Communication Design

What is advertising? Similar to clarifying the professional field and the tasks of communication designers, a variety of spaces in one’s own environment can be used to market oneself, communicate points of view and/or act in a uniform manner. Not only classic advertising spaces such as posters, bus stops and billboards, but also goodies from companies such as key rings, blocks and much more help to make the brand better known. But it can also help companies organise within their brands, for example in the form of membership cards or customer cards. When it comes to the fashion industry, brands almost living for it to print their logo on their clothes. In contrast to previous times, this also offers a free and visible advertising space, which is why t-shirts are often included in the assortment, which is why guidelines in the sense of corporate clothing ensure the stabilization of brand identity. Such direct advertising and advertising spaces are always important for relationships and appearance and can be, for example, enriched and strengthened by sending out invitations and vouchers for events and promotions.

Visualizations in the form of diagrams, tables or charts help to better convey or prepare information. Annual reports can thus be given a (creatively higher-quality) preparation of their collected data. To support the spoken word in presentations, the information conveyed can also be presented in the form of accompanying illustrations or individual graphic elements.
In this task, designers must develop a feeling for how to make sometimes difficult information logical and easy to understand, even for outsiders.

Despite the constantly evolving digitalization, print media are an essential part of the work of graphic designers. The tasks include not only office equipment but also book covers, paper accessories, (gift) envelopes and cards. Here, too, the creation of typical design grids and features for the diverse product range applies, such as the choice of typography, colours and, where appropriate, the choice of images or illustrations.

Orientation, guidance and information systems are indispensable in the daily flood of information. What these concepts have in common, however, is their focus on the essentials. While in everyday life a lot of information has to be divided into important and less important, such systems obscure clarity. This is applicable for orientation in indoor and outdoor spaces, as well as for displays and achievements within companies on scoreboards. Even in terms of maps, the legend is often held back, while the map is designed all the more closely. But such systems can also be implemented graphically more experimentally, for example in museums or at trade fairs, by using typography, colors and pictograms as an independent, less reserved role.

Marketing is important for anyone who wants to establish and position themselves in the market. Advertising draws customers' attention to services and products. With the help of posters, advertisements, displays/customer stoppers, gift cards, mailings or give-aways it is possible to stay in the memory of the customers. In addition to the classic advertising media, it is also more common for designers to design designs for promotional gifts such as bags, key rings, pens and many more. Therefore, designers must not lack ideas to establish the efficient implementation of a CIs on various (product) surfaces and in various sizes.

It is hardly conceivable that retail chains sell or send to customers bags and packaging that do not bear their logo. This is why it is one of the most important tasks to create a visual mission statement for product packaging and accessories. This not only increases the recognition value, but also the position on the market itself. But one of the tasks of visual designers is not only the exterior, but also the interior of such packaging. Usually, a product never reaches the user on its own, completely unpacked, but leaflets, inserts, pendants, booklets or banderoles are now an indispensable part of it. Finally, it is important to understand what the product can do or what services the company still offers. Any surface of the outer and inner packaging can be used for this purpose. Designers form the bridge between the company and the customer by designing the product’s envelope and customer information visually and haptically appealing in their form.

Among the general tasks of editorial Designers is the design of magazines, newspapers, magazines, brochures and books. Since a single project is hardly manageable on its own, editorial designers work in direct connection with editorial work, i. e. in cooperation with editors, photographers and illustrators. With the bundled (pre-) work of various specialist departments, editorial designers master the task of creating the right look for every content. The aim is to give expression to the perfect appearance of a medium. The design of such a product also depends on which target group is being addressed or whether it is a recurring publication that must retain its recognition value, its own style.

In the overall design of a printed or digital publication, the technical aspects consist of several services, such as the conception or design of the cover, title, and header. Above all, the development of a design grid for the content-related part is the focus. Based on this, it is possible to define how typography and sentence are combined with the photo selection and placement to form a visual overall design. editorial designers are therefore an important point of contact during the process to other disciplines and have a sensitive handling in their work with their products in order to create effective design concepts.

Publications, such as newsletters, are sometimes an important part of the company structure or customer exchange. Often also in digital form or accessible via app, current news and research are communicated in the fastest way. The field of expertise can range from medicine to newsletters in the fashion sector. Since the possibilities and areas are so diverse, it is not uncommon for several designers to work on a publication in different areas at the same time. Just as in the field of editorial design, basic concepts for fonts, colours, screens and headers as well as the cover, the imagery, the content and much more have to be determined for analogue and digital publications. Such design guidelines connect designers: the team members share their knowledge in order to design suitable publications for the customer and the corresponding customer segment. This can range from highly objective visualized areas, partly free design elements to almost unbound design decisions. In general, therefore, when designing printed and digital publications, a distinction can be made between newspapers and periodicals, brochures, pamphlets and catalogues, leaflets and flyers, as well as (business) reports and documentation.

Designers have the choice during each order to consider whether an existing font or a hand-designed font would support the message of a brand more. If the concept revolves around individuality or other special aspects, this may well be a way to resort to lettering. The creation of individual letters and numbers is processed, during the process or afterwards, up to the desired result. This can also result in an entire writing system, which may go beyond posters, for example. Calligraphy, often referred to as beautiful writing, describes the success of the first attempt. This approach can be seen, for example, with invitation cards or short text projects in books, magazines and much more.

The biggest advantage of outdoor advertising is that it stays longer in the memory and can be seen from a great distance, in contrast to the short attention span when surfing the Internet. It is no coincidence that outdoor advertising is one of the classic areas and beginnings of graphic design.

In the digital age, this is often forgotten, but outdoor advertising can reach completely different target groups than just online marketing. Outdoor advertising includes not only posters, illuminated advertisements, illuminated advertisements or company signs, but also increasingly the application of corporate identity to the environment and the sphere of impact of brands. For example, the CI can be embedded in an orientation system, applied on company vehicles, in the waiting room or in and in public places. This makes it easy to recognize and classify the brands.

There is also the 'Mobile Outdoor Advertising'. Advertising is then placed on moving or stationary vehicles, such as bicycles, trams or much more.