Graphic design, also known as communication design, is the art and
practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual
and textual
content. The form of the communication can be physical or virtual,
and may include images, words, or graphic forms. The experience can take
place in an
instant or over a long period of time. The work can happen at any
scale, from the design of a single postage stamp to a national postal
signage system, or
from a company’s digital avatar to the sprawling and interlinked
digital and physical content of an international newspaper. It can also
be for any
purpose, whether commercial, educational, cultural, or political.
Design that’s meant to be experienced in an instant is the easiest
to recognize and has been around the longest. For over a hundred years,
designers have
arranged type, form, and image on
posters,
advertisements,
packages, and other printed matter, as well as
information visualizations and
graphics for
newspapers and magazines.
Motion graphics are equally predetermined and crafted, but are meant to be experienced over a fixed time span, such as for the
opening credits of a movie or an online video meant to accompany a newspaper article.
The design of
books and
magazines
also has a long history. Whether physical or digital, these are objects
that are meant to be enjoyed over time, during
which the reader has control over the pace and sequence of the
experience. In books, the content usually comes before the design, while
in magazines, the
design is a structure that anticipates written and visual content
that hasn’t yet been created. Some
commercial websites or
exhibition catalogues also fit
in this category, as do digital or physical
museum displays that show information that doesn’t change. All have fixed content, but the user or reader
determines their own path through the material.
Many designers also produce systems that are meant to be experienced
over time, but aren’t confined to the making of objects.
Wayfinding, which is a form
of
environmental graphics, refers to the
branding and
signage
applied throughout and on buildings. While each sign or symbol in a
public or private
building is a work of design, they’re all part of a larger system
within the building. The design of the system—the relationships between
all of those
parts—is where the designer brings value. Similarly, while all of
the artifacts of a commercial or institutional
brand, such as a
business card,
sign,
logo, or an
advertisement are
individual expressions of design, how those are experienced together and
over time is the design work. No part of it has been
created without considering the others, or without thinking through
how a target customer will encounter and then develop a relationship
with that brand.
Designers are also responsible for interactive designs where the
content is fluid, sometimes changing minute to minute, as well as
interfaces that help
users navigate through complex digital experiences. This work
differentiates itself by adding another element: responding to the
actions of the viewer.
Editorial design for web and mobile is the most tangible example of content-driven work in this area, including
publication websites,
mobile apps, and
blogs. Some design involves the presentation of streaming information, also known as
data visualization. Other designers work on
digital products, which
are digital services or platforms that can be brought to market.
Product design for web and mobile is related to
software design. Sometimes different
designers work on the
user interface design (UI), which mostly refers to the individual layouts of pages, and the
user experience design (UX), or the total
experience of the user as they move through a website or app.
Type design carries aspects of almost all of
these things. While the form of a single letter has meaning, a typeface,
like a brand, is also composed of the
relationships between characters that work together to create
meaning. And like software, typefaces are licensed and can be installed
on individual
computers.
Depending on the scale of the context in which a designer works, the
work may include one, some, or all of these things in the course of a
year. Larger
companies, agencies, teams, or studios may lean towards
specialization, while smaller studios and groups may need to have each
individual capable, if not
an expert, in multiple areas.
