What is Graphic Design?
Graphic design is about much more than creating images that are nice to look at. It’s a form of visual communication that provides information, shares ideas and persuades the audience to consider new perspectives.
“Design mediates between people and decisions; whether subtle or overt, design promotes a point of view,” according to the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). It’s this ability to connect with others and convey a message that makes graphic design such a valuable field.
10 Types of graphic design
1.Visual Identity/Branding Design
A brand is a relationship between a business or organization and its audience. A brand identity is how the organization communicates its personality, tone and essence, as well as memories, emotions and experiences. Visual identity graphic design is exactly that: the visual elements of brand identity that act as the face of a brand to communicate those intangible qualities through images, shapes and color, here are some examples:
Logo,
Typography,
Color palettes and
Image libraries.
2.Marketing & advertising
Companies depend on successful marketing efforts to tap into their target audience’s decision-making process, here are some examples:
Postcards and flyers
Magazine and newspaper ads
Posters, banners and billboards
Infographics
Brochures (print and digital)
Vehicle wraps
Signage and trade show displays
Email marketing templates
PowerPoint presentations
Menus
Social media ads, banners and graphics
Banner and retargeting ads
Images for websites and blogs.
3.User interface/Web Design
A user interface (UI) is how a user interacts with a device or application. UI design is the process of designing interfaces to make them easy to use and provide a user-friendly experience, here are some examples:
Web page design
Theme design (WordPress, Shopify, etc.)
Game interfaces
App design
4.Publishing/Editorial Design
Publications are long-form pieces that communicate with an audience through public distribution, here are some examples:
Books
Newspapers
Newsletters
Directories
Annual reports
Magazines
Catalogs
5.Products Packaging
Packaging designers create concepts, develop mockups and create the print-ready files for a product.
Packaging design communicate directly to consumers, which makes it an extremely valuable marketing tool. Every box, bottle and bag, every can, container, or canister is a chance tell the story of a brand, here are some examples:
Food Packaging
Toy Packaging
Others Objects Packaging
6.Motion and Animation Design
Simply put, motion graphics are graphics that are in motion. This can include animation, audio, typography, imagery, video and other effects that are used in online media, television and film. The medium’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years as technology improved and video content became king, here are some examples:
Title sequences and end credits
Advertisements
Animated logos
Trailers
Presentations
Promotional videos
Tutorial videos
Websites
Apps
Video games
Banners
GIFs
7.Environmental Design
Environmental graphic design visually connects people to places to improve their overall experience by making spaces more memorable, interesting, informative or easier to navigate. Environmental design is a broad type of design, here are some examples:
Signage
Wall murals
Museum exhibitions
Office branding
Public transportation navigation
Retail store interiors
Stadium branding
Event and conference spaces
8.Print Design
The digital age may have changed the world of graphic design, but that doesn’t mean there’s not still a market for print! These graphic designers specialize in creating work that is meant to be viewed in a physical capacity, here are some examples:
Brochures,
flyers,
billboards,
stickers,
stationery sets,
T-shirts,
mugs and other products.
9.Art and illustration
Graphic art and illustration are often seen as being the same as graphic design, however they’re each very different. Designers create compositions to communicate and solve problems, graphic artists and illustrators create original artwork. Their art takes a number of forms, from fine art to decoration to storytelling illustrations, here are some examples:
T-shirt design
Graphic patterns for textiles
Motion graphics
Stock images
Graphic novels
Video games
Websites
Comic books
Album art
Book covers
Picture books
Infographics
Technical illustration
Concept art
10.Information design
The goal of information design as a practice is to help people make sense of data.
Here are some examples:
Brochures
Manuals
Infographics
Websites
Restaurant menus
Airport signs
Yellow pages
Wayfinding visuals
Graphic Design Skills
Design Skills
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
HTML
CSS
JS
MS Office
UI/UX
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Creative Suite
Adobe Flash
Print Design
Photography
Typography
Videography
Motion Graphics
Layouting
Dreamweaver
PowerPoint
Branding
Personal Skills
Communication
Creativity
Teamwork
Innovative
Hardworking
Leadership
Quality of Work
Deadline Management
Design Strategy
Organizational Skills
Multitasking
Prioritizing
Problem-solving
Flexibility