State of design in the digital era

Traditionally, companies outsourced design work as the need would arise. In recent years, leading brands around the world have being hiring at an unprecedented rate to meet the demand to explore new and different ways of turning ideas into real products or services. With the growth of the digital phenomenon, companies across all industries have recognised the need for consistent design to not only cover their marketing, but also their services and internal procedures. Good designers are problem solvers and everything benefits from design thinking.

Not every company can afford a team of in-house designers. Be wary also of hiring an inexperienced designer to do the work by themself - designing in a vacuum and under too much influence from management could give poor results. It’s important to form a relationship with a company that appreciates the importance of good design and develop a brand together.

The term “designer” is often loosely used. There are different types of designers who serve the different needs of a company. The most sought after is the visual designer (Graphic Designer). Visual designers focus is on crafting beautiful icons, controls, and visual elements and making use of suitable typography. Their aim is to produce high-quality visual designs–from concept to execution, including those for desktop, web, and mobile devices at a variety of resolutions. Top brands like McDonalds and Louis Vuitton make use of visual designers to create menus, catalogues, as well as advertising material that is sent out to the world.

UX (User Experience) designers are primarily concerned with how the product feels. They explore approaches to solving a specific user problem. The UX designer ensures that the product logically flows from one step to the next by conducting in-person user tests to observe one’s behaviour to create the “best” user experience. The UX designers at Apple were the first to use and experience the new iPhone XS. They were able to iron out issues that potential users would face and eliminate threats before the phone was ready to be released.

UI (User Interface) designers are particular about how the product is laid out. They are responsible of designing each screen or page with which a user interacts and ensuring that the UI visually communicates the path that a UX designer has laid out. The UI designer at Apple takes feedback from the UX designer and makes sure that every related page on the website and every step a user will experience in their interaction with the finished product will conform to the overall vision created by UX.

Interaction (Motion) designers create animation inside an app or website. They deal with what the interface does after a user interacts via a mouse or fingers on mobile device. Companies are making increased use of animation and interactions within their websites and apps to create interest.

Having the correct designer to manifest your vision for your company is vital. Companies are distinguished through the image they present to the world, through their logos, business cards, newsletters, websites, social media presence, etc. Corporate identity expresses your company’s brand personality and sets you apart from the competition. Ensure that your company’s collection of visual elements, colour schemes, words and designs that make a visual representation of what a business stands for are up to scratch and working for your real estate brand.