Graphic design, branding and advertising: what each project achieves

Graphic design solves visual communication problems; branding builds and manages a brand’s identity and positioning; and advertising develops communications aimed at specific objectives for particular audiences. Although these fields share resources, media and professionals, they do not always pursue the same purpose.

When faced with a finished visual proposal — a well-composed poster, carefully chosen typography or a campaign with a recognisable aesthetic — the crucial question is not merely whether it is appealing, but what problem it was intended to solve and how we can verify this. This distinction helps us understand why projects that appear similar visually may require different decisions and evaluation criteria.

A poster does not tell us what kind of project we are dealing with

The same medium can form part of projects with very different objectives. Consider a poster placed at the entrance to a cultural festival: its appearance alone is not enough to determine whether we are dealing with a piece of graphic design, an application of brand identity or an advertising piece.

From a graphic design perspective, its priority may be to organise timetables, locations and activities using clear visual hierarchies. The main challenge is to facilitate access to information under specific reading conditions.

As a branding application, that poster can help to express the identity of the organising institution, using visual resources and communication criteria that enable it to be recognised across different media.

And, as part of an advertising campaign, it can communicate a message aimed at sparking interest in the festival, publicising its programme or encouraging attendance from a specific audience.

These functions are not mutually exclusive. A single poster can inform, represent a brand and form part of a campaign.

Therefore, the format of a piece does not in itself determine the nature of the project. To understand the brief, it is necessary to identify its purpose, the decisions underpinning it and the expected outcome.

In graphic design, the question is whether the solution communicates effectively and works

Graphic design organises information and visual resources to meet needs relating to communication, identification and usability. Its scope goes beyond selecting colours, typefaces or images: it also involves researching the context, establishing hierarchies and developing appropriate solutions for the media in which they are to be used.

Let’s consider the signage for a cultural centre. The work does not consist solely of designing attractive pictograms or applying a colour scheme. It is necessary to understand how visitors move around, what information they need at each point and under what conditions they will be consulting the signs.

Graphic decisions can affect the placement of elements, type sizes, contrasts, reading distances, materials and the physical production of the system.

When evaluating the result, specific questions must be considered: does it help people find their way around? Is the information clear? Does it work under real-world conditions?

A design may be formally well executed yet still cause confusion due to an unclear hierarchy or decisions that hinder its legibility.

This does not mean that graphic design is a purely functional discipline or that its practitioners are limited to carrying out instructions. They are also involved in research, conceptualisation, art direction and the definition of visual systems.

Their contribution does not depend on whether they are part of an advertising campaign or a comprehensive brand project. An editorial piece, an infographic or a signage scheme can present highly complex graphic challenges and demand rigorous solutions in their own right.

In branding, the proposal must underpin a brand concept

Branding addresses the construction, expression and management of a brand. It may include the creation of its visual identity, but also decisions relating to positioning, brand architecture, verbal identity and the way in which an organisation presents itself to its various audiences.

Let’s imagine a cultural institution which, after expanding its activities to include artist residencies, educational programmes and new digital platforms, finds that its offering is difficult to grasp as a whole.

Changing the logo would not necessarily solve that problem.

The project might require research into its audiences’ perceptions, a review of the relationship between programmes, the definition of a positioning strategy and the development of shared communication criteria.

Based on these decisions, one can then consider how a visual identity maintains consistency across different applications, from institutional publications to digital environments.

But a consistent visual identity does not, in itself, prove that the brand strategy is appropriate.

The evaluation of a branding project requires justifying the relationship between the diagnosis, the strategic decisions and the brand’s expression.

A proposal may be visually appealing in its graphic applications and yet fail to address the lack of differentiation, confusion between services or positioning difficulties that prompted the brief.

Visual consistency matters, but it is only one aspect of a project that may involve decisions of wider scope.

In advertising, the proposal must address a communication objective

Advertising develops messages and communication initiatives aimed at specific audiences with specific objectives. It is not limited to driving immediate sales: a campaign can raise awareness of an activity, change perceptions, raise awareness of a social issue or encourage a course of action.

Let’s suppose a cultural organisation is preparing a campaign to bring a temporary exhibition to a young audience.

The proposal will require a creative concept, messages tailored to the target audience, and materials adapted to the chosen channels. It may include posters, audiovisual content, outdoor advertising and digital formats.

Graphic design plays a part in these outputs, but the evaluation of the campaign must go beyond simply checking that the materials are well designed.

It will also be necessary to ask what the campaign’s objective was, which audience it aimed to reach, why certain messages were chosen, and what evidence will enable the results to be assessed.

Effie Worldwide’s effectiveness criteria, for example, take into account the context and objectives, research and strategy, the development of the creative idea, and the results achieved.

This helps to explain why a campaign cannot be declared effective simply because it has achieved high numbers of impressions or views.

Reach may be a relevant indicator, but it does not automatically prove that the audience has understood the message, changed their perception or taken the desired action.

The appropriate indicators will always depend on what the campaign set out to achieve.

Three projects may share resources without requiring the same approval

The differences between graphic design, branding and advertising are best understood by comparing the problem each project is designed to solve and the criteria used to evaluate its outcome, rather than simply listing formats or tools.

These categories represent different emphases in work and evaluation, not absolute professional boundaries.

