Think waaaaay back… remember clip art? Screen beans and tacky illustrations, with the ever present Microsoft paperclip ready to help at an instant?
Looks like clip art is making a comeback, but in a much more sophisticated way. Enter Canva, Crello, Easil and dozens of others.
The question is, should non-designers be designing their own materials?
We are starting to see this more, especially in larger organizations with a small communications team. Engineers, planners, project managers and others have suddenly added “graphic designer” to their resumes, thanks to online software.
But, there’s design… and then there’s good design.
It’s not just about making things look pretty. At its best, graphic design provides a visualization of the content being delivered. The graphics add context and enhance understanding of the concepts. They make the complex simpler. They illustrate ideas.
Although these tools are more easily accessible, they are still just tools, and not a replacement for years of experience and training in visual communication. Much like how anyone can use a hammer or drill, but you still need additional knowledge to build a house to code.
It takes a trained professional to add value to your materials, and we’re fortunate to work with a highly talented, creative graphic designer. His work brings our clients’ projects to life.
And, that’s invaluable.
So when it comes to online design software, our advice: just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
