The Use of Design Principles in Business - Case Study Example

Desktop Publishing for Business INFS 2032 (Insert Name) (Institution Affiliation) Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 2.0 Use of Design Principles 4 3.0 Logo Design and Consistency 7 4.0 Corporate Identity and Target Audience 8 5.0 Use of Colour and Typography 9 6.0 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction Any business requires visual messages such as logos, restaurant menus, business cards, posters and graphic magazines that are essential for attracting customers. A Chinese restaurant known as Szechwan Style menus to inform its customers about the type of food available, posters to advertise its quality food and services, newsletter or brochures for the new employees and visitors or a logo for the business. Nowadays, computer technology gives more individuals unrestricted access to a large number of design software that are the same or similar design tools as those used by media professionals (Simmons 2007). However, effective use of these tools in communicating a message and attracting customers requires not only general knowledge of particular computer software but also requires comprehensive understanding of the ways in which visual information should be structured using the principles and elements of design. Proper use of design principles ensure that the documents are easier to read and appealing to the eyes of the view. It is worth noting at this point that they are easier to read not because of content since their topics and writing quality may be comparable, but because the print is the right size and shape, the color contrast is good, the text arranged is good which makes it easy to keep the viewer in place, there are enough illustrations to tie the text and images together and an individual can keep reading without his or her eyes easily tiring (Lidwell, Holden, & Butler, 2010). It is the reason that restaurant needs to have a good design of desktop publishing or graphic design. Furthermore, there are four main types of areas in which every organization need to take great care about namely: use of design principles, Logo design and consistency, graphics and visual styles in corporate identity and Target Audience and finally the use of Colour and Typography. 2.0 Use of Design Principles As businesses exchange more and more information with its customers whose culture and language may differ depending on the geographical location and the immediate neighborhood, visual communication especially through well designed symbols, posters, brochures and images may help make our messages easier to disseminate and understand (Lidwell, Holden, & Butler, 2010). The area of design that deals with effective structuring of visual information for communicating messages is called graphic design. Every publication begins as an idea: a subject or message with a function but no form. The sole function of all the publications is to involve an audience in the message or the subject matter over a period of time. The form is what changes, differentiating each idea, distilling its raw content into recognizable parts, and engaging its target audience through specific colors, imagery, and typography (Simmons 2007). No matter what the design tools are in play though, the process of designing it is the same, and it begins with developing the content that will convey the message to the target audience. Thus, the design principles are one of the core areas in which any designer ought to be very careful. The business documents obtained from the Szechwan Style Chinese restaurant are well designed. The writings on the documents are available in two different languages, that is, Chinese and English in order to ensure that as many consumers as possible are reached. The documents are in compliance with the design principles in that there is balance in white space, contrast of the images, proximity and repetition (Lidwell, Holden, & Butler, 2010). The images used are appealing to the eyes and makes the food to be perceived delicious and might impact the customers’ orders or attract new ones. In the area of whit space, Szechwan Style restaurant’s menu, logo and brochure is fixed all the area for the white space, there do not have any river between words. In order to effectively use the design principles, the designer must think about why and how the visual message is created in a given context, be familiar with the language of visual communications, be comfortable with the entire creative process as it applies in the visual communication, find additional visual communication resources and learn to evaluate the available visual communication. In the documents obtained from the Szechwan Style restaurant, the images used for visual communication can be said to be universal. The language on the documents is Chinese and English but even the customers who do not understand either of the two languages can still be able to place their orders by merely looking at the food images. The main aim of the visual communication design, which is the root of the design principles, is to communicate to individuals graphically. Visual communication is basically a special blend of language and art that is generally used to effectively deliver information to a particular group of individuals or potential customers of an organization. If the information is presented in a way that attracts the target audience and persuades them to take action such as coming to a Chinese restaurant ordering food and drinks, the designer has accomplished his or her goal. According to the design principles, a visual communication designer must create visual formats for various messages taking into consideration the needs and expectations of the target audience by using mutually understandable images, colours, alphabets, symbols and selecting appropriate communication media so that the message can be transmitted, received, understood properly and responded to effectively (Lidwell, Holden, & Butler, 2010). It is evident that the designer of Szechwan Style restaurant menus, logos, newsletters and brochures did his or her homework well since these documents are point clear and appealing to the customers who visits the restaurant. Creative problem solving and creative presentation of visual information are essential elements of the design process. The designer must ask him or herself a number of questions such as: Does the design appeal to your target audience? Are the graphics appropriate for all the age level? Is the type legible? Is the design bias free? What works well and what might you do differently? In the case of the document from the Szechwan Style restaurant, the answer is yes. The design is appropriate to all ages, appealing to the customers of the restaurant who are the target audience and bias free as it accommodates everybody even the non- Chinese despite the restaurant being Chinese. The need for businesses to promote their goods and services was fairly straightforward and limited to newspaper ads, billboards, posters, handbills, packaging and signage (Willinsky, & Green, 2010). However, as the technology advances, the marketing and communication becomes more competitive which calls for more creativity in the graphic design. The creative process is similar for all areas of communications. Generally it involves information gathering, brainstorming of ideas, planning, obtaining feedback from potential consumers, production and evaluation. These stages are the ones that will distinguish a successful design from the rest. For a restaurant, a good design of the posters and the menus can attract new customers and appeal to them to purchase food substances. 