Social media consumers influence Graphic Design

Graphic Designers have the potential to persuade, influence and inform the public about different brand issues. Graphic designers play a vital role in establishing or re-branding existing brand identity. I have noticed that most companies use social media platform for research and how to strategies their brands. Companies will put up brand designs on the social media platforms for consumer to like or dislike the brand. The approach works as a campaign which is an advance way for an organisation to engage with the public. Public involvement can influence the potential and decision making towards the end product of the brand. The public likes will determine the brands potential, yes it is a good idea to certain degree, because the brand belongs to targeted audience and it needs to appeal to them. The concern that I have about this approach is that less qualified people now have enough power to rework your design. In some cases the process exceed and overturns your work entirely, people with less knowledge about design. Designer now does not only answer to the client, marketing manager or research groups but to large masses. I am quite confused about this approach as a designer it seems we have little say about our line of work. While the public just have the like button to determine the amount of work that is involved in design process. 

The perfect example for this issue is the one with Gap store, Gap is the multinational clothing and accessories retailer. 

What Gap did, they uploaded a new redesigned logo for the new look on social media platform. Millions of dislikes were vented to the new logo design all over the internet. Social media platforms like Blogs, Facebook and twitter were flooded by dislikes and consumer voicing how they hated the redesigned logo. The outcomes had a negative attitude towards the brand. People felt that the logo is not strong enough and it does not represent Gap image. The company had to re-implement the design back to the market.

• The question does consumers have enough information about design and  how it works?
• Does the act of ignoring our creative ideas and theories for the sake or customer satisfaction, leave graphic designers in a strange dilemma?
• What’s your take?  

Source: http://redesignrelated.com/post/1254073578/gap-logo-new-redesign

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