Graphic design may not be the first thing that occurs to businesspeople about their business operations. As a matter of fact, it’s everywhere, in every business. From the website to the company letterhead, graphic design is very much part of the business process. A lot of major companies retain graphic design services on a contract basis, simply to cover their basic needs for materials for their online and hard copy publications.

The roles of graphics in business

There’s nothing cosmetic about graphics in business. In advertising and marketing, visual presence is one of the core elements of product presentation and public image of a product or a business. The graphics are quite literally the public face of the business.

The development of online business and the rise of the new media have added a few more dimensions to this situation. A simple PowerPoint presentation, for example, generates a lot of visual information, and that information needs to be very well presented to have an impact. The same applies to the various videos used by practically all businesses online and elsewhere.

The strictly conventional market role of graphics is presentation, but there’s another extremely important factor- Competitive values. Some graphics are a lot better than others, and in the real marketplace, graphic design often affects choices made at point of sale. That’s a fact which has been progressively re-orienting commercial visual materials of all kinds and raising the standard of production of everything from commercials to basic logos.

Graphics in digital media

Digital media and new technology have done a lot to enhance and develop new graphics options, too. What were once very expensive “visual effects” are now standard, and there are more options coming on stream every day. The big Adobe Creative Suite packages are a good indicator of the level of demand for a vast range of digital graphic options from professionals in all forms of visual and graphic media.

The fact is that the borderline between graphics and other media has been eliminated. The new media is really a hybrid of different media, and graphics are now built in as default properties of this medium. Quite literally everything related to modern business involves graphics and graphic design issues, at some level.

Graphic design best practice for businesses

There are two basic options open to businesses regarding graphic design:

1. Engage the services of a graphic design company to streamline the production of visual content. This is a cost-efficiency exercise as well as administrative best practice, keeping the expertise of the graphic design company available to deal with any needs for new media, publications, etc. on standby.

2. Get good graphic design through an advertising agency or marketing consultancy. This is a default quality control, ensuring professional standards of graphics work are available for promotions, literature, etc. on a needs basis.

Graphic design is now very much part of the business mix. It’s important to ensure high standards of presentation and professional quality materials are standardized, and that production of new materials can be done cost-effectively. Quality and talent are the core elements of business graphics, so lock in a good provider for your business.