"All companies – whether resource, manufacturing or service, local or international, small or large — can benefit from the input of graphic designers.

Through corporate design, an identity program can be developed to reinforce or change a company's public image. High quality logos and designs are frequently applied to stationery, equipment, signs and packages. Such applications of graphic design create consistent images in the public eye as well as for employees who take pride in their working environment.

Packaging design is also an important factor in the ability of firms to compete and in the marketing strategies of corporations dealing with consumer demands and environmental issues.

Good graphic design is also an essential element of effective advertising for the entire spectrum of goods and services offered by Canadian businesses. Properly utilized, graphic design expresses the qualities that distinguish a company or a product from its competitors.

Clearly, graphic design is an important part of Canada's industrial base. However, information available on the graphic design service industry remains limited. To fill the knowledge gap, the Service Industries and Consumer Goods Branch of Industry, Science and Technology Canada contracted KJM Secretarial to conduct a survey and analyze the results.

This overview was largely developed from information obtained in 1989 from a questionnaire delivered to graphic design firms across Canada and through a limited number of telephone interviews conducted with graphic design professionals.

As there is no comprehensive listing of firms offering graphic design services in Canada, public and private listings were used to identify 3 300 firms offering graphic design services, and 3 000 questionnaires were mailed. Of the questionnaires distributed, 212 were undeliverable due to a change of address, and 572 were returned and analyzed....

Graphic design, sometimes called visual communication, is the creative use of alphanumeric symbols and non-alphabetic images to clarify information and enhance communication in a variety of media."