Nor a social media manager, copy writer or a content creator, for that matter. I might not be the best person to write your LinkedIn post or edit your article.
However, I sometimes get these requests and some people even think that’s my job; to be some sort of digital producer.
And yes, I’m kinda good at making things pretty. I happen to speak the visual language, know some design principles and also have a good understanding of typography, composition, hierarchy, imagery and whitespace etc.
Through the years this started to work against me, because some people therefor mistake me for a graphic designer. It kind of stings. Because it doesn’t do justice to either expertises; graphic designer or my own. It also sets wrong expectations as I fall short to many invisible but typical skills of a graphic designer .
But… then what are you?
I am formally trained as a communications professional. That means my expertise lies in the field of communications: everything involving people, interaction, media and brands. And yes, it has to do with all the things I mentioned above: social media, copywriting and graphic design.
So yes, these fields definitely are related to each other, but they are not the same thing. In a well-run project, they often represent different stages of the process.
Communication is about making choices. About understanding where an organization wants to go, what role communication can play in getting there, and how all the different ways an organization communicates fit together. My specialty lies into bridging the gap between intention and implementation.
So there you have it, I am not a graphic designer. Can I make things look good? Absolutely. But it’s not where my work starts or ends.