Cultural Influences on Advertising and Graphic Design

<p>This study utilized six qualitative interviews with Hispanic graphic designers and design instructors in the city of San Antonio, Texas, US, in order to explore cultural influences on advertising and graphic design. While previous research on advertising targeted at specific cultural groups has examined the use of verbal language, the visual aspect of these designed materials remains underexplored. This study dives into the complexities of understanding Hispanic cultural identity, the use of stereotypical Hispanic design elements, and tactics for creating more culturally appropriate visual designs for Hispanic audiences. It concludes that the use of stereotypical and cliché visual elements (frequently stemming from stock images, templates, and artificial intelligence (AI)-generated designs), while generally not offensive to the target audience, is perceived as lazy design that lacks true cultural understanding. Nevertheless, the use of these visual motifs can be helpful when representing Hispanic identity to a broader, non-Hispanic audience. For example, advertisements for Hispanic Heritage Month in San Antonio incorporate multiple culturally cliché references in order to unequivocally communicate Hispanic cultural identity. However, when appealing directly to a narrower segment of the Hispanic audience, graphic designers must engage in careful cultural research, striving for more subtle visual references to the cultural group even within the same city.</p>