Outsourcing for graphic design is one of the most necessary steps your business can take. Strengthening your brand can not only maintain your reputation but also make your company recognizable among others. Outsourcing will give you a team of professionals who will listen to what you want and create something unique to really engage with your audience.
What are the benefits of outsourcing to an agency versus trying to do design in-house?
Employing an agency for your company provides important benefits many people don’t realize. Professionals that work in an agency environment have extensive background on everything from public relations, marketing strategy, graphic design, advertising and more. Employing people with such skills ensures that your organization’s reputation and new branding strategies are handled with the utmost care. These professionals are generally marketing minded so when creating a design for your company, they think about style, language, tone, and how that will all connect with your specific target audience.
Another positive is that the quality of work is usually higher as creative professionals are exactly that - creative! They have the ability to focus on creating exactly what you are envisioning whereas smaller to medium businesses often do not have a dedicated in-house marketing or design team, therefore naturally lack both time and the skill set needed to produce quality creative to represent your business.
Employing an agency allows you to continue focusing on your role at your company while we take care of the rest.
It is helpful to know what you are talking about when meeting with your new graphic design partners. There are many vocabulary terms associated with graphic design that are beneficial to know. This can be intimidating at times, almost like learning a new language. Below are several useful terms-to-know in order to help you better understand the language of graphic design.
3 C’s of Design
- Composition - The way aspects of a design are visually arranged.
- Components - The visual elements used within a design.
- Concept - This is the abstract, intangible elements of the theme, connotation, message and style.
Typography
Typography is arguably one of the most important concepts in graphic design. This is the artistic placement of type in a way that is visually appealing and readable. Under this category, you may often hear the following:
1. Kerning is the balance of selective space between type characters for optimal reading and eye-pleasing content.
2. Leading (LED-ing) is the balance of space between adjacent lines of type for optimal reading and eye-pleasing content.
3. Tracking is the balance of overall space between type characters for optimal reading and eye-pleasing content.
4. X-Height is the average height of lowercase letters.
5. Descenders are the part of the lowercase letters that extend below the x-height like ‘g’, ‘j’, ‘p’, ‘q’, and ‘y’.
6. Ascenders are the part of lowercase letters that extend above the x-height like ‘b’, ‘d’, ‘f’, ‘h’, ‘k’, ‘l’, and ‘t’.
Color and Value
Color and value important because they are used to add visual interest. There are many different color schemes and palettes to be used. Under this category, you will need to know the following:
1. CMYK is a color model that stands for the four inks used in color printing, ‘Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key’. Most colors can be written in a CMYK code. For example: a true red CMYK code could read C: 15%, M: 100% Y: 100% K: 0%.
2. RGB is a color model that stands for the three colors used for on-screen purposes, ‘Red, Green, Blue’. Most colors can be written in a RGB code. For example: a true purple RGB code could read R: 128%, G: 0%, B: 128%.
3. Pantone (PMS). According to
Printernational, the Pantone Matching System (PMS) helps in solid-color matching for print materials based on the CMYK or RGB color model. This color palette consists of about 1,114 colors.
4. Opacity is the degree of transparency a color or element has.
5. Color Theory is a set of ideologies that combine colors with aesthetics or ways an arrangement pleases the eye and senses. This refers to color mixing and an understanding of how colors can be placed or blended in order to attract the viewer. This can really set the tone and first impression of your organization.
Resolution
Resolution refers to the quality and detail an image has. The higher the resolution, the more detailed your image shows on a screen or print. Lower resolution images are blurry or pixelated.
Typeface
According to
Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a typeface is defined as “all type of a single design” or in other words a style of type design that contains all shapes and sizes of that type design. Under this category, you will need to know the following:
1. Serif Typeface is designed with small strokes (serifs) found at the end of vertical lines. This typeface is widely used for titles or headings.
2. Sans Serif Typeface - Sans (meaning ‘without’ in French) Serif is designed without small strokes (serifs). This typeface is widely used for writing the body text.
3. Script Typeface
Script is an elegant typeface meant to imitate cursive handwriting.
Orphans and Widows
Orphans and widows are lines at the beginning or end of a paragraph. These are classified as orphans and widows because they are typically left hanging at the top or bottom of a column, apart from the rest of the paragraph.
Now that you know the seemingly foreign language of graphic design, you are ready to begin your project with your outsourced agency. Graphic design is important because it enhances how you communicate with other people and serves to convey your ideas and messages in a way that is not only effective but also beautiful. At Inner Spark, we offer services that can help you establish your brand at any scale; from the design of a logo to a state-wide multi-platform marketing campaign. We will sit down with you and focus on the goals your company believes in and the type of people you are targeting. This process will be even easier now that you know the right vocabulary to use to communicate your vision and corporate identity to us! If you want to learn more about the graphic design services we offer visit our page
here or
contact us for a free consultation at (334) 826-7502.
