People have always relied heavily on their visual perception. It is a well-known fact that the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. No wonder that in today’s busy world we lean toward visual content as it is capable of communicating information almost instantly.
In addition, visuals are just fun and enjoyable. People spend hours each day watching photos on social media and videos on YouTube. It’s not surprising that the amount of visual content on the Internet is growing exponentially. Visuals are also dominating web design as we see more sites that employ minimum text and maximum images and animations. That is why the profession of a graphic designer has grown more relevant than ever before.
If you’re about to develop a new brand or create a business website, and you want to spice it up with vivid, professional visuals, you won’t likely do without a specialist. But did you know there are several types of graphic design, each specialized in a particular field? Depending on your needs, you’ll have to hire a designer who would be proficient in one of those fields. Keep reading this article to know more about different types of graphic design!
Visual identity graphic design
In today’s world of business, it’s all about brands. People are not after generic products. They are after brands. But what makes for a recognizable brand? It’s a visual identity.
Visual identity includes all the imagery associated with a particular brand: its logo, typography, brand colors, shapes, textures, images, etc. It communicates to the public important yet intangible ideas, such as the philosophy, attitudes, values, qualities, emotions, and vibes the brand strives to convey.
This is where visual identity graphic design comes in. Designers specialized in this field are supposed to analyze every aspect of the brand’s identity, working closely with its masterminds and stakeholders to capture its true essence and embody it in images, which will later form the brand’s visual identity.
Visual identity graphic design is a very profound discipline that intersects with other types of graphic design. The concepts and groundwork laid by visual identity graphic designers are further applied to the entire host of the brand’s assets, including website design, print products, merchandise, stationeries, marketing materials, packaging, and even a product design itself.
Today, it has become a common practice for visual identity designers to create brand books in which they include style guidelines and examples that describe the best practices of the brand’s graphic design as applied to various media. This allows brands to standardize their design concepts, visualize them for employees, and, as a result, achieve a more consistent visual identity.
Advertising graphic design
Effective marketing wouldn’t be possible without high-quality images. People are drawn to vivid visuals because they are engaging and can communicate ideas that words are not capable of conveying. How would you describe the relieved and delighted expression of a person who just quenched their thirst with an ice-cold Coke on a scorching summer day? Or the mouthwatering sight of a freshly baked pizza?
Sometimes, images can do the job much better than words. It is advertising graphic design that specializes in creating visuals for all kinds of promotional materials and ads, both physical and digital.
These may include:
- Flyers, banners, posters, and billboards;
- Print and digital brochures;
- Signage and lightboxes;
- Newspaper and magazine ads;
- Vehicle wraps;
- PPC ads;
- Social media advertisements;
- Images for websites, blogs, and marketing emails, etc.
Advertising graphic design requires a professional to deeply understand the essence of a product, the brand’s identity, and the pain points of its target audience, as well as the company’s competitive advantages.
Publication graphic design
Considering that print publications are still alive and quite relevant while digital publications are extremely popular throughout the web, the high demand for publication graphic design is totally justified. Designers in this field work not only on book and magazine covers as one may think (although this is also part of the job), but their area of expertise extends further to arranging clear and eye-pleasing layouts for print and digital publications. They pick proper typography and craft beautiful art and illustrations that would decorate pages and covers. All of this requires close collaboration with publishers and editors, as well as brand stakeholders.
Typical examples of publication graphic design include but are not limited to:
- Books
- eBooks;
- Print and digital magazines, newspapers, and other periodicals;
- Menus and catalogs;
- Business and research reports;
- Directories.
Packaging graphic design
They say that packaging is as important as the product itself. This fact is hard to deny. It’s no secret that goods with attractive package design sell much better. In the modern world, packaging has become even more important as it is considered to be a significant part of a company’s branding and visual identity. Many products get recognized because of their distinctive packaging.
The design of packages is yet another area of graphic design. Images applied to different types of packaging can not only capture the eye of a potential buyer, but they can also tell the brand’s story and convey its attitude. Thus, packaging graphic designers create print-ready visuals that can be further used on the packages of various products. In addition to general graphic design skills, this job requires deep knowledge of industrial design and manufacturing processes.
