Hello all,
As the semester is coming to a close, I am writing my last blog post for my PR design class. Here are my key takeaways from the course.
The Power of PR Publications
Over the semester, I have learned the importance and power of PR publications. These publications we design can impact organizations in infinite ways and can be the key to engaging with your target audience. Every element of the publication contributes to this- color, style, font, photos, balance, etc. Understanding how these design elements will impact your organization is essential to being able to utilize them effectively.
Types of Publications
I have also learned that there are many different types of publication that can be used to promote an organization. You can use business cards, fliers, posters, paid advertisements, social media posts, etc. However, I think the most important took is the organization's logo. This is like the face of the organization. People will associate feelings and ideas with this logo, which will ultimately decide whether or not the brand is effective. Most times, the logo is the first look at the organization, so it is important that it carries the brand image and reaches your target audience.
Target Audiences
With that being said, another thing I have learned that is vital to having successful PR is being able to find and understand your target audience. You could have the best design in the world, but if it doesn't reach the people who need to hear it, it is ineffective. Think about who you are trying to reach with your message? Who would benefit from or needs to hear it? Who are you trying to attract to your organization? Once you have determined this, you want to gear your message towards them and use mediums that will likely reach them. If you are trying to reach high school students, you probably wouldn't want to only advertise through the newspaper. Instead, you may choose to utilize social media since your target audience frequently engages with this medium. Check out my articles, Finding My First Stakeholder and Finding My Second Stakeholder for more info on that.
Design Elements
As I mentioned before, every element of your design contributes to its overall effectiveness. It is very important to understand design elements, what they convey and how to use them. At the beginning of the semester, I did a blog post titled, Ten Design Elements Everyone Should Know. It is basically just a rundown of some common design elements, but I referred back to it very frequently throughout the semester. It is so important to think about the elements you incorporate and understand their weight. One of my number on tips would be to have a reference sheet like this, just so you can double check yourself as you progress through your designs. I constantly forget about the impact of small elements.
Overall
The number one thing I will take away from this semester is simply how important design is. Design can sometimes seem less important than other aspects of PR, but so much of your organization's message and brand identity lives in design and it should never be taken lightly. I am very excited to see what I can share through design.