When thinking about a new logo design or a full branding package or even new marketing materials, you might be tempted to head to the local college. There’s bound to be an artist or two who can help you mock up, design, and finalize some sweet branding, right? Well, not exactly. While an artist may be able to paint an incredible scene, think abstractly, or even mock up the exact logo design you have in your head, they aren’t a graphic designer.
So, what’s the difference between a graphic designer and an artist?
The simple answer is strategy. An artist is focused solely on the aesthetics of their project. Do the colors bring harmony? Does the logo look good? Can you read the name of the brand through all of the other elements? But, a graphic designer is focused on the aesthetics and the strategy behind those aesthetics. Do the colors represent the brand and tell the brand’s story? Does the logo convey everything about the brand? Are the brand elements distracting potential leads and buyers from getting the brand’s message?
These might seem like subtle differences, but in digital marketing, they can have a huge impact.
Aesthetics are nice, but they aren’t the driving force behind your branding.
Sure, a bad logo design and bad branding probably won’t get you anywhere. But, a great logo and branding will only get you so far without a strategy. It’s the strategy behind a logo’s color scheme and the strategy behind a tagline or sales slick layout that helps move leads in the right direction. That’s oversimplifying things a little bit because there are other factors that move a lead to purchase, but without strategy, you could end up with disorganized content, improperly modified brand elements, and so much more. All of those things create a negative brand experience and can end up hurting your sales funnel and bottom line.
An artist can develop a design, but a graphic design can produce a strategic design.
Let’s say you need a new website. An artist will be able to mock up a homepage that looks exactly like what you want, but unless you have a deep knowledge and understanding of marketing, sales, digital strategy, and website design best practices, the design you want probably isn’t the best option. A graphic designer, on the other hand, has an understanding of those principles. They know that keeping crucial information above the fold in important. They understand that CTAs should be used to direct traffic to the most important pages on your site. And they know that without a content offer, you may not generate as many leads as you could.
When it comes to your marketing, website, branding, and logo, an artist can, without a doubt, deliver a great design. However, an Indianapolis graphic designer can deliver a strategy behind the design, which can lead to more sales, a more robust sales pipeline, and designs with meaning.
Are you ready to implement a strategy behind your website design? Logo? What about your branding? Iconic Digital, an Indianapolis digital marketing agency, delivers strategic designs to meet clients’ needs and reach target audiences. Our team of design geeks and word nerds are always looking for the cutting edge way of deliver client projects and help clients reach their goals.
Think you’re a great fit for Iconic Digital’s services? Let’s talk!