Marketing Edition

The Bad vs. Great Elements of Graphic Design

In graphic design by Jennifer Putmon

Just because it’s printed in a magazine, posted online, or even funded by the biggest brand in the industry does not automatically make it a great design. Bad design isn’t always overtly obvious. Sometimes it’s misleading, sends the wrong message, offends the masses, or misses the intended audience. Bad design finds its way into all kinds of online and printed publications daily. Make sure your brand is in good hands with a seasoned graphic designer that will keep your marketing fresh with modern trends saving you money in the long run.

Good design is… blah.

There are tons of good designs floating around the world that look sharp and tidy. They have all the approved copy present and accomplish the basic tasks of the assignment. Decent design on rinse-and-repeat with the same stock photos and verbiage as everyone else will ultimately struggle to make their brand stand out among the competition. Do you want your brand to be noticed or just meet the status quo requirements?

Good design will get the job done, but it also WON’T GET the job done. If you’re going to spend money on graphic design, be sure to hire a professional. The last thing you want is to be left with an expensive marketing campaign with a “blah” design that has no call to action or ROI to show for your efforts. If you want your brand to have long-term visibility, make an impact, and be memorable, you’ll need a great graphic design team with a bad-ass approach.

Bad design can kill a brand. 

Good design is safe, but bad design is dangerous. One mistake, and you’re dragged all over social media. Graphic design is seemingly easy to do and yet crazy complicated to master without at least the basic knowledge of design principles. Graphic design is an art, and like any other art, it could fail to connect. Things like excessive photoshopping, terrible fonts and colors, hard-to-read layouts, and poorly thought-out messages are all design elements that can kill a brand quickly.

We do not expect business owners to know anything about visual hierarchy, color theory, layout, etc. The truth is, not all designers have the same skill sets. They are not. We work with visionaries who value their brand because we know the power of great graphic design.

Great design has power.

Think about any product you’ve purchased to try for the first time because of the cool label. Great design triggers an emotional response. Many have bought poor-tasting or non-working products and continued to buy them because of the fun graphics, bold color, or witty message. Great design seduces, evokes laughter, and commands trust. Great design has the power to influence and incite a loyal stream of devoted followers. Those who love it will talk about it and share it on social media.

At Michigan Creative, we understand the importance of great design and have the chops to create it. A good designer can keep your company marching to the same beat as the masses, but a great designer can show you all the fantastic ways your business can speak to its audience, stand out as unique and expand your reach.

Ditch the blah, avoid the bad, and check out our bad-ass graphic design team at Michigan Creative. We live to create. For more on design and marketing, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, The Creative.