Graphic Design

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 27 aug 2024

Changes in cultural environment, consumer's needs and wants, and advancements in technologies, all play a role in the evolving field of graphic design. Fads and trends are short-term blips in the graphic design industry. But the things that last define the future. Max Ottignon, co-founder of Ragged Edge, says, 'We spend our whole time trying to figure out how to avoid such 'trends'...trends have a beginning and an end. Something that feels 'on trend' will probably feel 'off trend' in the near future. And as brand people, we're trying to build something that lasts...following trends means that you're making stuff that looks like everything else. But with branding, the primary objectiveness is distinctiveness.' More graphic design experts share their views on the future of the industry below - AI CAN'T BE IGNORED AS IT SHORTENS THE DESIGN PROCESS: Simon Case, founding partner of Chromatic Brands, says, 'We've been using AI for a while now. We started to use it just for production, basically for resizing ads....There are now platforms where you can put in one image and just type in all the different versions, sizes, and file types you need...Next, we started using it for visualisation.' THE NEED TO BE DIFFERENT: Mr. Ottignon, says, 'We live in an age of convergence. Designing for algorithms, not people, means that everything is starting to look the same...those who can create work that looks, sounds and behaves differently are becoming rarer and ever more valuable.' Mr. Case adds, 'without the strategic and creative ability to generate new thinking, designers won't get far in the future. Design has to become more about ideas and less about 'decorating'.' THE RISE OF AUTHENTICITY: Tebo Mpanza, co-founder and client director at Unfound, says, 'At Unfound, we spend a lot of time trying to uncover the clients' unique territory and the space they occupy...We want to encourage our clients and the brands we're working with to pursue difference - to challenge the norm, to challenge what's already been, and to push and go further...we're going to continue to see a rise in authentic storytelling...It's all about experience now.' PERSONALIZATION AND EXPERIENCE: Mr. Mpanza says, 'Personalisation is becoming huge now. It's hugely driven by AI and machine learning, which is increasingly sophisticated...I think the future of branding and design lies in authentic storytelling, personalisation, brands just becoming real and tangible, and creating memorable experiences.' SMALLER TEAMS: Barrington Reeves, founder and creative director at Too Gallus, says, 'In general, everyone has become much more professional in what we do...Access to learning is so much higher...we're seeing designers who are much more capable. That's why smaller agencies can deliver the same quality of work for global brands as much bigger agencies...That traditional agency model, that big-adland approach, is quite transactional...we really become part of the team, really integrated into the company culture of the people we work with.' Mr. Case goes even further, envisioning a world of 'single-person, full-service agencies', all leveraging AI for tasks ranging from copywriting to 3D modelling. He adds, 'We want our partners to see us as just an extension of their own team.' IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA: Mr. Reeves says, 'If you don't understand how to articulate a brand on social media, then you're sunk. That's almost the first place any new company rebrand is going to go out in practice.' Mr. Mpanza says, 'Our creatives are in the culture. They can bring their collective expression and experience to help us deliver world-beating creativity across disciplines for our clients.' MORE DIVERSE FUTURE: Mr. Reeves believes that even though 'cultural fluency' is requisite to the success of any brand, but is often sorely lacking, and points to a lack of diversity in the creative industries as a major contributing factor. But he is noticing a change now and says, 'I do think in the last couple of years, we've seen things starting to move, and you can instantly tell the creative work that has come from that. It's more vibrant, it's more natural to whatever culture that's being talked about. So I am optimistic that we're closing the gap.' Read on...

