Introduction To Graphic Designing
What is graphic designing?
Graphic design is the art of composing visual content that is aimed at communicating messages and ideas through elements like color, font, images, etc, ensuring optimum user experience.
Currently spanning across multiple disciplines, the term “graphic design” was first identified by the print industry in the 1920s, although the art of visual communication has been around since immemorial. From 17,000-year-old prehistoric cave paintings to ancient manuscripts or Egyptian hieroglyphs, graphic designing has become an indispensable aspect of brand communication.
Objectives of graphic designing
The primary objective of graphic designing is to convey, enhance or streamline visual communication. It can either garner emotional response or act like a call-to-action for the viewers. For example, a creative logo design immediately draws the attention of the consumer towards the brand. Combining art and technology, graphic designers creates visual elements that immediately draw the viewer’s attention towards the brand and its identity and core messaging.
Listed below are some of the key functions of a graphic designer:
- Ensure visual balance using asymmetry and symmetry
- Aligning all design elements to look organized and connected
- Provide a visual focal point for viewers, while ensuring coherence in the design
- Maximize viewer comprehension, by minimizing clutter
- Maintain contrast to differentiate between each element
Elements of graphic designing
There are many designers online who have the visual flair to pursue graphic designing as a profession, but it is of utmost importance to dig deeper into the technicalities of the art. Graphic designing comprises a list of elements which ensure all the visual information around a brand or product is conveyed harmoniously and seamlessly.
Line: Be it straight, curved, thin or thick, 2D or 3D, a line can do more than just divide spaces. Based on their shape and length, they can convey emotion and movement, giving the design a polished look.
Scale: Scale or size simply refers to how big or small the visual elements are, based on their degree of importance. It is used to create a visual hierarchy in a graphic design, as an element in a large scale naturally draws more attention.
Shape: Defined as the two-dimensional area or a closed form created by straight or curved lines, shapes can be geometric, abstract or organic- each having a different visual aesthetic and usage in graphic design.
Color: Color inherently has the power to trigger certain feelings in the mind of a viewer. Thus, understanding the psychology behind each color is one of the most essential elements of graphic design.
Typography: Typography is the technique and art of arranging letters and text in a copy, ir order to make it legible and visually appealing. In short, typography is what breathes life into the text. It includes font style, spacing, text color, line-spacing, letter-spacing, etc.
Space: Spaces are the blank spots left in the design, either around, between, above or below the design elements. They are as important as the areas of design, as they help declutter the visual space for the viewers, guiding them to focus on the important elements.
Texture: The texture element in design essentially refers to how the various shapes and forms appear and feel or is perceived to feel on the surface. Different textures like smooth, glossy, rough, etc, creates a visual tone and draws the attention of the viewers.
Types of graphic designers
Based upon their skillset of the graphic designer and the requirement of the brand, graphic designing can be broadly divided into these types:
1. Brand designer
- Helps establish and communicate the core messaging and personality of a brand to its consumers across all channels, keeping the marketing design in mind.
- Sets brand guidelines and performs tasks like designing logos, letterheads, icons, etc, selecting brand colors, fonts, and the like.
2. Marketing designer
- Involves designing all marketing initiatives of a brand like emails, billboards, print ads, newsletters, posters, and the like.
- While brand design focuses on the brand’s overall personality, marketing designs are usually centred around designing and communicating campaign or platform-specific messages.
3. Type designer
- Specializes in designing or selecting fonts and typography, suiting the brand’s identity.
- Creates custom numerals and lettering for the brand, digitally or physically.
4. Web designer
- Although graphic designers design the visual elements on a website, a web designer’s role is to ensure the functionality and interactivity of those elements.
- Designs webpage layouts, creates icons, etc, besides optimizing these visual elements for usage across all devices.
5. Illustration designer
- Designs and creates visual elements to be used in brand stationery, websites, wearables, social media, etc.
- Works in both digital formats (using softwares like Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator) and physical formats (using paper and pencil).
6. Infographic designer
- Creates infographics for the brand in the form of visually consumable data like 2D illustrations, interactive videos, etc.
- Helps users easily understand complex concepts or bulk information.
This was all about the basics of graphic designing as an art and technique that is constantly evolving with changing times and aesthetics. But if you are someone who can graphic design logos, and much more, Hireon is just the right platform for you. So to all designers online, the right opportunities are waiting for you on the Hireon app.
