In the previous post I gave a simple definition of graphic design. Now let’s see in more details the different graphic design applications. There are plenty of areas in which a graphic designer can work, but the most common are the following:

  • Web & Applications design

In the last 2 decades the expansion of internet make web design a major area of development for graphic designers. The fundamentals of design also apply to web sites. For example if you are going to develop a website for a drugstore, usually green is the predominant color scheme, typography needs to be related & then how the text & the images combine together in the different webpages is part of the graphic designer job. WordPress templates help a lot in what is for simple blogs or websites in terms of the composition & distribution of the components in a page, but the colors & the visual identity of each button can be modified very easily by a graphic designer.
Now we are migrating into an area where the graphic design in applied in mobile applications.

  • Communication

There are two types of communication in which a graphic designer can be involved. The first one is the Corporate Communication. In this area a graphic designer will have to work on the brand. If the company you work for is starting from zero or wants to rebuild their brand, you will have the opportunity to work with a lot of flexibility to create & build & that visual identity. If not, in most cases you will need to apply to the rules already established in terms of color schemes, how to format a page to present a communication, the template used for PowerPoints presentations, brochures, etc.

The other type of communication is the Cultural Communication. In this case, you will be working to create advertising, flyers, brochures or other type of communications. Often used to promote a concerts, theater festivals or it can also involve other nonprofit organization.

  • Packaging

Every product you buy has a packaging, and behind that packaging there is a graphic designer who though on the colors, the placement of the text, what image to use, the size, where to put the additional information or labels, etc. Usually for this type of work, the constraint are already set up by manufacturing, cost, logistic or quality department that work on the product. All these people working on those areas will define the best cost effective package size for a product so they are sure there is no problem on the shipment, to store it, etc. So once the packaging box is defined, is up to the graphic designer to create something with it.

  • Press

Another area which is very important for graphic designer is to work for a newspaper or magazine. In this area you have 2 types of graphic designer. The first one is the one who defines for example for a newspapers the layout of each page. Where is the title, the text the images, font types & sizes, etc… the second graphic designer is the one who will work to put in place the actual text & images in the layout that was defined before. For me the most interesting part of this area is working on the cover. Usually what most people will remember of a specific book or magazine is their cover.

  • Logo Design, Business Cards… Visual Identity

Every company has a logo, and the logo reflects a lot of the company identity. Behind every logo there is a graphic designer. Although it might seems simple to create and we will see later on that many companies require to have a logo for a cheap price, the work behind creating a logo is huge. Thinking what the logo represents, and trying to make people associate a company just by seing the logo is not an easy work. Usually small companies that request for a logo also request a business card, page templates, etc. In summary, in the creation of a visual identity. I will not enter into details on this subject because later on I’ll write a specific post on this!

  • Advertising

Whenever you see an advertising in a magazine or in the street, start thinking that each component of that artwork has its specific placement because it was decided like that, and every component has its reason to be there. We will also discuss the composition of advertising in a later post

No matter the area/application that you will endup working on. It’s critical that you understand the fundamentals of graphic design. They apply to all of them! As I said in previous post, I think it’s important that you chose in which one you would like to work & where you want to focus. Because when you will start building a portfolio and people look at your work they will hire you on what you can do & what added value you are proposing to your customer.Â

Tips / concepts to remember from this post.

  • Mobile applications design is having a huge momentum.
  • Behind any area of application, the fundamentals of graphic design are applied.

See you in the next post! If you like the article, please share it!
Leave a comment below if you found this post interesting.
Let me know why in which areas you are working on or dream of work on!

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