Design Firms Coming of Age
Without question, this is the most exciting and challenging time to be a graphic designer. In the past, design firms were often referred to as "poor cousins" to advertising agencies. Today, the reality and extent of the strategic and creative services we can provide blows those perceptions out of the water. This decade has ushered in a communications revolution that is rapidly changing every single day, and with this change lies the opportunities for designers to explore new frontiers. We owe, in part, this transition to the evolution of the World Wide Web. An integrated communications plan has become a critical element of a company's success and ability to compete and differentiate itself. Designers have evolved from working on boards to computer screens. We are no longer just asked to present graphics but are consulted upon to provide appropriate creative, strategic and integrated design solutions which leverages the strengths of diverse media.
Designers began gaining more noticeable respect when we embraced the concept of branding. Part of a designer's job is to help their clients differentiate their message, brand image and communication materials from the competition. In today's society and global marketplace, that is no small task. Our solutions need to be more than just aesthetic, they need to be thoughtful. For many of us, branding became our mantra. And that was good - the results were that we were being viewed on a different playing field.
Then, to our world, came the sonic boom - the advent of the World Wide Web. It took no time at all for Web site design to advance from what could be described as crude to sophisticated. This phenomenon opened up a whole new universe for designers and with this new medium came a host of new, exciting challenges. We needed to learn how to convey the brand on the Internet while simultaneously mastering a new technology. And that was great - the Web offered us the opportunity to present a truly integrated communications plan to our clients.
Today, design firms must recognize that their associates can no longer be trained exclusively for print, but also need to be capable of exploiting the vast, and changing, capabilities of the Web. Those with vision will have already taken their designers through the technology learning curve. While designers are not called upon to excel at programming, they must understand some aspects of how to program, particularly in the preliminary design phase, and they must display sensitivity to the technical aspects of Web design.
In the recent past, print and Web designers had a different set of skills and challenges. Print designers were used to having the satisfaction of being able to hold something in their hand - a brochure, for example. They could touch it and it had a shelf life. They were able to work with all sorts of photos, graphics and color schemes. Web designers had to deal with an ever-changing medium where certain photos or images from print work do not translate onto the Web. Color on the Web is limited. Clients are actually able to go on-line and change the design, a scenario that would make any designer cringe. Now designers are required to be proficient in both media. Cross-fertilization in design firms is becoming common, too, branding and print work rolls over into Web design and vice versa. For example, print communications, beginning with the thought process of branding and logo design to the creation of communication materials such as brochures, corporate background packages and annual reports, still provides what would be considered to be a traditional representation of the brand. These images and information also need to be creatively and strategically presented on the Internet, from not only a visual perspective but also from a content perspective. And certainly this example can be flip flopped, with the Web design project coming first resulting in client realization that it also makes good sense to have the same firm create print communications. The opportunities to grow existing business and offer a more comprehensive range of services are abundant.
Designers have become consultants to design and technology. The World Wide Web has changed the world and nothing will ever be the same again. There is no reversing the impact the Web has had on design and communications. Design firms who excel and will continue to grow understand the collaboration of the design process with the technical process. For those who see new opportunities and want to be part of creating new horizons, surf's up.