Whether we are scrolling through our social media feeds, watching television, or driving through a city and admiring the many billboards, there is one omnipresent aspect to it all. What is it, you may be asking yourself? The answer is hidden in plain sight, really –digital design and digital media.
It is all around us. Even opening our search engines – the logo was more than likely designed by someone who specializes in this field. Most businesses hire someone to handle this part of their marketing, especially when it comes to developing the imaging of their brand as a whole.
Many people seem to be taken by surprise at just how important brand imaging has truly become in the twenty-first century. It has always had a presence, certainly, but when we can find customer reviews and testimonies with the taps of a few buttons, setting a good first impression is even more vital. That is part of what makes this topic so important.
It is no secret that there are a ton of businesses in the UK. In 2022, it is estimated that there are about five point five million reported, as you can see here: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1111387/number-of-businesses-in-the-uk/. That means that the competition is quite fierce, so we need to come up with creative ways to make ourselves known.
Setting Yourself Apart from Your Competition
This is something that any owner of a company or organization should be well aware of. In fact, even nonprofit organizations are probably attuned to the importance of establishing and maintaining an image for their “brand” – that includes charities. Think about the Salvation Army or the Red Cross, for example. They are instantly recognizable to most of us because of their logos or messaging.
How does this tie in with digital design, then? Most of those personifications and mascots that we are familiar with have been carefully cultivated by artists – many of them working in the digital medium. Traditional art is definitely still a thing and has its place, but as we progress further into the modern age, it does appear to be falling by the wayside at least to some extent.
Either way, though, these creative powerhouses play a large role in the whole “brand recognition” thing. In a country like the United Kingdom, this is becoming increasingly critical for long-term success.
What is Digital Design, then?
Now that I have covered some of what makes this so valuable to learn about and understand, allow me to explain what it is in the first place. That is likely some good context, yes? Putting it simply, it is simply the design of any media that is intended to be interacted with via some form of digital platform. So, that could be on a computer, a laptop, a smart phone, a tablet, or even a gaming console. The final destination of the imagery will have an impact on the creation process, of course.
Because it is a field that is rather complex, many prefer to get assistance from a digital agency In Leeds rather than try to create the designs all on their own. Of course, that will be up to your own personal discretion. However, while we may not expect it, most of the professionals who work in this market are well-educated, established, and have degrees amongst their many credentials.
Another point to take note of is that it is a visual form of communication, meaning that it relies largely upon imagery rather than words. This does not mean that any created designs should not be accessible, though, as captions for images do exist and should be utilized. This allows it to reach larger audiences, of course.
As a final aspect of this to cover today, you may be wondering the difference between this and graphic design, which is something that many people have heard more about. The biggest distinction between them is that the latter is geared more towards products that will be printed at some point rather than kept in purely virtual mediums. It is a generalization, but it suits the purposes of our discussion today.
Examples to Remember
What a lot of people simply do not realize at first glance is that there are so many different aspects to digital design that it is difficult to keep track of all of them! It is rare to find an artist who can complete all of them at once, which is why we tend to look for specialists to fit our specific needs, instead. The key is to know what they can do versus what they cannot.
So, to round out today’s article, I will share with you some examples of what they are capable of. Hopefully it will suit you well, though you can also check out additional information like what is on this web page. Perhaps the most notable thing is website design, but since it is covered extensively in other places, I will not dwell on it.
The creation of applications for mobile devices and computers is another big responsibility. You can get someone who works in this field to take charge on the interface of the app or other aspects of it as well. Personally, I put high importance on the appearance of a mobile game or app when I download it – that is the first impression that stands out the most to me. I am far from the only one who feels that way, too.
Of course, there is also the matter of advertisements, banners, and even landing pages. All of these are requests that you may have for these designers. There are more, of course, and it will be up to you to discuss it with them to figure out how to put an image to your vision.
While it can seem like a pain at first, trust me when I say that this process is a worthwhile one for the reasons that I mentioned already amongst others. It is worth the effort and time.