Environmental graphic design
No, it’s not what you’re thinking. Environmental graphic design has nothing to do with nature or ecology. It’s about creating visuals that help people understand where they are and how they can get to their destination point. Designers specialized in this field make places look more interesting, aesthetically pleasing, or thematic. In the context of branding, environmental graphic design can help a company decorate their office (bank, restaurant, hotel, etc.) in a way that will reflect their corporate identity.
Examples of environmental graphic design are:
- Interiors and exteriors of offices, retail stores, and other spaces;
- Navigation signage;
- Trade show booths;
- Conference spaces, etc.
Developing vibrant graphic images, environmental cues, and strategic landmarks for interiors and exteriors requires not only advanced creative skills but also knowledge of architecture, or at least basic architectural competence (for example, the ability to read and create architectural plans and schematics).
User interface graphic design
UI design is about developing graphical user interfaces for desktop apps, mobile apps, and web apps, as well as websites, operating systems, video games, and so on. In the modern world, which has been overtaken by gadgets of all sorts, user interface graphic design has never been more relevant.
UI design goes hand in hand with UX design, as both are aimed at ensuring a positive user experience. While UX design is focused on how the software is built to ensure good usability, the goal of UI design is to make it easy and convenient to interact with the product.
Typical examples of UI design are navigation menus and buttons of websites, on-screen interface elements of desktop and mobile apps, various microinteractions that make the user experience more intuitive and visually pleasing, etc. Considering this, a UI graphic designer must understand the underlying principles of UI and UX and be proficient in coding languages, such as HTML and CSS.
Motion graphic design
Motion graphics are, in plain terms, moving pictures. These include animations and videos, which have grown so popular on the web. It is becoming more often that we bump into websites that feature spectacular animations, funny GIFs, and captivating video presentations. Video, in turn, has become one of the most engaging types of content all around with the rise of platforms like YouTube. Motion graphics are also widely used on social media, blogs, and in marketing emails, as they have proven to be an effective attention magnet.
A couple of decades ago, motion graphics were considered to be more of a luxury as they were mostly used in the movies and on TV. However, with the advancements of technologies, motion graphics have become widely accessible and affordable as their production costs significantly decreased. This accelerated the popularity of motion graphics and created a demand for specialists capable of making high-quality animations and videos, which are now widely used in online advertising, digital marketing, web design, social media promotion, and more.
Motion graphic designers are involved in creating banner ads, presentations, movie trailers, video guides and tutorials, promotional videos, animations for websites and apps, and even video games. That is why, besides graphic arts, specialists in this field are often expected to be knowledgeable of marketing, coding, and other areas of expertise.
3D graphic design
With the rise of computer technologies, there emerged a need to recreate objects as they are (that is, in all the three dimensions – width, height, and depth) in a graphic form. These days, 3D graphics are most extensively used in the video game industry. However, 3D artists are also employed to create three-dimensional images for websites, apps, advertisements, video presentations, technical documentation, etc.
3D graphic design is also applied in various industry areas in which there’s a need to develop three-dimensional sketches. Based on these 3D models, engineers create brand new products, such as cars, architectural objects, mechanical components, toys, furniture, and so on. That is why 3D artists are often required to be competent in computer technologies, engineering, architecture, or other areas (depending on the job itself).
Illustration
Have you ever thought who initially created that print picture on your t-shirt? Or a cover art on your favorite music album? Who made these comic books you read as a child? Although illustration can be seen as a more general term for most types of graphic design mentioned above, it stands somewhat apart from the crowd, and yet it overlaps with each one of them.
While graphic design is often viewed as something purpose-oriented, aimed at solving a specific problem, illustration is more about creating original, free-form graphic art. Yet this art is widely used for a variety of commercial applications, for instance:
- Website design;
- Stock images;
- Book covers and illustration;
- Album art;
- Comic books and graphic novels;
- Concept art;
- Video games;
- Infographics;
- Technical illustration, etc.
Illustrators who work in the field of graphic design need to possess an aptitude for creative thinking and to be aware of relevant illustration trends.
Choose the right specialist for the job
A graphic designer is a highly sought profession because it can be applied to so many fields, both online and offline. Knowing the types of graphic design and the competencies of a specialist, you can be sure to find the right person for the job you have in mind.