Graphic Design and Paper Writing: What Are Common Essentials?

At first glance, it might appear that crafting academic papers and the discipline of graphic design have little in common. However, they are more akin to each other than you might realize.

Both are fields where the intention is to clearly convey an idea to someone. In one instance, you are doing it through words, and in the other, you are employing a visual representation of a concept. With both mediums, you’re ultimately attempting to not just introduce an idea but to draw attention to a certain aspect of it.

These days, it’s true that some college students might locate a platform where they can get help with paper writing for money. Some individuals in academia may Google phrases like “write my paper online,” or “write papers for me.” Whether they write the deliverable themselves, though, or have someone else create it for them, the intention is still the same. These students are trying to write persuasively and to convince the reader of the validity of their argument.

It’s the same with graphic design. The creator of the graphics is looking to instill an idea in someone’s head. Maybe that’s brand awareness, or perhaps it’s the desire to buy something. In both cases, it’s that persuasiveness that is the common denominator.

We’ll explore this similarity further in the following article.

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How the Discipline of Academic Writing Helps Students

There are all kinds of ways for individuals in the academic world to try to produce the best paper that they can for their professors. Some will resort to hiring professional help, while others might even turn to spirituality and manifestation if they think it will help them.

Any dedicated student will likely learn the following tenets of professional-style writing if they try tackling a paper on their own, though:

The argument should be simple, uncluttered, and direct
Each deliverable should follow a structural hierarchy that is immediately noticeable
There should be consistency in the writing style throughout the finished product

In any college-level course, the instructor will expect to see all of these things in the assignments the students turn in. If these elements are not present, then the individual who turned in the project can expect a lower grade.

If someone who gets a collegiate-level assignment in class isn’t sure where to begin, they can research the subject, and then they can begin to write the deliverable according to the rigid structure that these types of papers are meant to follow. There is often a comfort in that. Regardless of whether the person doing the writing knows anything about the subject or not, when they get the assignment, they will at least know what the finished product is supposed to resemble.

The Same is True for Graphic Designers

Following a formula is equally necessary for graphic designers. In graphic design, you will want to adhere to the following:

Create captivating graphics that draw the eye
Introduce a concept in an appealing and appropriate way
Consider your audience and create content with them in mind

If you look at this type of visual presentation and crafting a deliverable for academia in a persuasive essay format, two similarities should immediately stand out. The first is that the creator should always keep the objective in mind. The second is that the target audience should be abundantly clear.

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The Objective of These Two Creations

Let’s look at the objective you’re aiming for if you’re either working in the graphic design niche or you’ve been assigned a persuasive essay for school. In the first case, the idea is to make someone aware of something. If you’re designing a logo, you’re trying to put the company you’re representing on a potential customer’s radar. If you’re designing the packaging for a product, you’re attempting to make that item stand out from similar offerings on a store shelf.

With persuasive writing, you’re introducing a premise, and then you’re making an argument about it. You’re structuring that argument according to an academic style that has become widely accepted over the years. You are delivering bullet points or backing up the central theme in a way that’s structured and deliberate. You’re using your language choices to make your point as irrefutable as you can.

The objective is foremost in the mind of the individual who is using either of these two tools. While one uses words and the other uses visuals, they’re both trying to elicit a particular response from the target audience. This leads us to our next point.

Know Your Target Audience

If you’re designing something visual, you need to know who is likely to be looking at it and reacting to it. For instance, you would want a company’s logo to look different if the business entity’s ideal customer was:

A child
A middle-aged audience that skews female
An older adult who had recently retired

The visual elements, such as the font for the company name, the color choices, and anything else that you might include, would understandably change depending on who you’re targeting. If you’ve been given a homework assignment, though, and it’s an essay, you know who the audience is going to be. Often, the only person who will be reading it will be your professor.

In either case, you’re engaging in the act of creation with an intended person or group in mind. It’s another way graphic design and writing a paper are similar to each other.

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How to Make Sure You Get the Best Results in Both Endeavors

If you’re still not convinced of how much these two ideas have in common, keep this in mind. Someone who does graphic design in school is likely to pursue that as a career. However, someone who has to write a few essays in school might feel like they’ll never have to do it again once they graduate.

It’s true that some will get away from this form of writing when they complete their college education. However, this form of writing becomes critical for copywriters, lawyers, marketing managers, content strategists, and many more.

If you think about it this way, you’ll realize that in the professional arena, you might very well need both of these skill sets. That is why it makes sense to observe what they have in common and to take elements from both.

To make sure that you’re getting the best results when you either try to write a paper or create something visually that will get noticed for the right reasons, remember to:

Make what you’re creating memorable
Make it succinct, direct, and interesting
Know your audience and make choices with them in mind
Be mindful of the reaction you want from the person who is interacting with the deliverable

All of these points are equally valid for both writing a paper and doing a graphic design task. The similarities are obvious if you approach either task the right way.

You should also know that disorganization is the enemy when you’re working either in academia or the professional world. By approaching either of these projects according to established best practices, it is much more likely that you will get the results you want. That might be a good grade on a paper or rave reviews from a client if you have just designed some visual elements that are about to appear on their website.

Creating more compelling and cohesive communications is an excellent goal to have, and that should be your guiding light in either of the areas we’ve mentioned. By sticking to the structure and principles we’ve laid out, your success is all but assured.