Graphic design is a fast, popular, and rapidly growing design industry providing many career opportunities to students, fresh graduates from design, or any other industry (self-taught individuals) as the world of digital media advances. It is one of the most sought-after design careers in the 21st century, thanks to easy access to the internet, helping people worldwide providing easy access to tutorials, courses, and software.
Graphic design encompasses all aspects of visual communication, ranging from books and posters to complex mobile applications and 3D animation, clothing, and many other products.
What is Graphic Design?
The formal definition of graphic design is “the art or profession of using design elements (such as typography and images) to convey information or create an effect.” The designer uses several communication techniques to deliver a message from a client to a specific audience.
Tracing back in time, the earliest examples of graphic design can be seen in the cave paintings (prehistoric times), Hieroglyphics the system of writing created by the Egyptians, and the invention of printing system by the Chinese civilization printing stories and ancient texts, which has today evolved to designing advertisements, posters, book and so much more much easier and faster than how it was done before.
Today, graphic design has various areas of specialization, each adapting to the changing trends and the increasingly digital media usage.
Here are some types of graphic design which will help you understand the diversity of this field:
1. Visual Identity Graphic Design
It encompasses all visual components that characterize a brand and successfully communicate its message. Visual Identity Graphic Design includes working towards how the product should be perceived through logos, color schemes, typography, and much more.
2. Web and App Design
It involves working on the visual look and feel of various websites and mobile applications. In today’s world of competition, when websites and apps compete to attract more traffic, web and app designers provide an upper hand.
3. Packaging Graphic Design
It is the technique of combining design and packaging media to produce an experience that improves the product. This helps in attracting more clients, which in turn helps with the sales of the project.
4. Illustration for Graphic Design
The illustration is a way of depicting text visually. This is generally done for books, posters, video games, and many others.
5. Motion Design
This field involves using graphic design and principles in video production. It combines art and visual effects working across a wide range of media, including cinema, digital content, and much more.
For anyone aspiring to become a graphic designer, there are many ways to get into this field. One can do their bachelor’s in Graphic design (3-year program).
Some of the universities providing these courses in graphic design are:
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BFA)
- University of the Arts London (BFA)
- NID Ahmedabad (B.Des)
Another way of learning graphic design is through various online courses. There are multiple kinds of software’s used by designers, but some of the most famous widely used software are:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Blender
- Adobe Fireworks
- CorelDraw
They are various applications ( on laptop or mobile ) that can be used by people who don’t have knowledge of design but want to work on some project and finish their work efficiently:
- Canva
- Picart
- Vectr
- Inkscape
And many more.
Here is a list of some of the most famous graphic designers of all time that you should know about:
1. Michael Bierut
Michael is a graphic design critic at Yale University. Some of the books he has written are: How To, which (2015), and his essay collection, Now You See It (2017).
2. Massimo Vignelli
The late graphic designer Massimo Vignelli was one of the most influential designers of the 20th century, and has worked extensively in redesigning brands. He is known for designing a diagrammatic map for the New York Subway station.
3. Ruth Ansel
She is an American designer who was the first female art director of The New York Times Magazine. She has lectured at Cranbrook Academy in Michigan and served on fashion and design committees at The School of Visual Arts in New York.
4. Sujata Keshavan
She graduated from the National Institute of Design and did her master’s from the School of Art, Yale University (1987) ; Sujata Keshavan is a well-known graphic designer placed in Fortune India’s list of most powerful women in business.
While learning more about Graphic design, books can be a great way of understanding the principle of creation. Here are some recommendations:
5. The Elements of Typographic Style (Robert Bringhurst)
6. Show Your Work! (Austin Kleon)
7. How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul (Adrian Shaughnessy)
8. The Non-Designer’s Design Book (Robin Williams)
Future of Graphic Design
As one of the fastest-growing fields, the future seems bright for graphic design. Since 2020, as we are moving towards a modernized world, older trends are returning to the design scene. Some other famous graphic design trend predictions are the rise of retro-futurism, minimalistic design interface, seamless futurism, vintage designs, optical illusion design, and many more.
There is a rise of graphic design freelancers, as now people can work with clients remotely from all around the world while also providing independence to work and flexibility of time. This proves that if you have a firm idea, you change the world from wherever you are.
References
Merriam-webster.com. (2019). Definition of GRAPHIC DESIGN. [online] Available at: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graphic%20design.
Multimedia, B. (2016). 10 Most Popular Indian Graphic Artists. [online] ADMEC Multimedia. Available at: https://www.admecindia.co.in/graphic-design/10-most-popular-indian-graphic-artists/.
Xu, T. (2020). 100 Days of Motion Design. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/the-100-day-project/100-days-of-motion-design-463526af852f [Accessed 21 Aug. 2021].
Bill Acholla. (2020). 19 Different Types of Graphic Design Careers (Updated). [online] Available at: https://www.billacholla.com/19-types-of-graphic-design/ [Accessed 21 Aug. 2021].
99designs. (2020). Visual identity: everything you need to know about this essential aspect of branding. [online] Available at: https://99designs.com/blog/logo-branding/visual-identity/.
Malvik, C. (2017). What is Graphic Design? A Beginner’s Guide to this Creative Career | Rasmussen College. [online] Rasmussen.edu. Available at: https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/what-is-graphic-design/.