3.0 Logo Design and Consistency A good logo is often simple in form, instantly recognizable, built for longevity, able to fit in different branding material mediums and easy to remember (Morgan 1999). The logo Szechwan Style restaurant has several desirable design characteristics. First is simplicity; simplicity i­­s a critical element and it allows a logo to be easily recognized. In order for a good logo design to take shape, the designer must take his or her concepts down to their simplest form. Without simplicity, a logo cannot follow its other principles of recognisability, versatility and being memorable. Secondly, the logo of Szechwan Style restaurant is memorable since it has the capability of building a long lasting if not permanent impression on the customers and the clients can be able to remember it whenever they see it (Simmons 2007). When it comes to logo design, complexity of design serves as a negative element, your logo should thus have only a few seconds to be absorbed by the average person and it is up to the designer to keep it as simple as possible. The designer of the Szechwan Style restaurant’s logo did a commendable job as it is simple and memorable. Third thin that is crucial in logo design and which is substantially achieved by the Szechwan Style restaurant’s logo is versatility. Logos are symbols and marks which represent a business. As organizations market their products and services, they often apply their official logos to business cards, advertisements, brochures, folders and menus in case of restaurants among many others (Morgan 1999). Therefore the designer of a company logo must consider the size of the logo equally on a billboard as on a tiny document such as business card (Ashworth, & Kavaratzis, 2007). The logo of Szechwan Style restaurant can be applied to various forms of size and color; it can be printed in large and small sizes, its concept can be properly understood in black and white color alone and it has only three colours which makes it cost effective when printing in color. Thus we can say the logo is versatile without any doubt. The other desirable thing in Szechwan Style restaurant’s logo is the fact that it is timeless. Timeless refers to no particular point in time. It is evident that the designer focused on building a strong concept for the logo and stayed away from trends. It is important to keep away from trends when designing a logo since as trends fade away, so will the logo. A timeless logo allows organizations to enjoy its longevity, allowing it to stay on board for the long term. One important thing that it is not vivid in the Szechwan Style restaurant’s logo is its relevance. Looking at the logo alone, a person cannot clearly state which kind of business activities the organization deals in (Morgan 1999). Thus the logo does not effectively fit the identity and purpose of the company. A logo must portray the company it represents through the use of shape and form. For instance, a technology logo is identifiable based on the symbol and the style of the type treatment. That style will not work for a food product or clothing company. 4.0 Corporate Identity and Target Audience A corporate identity is the visual statement of a company’s role and function that provides means of visual communication internally with its shareholders and employees and externally with its suppliers and customers (Willinsky, & Green, 2010). This plan begins with the trademark and applies it to the layout and consist a logo and name as well as rules on how these are to be used (Morgan,1999). Target audience on the other hand refers to a clearly defined sub –group of market that is made up of primary range of customers who are the main target of the advertising message. The target audience for the Szechwan Style restaurant judging from the documents is mainly the English and Chinese speaking groups. When designing any business document, the designer must put into consideration the expectations of the target audience by considering their age, income, gender, ethnic origin, language, education, lifestyle behavior, location and sexual orientation among many others (Willinsky, & Green, 2010). Effective identification of the target audience will thus help the designer to determine the sort of graphics and images that will best appeal to them. A corporate identity, on the other hand, usually specifies the most suitable colours and typeface to be used with logos and names and the desire relationship between them. Such colours and typefaces can also be among the design equities owned by the company. This will help the business to have a well thought out statement that defines exactly who their target audience is. 5.0 Use of Colour and Typography Typography refers to the art of arranging type in order to make a graphic or visual design visible. The type arrangement usually involve the selection of font size, typefaces, leading, line length, shapes and also adjusting the white spaces between letters and groups (Felici, 2011). Desktop Publishing is all about communication; therefore the type used in a publication is essential to ensure the message is understood (Felici, 2011). The difference between a good piece of design and a great one is often the level of expertise in the selection and use of type. Type must be appropriate to its subject, its message and the illustration that surround it and the audience’s experience of type. The three business documents from Szechwan style restaurant are well designed in regard to typography and use of colours. Majority of parts are in black and white and colours are used in places where they are necessary. It is evident that the documents have good typography since they communicate the message clearly, is simple and understandable and appeals to the target audience. Also, the documents do not contain over decorative fonts and the font weights are properly distributed with proper alignment of both test and images (Felici, 2011). Furthermore, the documents are using kerning in spacing, and it also shows that they are adjusting space between letters, and it can easier to let people to read. Also in the alignment they used flush left which means uses optimum word and letter spacing in all the left hand side. 6.0 Conclusion Generally the three business documents from Szechwan Style restaurant are properly designed. The use of design principles is evident judging from the balance, rhythm, emphasis and unity in the documents. The logo is sufficiently well designed and consistently used in the documents irrespective of their size and the use of colour and typography enhances the corporate identity and is appealing to the target audience. References Ashworth, G., & Kavaratzis, M. (2007). Beyond the logo: brand management for cities. Journal of Brand Management, 16(8), 520-531. Chen, R. (2011). The Dao of graphic design—A Study of interrelationship between the Daodejing in Chinese daoism and graphic design. Felici, J. (2011). The complete manual of typography: A guide to setting perfect type. Adobe Press. Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2010). Universal principles of design: 125 ways to enhance usability, influence perception, increase appeal, make better design decisions, and teach through design. Rockport Pub. Morgan, C. L. (1999). Logos: logo, identity, brand, culture. Rotovision. Simmons J. (2007) The Designer’s Desktop Manual. How Books, an imprint of F+W Production: Cincinnati, Ohio. pp 39-40. Willinsky, J., & Green, S. B. (2010). Desktop publishing in remedial language arts settings: Letting them eat cake. Journal of Teaching Writing, 9(2), 223-238. Read More