A Note on Graphic Design

Before we get too far with all the cool tips and tricks you are going to learn from this blog, it may the best time to talk about graphic design. Graphic design is the base for all that we are going to do here. I feel the need to write about it because for me, its a love hate relationship. I studied it in college and have an aptitude for it. I can arrange elements on "whatever" and I can make it look good, and I got better as I soaked up more experience. I like to design for large companies, but I LOVE to design for myself, like my own website, and even better, I LOVE teaching design and watching people get good results from what I share with them.

In college, I studied the craft of illustration. The people in this major were like me, we liked to draw, paint and animate, and from a distance, we made fun of the "graphic designers". "Ahhhh, they can't draw", we would say. They always wore nice clothes, were always in front of the computer and designed business cards that had small letters on it that we could barely even see. This wasn't me, and in college, you are naturally going to gravitate to like minded people such as yourself. I was an illustrator.

That was many many years ago, and since then, here's what I know (graphic designers, you are about to be honored here)...

All businesses, in order to make money, survive and flourish, have to sell. It doesn't matter what they sell, it could be the greatest thing ever invented...but here is the key, and I want you to remember this....

"If nobody knows about it, or how its going to help them...nobody is going to buy it".

In other words..."marketing".

Companies spend millions of dollars to staff their marketing departments. They have the responsibility making sure that everyone knows what Company A sells and how their product is going to help people. A good example of this are the Paul Rand logos at the bottom of this post. Do any of those logos look familiar? How many of these companies still use that same logo?

Marketing and branding is a simple but powerful idea that affects you in every way, every day. Companies know it and will continue to send out company messages to you...think about the following:

• Have a Coke and a _______.
• What is Target's logo?
• What was the last pair of sneakers you bought? Why?
• What colors represent Coke? Pepsi? Mountain Dew?
• What colors does Tiger Woods wear when he plays golf?
• Superbowl commercials.
• What color is the Yahoo logo?
  
• Why do people like driving Prius, Mercedes and Toyota.
• What car do you drive today?
  
• The most popular toy this holiday season is?
• Why do you go to Starbucks (for the coffee drinkers)? What color is the Starbuck's logo and what color are their uniforms?

The list goes on and on, and each is a marketing decision, that contains a well crafted strategically delivered message that somehow crosses your senses: tv, radio, computer, cel phones, billboards, signs, and we even wear the messaging on our bodies - does anybody know why that Ed Hardy brand is so popular? Or why do ladies spend 400 dollars on a Coach purse (holy smokes! - I know those Coach people love this.) Its all around us, but companies need to be in front of our faces so that we are reminded of their existence, products and or services, and they plant reasons for us to buy.

As I'm writing this, I'm typing on a Mac Powerbook, using a Logitech Cordless Mouse and in a few minutes will take a break to play on my daughter's Nintendo DSi.

So where does graphic design come into play? They are the ones responsible for how everything looks and feels and how that message is delivered to you. They make sure it looks nice, appealing, and that the messaging is clear for the target audience. They are closely related to the company's ability to make loads of money and if things don't look nice, or aren't clear, a company is not going to have good results and will eventually tank.

By the way, graphic designers become art directors and therefore are responsible for hiring illustrators and animators like me. Like I said, they control the money. So I treat them pretty nice.

How does this relate to you? Remember that you are about to build your website... these days, one of the single most important marketing tools that you have as an independent creative individual. Whether you like it or not, you (and your name) are your own brand. You are the CEO of your own company, and this company is YOU.

Therefore, you have to market yourself professionally. You have to look good and your branding and messaging must be clear. This is evident and felt in the way you choose to present yourself through your website, and it includes the coordination of the following:

• your use of color
• your main image choice
• your layout
• font choice
• word usage
• usability
• flow

Which is why I decided to put together this blog. Unlike our graphic design counterparts, animation, digital film, visual effects and game art majors don't study marketing design as a graphic designer would, so it is my intent to post many of these main points that graphic designers are familiar with so that you too can have an effective, aesthetically pleasing website that you are proud of and that will help generate money or opportunities. If you follow the tips and tricks I share in this blog, you could potentially have a site that looks as if a professional graphic designer created it.

So there it is, be nice to graphic designers. Their job is important. Their talents help drive marketing, which then helps drive the economy. Be kind to them and do good work while you are in their presence because they might be able to use your talents and skills one day.

Graphic designers of the world, we grovel at your feet.