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Importance of Research in Graphic Design

Or 4 Steps to Fewer Headaches
By Christian Hurst, M.F.A.

As Graphic Design advocates like Steven Heller frantically try to raise the level of Graphic Design from craft to science, those of us who are not quite as academically immersed in the politics of art and design may wonder what all of these arguments have to do with our work. Trying to convince the academic world to accept Graphic Design as the new cousin of such long accepted PHD worthy disciplines as architecture and engineering is one thing. However, trying to convince the average designer of the importance of this debate is an entirely different matter. To us, it is difficult to forget the bottom line, how does all of this affect my work? In actuality, it turns out; our workflow may be at the very heart of research-based design.

According to Matt Cooke[1], research in graphic design actually helps improve workflow and efficiency. Not only has it helped him move through his projects faster, allowing him to take on more work, but it also has made his current workload more profitable. Clients, it turns out, are more satisfied when they are able to see just how and why their designs will be effective or not. In addition, research actually adds to the designer’s creativity, and allows them to move through the creative process quickly and with increased confidence.

So just how do we take advantage of research based design? Most of us did not receive much training in research methods, at least in our undergraduate training. Once in the field there is natural research to be done; interview the client, examine the materials received, etc. But beyond that, how do we apply advanced research methods without having to refer to an elaborate diagram or chart every 5 minutes? So often scholarly research methods are to confusing and lengthy to use on an every day basis for project management. To help us all out, I have taken Cooke’s basic ideas and boiled them down into 4 easy steps that will allow us to more conveniently apply the principles of Communication Design research in our work:

Find the Problem – Every design is based around a problem; the first step in using research is to determine just what that problem is. Design problems include many questions, such as; who is the audience? What action do you want the audience to take as a result of the design? Is the success of this specific design based upon that action? And so forth. A weak example of a design problem would be: How can I design something that will inspire kids to do better in school? This is too vague to be of any use. A better example of a design problem is: To design a poster series that will inform high school age teenagers about the consequences of taking more time to study on the weekend, so that they will perform better on tests. The more details the better. Try to think of a design problem like an equation instead of just a dilemma. Be specific!
Do your homework – Once you have determined the problem, then it is time to act. At this stage you want to take the time to see what has been successful at reaching the demographic you are after, and what hasn’t been so successful. If there is little or no information concerning what you are trying to achieve, then you have to do your own legwork. Whenever possible, try to get to know the audience that you are trying to reach. Understanding the motivations behind the action you are attempting to encourage is a good starting point for creating your design. This is also a good time to use test imagery. Create some mock-ups in several different formats to see how the potential audience reacts. If you do not have direct access to the market you are trying to reach then do your homework as best you can from the information that is available. Use academic research that is related to what you are trying to achieve. Even though most of these tests aren’t design based, they may give you a clue into how to reach the minds of your audience.
Trial and Error – Here is the point when if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Now that you have settled on a format and direction for the campaign, based on your research above, move forward and produce, produce, produce. Create full mock-ups of designs. Find test subjects and audiences. Even place the graphics in public places to see if you can get reactions. If things don’t go well, go back a step and make new versions to suit the findings. Success will come as you pay attention to specific and general reactions.
Deployment – It’s time to roll out the full deal. Put the campaign into full production and hope for the best. However, you want to keep this client, right? To ensure a long and happy relationship with your client, measure the effectiveness of the campaign as best as you can and note improvements that need to be made should they ask you to launch a similar campaign, or launch the existing one on a larger scale. Keeping notes on the improvements you would like to make can also help you in the future if you are ever working on a similar project with the same or a different client.

While this is not intended to be a Design Decalogue, it is a good way to help get things rolling with research-based design. Following these steps can not only help our efficiency, but next time a colleague mentions research in design we will have something to talk about.

[1] Matt Cooke. Design Methodologies. Featured in Design Studies by Audrey Bennett.

Tags: 4 Steps, Academic World, Actuality, Advocates, Bottom Line, Cousin, Creative Process, Creativity, Disciplines, Eas, Graphic Design, Headaches, Hurst, Matt Cooke, Project Management, Research Methods, Scholarly Research, Undergraduate Training, Workflow, Workload