5 Tips for Successful Graphic Design
Graphic design is a critical element of marketing and should be during any business or project planning process. Without good graphics, advertisements and websites won’t stand out when compared to your competition. Here are some general tips to make sure your designs are successful.
1. Color is a Big Deal
Colors are often associated with meanings and feelings, so color choices significantly impact the message you intend to convey with graphics. For example, red paired with a heart would make you think of love. On the other hand, red paired with a word in all capital letters would cause your brain to think of caution. It’s essential to think about the impression you are trying to make when considering color schemes in your graphics.
2. Easy on the Fonts
While fonts are fun to play around with and can bring a sense of fun to your designs, incorporating too many at a time creates visual confusion. Cluttering space with too many “pretty” fonts makes messaging difficult for consumers to absorb. It’s always a good idea to stick to easy-to-read fonts for blocks of text so that you don’t lose potential customers’ attention.
3. Include Images with Text
Even in the most basic communication forms, it is always good to incorporate an image or icon to support your text. Visual image cues are a basic rule of layout and design because they guide consumers to your point faster than words alone. Using too many words comes with the risk of losing people halfway through reading a passage. Not only do images make things more interesting, but they help break up space and segment your most important message points neatly.
4. Learn to Love Shapes and Lines
Much like images, linear separators and other shapes help keep a reader’s attention by leading the eyes through a design or text layout. Strategically repeating a particular shape throughout a piece balances the design aesthetically. While connecting elements of a design or layout using shapes and lines may be undetectable by a reader, it is an expert move to create harmony and flow in a layout.
5. Don’t Skimp on Space
The negative space (sometimes referred to as “white space”) of a design is critical because it keeps the design from appearing cluttered. This tip is especially helpful right now due to the minimalist design trends that have emerged in recent years. With so many distractions in the world today, consumers naturally gravitate to short and straightforward messages. They like to take in information quickly and move on.
Keeping these tips in mind when creating a design can help you avoid design failure. Incorporating smart design elements can draw in the eye and hold attention, which is what you want! However, using design elements recklessly can cause inconsistency, confusion, and a lack of interest. Simple, pleasing-to-the-eye images are always the best bet for getting your information across effectively.