For a design aspirant who wishes to opt for B.Des Communication Design as the specialization, it is important to work on skills that help in building a strong portfolio. Before you choose communication design as your specialization, it is essential to prioritize the following:

Imagination and Creativity

Imagination and creativity are among the most essential skillsets for any designer. For communication designers, it is even more important as it helps them plan their campaigns and reach their target groups. A communication designer with creative skills can make visual images and videos more appealing. To this day, viewers remember catchy taglines and visuals from various advertisements of brands like coca cola, fevicol, LIC, etc. The mauka-mauka campaign for the 2015 world cup was successful because of its originality and creativity. Creativity in visuals and messaging is what separates a brand from its competitors. Imagination and creativity together decide the flow of any campaign for a brand and build on a brand image. According to the segmentation, targeting, and positioning of any brand/product, the creativity quotient may vary. So, a communication designer must be up to the task of engaging or disengaging with the target group. Hence, creativity, imagination, and artistic approach are amongst the most vital skillsets to be developed.

Designing

A communication designer may or may not have to design graphics but an in-depth understanding of the design software, design tools, and design elements is a must. The design elements include an understanding of colors, typography, fonts, and design spaces as it will help to increase visual engagement. This also helps to increase or decrease the weightage of text or images in a creative and decide if the creative has to be text-heavy or graphic-heavy. Blending branding elements along with graphic designing increases the overall consistency of the graphics and helps connect with the user by creating the brand’s identity.

Branding – A distinct identity

When a communication designer is associated with a brand, the job is to build a brand identity, increase awareness, and consideration for the brand, or even spread the campaign’s messaging amongst the target group. Branding is all about sticking to constant messaging, visuals, colors, and fonts to allow target groups to build a precise influence on the brand. Communication designers must comprehend the effective usage of a brand logo, color scheme, and supporting content on newsletters, websites, or any other branding material. The message to be conveyed must also be relevant to the brand that is being represented. For example, while promoting a luxury hotel, a communication designer may promote the various elements like comfort, food, services, etc associated with the hotel. It is critical for a communication designer to understand when and where to use a particular element while promoting. Being skilled in branding empowers communication designers to associate with customers and deliver successful campaigns.

Narration

Narration complements and boosts the branding, creativity, and design skills of communication designers. While conveying a brand’s vision, narration helps better connections with the target group. A competent communication designer may use narration while promoting a new product or broadcasting a new website. Narration helps plan a campaign and its effective successful delivery. For example, launching a new sport bike in the market can be done with a compelling narrative that leaves an impact on the end user and eventually pushes them to buy. The narration may include telling the story of a biker which will help build an impactful campaign.