Creative Boom: What's next for graphic design, according to industry insiders?
Author: Tom May

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 29 oct 2023

The digital continues to displace print media but print has not totally lost its relevance. Flipping through well designed pages and content in magazines still brings joy to many. Particularly for graphic designers, print magazine can provide inspiration that is tangible and immersive, and gives a different visual way from digital and an alternative design perspective. Here are select design magazines that can provide value to graphic designers - (1) Eye Magazine: Founded by Rick Poynor in 1990, in addition to showcasing design, it tells the stories behind them, giving designers a comprehensive look at the 'why' and 'how' of standout design work. (2) Communication Arts: Founded by Richard Coyne and Robert Blanchard in 1959, in addition to its meticulously curated content, the magazine itself is a testament to the power of good design, with every page exuding creative brilliance. (3) Idea: Founded by Okumura Yukimasa in 1953 in Tokyo (Japan), is a unique printed product in which the design is a play on colors, layouts and paper types. The magazine examines different creative scenes from local and international designs. (4) Creative Review: Launced in 1981 as a supplement to Marketing Week, is now a stand-alone magazine and considered as the top most magazine of the advertising industry. It is always up-to-date with the latest trends and provides critical insights, making it essential reading for forward-thinking designers. (5) Slanted: Started in 2004, the book-like magazine showcases select graphic design portfolios and discusses major events in the international design and culture scenes. It is known for its innovative and visually striking layouts, typography, and artwork, and its international perspective is invaluable for graphic designers seeking to gain insights into different design trends and cultural influences. (6) TYPEONE: Founded in 2020, it focuses on the evolving interaction between typography and graphic design. It provides designers with new developments in typography that includes news, stories, concepts and new work and presents everything in beautifully physical form. (7) Wallpaper*: Founded in London in 1996 by Canadian journalist Tyler Brülé and Austrian journalist Alexander Geringer, the magazine now covers design, interiors and lifestyle. It's interdisciplinary approach pushes designers to think outside the confines of traditional graphic design, encouraging cross-pollination of ideas. Read on...

Creativce Boom: Print's not dead: the best magazines for graphic design inspiration
Author: Tom May

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 09 mar 2023

In the world of graphic design, computers and softwares are essential tools and it is hard to imagine a creative work without them. But a hand-drawn design work by Prof. Nick Mendoza of the Oklahoma State University (OSU, USA) was selected in the 365: AIGA Year in Design competition in December. The 365: AIGA Year in Design competition, started in 1924, serves as a platform for designers, design teams and their clients to share design solutions for business and organizational challenges. Prof. Mendoza's work 'OSU Design Lecture 2021' was a poster that was created to promote visiting designer Mike Daines' guest lecture and included elements of his designs and a visual journey to the event. Prof. Mendoza says, 'As a design educator, I am humbled to know that my work is shown next to big time design studios with big time budgets; I created my design with paper, scissors and a marker.' Prof. Ting Wang-Hedges of OSU says, 'Having your work awarded from AIGA, especially winning the 365: AIGA Year in Design competition, means your work competes with other design works from renowned designers and studios.' Competition juror Clement Mok says, '[It's] an ode to hand-drawn letters. Wonderfully old-school, yet it feels very contemporary and personal. The letter scrawls are meticulously planned for legibility.' Prof. Mendoza teaches typgraphy, an art and study of arranging type to convey a message and make language legible. Prof. Pouya Jahanshahi of OSU says, '...he guides his students to mobilize principles of layout, composition, psychology and communication to produce powerful artifacts of graphic design - whether the outcome is a poster, book cover or comprehensive branding campaign.' Read on...

OSU News and Media: Graphic design professor's work recognized in international design competition
Authors: Erin Milek, Elizabeth Gosney

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 28 jun 2022

Effective visualization brings communication to the next level and graphic design is the creative skill that makes it happen. As per reports by research firms - The Business Research Company: 'Global market size of design services is projected to grow to US$ 249.5 billion by 2022 from the US$ 153 billion that it had touched in 2018'; IBISWorld - Global graphic designers' industry market size, which stands at US$ 43.4 billion, is expected to increase by 3.7% in 2022'. Anu Kiran, a graphic designer and motion graphic artist at One Source, says, 'The very essence of graphic design is the ability to convey ideas and resolve complex problems through a platform - a visual and design message board - which appeal to and communicate through the primal sensory touchpoint of sight.' Most industries utilize graphic design when they communicate visually with their customers. Graphic designers need specific skills to excel in their careers. Mohammed Zeeshan, CEO and co-founder of edtech firm MyCaptain, says, 'Apart from knowing the basics, the theories of design and the concepts, you must also be able to possess an understanding of what the user wants. Being a user-first designer helps not only you but also the businesses.' Job titles in graphic design include apparel graphic designer, logo designer, packaging designer, web designer, multimedia designer, art director, UI/ UX artist etc. As the demand for the trained talent in graphic design grows, India has to fulfil it by focusing on creating quality design institutes and upgrading the existing ones. Read on...

