Inhibiting the Proliferation of Infections During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Appraising the Place of Graphics Design

Olayemi Ajayi & Funke-Wale Omisakin, Volume 4 Issue 2, December 2023 Pages 86-97, Published: 2023-12-18

Abstract

The coronavirus, or Covid-19, originally appeared in Wuhan, China, and its first confirmed case was reported on November 17, 2019. Science and technology played important roles in testing, analyzing, and determining the virus’s deadliness, as well as in disseminating preventative measures to help save lives. These acts were strategic steps towards taming the virus. After lives were lost to the coronavirus, it became lethal, and vaccinations to stop its spread appeared to be ineffective. Therefore, it became imperative to raise awareness of the necessity of preventative actions. After the outbreak, no area of science or technology was able to achieve widespread behavioral change or awareness on its own without utilizing a few aspects of art, particularly graphics. These aspects include auditory, visual, and audiovisual media, which are essential elements of graphics design. The elites and common folks learned about it and the importance of staying safe through the use of graphic elements including posters, social media, flyers, memoranda, press releases, sign language, radio and television advertisements, etc. Based on agenda-setting theories as well as user and gratification theories, this study employed mixed methods to investigate the important roles that art, using different graphic design components, played in enhancing science and technology to counteract the pathogenic virus’s (coronavirus’s) sporadic spread. A sample of 370 students from three higher institutions in Southwest Nigeria was surveyed, and it was claimed that, of the many components of graphics, the majority of the respondents learned about the virus’s emergence through audiovisual media. This study made many recommendations, including that governments, organizations, schools, NGOs, businesses, religious institutions, and others think about using audiovisual media as a successful tool for informational communication as well as for generating publicity and advertising for products and services, all the while smoothly reaching the intended target audience