Impact of Digital Environment Graphics on Advertising Consumption in Nigeria

Abstract

Graphic designers often pay a great deal of attention to the aesthetics of graphic presentations without much regard for its communication effectiveness. It is even more so when designing the digital environment. This tendency normally causes potential consumers of online advertisements to lose focus – a situation which, consequently, renders a piece of advertisement inconsequential. This study investigates consumer behaviour and the interface between consumers and businesses in the digital environment: under consideration is how consumers respond to the advertisements in the digital environment. The focus of this study, then, is on the impact that the digital environment graphics has on advertising consumption in Nigeria. It highlights the importance of aesthetics and design in the online environment, and how graphic designers and advertisers, in general, can effectively deliver messages to targeted audience. Methods which include library research, in situ study, formalism, iconographic studies, and the descriptive research approach, were adopted for this study. The paper concludes that a balance in the application of aesthetic standards and communication indices to the visual content of the digital environment can ultimately improve its visual appearance as well as how potential consumers of advertising respond to, and interact with, the advertisements and the environment, generally.

Key word: digital environment, graphics, advertising consumption.