What do graphic design and fine art have in common?
Some basic things as line, shape, imagery, form and, of course, color. But graphic design and fine art use it differently. At least because they have different goals, although in much the same means of expression. Therefore, the world knows so many different artists and many different styles of painting. For the same reason, graphic design is divided into many types. Let’s find out more about them!
Types of graphic design
Publishing and corporate design, product and web design, video game art and communication design… and this is even not a middle of a list! It could seem hard to understand the difference between them and to realize why we exactly need to have so many types of graphic design, but, of course, we have them for a reason.
For one specialist it would be too difficult to understand all these types of design and be able to create them with high quality. In this case, we are not talking about quality. In this case, we are not even talking about a specialist. Therefore, in order to become an expert in some field, you need to go deeper. At the same time, it is impossible to delve into such a number of design types and there’s no need.
For convenience, we divide the graphic design into several groups and try to describe them as understandable as possible. Here they are:
Marketing and advertising graphic design
Magazine ads, postcards, infographics, email marketing templates, menus, images for websites, printed and digital brochures, signage, and trade show displays… and this isn’t a complete list of what is related to this type of graphic design. But if you see an awesome banner, be sure this is the work of a marketing designer.
Although already from this list you can understand a lot about what designers who specialize in marketing and advertising graphic design actually do. Moreover, it is this type of design that most people first think of when they talk about graphic design in general.
Visual content ranks first in attracting attention. Therefore, you should not neglect design when you decide to start your business on the Internet. This is very important, and you need to approach this with particular diligence.
Marketing designers are committed to promoting products and services through visual design. A good marketing designer can create a design for your product that will immediately become recognizable. But let’s not rush. Everything has its time.
User interface graphic design (UI)
User interface graphic design deals with everything that a user interacts with on a site, in an application, or in a program. Visual perception is what matters for UI design.
UI design often cooperates with UX design. In this case, UX stands for User Experience. They determine how the application will work. And UI designers write code to make it work.
Most often they are asked to create a website or app design, set WordPress theme, etc. Also, this kind of graphic designers can create game interfaces. Now you know the difference between UX and UI design. It is very important to know this difference because a lot of people get confused about them. So, can you repeat, what is UI design?
Publication graphic design
Examples of publication graphic design are books, magazines, newspapers, catalogs, annual reports, etc. Publication designers usually have a solid knowledge of digital publishing and color management.
Recently, e-books are becoming more and more popular. Many newspapers and magazines have acquired electronic copies, and some have already begun their way as a digital edition, without any physical counterpart. And all this says one thing -publication graphic design will remain relevant for a long time.
Visual identity graphic design
The bridge that lies between your business and your audience is called a brand. Identity is how your personality is reflected in the brand. Achieving this goal is a very delicate and complex process. That is what visual identity graphic design.
This type of graphic design uses visual elements as the face of the brand. A visual identity is a tool that influences brand awareness, its promotion, and audience perception.
But what gives the brand individuality? The answer is pretty simple. Brand individuality consists of a well-developed corporate identity. Corporate identity consists of a logo, a special style of images, selected specifically for the brand, typography, colors, which refers to certain associations.
Actually, visual identity graphic design helps to direct customers exactly in the direction you need. At first, thanks to the expressed qualities of the brand, the potential buyer considers himself to be your target audience or not. Then he is interested in the brand and its products. It is important to have a sales funnel, which will bring the matter to the end, of course, it is a making of a purchase. And this whole long journey of visual identity graphic design begins with the creation of a logo and selection of fonts for your brand.
Packaging graphic design
Have you ever thought that the packaging of your product is the best way to tell customers the story of your brand? Things can change if you look at them from different angles. And packaging designers know it. That is why they not only develop mockups but create concepts.
You will be surprised when you find out what potential simple packaging of goods has. A lot depends on it! All in all, the buyer often makes choices based on visual appeal. The competition in any field is huge. So, is it worth explaining why packaging design is so important?
Content marketing is good at creating a brand story. But there are so many different products around us that the average person is simply unable to inquire about the history of each brand. The average buyer is interested only in those brands that he had already liked. Perhaps liked for irrational reasons. Actually, it doesn’t matter. It is noteworthy that in this race the packaging graphic design is again leading.
Motion graphics
Does it sound unfamiliar? Don’t be so sure! I bet you know a lot of examples of motion graphics. There are only some of them: GIFs, trailers, promotional videos and presentations, tutorial videos and animated logos, etc.
When we talk about motion graphics we don’t need difficult definitions. In simple words, motion graphics are graphics that are in motion and usually short. Visual design is the most attractive type of design for an average user. That is why you need to pay attention to it.
Motion graphic designers usually work this way. In the beginning, they create storyboards. Only then designers make it animated. At the stage of creating a storyboard, a large number of edits can be made to the project. Discuss the number of free edits and the cost of each subsequent. This will help you maintain a good relationship with your designer.
Motion graphics is a very popular type of design. And its popularity is growing rapidly. Now you know whom to contact if you need tutorial videos and animated logos
Environmental graphic design
There are some examples of environmental graphic design: signage, wall murals, public transportation navigation, stadium branding, museum exhibitions, event and conference spaces.
Have you ever been to a gallery with many halls? Remember all these signs that helped you not get lost? Environmental graphic designs are planning and creating such tablets. Only at first glance, it may seem simple. In fact, to create such a structure, to make it all look stylish and modern, you need to try hard.
This kind of design combines so much more than any other. For example, it combines architectural, interior, landscape, and industrial design. And in order to create such a structure, designers have to collaborate with people from each area listed above. This is difficult but at the same time interesting and creative work.
Illustration for graphic design
This is one of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to designers. Many people think that designer and graphic artists are one and the same. But this is far from the truth. Let’s find out what the difference is.
Designers create the look and feel of a site or an app. A graphic artist are engaged in the creation of works of art in digital format. They must have a great skill in drawing. And sometimes you can see an illustration worthy of being in a gallery, in spite you can see it as a print on someone’s t-short. Often their drawings become the background of websites and apps. The same pictures can come to life in games. It can also take different forms.
That is why you should not confuse a graphic artist and designer. They don’t just have different goals, they have different approaches to accomplishing tasks. To make sure, there are some examples of what graphic artists do: comic books, graphic novels, stock images, book covers, picture books, graphic patterns for textiles, infographics, illustrations, concept art, etc. So, when next time you will download an image from stock you will know this is the work of a graphic artist.
Conclusion
So, now you know whom to contact if you want to create a banner or add a special element to your website. This knowledge is pretty useful for each company and each entrepreneur.
Graphic design is a very popular area. Every year it becomes more and more popular, and the fall of this popularity isn’t expected. Moreover, in the future new types of design will probably appear. But in the meantime, we should learn to understand the types that already exist.
Thanks to graphic designers, all the applications and websites that we use every day look so beautiful. And as a sign of thanks to them, we can at least remember these types of graphic design. And when the average user stops asking questions of the same type, it will be the best thanks for graphic designers.
