You’re interested in understanding the essence of graphic design? It’s a question many aspiring designers ask, and rightly so. To embark on the journey of becoming a graphic designer, it’s crucial to grasp the fundamentals of what graphic design entails, its purpose, and its significance.
In simple terms, graphic design is the strategic amalgamation and manipulation of information to convey it visually. It involves creating visual representations with the aim of facilitating effective communication.
Let’s delve deeper into the specifics.
1. Design in the General Sense
Before delving into the intricacies of graphic design, it’s essential to appreciate design as a broad discipline with varying levels of complexity and applications. Design is a purpose-oriented process, involving strategy, hierarchy, selection, and manipulation. However, not every act of creation is considered design; it involves specific, repeatable steps.
2. Graphic Design Defined
Graphic design, as part of the broader design discipline, strategically combines elements and principles to craft visually compelling artifacts with high communication value. Understanding the task of graphic design demystifies it, revealing its procedural nature and distinguishing it from purely artistic activities.
Key Characteristics of Graphic Design
Graphic Design vs. Art
Graphic design diverges from art in its primary purpose: communication. While art allows for interpretation, graphic design seeks to convey specific messages without ambiguity. A graphic designer may possess artistic skills, but being an artist is not a prerequisite for graphic design.
Visual Communication
Graphic design is a form of visual communication, acknowledging the prevalence of images in our visual culture. Images serve as powerful vehicles for conveying messages, making design inherently communicative, purposeful, and driven by clear objectives.
Strategy-Driven
Unlike random or instinctual creation, graphic design is a strategy-driven process. Designers conduct research, define messages, employ techniques, and follow execution plans. Simplicity and efficiency are integral, emphasizing a calculated approach to achieve visual communication goals.
Hierarchical Process of Selection
Graphic design focuses on selecting the minimum elements necessary for effective communication. Designers must distill intentions into their purest form, emphasizing the importance of selecting what is most suited for the task at hand.
Manipulation
Graphic design involves the conscious “reading” of content, interpreting it according to a code. Designers then translate this knowledge into the visual code, manipulating language and form (objects, icons, colors, textures) to communicate messages effectively.
Becoming a graphic designer doesn’t necessitate being an artist. Graphic design is a systematic, learnable process grounded in specific principles, actions, and objectives. Through experience, practice, and an understanding of graphic design fundamentals, one can acquire the skills to create impactful visual communication.