visual communications for raleigh durham chapel hill cary

Graphic designers often feel that the visual appearance is of utmost importance. Writers may often feel the content is most important.

At a student media conference, former Managing Editor for the Savannah Morning News, Dan Suwyn talked with emerging writers about visual thinking and what it means to them as reporters. By showing writers what most graphic designers know (or at least SHOULD know) about how people read a page, he explained to them why it is so important for writers to discuss their intentions with designers. Although perhaps Suwyn is suggesting reporters should dictate the designers’ work, in a sense, writers should have more input on the final design of a page.

The job of a designer is to visually express the content of a page.If we aren’t sure what the content means, how can we express it properly? Just as the writer is the story teller, so is the designer.The only difference is a writer tells a story with words; we tell the story visually.

As such, the first thing a designer should do before even thinking about starting the design process is read the text. If there’s anything unclear, ask the writer to clarify the angle they were going for.

By designing simply for the sake of design, without taking into account the meaning of the text, we may completely change the message of the page.A beautifully created page that contradicts the writing is not good design. Good design is not making things look pretty, it is visual communication.