by Paige Logue

What do you think about when you hear the terms “graphic design” and “public relations”? Do you think of the two as teammates or are they on two different playing fields?

As the project coordinator for Providence, it is my job to use my background in graphic design to help build, rebuild or maintain the state of the relationship between our clients and their presence in the public.

Graphic design is the art of communication and problem solving through imagery, and public relations creates and preserves relationships between brands and the public. Combine the two and you have the opportunity to create relationships with imagery.

Using art to communicate effectively? How cool is that!

Providence uses graphic design to execute effective public relations strategies, and I’d like to put our experience to work and tell you the top 3 reasons why graphic design and public relations go hand in hand!

1. Using graphic design to create an identity helps build brand awareness

When it comes to creating logos and a brand’s identity, you want to create successful designs that act as the accessory to the company. Brand identity needs to be viewed as the earrings of a great outfit that enhance the beauty of an already great company and not something that is so overbearing you are distracted by the design.

Building brand awareness includes creating all identity designs for the client. Some examples of identity designs are the company logo, business card and a letter head. It is up to Providence to then use those designs to promote the client company in ways that are appealing to potential customers.

2. Designing for social media

Once the brand has been established with identity designs and the foundation of the brand’s presence with the public has been built, graphic design is used to create content to maintain that foundation

Successful relationships are built on strong foundations. Foundations are created with intriguing designs that accurately portray the purpose of a brand; thus, the designs continually support the brand in the eye of the public.

3. Creating Designs for Events

Beyond creating identity designs and content for social media, graphic designers at PR firms are also responsible for creating designs for events put on by client companies.

One instance of this is if a client’s store is being remodeled and Providence is planning a re-opening event, it would be up to the graphic design team to create flyers, banners, t-shirts and other promotional materials for the event. Much like creating brand identity, the designs created for events are to accessorize what the event is about. You want to ensure the designs are inviting and will attract as many customers to the event as possible!

Successful public relations strategies would not be as effective without the use of graphic design. Problem solving with imagery keeps content interesting, and I’m sure we can all agree when we just see words on a page or a screen we are less likely to pay attention to what is being conveyed!

If you have questions about graphic design and brand identity for your PR efforts, reach out to us! We’re always here to help

*Updated July 1, 2020