Why is it important for Communication majors to study design?
Why does good design matter?
I believe it is important for a Communication major to study design because, simply put, design is visual communication. For someone to become a well-rounded communication student, and eventually a well-rounded communicator, they must understand and be conversant (if you will) in written, verbal, and visual communication.
Furthermore, I believe that understanding one of these three major disciplines of communication aides in the understanding of the other two. For example, a piece of text may take on a different meaning in a more stylized font or if it is hand-written instead of being typed. Italicizing or bolding a section of text gives it a different meaning altogether once it is spoken. It is in this way that I believe design may be the most important of the three disciplines. In a way, the overall design of the project sets the context in which the verbal and/or written elements are later perceived.
This brings me to why good design is important. The purpose of any communication is to convey a message that can be easily understood by its intended receiver. One of the simple tenets of effective communication is "commonality of language", meaning that the message that is sent is done so in a "language" that both the sender and receiver understand. If a piece of design is going to be effective, commonality of language is very important. A designer must "speak the same language" as his or her intended audience in order for the work they do to have the desired effect. Otherwise, the message can be misinterpreted or even lost altogether.
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