Outlook India: As Visual Appeal Takes Centre Stage, Opportunities Open Up For Graphic Designers
Author: Sanyukt Kulshrestha

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 26 oct 2021

Communication is the key to propagate ideas and concepts. Graphic design is one such communication tool that can send a message across effectively and create an impact through visuals. Dr. Rebecca Green, graphic design lecturer and researcher in the School of Art & Design at the University of New South Wales (UNSW Syndney, Australia), says, 'Understanding graphic design principles is an untapped opportunity in the fight against climate change. Graphic designers have a critical role in helping to address the most crucial problem of our time - by communicating climate change messages through powerful and compelling visuals that resonate. Climate change is also a social problem. It’s caused by humans and can be solved by humans. Communication is how we socialise; it’s how we find the groups we identify with, and graphic design provides the symbols and signs that help us identify these groups or ideas. Dr. Green's research focuses on graphic design and its influence on humans. She tests how graphic design impacts reception, trust, and belief across climate change, as well as other complex issues. Critical components of visual communication, such as colour, imagery, logos and style - all work together to convey meaning, lead to trust (or mistrust) and ultimately influence the uptake of strategic climate messaging. Dr. Green says, 'Using the right combination of elements in the graphic design of climate change communication can not only help boost understanding and engagement with the issue but also build communities. Graphic design language really has the power to unite or divide. So, graphic design needs to be careful to make sure it fosters communities based around the global good, using the right symbols, the right authority, and the right logos.' Read on...

UNSW Newsroom: Graphic design can build trust and community in climate conversation
Author: Ben Knight

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 28 dec 2020

Logos are a brief visual representaion of the organizational identity and help differentiate them from each other. They assist to instantly recognize brands and over a period of time can become one of the most important component of their identity. Traditionally, organizations utilize the services of graphic designers to get their logos and the process has artistic and creative orientation. But now powered with technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), there are online logo design software tools that can design logos instantly once some specifications are submitted. These tools also provide editing and customization features. Technology is transforming the creative field of logo design into a more scientific one. Research paper, 'Letting Logos Speak: Leveraging Multiview Representation Learning for Data-Driven Logo Design' (SSRN, 25 nov 2019) (Authors: Ryan Dew of Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Asim M. Ansari of Columbia Business School at the Columbia University, Olivier Toubia of Columbia Business School at the Columbia University), proposes a more data-driven approach to logo design in which the authors developed a 'logo feature extraction algorithm' that uses modern image processing tools to break a company's logo into many visual constituent parts like font, color scheme, and many other meaningful features, and a multiview representation learning framework that links the visual components to text that describes the company like industry, value propositions etc. Researchers then applied this framework to a large amount of data available on companies to predict their logo features. Prof. Ryan Dew explains, 'There are things that data and models can say about the design process that can help firms develop brand identities - visual brand identities that are doing the right things for them...we looked at hundreds of different logos, and we also looked at a bunch of textual data describing these firms - taken mostly from the firms' websites. And we also got consumers to react to these logos and the textual descriptions by rating these firms according to what's called a 'brand personality scale'...we developed an algorithm that lets us work with logos as a source of data. We call this our 'logo feature extraction algorithm'...and then we also have all this text, which can be anything...It conveys what the firm does and what their brand is...The idea is, we want to link these two domains to try to get the words to describe what the logo is trying to say. Let the logo speak. Conversely, this is actually how the design process works. You start with a textual blurb describing - 'This is what my brand is. This is what my firm does'. And then you go from that to a logo — to a logo template. This is where the concept of data-driven design comes in. We both, in the first sense, are able to use text to understand logos, but in the second sense, we're able to go from text to new logo templates that will let firms develop logos that are consistent with their brand identities...a more fundamental thing that the current paper can address is this idea of coming up with the 'right template' to convey what you want to convey visually. That is, in some sense, firms should be a little cautious when they're designing logos...understanding these templates and having this model of data-driven design can help with the creative process, to come up with new redesigns or new logos that will excel.' Read on...

