Promotion

Stephen Knapp

All graphic design is, in its own way, a form of promotion: Posters, corporate identity programs, direct mail campaigns product packaging, product design, exhioit design, brochure design, letterheads and business cards, restaurant menus and matchbooks. This volume of the Design Liorary series presents the best of recent promotional design and provides not only an overview of the most creative promotional material of the decade, but also a collection which defines the "umbrella" industry of graphic design. Every design created today must be given special consideration: Every T-shirt and ticket stub makes a statement and is an important factor in how a product, service, event, or company will be perceived by the consumer. Everything related to a product or service functions as a promotional piece. As a designer, knowing what your client wants to communicate is just a small part of creating a successful promotional campaign. A great promotion will not only generate the desire or need for a product, but will create a thirst for the actual promotional piece. Grateful Dead ticket stubs, Absolut Vodka posters Black Dog Bakery T-shirts, Hard Rock Cafe paraphernalia, and Disney toys and clothes have all become just as desirable as the products and places they were designed to promote. A sreat promotional piece not only gets a second look or makes a sale-it has a life of its own.