Graphic designer

Short description: Person who creates visual design works

Graphic designer

A graphic designer in the 20th century

Occupation
Names| Graphic designer

Occupation type

| Profession

Activity sectors

| Advertising, book design, branding, illustration, page layout, typography, webcomic, web design, programming, digital animation, 3D modeling, photography, videography
Description
Competencies| Technical knowledge, cultural relevance

Related jobs

| Production artist, website designer, desktop publishing
Isotype of the Bauhaus school. Founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius, it is considered the birthplace of the design profession.

A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming linguistic messages into graphic manifestations, whether tangible or intangible.[1][2] They are responsible for planning, designing, projecting, and conveying messages or ideas through visual communication.[3] Graphic design is one of the most in-demand professions with significant job opportunities, as it allows leveraging technological advancements and working online from anywhere in the world.[4]

## Contents

* 1 Education
* 2 Career
* 2.1 Origins
* 2.2 Profession
* 3 Role and Responsibilities
* 4 Goals
* 4.1 Creativity
* 5 Salary
* 6 Qualifications
* 7 Future perspectives
* 8 See also
* 9 References

## Education

Referring back to the history of graphic design development, it is evident that the design field was always a skill demanding profession due to variability of printing responsibilities.[1] Unlike pre digital era, where design craft was rather an exclusive practice, the current situation in the field is more accessible and welcoming for everyone.[4] The easy access attracts many individuals to join the field. The concept of graphic designer is fluid: technically, anyone who knows how to use design software and manipulate the provided templates can be called a ‘graphic designer’.[5] This profession is unique in the sense that unlike traditional jobs, one can still work as a designer as a freelancer without an official certification.

Printed media: a tool of communication. British war propaganda poster (WWI), showing financial problems of the government.

However, the design industry is currently occupied by an increasing number of ‘self-taught’ and ‘informally trained’ graphic designers who don't have any formal design education.[6]

## Career

### Origins

The Industrial Revolution in England had drawn a distinctive line between fine art and commercial art, and this split formed graphic design as a modern design profession.[citation needed] During the first and second world wars, graphic designers were needed to unite, persuade and inform citizens with the help of printed media.[7] The post war era shifted designers’ focus to the advertising and consumerism promotion.[7] The profession of graphic design emerged from the printing and publishing industry, and the term has been widely used since the 1950s.[8]

### Profession

A graphic designer working digitally on a logo design

Generally, a graphic designer works in areas such as branding, corporate identity, advertising, technical and artistic drawing, multimedia, etc. It is a profession that exposes individuals to various academic fields during their university career,[5][6][9] because they need to understand human anatomy, psychology, photography, painting and printing techniques, mathematics, marketing, digital animation, 3D modeling, and some professionals even complement their skills with programming,[10] providing a comprehensive view of a company by addressing the three essential factors evaluated: structure, team, and product.[11] Graphic designers are usually expected to have process management, conceptual design, technical design and software skills to apply for a graphic designer position.[12]

Graphic design encompasses various extends of expertise, which is categorised by such levels of qualifications:

* Junior (entry Level)
* Mid-level
* Senior (advanced)

## Role and Responsibilities

Professional requirements for graphic designers vary from one place to another. Their role and responsibilities evolve and morph each year, adapting to the current technologies and market demands. A practitioner essentially has two primary roles in the process: satisfying the design brief and executing the job.[8]

Designers should undergo specialized training, including advanced education and practical experience (internship) to develop skills and expertise in the workplace, which is necessary to obtain a credential that allows them to practice the profession.[13][14] Practical, technical, and academic requirements to become a graphic designer vary by country or jurisdiction, although the formal study of design in academic institutions has played a crucial role in the overall development of the profession.[15][16][17] Graphic designers can work with singular clients or multiple people including collaborations. This is where communication is crucial because misunderstandings can lead to setbacks.[18]

The primary responsibility of graphic designers is to manipulate visual and textual content.[19] Today, graphic designers are much more than visual decorators-they are required to be versatile and have various skills besides the design realm.

Graphic design is usually tightly connected with stakeholders and commerce, which means that graphic designers' decisions depend on clients’ vision.

A graphic designer is a versatile instrument that is capable of visually communicating messages through a skilful usage of typography, imagery, compositional layout, visual hierarchy, colour combinations, and more.

