All you need to know about Graphic Design
Graphic design explained
You live in a visual environment, every day in your life, you are surrounded by the work of designers, and you barely give it a thought. Graphic design is a high form of communication; it is a skill that requires both theoretical education and intensive practice.
Graphic designers are seekers of meaning and solvers of problems, they take ideas and give them visual form so that others can understand them. The designer uses visual elements and principles to organize and represent ideas into a unified message. Graphic designers are the ambassadors of clear communication, and graphic design is their language.
To design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse.
— Paul Rand, Graphic designer
In this article, we will not talk about logos, posters, or books; these are the products of design; we will talk about the raw meaning, the purposes, and the usage of the language of design.
Designers are more than artistes
Both designers and artistes create visual solutions, and both use design elements and principles (The language of design). Artistes create artworks and solve their problems with messages through paintings, sculptures, or graphics. Artists are the clients of themselves; they can define the scope and objectives for their work and pursue unclear visions.
Unlike fine artists, however, designers are given a problem and must work within certain conditions that present limitations to achieving that goal. Everything thought out, planned, and placed or arranged with reason.
The language of design: Elements and principles
To learn design, you need to recognize it and extract its principles for use in your own work. To be a digital designer, you must marry the principles of design to software techniques.
— John DiMarco, Graphic Designer
Line, shape, color, typography, contrast, hierarchy, and balance are some of the key elements and principles in design. Regardless of the technique or medium, graphic design is a discipline with a unique language, all designers share the same vocabulary, and they all speak the same language.
The foundation of any successful graphic designer relies upon an understanding of the fundamentals of graphic design, the building blocks of this language. To a visual designer, the elements are the same as notes to a musician or words to a writer. They are the tools used in many ways to create masterpieces. Principles are the framework for using these elements most appropriately and effectively, to create meaningful and understandable visual communications.
When carefully studied and employed together, they enable graphic designers to speak and express in an accessible and comprehensive way. Without reliance on these fundamentals, visual communications will be ineffective; it will fail to talk to any audience.
Elements are the “what” of a graphic designer’s visual language, and principles are the “how.”
Design is a process, not a result
Solving problems in design requires a process; this process used to bring order from chaos and randomness, creating a clear message for the viewer. All designers use a custom or a borrowed process to meet the requirements of their clients and to reach the final solution easily.
It is best to use a design process that works well for you, you can adopt someone’s process, or you can create your own. Some people are less formal in their decision making other designers need a calculated approach and find it is necessary to follow a series of steps. Do whatever works best for you, for me, I use these four phases:
First, I identify the targeted audience and the goals, then, I perform my research to create a bigger image for the problem and its solutions, after that, I conceptualize my ideas into visual options, this will allow the client to see my vision of the potential composition. Lastly, I create the final product based on client feedback. The four phases overlap and may be repeated. The goal is to examine the problem at hand and create the perfect visual solution that will serve the viewer before the client.
Graphic design in the 21st century
The twenty-first century has witnessed extraordinary technological advancements, graphic design has radically changed by hardware and software developments and the explosive growth of the internet. New digital techniques and tools for designers and artists are invented every single day, the ease of use and inexpensive cost of hardware and software has given the public the ability to create computer-generated graphics and artwork.
However, the availability of technology and the advances in creation techniques will not cover up what is essentially a bad design. The history of design shows us that the same elements and principles of design have always existed, regardless of medium or technique.
Becoming a graphic designer
If you really want to become a graphic designer ask yourself: Do you know what’s expected and how to meet those expectations?
Learning the fundamentals and acquiring technical proficiency is a must but it is just the beginning, you need to grow and push yourself to give your best. To be a designer is to be disciplined, there is no room for carelessness, every detail is crucial because the result is the entirety of all the details involved in the creative process.