Knowledge@Wharton: Why a Data-driven Approach Can Enhance the Art of Logo Design
Author: NA

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 28 aug 2020

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around in its various forms for many years. But now it is reaching a level of disruption in many industries and has potential to influence many more. There are major investments in AI with tech giants leading the pack. Businesses are seeing value in AI to make process improvements, enhance efficiencies etc to improve bottom line and at the same time there are concerns related to job losses. Even creative industries like graphic design, that require exceptional human skills to thrive are being significantly influenced by AI. Graphic design softwares are now AI-powered and can mimic human designers by understanding client requirements effectively. These may not not be emotion-powered like humans, but can provide outputs that are fast, affordable and customizable. Moreover, these softwares have their own limitations at this time and the role of designers is not becoming obsolete. In fact, on one side these tools are designed and developed by incorporating inputs from designers and on the other they are complementing and enhancing the capabilities of designers and assisting them to achieve even better outcomes. Following are some limitations of AI in graphic design - Understanding nuances that come naturally to humans; Originality of humans that is derived from being highly imaginative; Human touch that is needed as part of a personalized interactive experience. Read on...

ClickZ: The rise of AI in graphics design
Author: Carl Dean

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 30 mar 2020

Designers are utilizing their creative expertise to find innovative solutions to fight against COVID-19 pandemic. Italian architects Carlo Ratti and Italo Rota designed a series of interconnected intensive care unit (ICU) pods from shipping containers. A prototype of the pods is now being built and is called Connected Units for Respiratory Ailments (CURA). Industrial design brand Dyson also announced that it has developed a CoVent ventilator after UK PM Boris Johnson requested the company to fulfil the hike in demand. Danish startup Stykka has created a design for a simple flat-pack workstation that can be easily assembled from three pieces of folded cardboard. Architectural designers Ivo Tedbury and Freddie Hong have developed a 3D-printed device that can be attached to door handles to enable hands-free opening. Ukranian architect Sergey Makhno forecasted the changes in living spaces in the aftermath of the pandemic that include people preferring houses over apartments, wanting to become self-sufficient with their own water supply and heating, and more attention placed on creating a workplace at home. Dezeen's editor Tom Ravenscroft predicted that the huge amount of people being forced to work-from-home will have long-term impacts on how companies approach remote working. Graphic designer Jure Tovrljan recreates iconic brand logos to highlight current situation. Cartoonist Toby Morris and microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles created playful animated illustrations and graphs to depict social distancing necessity. Read on...

Dezeen: This week, designers created objects and structures to help fight coronavirus
Author: Natashah Hitti