## Goals

The main goal of graphic designers is to effectively communicate messages relying on text and images.[8] Designers focus on imposing an order and structure to the manipulated content to facilitate and ease the communication process, while optimizing the likelihood that the conveyed message will be received and understood by the target audience.[8] Additionally, designers aim to create aesthetically appealing products and invent creative approaches to the design process.[8]

Depending on an employment type, besides primary goals, there are secondary goals such as:

* Creative thinking
* Project planning and management
* Problem solving

### Creativity

One of the most important aspects of graphic designers is creative thinking. That is one of the most prominent expectations put into designer’s as designing is a creative process. Creativity allows graphic designers to stand out from others and when actively using it. Practitioners aim to experiment and find unconventional methods to create more unique, effective and prominent products.

## Salary

The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (December 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

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According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for graphic designers is $58,900 as of May 2023. The bottom 10% earned less than $36,420 while the top 10% earned more than $100,450.[20]

## Qualifications

The examples and perspective in this section deal primarily with North America and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this section, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (December 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

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Designers should be able to solve visual communication problems or challenges. In doing so, the designer must identify the communications issue, gather and analyze information related to the issue, and generate potential approaches aimed at solving the problem. Iterative prototyping and user testing can be used to determine the success or failure of a visual service. Approaches to a communications problem are developed in the context of an audience and a media channel. Graphic designers must understand the social and cultural norms of that audience in order to develop visual services that are perceived as relevant, understandable and effective.[21] Directly speaking with individuals from set audiences can prevent any complications.[22] A good graphic designer is able to adapt existing historical or contemporary models and derive unique approaches, which come from a detailed research, and apply them to solve complex problems in an effortless manner.[23]

Graphic designers should also have a thorough understanding of production and rendering methods. Some of the technologies and methods of production are drawing, offset printing, photography, and time-based and interactive media (film, video, computer multimedia). Frequently, designers are also called upon to manage color in different media.[21] For instance, graphic designers use different colors for digital and print advertisements. RGB — standing for red, green, blue — is an additive color model used for digital media designs. However, the CMYK color model is made up of subtractive colors — cyan, magenta, yellow, and black — and used in designing print media. The reason for the different models is that when designing print ads, colors look different on the screen and when printed onto paper. For example, the colors appear darker on paper than on screen.[24]

## Future perspectives

While appreciating the advantages of the development of AI technologies in the design realm, it is important to notice a drastic shift in visual communication sphere that influences its practitioners. The position of the human designer is challenged by the advancement of AI(Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) in graphic design, altering how it is defined and perceived. According to some theories, human designers will need to shift their focus to the facilitation and curation of context-sensitive design services. The idea that humans are positioned inside a deficit narrative is one of the most common motifs in the research of automated design technologies. Humans are portrayed as imperfect and untrustworthy in comparison to robots, unable to perform jobs with the same accuracy and speed. The progress is appealing under neoliberal capitalism. In addition to the expenses of acquisition and upkeep, machines might execute a greater workload faster and without payment.[25]

According to some analysts, graphic designers will act as intermediaries between customers and computer-generated goods. In such case, the task of the designer is not giving the form to a product, but seeding the system and evaluating the results. In this case, the human designer uses their expertise, skills and knowledge to understand and improve outcomes to the satisfaction of a client. Designers are more concerned with making sure the product is sound and of the appropriate quality. It is suggested that the designer will collaborate with automated designers as part of a larger digital ecosystem rather than serving as the "master" of tools.[25]

Some experts emphasise a future in which machines replace designers almost entirely, as they become better and more efficient at tasks that usually are done by human designers.[25]

## See also

* Graphic arts
* Graphic design occupations
* List of graphic designers
* Mood board

