Some graphic designers think that though advertising and design intersect, they should remain separate fields. Others see the interconnection of the two disciplines as an inevitable progression and something that graphic designers should adapt to.
Those were two views discussed last week at “Design by Night,” a salon/networking event held monthly by the Rhode Island chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design.
“Where I work [design and advertising] are hand in hand no matter what you do,” said Shawn Cournoyer, a senior designer for APC-MGE in West Kingston and events chair for AIGA Rhode Island. “There is no separation between the two.”
At APC-MGE, Cournoyer said, he not only designs the advertisements and other materials, but he also helps develop ad campaigns.
Yet not all companies function that way. Some keep design and advertising more separate, though they still have to work together.
At nail, “we come up with ideas, mainly toward selling the product,” said Brian Fouhy, art director for the Providence-based advertising and design firm. “For designers, the main objective is to make [the idea] aesthetically pleasing.”
Still, Fouhy said, there definitely is a “huge overlap” between the two, because a lot of times design is incorporated in the idea from the beginning.
“Design is farther up in the process more now than in the past,” Cournoyer said. “It’s more timely to bring [design] in the beginning.” It also helps to create more continuity in the design of different forms of material such as ads, Web sites and trade show materials, he said.
Freelance graphic designers and startup graphic design firms are also getting more requests from clients to help develop content as well.
“Some people will request ideas,” said Jennifer Rolfsema, in-house designer for Johnson & Wales University and owner of a startup firm called Creative Chica. “They’ll give freedom to come up with an advertising campaign. That way you get involved in everything.”
But switching gears from focusing on design to focusing on content can be problematic for graphic designers with no training in advertising and marketing.
“There’s no quick fix,” Cournoyer said. “[Advertising] is a professional skill. … It is a skill set that could benefit you as a designer.” One way to develop those skills, he said, is to take classes in advertising and marketing.
Cournoyer said the local chapter of AIGA chose design and advertising for its event because of its relevance to the chapter’s 95 members. More than half of the 12 attendees last week were new to Design by Night, he said, a sign that the topic was of interest.
The events usually take place at Julian’s restaurant on Broadway because it is a creative environment, said Josh Silverman, principal of Schwadesign and president and founder of the local AIGA chapter, which started in 2004.
Membership has grown significantly in the past few years, he said, because of the different events that cater to the different subsets of the field, he said. Design by Night topics, for example, have ranged from rock posters to children’s books, to branding a city.
In addition to Design by Night, the local chapter holds monthly Sunrise Sessions that focus more on professional development such as copywriting and tax planning.
Twice a year, the chapter organizes speakers to lecture on topics relevant to the members and to “show the general public the importance of design,” he said.
Members include graphic designers, photographers, industrial designers, painters and illustrators.
“It helps support the profession,” Silverman said. “You can’t put a price on the value of inspiration and being surrounded by people you respect and who can talk to you one on one.”
