Communication Design refers to designing in order to communicate emotions, message, information, data, and knowledge through electronic media. Communication Design is quite different as it not only includes the creation of message but even the creation of channels through which message will be conveyed to the target population.
Communication design aims attract, inspire, create desires and motivate people to respond to messages, with a view to making a favourable impact. The impact can also range from changing behaviours, to promoting a message, to disseminating information. The process of communication design involves strategic business thinking, using market research, creativity, problem-solving, and technical skills and knowledge such as colour theory, page layout, typography and creating visual hierarchies. Communications designers translate ideas and information through a variety of media. Their particular talents lie not only in the traditional skills of the hand, but also in their ability to think strategically in design and marketing terms, in order to establish credibility and influence audiences through the communication.
Examples of communication design include information architecture, editing, typography, illustration, web design, animation, advertising, ambient media, visual identity design, performing arts, copywriting and professional writing skills applied in the creative industries.
The term communication design is often used interchangeably with visual communication, but has an alternative broader meaning that includes auditory, vocal, touch and smell. It is a branch of design that engages all human sensory organs and conveys a message that reaches and sticks with the masses.
Degree programs offer instruction in the fundamentals of visual communication through courses and hands-on experience in topics such as print production, technical writing and graphic arts; a master’s degree program builds on the knowledge gained from an undergraduate degree. In these design programs, students focus on an area of concentration such as print design, advertising, graphic design, mass communication, media arts, Web design or illustration.
Different types of communication designs include:
1. Graphic Design
Graphic design is a form of visual communication that has certain goals which can be achieved through proper graphics designing. It involves aesthetically expressing the concepts by using various graphics tools. Graphics Designing entails to creating a layout and choosing the right images, symbols and words to express a message.
2. Data Visualisation
Data visualization is also a form of visual communication whereby the information and data are represented in a graphical form. The elements which play a key role in data visualization are maps, charts and graphs. These elements help the viewer to easily understand the data’s pattern, trends or outliners. Today a large amount of data is available at everyone’s disposal. However, it needs to be analyzed for better decisions with proper visualization tools.
3. Interaction Design
Today digital products like applications have become so popular these are being used as powerful tools to spread message and information. There are different elements of digital products and each element interacts with the user in a different way. Interaction design refers to a designing approach whereby designers focus on the ways a product & its elements will interact with the users. Through the interactive design of digital products, the necessary information is communicated to the end users.
4. Art and Illustrations
Rather than the oral means of communication, messages can be conveyed best through graphics, illustrations, photographs or pictograms.
5. Visual Identity
Visual identity refers to symbols, logos, shapes or other visual elements that different brands use in order to act as their identity. These are easy to remember and whenever a person witnesses the logo of a brand, he/she can correlate it with the brand.
6. Writing & Editing
Different newspaper articles, promotional content, blogs, articles, fiction novels, journals, and informational documents are a great way of communicating a message. Thus, communication design also includes creating content in such a way that it meets its intended goals.
Students of communication design learn how to create visual messages and broadcast them to the world in new and meaningful ways. In the complex digital environment around us, communication design has become a powerful means of reaching out to the target audience. Students learn how to combine communication with art and technology. Communication Design discipline involves teaching how to design web pages, video games, animation, motion graphics and more.
There is a huge demand for dexterous communication designers. Students of Communications Design are often Illustrators, Graphic Designers, Web designers, Advertising artists, Animators, Video Editors, Motion graphic artists, or even Printmakers and Conceptual Artists. The term Communications Design is fairly general and practitioners work in various mediums to get a message across.
How much do you put in to become a communication designer?
In India, the fees for an undergraduate design courses range from Rs 4 lakhs to more than 20 lakhs. The fees for postgraduate design courses range from two lakhs to upwards nine lakhs, depending on the college or university.
The question of the hour: What is the “Scope” for a communication designer?
If you work as a graphic designer for a company, depending on your skill level, maybe upto Rs 12–15 lakhs per annum. If you’re a fresher, and not that good at it you can earn as low as Rs 60 thousand per annum.
A humble suggestion to all designers and artists to do start a freelance business on the side, and work to build that while you work at a regular 9–5 or even while you’re attending college (that’s what I do). Since while freelancing you work with mostly international clients your rates can be almost upto 10–20 times higher.
After 1–1.5 years of starting a freelance business you will start earning about Rs 6–7 Lakhs per annum and the upper limit for this goes as high as 50–60lpa (don’t get your expectations too high though).
But the thing about freelance is that there’s no financial security, at least in the beginning 4–5 years. After about 2–2.5 years in freelance, in some months you will have earned as high as Rs 1 to 2 lakhs and as low as absolutely nothing. There could be situations where suddenly most of your clients suddenly stop requiring your services, putting you at a very financially insecure position.
It takes a lot of hard work, all of your energy, blood and sweat to become a communication designer. There is a high chance of you being stuck in the same place for years. It gives the same, if not more in return.
Nidhi is a 20 year old ambivert who completed her schooling from Nath Valley School, Aurangabad. In 2018, she joined the MIT School of Fine Arts and Applied Arts in Pune to pursue her BFA in Applied Arts and Visual Communication. She has a soft spot for reading, writing, and travel. Helping others find their true passion, is one of her interests. As a writer on Careerfox, she intends to interview professionals from diverse career backgrounds and blog about them. She believes that this would not only nurture her love for writing, but also would help youngsters make more informed career choices.