The Importance of a Designer in PR

Stuart Butler, Senior Designer

People have forever?shortening attention spans. Traditional written PR doesn’t exclusively make the impact required to push through the noise. Pictures do indeed speak a thousand words, after all.?

Ask yourself – when scrolling through social media, do you stop to read long paragraphs, or do you stop at short videos?

For some, it will be the former, but for many, the latter has become the new normal. An Ofcom report from 2022 revealed that printed and online newspaper reach decreased from 51% in 2018 to 38% in 2022 for all adults over 16. It follows a steady decrease in previous years, likely exacerbated by the pandemic.

So, how can PR agencies make their communications effective? Design. And, if possible, using an in-house designer like Orbit Communications.?

Design can amplify your message. Whether through infographics, illustrations, or presentations, design transforms abstract political, planning or renewables concepts into visually engaging content that resonates with your audience. Graphics allow your PR and public affairs campaigns to trigger emotions, grab attention and drive action.

Design also can enhance your brand awareness and consistency. A well-thought-out brand strategy gives your audience something familiar and recognisable to rely on—building trust and credibility and standing out from competitors.

Effective PR and public affairs take the audience on a journey, with design as a supporting tranche of activity. It can be a key tool when speaking to audiences, particularly with community engagement. With these disciplines working in tandem, your campaign or comms strategy is set to make a more significant impact.?

On a smaller scale of graphic PR, a TikTok user named Max Kolomatsky (@cool_lookin_bug) went viral for taking regular noticeboard ads and turning them into illustrated works of art.

Since his first redesign, he has picked up numerous other flyers taped to notice boards and telephone poles and redesigned them to stand out on the bustling streets of New York. The results speak for themselves. When placed next to their original, the freshly designed posters appear far more appealing. They are attention-grabbing and no doubt drive action from passers-by much more than the original, dull ads.

The lesson learned is that design shouldn’t be left out when considering a PR or public affairs campaign. Design should be at the forefront of any campaign idea, integral from the beginning.

From digital to print, design is what the audience sees first, consciously or not, so give it the time it deserves and consider it the next time you start a campaign.

Like the ideas we have discussed? Get in touch with Stuart today at: [email protected]

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