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Flavin, Brianna (October 17, 2023). "What Is Graphic Design? A Beginner's Guide to This Creative Career". Rasmussen University. https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/what-is-graphic-design/.
2. ↑ Jessica Helfand. "What is graphic design". AIGA. http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/what-is-design. "it is the art of visualizing ideas"
3. ↑ Simmons, Liz; Beagle, Veronica (July 3, 2023). "How To Become A Graphic Designer: A Step-By-Step Guide". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/become-graphic-designer/.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Malinsky, Gili (March 15, 2023). "This skill is in 'giant' demand—and can pay up to $145 an hour as a side hustle". CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/15/how-to-get-graphic-design-jobs.html.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Vise, Kristen. "An Interdisciplinary Approach to Graphic Design". College of Liberal Arts. https://libarts.olemiss.edu/an-interdisciplinary-approach-to-graphic-design/.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Castro Arbeláez, María Alejandra (September 14, 2023). "Graphic design and psychology: how are they related?". La Mente es Maravillosa. https://lamenteesmaravillosa-com.translate.goog/diseno-grafico-y-psicologia/?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=es&_x_tr_pto=wapp&_x_tr_hist=true.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Nirbrant, Marcus; Hvannberg, Ebba Thora; Lindquist, Siniia (2011-10-19). "A theory of skills of software, interaction and graphics designers: Contrasting aspects emerging from empirical studies". Procedings of the Second Conference on Creativity and Innovation in Design. New York, NY, USA: ACM. pp. 177–188. doi:10.1145/2079216.2079242. ISBN 978-1-4503-0754-3.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Ambrose, Gavin; Harris, Paul; Ball, Nigel (2020). The Fundamentals of Graphic Design. doi:10.5040/9781474270304. ISBN 978-1-4742-7030-4.
9. ↑ "The importance of geometry in graphic design". Universidad Intercontinental. November 28, 2017. https://www-uic-mx.translate.goog/noticias/la-importancia-la-geometria-diseno-grafico/?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=es&_x_tr_pto=wapp.
10. ↑ "What is the importance of web design for your audience?". Smart Insights. January 3, 2020. https://www.smartinsights.com/user-experience/website-design/what-is-the-importance-of-web-design-for-your-audience/.
11. ↑ "Business Model Canvas: Explained with Examples | Creately" (in en). 2022-06-20. https://creately.com/guides/business-model-canvas-explained/.
12. ↑ Dziobczenski, Paulo Roberto Nicoletti; Person, Oscar (2016-06-25). "What is sought from graphic designers? A first thematic analysis of job offers for graphic design positions in the United Kingdom". Proceedings of DRS. DRS2016: Future–Focused Thinking (Design Research Society) 2. doi:10.21606/drs.2016.404. https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/25726.
13. ↑ Grey, Sheryl; Beagle, Veronica (July 3, 2023). "Graphic Design Careers: A Complete Guide". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/graphic-design-careers/.
14. ↑ Tompkins, Jeff; Beagle, Veronica (July 3, 2023). "Bachelor's Degrees In Graphic Design: Everything You Need To Know". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/graphic-design-bachelors-degree/.
15. ↑ Quintela, Pedro. "From the shadow to the centre: Tensions, contradictions and ambitions in building graphic design as a profession". University of Coimbra. https://eg.uc.pt/bitstream/10316/33004/1/From the shadow to the centre tensions, contradictions and ambitions in building graphic design as a profession.pdf.
16. ↑ Khaled Nabil, Al-Momani (25 August 2020). "Characteristics of Design as an Academic and Creative Discipline". Kne Social Sciences (Ural Federal University): 294–298. doi:10.18502/kss.v4i11.7560.
17. ↑ Bravo, Rafael Ángel (4 March 2016). "Vigencia de la Bauhaus en la formación académica de los diseñadores gráficos" (in es). Francisco José de Caldas District University. https://revistas.udistrital.edu.co/index.php/c14/article/view/10133.
18. ↑ Cornish, K., Goodman-Deane, J., Ruggeri, K., & Clarkson, P. J. (2015). Visual accessibility in graphic design: A client–designer communication failure. Design Studies, 40, 176–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2015.07.003
19. ↑ Noble, Ian; Bestley, Russell (2016). Visual Research. doi:10.5040/9781474232920. ISBN 978-1-4742-3292-0.
20. ↑ "Graphic Designers" (in en-us). https://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/graphic-designers.htm.
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "NASAD Competencies Summary". http://www.docstoc.com/docs/110496132/NASAD-Competencies-Summary-Degree-The-BFA-in-Graphic.
22. ↑ McMullen, M. (2016). Intercultural Design Competence: A Guide for Graphic Designers Working Across Cultural Boundaries. The International Journal of Visual Design, 10(3), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-1581/CGP/v10i03/19-30
23. ↑ Behrens, Roy R. (August 2000). "Becoming A Graphic Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design by Steven Heller and Teresa Fernandes. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY, U.S.A., 1999. ISBN: 0-471-29299-0". Leonardo 33 (4): 330. doi:10.1162/leon.2000.33.4.330a. ISSN 0024-094X.
24. ↑ Dabner, David (2009). The new graphic design school : A foundation course in principles and practice (4th ed.). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. ISBN 9780470466513.
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Matthews, Benjamin; Shannon, Barrie; Roxburgh, Mark (2023-05-24). "Destroy All Humans: The Dematerialisation of the Designer in an Age of Automation and its Impact on Graphic Design—A Literature Review". International Journal of Art & Design Education 42 (3): 367–383. doi:10.1111/jade.12460. ISSN 1476-8062.

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