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 26 dec 2019

Graphic design continuously evolves and experts spot the trends and also make predictions. Here are graphic desing professionals predicting trends for 2020 - (1) Intensifying minimalism: Brian Dixon, creative director at Grady Britton; Paul Levy, designer; Adam Murdoch, senior art director. (2) Abstract 3D and vibrant colours: Tamryn Kerr, associate creative director at VMLY&R; Consuela Onighi, UX designer at Illustrate Digital; Alex Halfpenny, design director at Elmwood. (3) Type-only approaches: Emily Benwell, digital design and marketing specialist at Liberty Marketing; Davide Baratta, design director at Impero; Nazar Begen, head of project at Crello; Steve Sharp, director of Fat Cow Media; Chris Willis, head of design at VMLY&R; Katie Larosa, designer at Grady Britton. (4) Super-maximalist and ultra-minimalist: Justin Au, designer at Gretel. (5) Taking GIFs to the next level: Steve Sharp, director of Fat Cow Media; Mark Chatelier, executive creative director at StormBrands. (6) Multisensoral moving content: Davide Baratta, design director at Impero; Iain Acton, head of motion design at DixonBaxi; Emma Newnes of B&B Studio. (7) Motion with intent: Kelli Miller, creative director and partner at And/Or; Dan Healy, image and motion director at Bulletproof. (8) Ingrigue overtakes legibility: Alex Halfpenny, design director for Elmwood; Emily Benwell, digital design and marketing specialist for Liberty Marketing; Dave Gee, co-founder of Jam_. (9) Graphical disruption: Sarah Sanders, head of strategic insight at Precipice Design; Kelli Miller, creative director and partner at And/Or. (10) Backlash against Insta-perfection: Jennie Potts, design director at B&B Studio. (11) Focus on Gen Alpha: Lee Hoddy, creative partner at Conran Design Group. (12) Organic look and feel: Andy Capper, creative director at Echo Brand Design. (13) Action on sustainability: Charlie Smith, creative director at Charlie Smith Design; Steve Austen-Brown, creative director at Avantgarde London; Alex Halfpenny, design director at Elmwood. (14) New perspectives on gender and sexuality: Lee Hoddy, creative partner at Conran Design Group; Davide Baratta, design director at Impero. (15) A spirit of rebellion: Maisie Benson, designer at B&B Studio; Curro de la Villa, creative director at 72andSunny Amsterdam. (16) Device dependent design: Harry East, co-founder and creative director at Equals Collective. (17) Cause-based branding: Adam Murdoch, senior art director at Grady Britton. (18) Immersive experiences: Dave Gee, co-founder of Jam_; Mark Davis, creative director at me&dave; (19) Making brand stories more believable: Andy Askren, partner and creative director at Grady Britton. (20) Uncertainty: Alex Halfpenny, design director at Elmwood. Read on...

Creative Bloq: 20 top graphic design trends for 2020
Author: Tom May

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 21 may 2019

Graphic design enhances the value of the brands and creates their visual memory in the audience's mind. Check out the latest trends in graphic design and keep evolving - 3D design and Typography (Brings life and depth to flat designs); Mid-century Modern Elements (Give both a mid-age and modern touch to any design); Custom Illustrations (Heavily influenced by natural and botanical elements, with softer lines and less bold text); Buxom Serifs (Serifs are smarter, better, and make content stand out); Open Compositions (Make the elements appear to be floating off of the screen); Isometric Design (Creates an entire universe in the tiniest of spaces and gives depth to any design and object); Pops of Vivid Color (Provides attention grabbing graphics); Strong Typographic Focal Points (Make content visually strong and readable, a function much needed for small devices and social media feeds); Light and Dark Color Schemes (Create a visually stunning impact); Futuristic Influences into the Mainstream (Make the brand stand out and be influencer in the marketplace); Complex Gradients and Duotones (Look great on mobile devices. Add depth and create a timeless look); Colorful Minimalism (Combining design with necessary components using minimalist approach. Limited color use); Art Deco (Add glamour quotient); Bookman and Old-style Serifs (High legibility and contrast of the traditional serifs make them a great choice to highlight the brand's value); Subtle Motion (Enhances user experience and engages users with the interface. Adds seamless transformations and transitions); Abstract Geometry and Shapes (Fits in any design that demands a modern and expressive look. Makes visuals stand out); Asymmetrical Layouts (Create visual tension. Elements have a more complex pattern); Variable Fonts (Are flexible within the multidimensional space. Consume less bandwidth and load websites or web pages faster). Read on...

G2 Crowd: 18 Innovative Graphic Design Trends for 2019
Author: Prateeksha Mathur

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