Graphic design is the digital preparation of news, announcements, campaigns, advertisements, or anything else intended to be shared with people, as well as the design of logos, posters, billboards, packaging, magazines, promotional films, books, cartoons, print advertisements, and corporate identities.
Graphic designers are people who can use the latest technologies to carry out all these tasks, think creatively and practically, communicate their ideas through artistic lines and forms, use their imagination, and work effectively with colour.
The scope of graphic design includes everything from posters and information or warning signs to corporate identities and advertising film production, as well as books, magazines, and brochures. Graphic design is an art of visual communication whose influence has grown considerably, and whose importance has become widely understood, particularly over the past decade.
One of the aims of graphic design is to use colours and shapes in an eye-catching way to attract the target audience’s interest and keep it alive. Creative ideas and compelling designs play a major role in this. So what does a graphic designer do?
A graphic designer:
- Researches the subject of a design thoroughly and gathers detailed information and data. If necessary, they meet with clients and other specialists in the subject.
- Develops a central theme for the design, either independently or within an advertising agency, and identifies concepts to explore.
- Carries out a detailed visual search around these concepts and creates appropriate imagery.
- Contributes as an art director when photography or filming is needed, bringing an aesthetic perspective to the work. When necessary, they supervise photo and film shoots.
- Oversees a promotional campaign from the initial idea through to publication, following the process through design, printing, publishing, and results.
A graphic designer should also:
- Have the ability to distinguish differences in time and space.
- Be comfortable working with shapes and colours and know how to use them in the most appropriate places.
- Think creatively and bring imagination into their work.
- Be able to express ideas through artistic design and drawing.
- Take an interest in art and engage with social sciences such as psychology and sociology.
- Be innovative, contemporary, and independent-minded, and keep up with technological developments.