Can Graphic Design Save Your Life?

Going to the exhibition helped me a lot to inform myself better about different subjects in graphic design. It also showed me how important universal images are so that everybody understands them in the right way. Furthermore, it was interesting to gain knowledge about the history and the importance of graphics

Before seeing this exhibition I thought that graphic design would mainly advertise companies but I realized that it is more than just advertisement. Sometimes it can save lives.

Graphic design is often used to inform, educate, promote and persuade.

 

One important role of graphic design is helping to understand the human body and to inform people about health and treatment.

For example by showing a cancer affected human his status to help him deciding either doing a chemotherapy or not.

Referring to that the German doctor Fritz Kahn developed a visual storytelling design to explain how the body works.

 

Graphic design has also a big influence in Hospitalisation. Images show the patients and visitors where to go and let them feel save by showing them where the information centre is located or even the bathroom.

An other topic influenced by graphics is the medication market. There are sign symbols chosen for each country so that people are able to find pharmacies for instance. People also trust special packages when it comes to medicine that were created by graphic designers.

Furthermore, graphic images prevent for contagion. Even before graphic design existed people had to come up with words and images to prevent that others get sick.

In the 17^th century the Italian population shouted out a plague that break out in Zika, Brazil. They needed to inform people from all over the world and those who cannot read.

Another example is the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014/15. Based on that there were public warnings posted throughout the region.

Stephen Doe tried to warn low educated people who were living in Liberia, which was one of the heavily affected countries, by painting on a wall. He used red to express danger and draw faces that show the symptoms of Ebola.

 

Graphic design is also used for provocation. A lot of advertising campaigns uses provocation to get attention by the audience so they would inspire people to change their behaviour.

For instants the campaign Kill Jill which caused increasing organ donor rates in Scotland.

 

In addition get people persuade by graphic images. Those caused decreasing numbers in buying cigarettes by advertising them under strict directions. The number decreased as horrible pictures from different side effects caused by smoking were printed on the package. People judge by there eyes so the graphic industry can manipulate people and force them to an opinion.