In a real-world project, resources, decisions, professionals and even objectives may be shared. The table helps to identify which responsibility takes on greater importance depending on the requirements of the brief.

The problem arises when we evaluate one project using the criteria of another

A creative proposal may be assessed inappropriately when indicators are applied that do not correspond to the problem it was intended to solve.

For example, demanding a direct commercial return from an informative infographic whose aim is to facilitate the understanding of complex information may skew the evaluation towards an objective that was never part of the brief.

In such a case, the relevant criteria might relate to clarity, comprehensibility, accessibility and conditions of use.

Something similar happens when a branding strategy is approved solely because its visual elements work well in a presentation. Visual appeal does not in itself prove that the proposed positioning meets the organisation’s needs.

The opposite can also occur: a campaign achieves high reach and is deemed successful without verifying whether it has met its communication objectives. Generating impressions or views does not necessarily equate to fostering understanding, recall or behavioural changes.

These situations do not mean that graphic design should ignore its effects on an organisation, that branding cannot be measured, or that advertising should only be assessed in terms of figures.

The criterion is different: before evaluating a proposal, one must identify what it set out to achieve and what evidence can be used to verify this.

Sometimes it will be necessary to combine qualitative and quantitative indicators. At other times, certain functional, strategic or communicative assessments will be of greater relevance.

The project must be assessed according to its purpose, not according to a universal list of indicators applicable to any creative work.

Where does one specialism end and collaboration begin?

Distinguishing between professional fields does not mean they must be developed in isolation.

A project may bring together graphic designers, art directors, copywriters, researchers, communications managers and brand strategy specialists. The composition of the team will depend on the complexity of the brief and the skills required.

Let’s consider the launch of a new cultural initiative. The proposal may require a recognisable positioning, a creative concept tailored to the audience, and a graphic system that enables the development of the various elements.

These decisions do not always follow a linear process.

A technical limitation in production may require adapting a visual concept. A new communication channel may call for applications of the brand identity that were not initially envisaged. And the results of a campaign can provide useful information for future branding decisions.

Collaboration enables us to link decisions that affect the same project, without merging all specialisms into a single discipline.

Sharing tools or working on the same campaign does not diminish the importance of having specific expertise in composition, strategy, advertising creativity or results evaluation.

The key is to recognise what the project needs to achieve and how the various areas of expertise must work together to make it possible.

What a real-world project demonstrates: creativity, design and purpose can coexist

This relationship between specialisms can also be seen in projects by UDIT students recognised at the LAUS Awards, a competition organised by ADG-FAD that includes various categories linked to graphic design, visual communication and advertising.

One example is Durex+, developed by Mónica González Martínez, Irene Pando Pindado, Almudena Redondo García and Antonio Sánchez Partida, students on the Bachelor’s Degree in Multimedia and Graphic Design at UDIT.

It is an academic proposal for an advertising campaign that tackles myths and misinformation about sexuality through graphic messages and various communication channels.

The project received an InBook distinction at the 2025 LAUS Awards, in the advertising category.

Its relevance to this comparison lies in the fact that it combines graphic design expertise with a creative concept and a specific communicative intent.

It is not necessary to attribute commercial results or behavioural changes to it in order to understand its value as an example of interdisciplinary work.

The qualifications of those carrying out a project do not, in themselves, determine the nature of all the proposals in which they may be involved. Visual skills can also be applied to branding, advertising and corporate communications.

What does it mean to train to tackle these projects?

Understanding what each type of commission requires calls for knowledge of visual culture, strategic thinking, research and project practice. At UDIT, these skills can be developed through various degree programmes related to Graphic Design.

The Official Bachelor’s Degree in Multimedia and Graphic Design addresses visual communication through knowledge of composition, typography, editorial design, graphic identity and creation for physical and digital media. Its approach enables students to explore the formal and conceptual decisions involved in different types of graphic design projects.

Meanwhile, the Official Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising and Brand Creation combines creative strategy, research, branding, art direction and campaign development. It is particularly relevant for understanding how communication objectives relate to the conceptualisation and execution of advertising proposals.

At postgraduate level, the Official Master’s in Graphic Design delves into areas such as branding, editorial design, packaging, and digital and audiovisual graphic communication. This specialisation enables students to develop advanced criteria for tackling visual projects with varying requirements and media.

The Master’s in Continuing Professional Development in Branding: Brand Creation and Strategy, an institution-specific continuing professional development qualification, focuses on research, strategy, brand architecture and management, as well as verbal and visual brand expression.

The four programmes relate to the areas discussed in the article, but they are not equivalent. Their different approaches allow for a deeper exploration of distinct skills that can complement one another within a single professional project.

What matters is not the name of the project, but what it needs to achieve

A single piece can communicate information, express an identity and form part of a campaign. Its appearance alone does not allow us to determine what decisions lie behind it or what outcome should be considered satisfactory.

Distinguishing between graphic design, branding and advertising requires an understanding of the problem at hand, the role each discipline plays, and how its outcome is justified.

This approach enables us to evaluate creative projects without establishing artificial hierarchies between specialisms and to recognise when collaboration is needed.

Beyond visual quality, what matters most is that the decisions taken respond to the brief and can be defended with relevant arguments and evidence.

Discover UDIT’s Graphic Design degree programmes