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Where Have All The Graphic Designers Gone?

Recently I was asked to do some market research to help a partner company rank in Google for Tulsa graphic design services. As I looked over the numbers I was kind of surprised to see that graphic design was still a pretty popular search.

In my little word of design and marketing, seo and social media I NEVER hear anyone asking for graphic design or looking for graphic design firm. People inquire about website designs and logos – but graphic design, 3-fold brochures, and offset printing have all been relegated to other words like Flip phones, Yellow Page listings, and Circuit City.

So anyway, there seems to be a mix up in my thinking. Even though I no longer offer graphic design services, and all the graphic designers I know have conformed to designing for the web or picked up photography or video- people are still looking for them.

So what’s the point?

I think for me, I need to recognize my geeky digerati world might not be the world my customers and their customers live in.

As I mentioned in my post last week, we need to meet people where they are. This also includes speaking their language. Pay attention to what ‘normal’ people say and use those words. Maybe don’t know what a cosmolift is? They just want liposuction. Or they don’t know what periodontal disease is – they just want a teeth cleaning or whitening.

Anyway, I think I’ve started rambling…

I hop you’ve got something from this.

Later!

Arvell / @gebedo

Image Credit

  • http://www.icheapmarketing.com iCheap Marketing & Design

    Basically on Social Media sites there is lot of junk and some real/original inquires about Graphic Design services. 

  • Tommytt

    ??? The image says it all. Not professional, silly, conveys a sense of art first, business sense of urgency second (or further down the priority list).

    Most graphic designers are not artists, they are mechanics who’ve learned how to make use of the wonderful digital tools that have been developed over the last 25 years.

    Artists, in my opinion, don’t need tools, they need inspiration. The medium they use, or tools they use, are not the driving factors.

    I have known a few artists who became graphic designers. They are rare, and many are not disciplined enough to “deliver the goods” on a regular basis. Such is life.

  • http://overripe.tumblr.com/ B.

    I found your post in a search for tulsa graphic design firms, though what I need is web development and branding. I thought that website and logo design WAS graphic design. Isn’t a logo a graphic whether it’s online or on a pamphlet? I’ve always considered graphic design to be encompassing of all the things that go into creating a website (color scheme, font, layout, etc). Obviously, I’m not a designer – just thought I’d share a consumer perspective and where the confusion may lie on our side.

  • http://www.gebedo.com Arvell Craig

    Hey B – thanks for commenting. Yes graphic designers DO design logos. Most probably do websites as well. In general “graphic designers” are masters of graphic design software. (photoshop and illustrator) But building websites takes design + coding/programming.  I guess my point was saying #1. I realized most people DO look for graphic designers and #2 Most people like myself have transitioned beyond just the design software to other disciplines. 

  • http://www.gebedo.com Arvell Craig

    That’s kind of harsh Tommy, but I understand.