Want your new business to stand out from the rest? It all starts with making sure your brand image is captivating and appealing to your target audience. But this can only happen if your brand design effectively communicates your brand message. Only then can a consumer decide whether or not they’re interested in what your business has to offer.
The only way a business can attract the target niche is by using appealing visual designs and attract your customers. These are commonly referred to as graphic designs. The ideas in your design must then inspire, inform and push the audience into requesting your company’s services.
With the above in mind we’ll quickly outline the basic rules you must incorporate to effectively achieve your business goal: get customers’ attention and buy your products and services.
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What’s Involved in Graphic Design?
Before we can explain the graphic design fundamentals, we’ll start by quickly outlining a few examples of why you need it. Graphic design is used in almost all marketing activities and branding materials including your logo so it’s important to have a clear idea of what you’re getting into. The layout and visual designs are used for the following:
- Logo design
- Brand identity
- Website design
- Content on website
- Digital advertisements like banners
- Brochure material
- Magazines
- Newsletters
- Corporate reports
Now that we know where graphic design is used, let’s go into the rules.
Fundamental Rules of Graphic Design
What every entrepreneur must know is that graphic designing is a form of art, but know that this can either make or break your business. It’s a useful tool used by business owners to market their products and differentiate their services from competitors.
While the concept may seem pretty basic, there are a few rules you must keep in mind to produce graphic design content that showcases professionalism, and needless to say, grab attention. Understanding these guidelines will also streamline the process next time you talk to an agraphic designer or hire a printer.
Rule 1: Font Choice
The font you decide to use on your material is as important as the text itself. Make sure it’s clear and readable. All the letters must be easily visible whether they’re in bold or italics, from a short or far distance. And always avoid text where the characters are too close to each other or too fancy to read.
Not only is the font important, but the size of the font as well. Usually, large font sizes are used to indicate the most important information and draw the viewer’s attention to something specific. Overusing it will defeat the purpose so don’t always use large font size just because you want attention on all of your content.
Rule 2:
Colors are a very important aspect when it comes to graphic design as it’s responsible for attracting the attention of your target audience. Are you looking to appeal to a younger clientele? Then it’s worthwhile to consider bright and playful brand colors for your business logo and other graphics. On the other hand, if your business is targeting professionals of the middle or older groups of individuals, then consider sober shades like blue, black, or red.
Image source: pexels.com
Colors also represent emotion and moods. For example, red is known to represent either power or passion. Blue invokes peace, security, and professionalism. So pick wisely and communicate the right brand message on a subconscious level.
Rule 3: Alignment and Balance
Is your graphic design aligned? One thing that professional graphic designers always make sure of is the symmetry of design elements. This means they should line up properly along the top, bottom, center, or sides. These elements need not necessarily be of the same type and can include text, images, and more.
So if you have text on the one side then it should be balanced out with text on the other side, or at the least have a similar-sized image.
Rule 4: Uniform Spacing
Graphic designing is more than just putting a bunch of words or shapes together to create an image. It’s about harmony, balance, and aesthetics. Thus, it’s important that you pay attention to details like spacing and uniformity. For instance, the spacing between the text lines; similar shapes should be together; and grouping of elements to create white space. Give your design space to breathe.
As far as text is concerned, always maintain uniform spacing throughout the content because incorrect spacing affects readability. Generally, most design software applies an automatic spacing guideline equivalent to 120% of the text size.
Final thoughts
Always remember when it comes to graphic design, the rules are constantly evolving. Consumers’ preferences change and technology develops. Make sure you keep up with trends so that your branding shows you’re one step ahead of the rest.
Author Bio
Andrew Hoffman is a creative freelance writer who specializes in topics related to small businesses and startups, digital marketing, and branding.
This article originally appeared on OptimoRoute. See more info about route optimization on optimoroute.com.
