"Wait, what do you do for a living?" "You make art, on the computer?" "You make posters all day?" Or my favorite "You make stuff to post on Instagram". We call ourselves, Graphic Designers. So what do us weird artsy keyboard warriors do all day behind our computers?
Webster Dictionary defines graphic design as "the art or profession of using design elements (such as typography and images) to convey information or create an effect.
The world is a visual place, and we communicate using words and pictures. Our eyes are constantly scanning, reading, and looking at what's in front of us. Graphic design is the process of visual communication and aides what the viewer is looking at by combining photography, typography, iconography and illustration into a cohesive creative visual or message.
See that billboard advertising DisneyLand? Or that store hours flyer in your neighborhood coffee shop window? The discount coupon in your mailbox? Or the ad for nike shoes that pops up on your computer? From book covers, to restaurant menus, business cards and Facebook advertisements, all of those visual pieces were created by a Graphic Designer.
What do tools do Graphic Designers use? The top three tools are Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. There are other programs in the Adobe Creative Suite Series, but those are the main three used for pretty much any project. Designers also refer to a Color Pantone book to look up color codes. Working on a computer, colors look different on screen than printed out on paper. To make sure colors match properly, Pantone books are used for verification.
Graphic Design extends in many directions and encompass a variety of niches. For example photo editing or retouching can fall under Graphic Design. A Graphic Designer can transform into a User Interface Designer. That is the beauty of Graphic Design!
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