In many regards, graphic design is a very valuable skill to have in business. Being able to create something visual that audiences enjoy looking at, something that is subtly linked to your brand, and something that manages to convey something wordlessly – that can be very beneficial indeed.
There are some pitfalls to avoid here, however. You don’t want your graphic design to let your brand down, and you don’t want it to substitute actual meaning or content where that matters more. It has to be used effectively and in tandem with the other tools at your disposal.
The Age of AI
The biggest issue in the modern world for many graphic designers is how AI is increasingly used to produce imagery in its place. In many circumstances, graphic designers or illustrators work with AI as a tool so that it’s not something that produces this content entirely without input, but the results still might lack that quality that something more entirely bespoke could offer.
If you’re trying to take this opportunity to say something with the imagery that you’re creating, leaving it in the hands of AI could lead to content that has an element of randomness to it, and this could be something that customers notice. In fact, you might find that the signature ‘look’ of AI produced content might be something that deters audiences, actively working against you.
Web Design
When it comes to the kind of graphic design that is featured on your website, you have to strike a balance between striking visuals and something that ends up being more distracting. This is a great opportunity to take styles and motifs that have featured in your branded content elsewhere and turn it into something that underscores the actual content of your website.
What this content is actually saying should be a continuation of the themes that you’re hoping your visual style evokes in the first place. Even though you’re going from non-verbal to verbal, you want the line of communication to remain consistent. Even when you and your team are using an API platform to implement tools designed to improve the user experience, having these embedded naturally can help to keep the style that you’re establishing consistent.
A Singular Look
One of the difficulties with establishing your own visual style to begin with is disentangling yourself from your inspirations. You want your own design style to be something that’s entirely unique to you, even if you’re hoping to capture something that an inspiration evoked in you.
It’s all very hard to unravel when it gets to that stage. To find your answer, you might focus your attention back on your own brand. You might be looking to take the best bits of several designs, brands and visuals that you’ve seen over the course of your life, but what about your brand is entirely new? How is your business tying all of these threads together into something cohesive? Answering that might help you to land on your chosen style.
