What impact does graphic communication have on society, the economy and the environment?
The impact of graphic communication: its social impact (communication, inclusion and influence), economic impact (commercial graphics, advertising and value), and environmental impact (materials, energy, waste and sustainable practice).
An SQA Higher Graphic Communication answer on the impact of graphic communication, covering its social impact (communication, inclusion, influence), economic impact (commercial and advertising graphics, value), and environmental impact (materials, energy, waste and sustainability).
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this key area is asking
The SQA wants you to discuss the impact of graphic communication on society, the economy and the environment: how graphics communicate and influence, their commercial value, and their environmental cost with sustainable ways to reduce it. At Higher you need a balanced discussion, recognising both benefits and drawbacks.
Social impact
Economic impact
Environmental impact
Reducing the environmental impact
Worked example
Examples in context
Every public sign, brand and package is graphic communication shaping society and the economy: wayfinding in a hospital aids inclusion, a brand's packaging drives its sales, and the print and design sector is a significant employer. Sustainability is now central, with brands moving to recyclable packaging, reduced material and digital-first communication, exactly the measures the SQA expects you to discuss.
Try this
Q1. State one social benefit of graphic communication. [1 mark]
- Cue. It communicates information quickly and across language barriers, aiding understanding and inclusion (for example signage and symbols).
Q2. State one economic impact of graphic communication. [1 mark]
- Cue. Branding, packaging and advertising help products sell (or technical graphics cut manufacturing errors); the industry provides employment.
Q3. State one way a designer can reduce the environmental impact of printed graphics. [1 mark]
- Cue. Use recycled/recyclable materials, greener inks, efficient layouts, fewer reprints, or digital delivery.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher (style)4 marksDescribe the social and economic impact of graphic communication, giving an example of each.Show worked answer →
Social impact: graphics communicate information quickly and across language barriers, which improves understanding and inclusion. Standardised symbols, signage and infographics let people navigate, stay safe and understand complex information regardless of literacy or first language. Graphics also influence opinions and behaviour (advertising, campaigns, public-health messages), which can be positive (a safety campaign) or negative (misleading or stereotyped imagery). Example: airport pictograms that everyone can follow, or a public-health infographic.
Economic impact: graphic communication is a large commercial activity that adds value. Strong branding, packaging and advertising help products sell and let businesses compete, and clear technical graphics speed up manufacturing and reduce costly errors. The design industry itself provides employment. Example: effective packaging and branding that increases a product's sales, or accurate production drawings that cut manufacturing mistakes.
Markers reward: a social point (communication/inclusion/influence) with an example and an economic point (commercial value, sales, jobs, fewer errors) with an example.
SQA Higher (style)4 marksDescribe the environmental impact of producing graphics and explain how a designer can reduce it.Show worked answer →
Producing printed graphics consumes materials (paper, board, inks and plastics for packaging), energy (printing, computers and data centres for digital graphics), and creates waste (offcuts, used materials, packaging and electronic waste from hardware). Inks and finishes can contain chemicals, and excess packaging adds to landfill.
A designer can reduce the impact by: designing to minimise material (efficient layouts that reduce paper and packaging, the right size and weight of stock); choosing recycled and recyclable materials and vegetable-based or low-solvent inks; reducing waste by careful nesting of items on a sheet and accurate proofing to avoid reprints; favouring digital delivery where suitable (a digital leaflet uses no paper); and designing packaging that uses less material and is easy to recycle. Energy-efficient equipment and renewable energy reduce the impact of digital and print production.
Markers reward: materials, energy and waste as the impacts, and sensible reductions (minimise material, recycled/recyclable stock and greener inks, reduce waste/reprints, digital delivery, recyclable packaging).
Related dot points
- Graphics technologies and file formats: input and output hardware, vector versus raster (bitmap) graphics and software, resolution and compression, and choosing the right file format (JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, PDF, SVG) for the purpose.
An SQA Higher Graphic Communication answer on graphics technologies and file formats, covering input and output hardware, vector versus raster (bitmap) graphics, resolution and compression, and choosing the right file format such as JPEG, PNG, PDF and SVG.
- Course assessment overview: the question paper (90 marks) and the assignment (50 marks, the practical coursework of preliminary, production and promotional graphics), how they are weighted and marked, and what the assignment requires.
An SQA Higher Graphic Communication overview of the course assessment, covering the 90-mark question paper and the 50-mark practical assignment of preliminary, production and promotional graphics, their weighting, and how the course is graded.
- The three graphic contexts (preliminary, production and promotional) and the design process: responding to a brief and specification, generating and developing preliminary ideas, and evaluating a design against the brief and target audience.
An SQA Higher Graphic Communication answer on the three graphic contexts (preliminary, production and promotional) and the design process, covering responding to a brief, generating and developing preliminary ideas, and evaluating a design against the brief and audience.
- Colour theory: the colour wheel (primary, secondary and tertiary colours), harmonies (complementary, analogous, monochromatic), warm and cool colours and the psychology/associations of colour, and the RGB versus CMYK colour models.
An SQA Higher Graphic Communication answer on colour theory, covering the colour wheel (primary, secondary, tertiary), colour harmonies, warm and cool colours, colour psychology, and the difference between the RGB and CMYK colour models.
- Desktop publishing (DTP) features: grids and guides, columns and gutters, margins and bleed, text features (alignment, leading, kerning, drop capitals, reverse text, flow text/text wrap) and image features (crop, rotate, layers, transparency), used to build a multi-page layout.
An SQA Higher Graphic Communication answer on desktop publishing features, covering grids and guides, columns, margins and bleed, the text features (leading, kerning, drop capitals, reverse text, text wrap) and image features (crop, layers, transparency) used to build a multi-page layout.