Graphic design has a huge contribution in ensuring that the message/information reaches the target audience in a desired manner. It comprises of few elements that lead to effective design of a graphic material. Some of them and how they work together include;

Color Theory- requires understanding how colors go together/ match. Some color concepts include harmony, contrast, and the psychological effect. For instance, for a Radio Maria campaigns, the color blue was important because it is considered to be Mother Mary’s colour. For Bishops’ posters like Anniversaries, a mixture colour red was inevitable to show authority. The challenge here was trying to balance colour for those who have a hard time to distinguish between colours. I used tools like color contrast checkers to distinguish some colour elements.

Typography; affects the design of the material by considering tone (of texts) , how the words on the design can be read in one’s mind by selecting appropriate fonts for headings, subheadings, main body text. For example, for most Radio Maria online poster designs we use the Arial fonts, size 12, to ensure that most of our audience can read (because most are aged). The challenge I have been facing is being sure that the fonts can fit the same in all visual devices. I tested typography on different devices like laptop, phones, and projectors, to be sure that it is readable on all devices.

Layout; deals with the structure of visual aspects on a page. A good layout captures the viewer’s attention and makes him keen to information. For instance, in a promotional flyer for a Radio Maria, I made sure that I used Capital letters or bolded fonts to emphasize information like dates of an event, names or slogans. I faced the challenge of space management of a flyer. To overcome this, I used white space and visual hierarchy to prioritize important information.

Imagery; includes pictorial representations that make the design more appealing. A good imagery can add value to the message. For Mariathon Campaigns at Radio Maria, we used pictures that show some of our donation tools like Monet Box, Tins or envelopes and at times using the images of people symbolizing spiritual race participation. Creating an image that explains donation as a way of racing because some could not distinguish between Mariathon-spiritual race and Marathon-physical race. The technique I used was to collaborate with our photographers and graphic designers to make sure that the imagery I created resembled the message I intended to convey.

Brand Consistency; ensures that design aspects align with the brand’s values and identity, like logos and color schemes. For example, in branding our Organization I adhered to the brand guidelines across promotion materials like business cards, social media pages and flyers. The challenge was to use new design elements with the materials in hand while maintaining the Organization’s values. I tackled this challenge by ensuring that in every creativity I brought forward one element or two was accommodated.

Integration of Elements; the key to successful design lies in the ability to combine colors, images, texts to resemble the brand’s quality. For instance, in a campaign for a Campaign like Mariathon, I combined the colors blue, white and green (to resemble garden because it is believed that Mother Mary likes flowers) as well as images that bring out the energy. The entire layout was designed to give a clear message in an engaging way, while maintaining brand consistency to reinforce recognition.

Generally, the choices of designs should always align with the Organizational values and practice. It is important to understand the target audience. Design elements should serve their needs. Preparation should be made to adapt designs and work on feedback to make the service/product effective.