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Graphic Decline

May, 28th 2009 posted by Marc Horne

Content is on the rise. The line between publishing and everyday communication is becoming blurred.   Blogs, Twitter streams, Facebook pages and more publish billions of words and millions of images every day. And it all looks a bit boring.

It’s not just in the world of Social Publishing that you see content is king and graphic design is not invited. Take Wallpaper Magazine and Wired Magazine: in their paper incarnations the graphic designer gets free rein with typefaces, inks, unusual layouts and more. Their graphic design is a key part of their reading experience and their brand. Online… not so much.

Don’t get me wrong, they have well designed websites, although it’s more in the domain of information design than expressive graphic design. And it’s the same design for every story. And photography just stacks up one on top of the other like your grandma’s blog. The goal is to allow content to get online rapidly, but the result is to remove much of the charm, character and hidden meaning of the graphic design of the printed piece.

Are the days of the graphic designer numbered or are good times just around the corner? Once publishing content is easy, how can you differentiate your work? Will the innovatively designed blog, or the emagazine that is delivered in rich interactive format win out over a rival that is an equally solid read but which lacks visual flair? And will it be the professional media companies who win this battle, or will today’s ‘micropublishers’ get the tools they need to compete on an even footing in the battlefield of richly designed, timely, focused content.