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Visual media is evolving, and more of us are beginning to realise how much we connect with and rely on visual media to convey and consume information. Graphic design has also evolved alongside our growing need for visual content, with much more intention and strategy being invested into graphic design and visual communication projects.
Developments in human psychology have shown that people’s perception of value and understanding of a value proposition are highly swayed by effective visual communication, so ensuring your business has the correct graphic design principles to correctly express your brand’s voice and connect with your audience is essential for your success as a business.
As a prominent graphic designer in the health and wellness industry, Nhat Tran harnessed his passions for design and promoting well-being to launch his boutique design agency Bridge Creations. Through Bridge Creations, Nhat uses design and visual communication principles to help health-based businesses express their values and promote better, healthier lifestyles.
Today, Nhat has shared his thought process on how to use visual design principles to sell your product or service.
End-user Engagement
If we want to communicate with our audience, we have to first understand who they are so we can find the best way to connect with them. Creating a profile for your end-user is a good start. It’s important to visualise what their lifestyle looks like, and interpret how they might view things. Once you know who your end-user is, how they think, what they like and what they don’t like, you now have guidelines to aid you in exploring suitable visual themes that are likely to engage your audience, and convey the correct message to best persuade and motivate them.
Understanding the message
Visuals are all about conveying a message; a lesson, concept or knowledge. For the majority of my clients, these messages are health-related, usually an innovative product, treatment or technique that benefits their audience or promotes the treatment of an ongoing health issue. All visual elements, whether packaging, branding, deliverables or marketing content involves a message. In your case it will be different, but it’s important to understand what kind of message you are trying to send with your visuals, what message you are currently sending, and what you can do to refine your messaging for clarity and impact.
Persuasion
How you implement your visuals is key to how you display your product’s message, and how you communicate with your audience. Certain industries, products or services will lend themselves better to specific strategies, but at its core you need your visuals to persuade your audience into believing what you’re trying to tell them. What is your value proposition? How can you demonstrate this value to your audience? Do they want an idea or experience to latch on to, or should they just be directly told the selling points? Ask yourself these questions when it comes to designing a visual strategy for your value proposition. Regarding health, it’s more about how the value proposition boosts health and integrates with everyday life.
The Outcome
What is the goal of your messaging and does your content hit that target? In my projects, the end result of products or services is health improvement. So, it is my job to make sure my clients’ audience understands that while also providing them with motivation to make a purchase. Effective visual content will trigger the correct emotional and behavioural response (awareness, understanding, motivation, fear of missing out, etc). My content engages the user to improve their lifestyle thanks to investing in the product or service, and your visual content should promote your audience to lead towards your own desired outcome.
If you want to learn more about how graphic design and visual communication can be used to connect with your ideal audience, connect with Nhat Tran and his team at Bridge Creations.
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