What is graphic design?

According to Wikipedia, graphic design is “…the process of visual communication and problem-solving through the use of typography, photography, iconography and illustration.”

Now that may sound a little alien and leave you wondering what it all means, but in fact graphic design is all around you.

It’s the cinema poster that made you want to watch a new film, it’s the brochure that came from your local take away, it’s helped to create every website and app you use and it’s even helped create the items you find online or in print - such as infographics, videos, book covers and magazines.

Put simply, graphic designers communicate ideas and messages in a visual way, using a mix of text, photography, icons and illustration – and this covers everything from a simple icon to a video game.

A short history of design

The graphic design industry isn’t new - Paul Rand, the brain behind many well-known company logos in the 60s wrote an essay on the subject in 1947, which eventually became a book ‘Thoughts on Design’ in 1970. But it does evolve quickly as tech moves on and new needs arise, and this means most graphic designers tend to be lifelong learners, who adapt to the latest trends and develop their specialisms and styles over time.

Graphic design is traditionally thought of as printed media – posters, leaflets, packaging or magazines – but as the online world grew, so did design.

Now, we have website design that helps create engaging and intuitive web pages, user experience (UX) design, which ensures that apps and websites are easy to use, and of course motion graphics where designers bring things to life with movement – such as video games, movies and animation.

And these all come under the same umbrella alongside logo design, digital content, packaging design, iconography, fashion design and more. Today, graphic design applies to a wide range of work and it's still growing.

How designers work

But, no matter what type of design you need - be it print or digital - designers will use font, shape, line, colour and space to create something that communicates a message effectively whilst being visually pleasing and eye catching.

Some designers create base elements, such as a company logo and brand, while other designers will take those elements and use them as building blocks to create something else.

For example, I work mostly with documents – training manuals, white papers, ebooks and brochures. But in order to design a new document for a client I will need their logo, a colour palette and brand guidelines. I will also need the copy for the item I am working on, that is the text that they want in the document, and a brief on what graphics they’d like.

And, in case you are wondering, I too have expanded my repertoire over the years to suit what is asked of me. I can format PowerPoint slides or design a slide template, I can create short animated videos (also using PowerPoint) and I have also produced infographics, icons, social media banners and website illustrations.

If you are looking for design services for your business, and would appreciate a designer with my skills, or my background in learning and development or marketing, please get in touch.