As a graphic design student, I never really thought writing had a big place in the design world. The basics came to mind for me first. Like with most jobs, I thought graphic designers would most definitely need to use writing to help them communicate to coworkers and clients design layouts. I also imagined that when a designer works for a major brand or magazine, companies might request a letter from the designer to describe their design choices again.
However, after reading “Design + Writing = Power. How I became a better designer through writing” by Rizwan Javaid and “Highlighting the Importance of Writing for a Designer” by Stella Lincoln, I realized writing for designers goes beyond just emails and documents and can really enhance the overall career of a designer.
While I’ve taken strategic research classes, I never thought about what research designers need to do, and with research comes research reports and written reflections which is where designers would need to write. I also did not think much of a graphic designer’s personal brand. Beyond email and documents, designers need to be able to articulate their designs to write blogs and presentations. Lots of graphic designers are trying to build their audiences. By having a strong brand voice and being a strong writer, designers can write blogs to share their ideas with other designers and describe their own ideas that will help them garner a following.
There are instances in my design experience I have utilized writing that I didn’t even realize. Usually, when I create a design, I need to write out all the words that come to mind first. I then like to organize all my ideas for the design on paper. This allows me to feel less stressed out when starting my design leading to better mental health. However, it wasn’t until I read either of these articles that I really thought about how much I use writing for brainstorming or for my mental health.
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