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Importance of Graphic Design

Importance of Graphic Design

Have you ever thought much about the Importance of  Graphic Design in our society? Most people probably wouldn’t but it’s probably one of the most important features of any man-made visual you’ll ever look at. From the obvious designs you’ll find on advertisements, newspaper, to magazines to things most people don’t even give much thought to like tapestries, towels, fabrics, etc… Somewhere along the line, these visual elements we often take for granted had to be designed by someone to feature a graphical element that would be pleasing to the eye or serve some other function like catching your attention, encouraging you to buy or read. Even those tiny tags that are sewn into the backs of our shirts are a product of graphic design. The food we eat is packaged in containers that is covered in graphically designed visuals. Everywhere you look, you are confronted by something a Graphic Designer has created.

Every logo or brand we take for granted is a product of Graphic Design. Logos are the cornerstone element of any company’s branding. A good logo is designed in a way that is prominent, powerful, can stand alone or alongside other content and can be scaled to print clearly on any sized publication. A really great logo can come in variations that fit a company’s branding while providing alternate options for logo placement. Logos are the number one identifiable graphic design element of your business. They carry your branding, your colours, your identity and tie in with your products and reputation.

Fonts are an often ignored graphic design element most people take for granted. It required a Typographer with graphic design skills to create these fonts we use. Unless you’re using your own handwriting, the very letters you’re using to communicate your thoughts were carefully constructed, letter by letter and organised and grouped together in a way that is intended to help you present your message. Each font is often a part of a larger font group, designed to provide different font weights, styles and sizes for that particular font. Different fonts have different uses. Some fonts work best for long bodies of text while others are better suited for headlines and logos. No matter how you cut it, fonts are an integral part of Graphic Design and are our primary tools for communicating our message.

Art and imagery is another important feature of Graphic Design. While some designs may only require a careful arrangement of text, imagery also plays a very important role in the visuals we utilise for designs. Images come from many different sources, be it photography, clip-art, illustrations, drawings, etc… The images chosen for a design can make or break it. They play a vital role in communicating specific messages about the design, provide specific visual identifiers, offer visual support or simply help to beautify a design. The art and imagery selected for a design should never detract from the message but help to enhance it. Images give the eye something interesting to focus on, can visually stimulate the viewer to seek out what is being shown and more.

Colour plays a vital role in the overall impact of a design. The use of colours is helpful when trying to draw attention to a specific area of a design or to mute the importance of a lesser important feature. Contrasting colours are great for dynamically visual representations where muted colours can be useful for pushing the direction of the eye toward a more prominent design feature. We use colour to represent different areas of interest. Reds and greens are often associated with food and wine where blues and whites are good colours for medical related designs. Greens and browns are earthy and natural. They would be an excellent choice for an all-natural or environmentally friendly product design for example. Most living creatures are affected by colour. The survival of some animals actually depends on colour. Colour has a very influential power over us all so it would make sense that we would utilise this powerful resource in our Graphic Design work.

Those are just a few of the important elements of Graphic Design. Throughout history, humans have utilised design techniques to convey messages, attract attention, commemorate moments, advertise and more. Even pre-historic humans had their own primitive ways of utilising design elements to communicate messages with one another. Our technology today opens up entirely new ways in which we can utilise Graphic Design to communicate and interact with one another.

Take RPG and virtual reality games for example. We’re designing entire 3D digital worlds in which we can play games with one another, interact, entertain ourselves and more. Games require massive amounts of Graphic Design skills, resources and techniques. It’s an entirely different way of designing where you are then required to think in terms of wire-fame, textures, lighting, movement and more. Our ever-changing world is always visual, always evolving and at the heart of it, you will always find something that requires Graphic Design.

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