about the origin of products. Some marketers resort to sophisticated overtures and tricks to get a skeptical market to buy their offer. My parents, both octogenarians were suckers for letters that told them they had proved themselves worthy of being part of a distinguished group who believed higher prices meant better quality. The tactics that give this profession a poor name! The reliable vendors who are honest and upfront with their customers and present their goods in an ethical manner and in a manner that is consistent with the highest standard of excellence are rare.
This puts a lot of responsibility on graphic designers who need to be able perform multiple roles, including expert marketer/client liaison, creative director, client liaison, copy editor, visual conceptualizer and duplicitous prevaricator. That role can be performed by one person in small businesses.