What Is Graphic Design? Everything You Need To Know

Are you looking for more than just a clear-cut definition of graphic design? Want to know about its history, types, elements, processes, tools, skills, careers and more? Then keep reading, as this is your ultimate introductory guide to graphic design.

Graphic design is everywhere. It’s on the packaging of your favourite products, on shop fronts, in the supermarket, in magazines…but what exactly is it?

Graphic design is both an art form and a communication tool. It uses visual elements to convey a certain message and help businesses connect with their target audience.

In this guide, we explain what graphic design is, where it comes from, and the basic elements and principles it incorporates. We also take a look at what it’s like to work as a graphic designer—including the process that graphic designers follow, the skills and tools they use, and how much they can earn.

Contents:

• 1. What is graphic design? A definition and examples
• 2. Where does graphic design come from? A brief history
• 3. What are the different types of graphic design? (With examples)
• 4. What are the basic elements and principles of graphic design?
• 5. What is the graphic design process?
• 6. What does a graphic designer do?
• 7. What skills do graphic designers need?
• 8. What tools and software do graphic designers use?
• 9. What are some common graphic design job titles and career paths?
• 10. How much do graphic designers earn?
• 11. How to get started with graphic design
• 12. Next steps

Let’s start with a definition and some examples.

1. What is graphic design? A definition and examples

Graphic design is a creative, artistic discipline that originates from the printing industry. Graphic design is a form of visual communication, using elements such as colour, type, shapes, and images, to bring a concept to life and communicate certain messages or ideas.

Graphic design is all around us. Think back to the last book you read. What did the front cover look like? What impression did you get of the book based on the cover design?

And how about the last billboard advert you saw while waiting for the bus, or the packaging on your favourite chocolate bar or cereal box, or the posters advertising upcoming concerts and gigs that you often come across?

Each of these instances is proof of the fact that graphic design is everywhere, and we come across it in different aspects of our daily lives.

Back in the day, graphic design related to the design of physical, printed things—like books, magazines, posters, and product packaging. Now, it also encompasses digital design—for example, the design of website graphics, logos, digital brochures, and e-books.

What’s the purpose of graphic design?

Graphic design is closely related to marketing, advertising, and branding. It’s not just about creating beautiful, eye-catching designs, but also about capturing and conveying a specific message to a target audience.

The purpose of graphic design is to:

• Communicate a message
• Evoke certain emotions in the target audience
• Create and reinforce a strong brand identity

Graphic design is, first and foremost, a visual communication tool. It presents important information—for example, the title of a book, the name of a company or brand, or the contact details on someone’s business card—to the user.

But beyond that, graphic design indirectly communicates something about the product and/or the brand itself.

Take the example of Kellogg’s cereal. Their fun, brightly-coloured boxes feature cartoon animals and playful shapes—designed to appeal to kids.

Another great example is Simple Skincare. The packaging for these products is designed to capture what the brand is all about—simple ingredients, no harsh chemicals, and clean and environmentally friendly. This essence is communicated through the plain green and white branding.

Not only does graphic design communicate with the end user; it also evokes certain emotions. In our Simple Skincare example, the colours, type, and ‘clean’ overall design, would likely evoke feelings of calmness and trust in the customer/end user. In contrast, the packaging for Charlotte Tilbury cosmetic products is much fancier, evoking a sense of luxury and decadence.

The graphic designers behind these products haven’t just focused on creating beautiful designs. They’ve designed it in a way that will stir up certain feelings or trigger specific associations among the target audience, in turn reinforcing the brand identity.

2. Where does graphic design come from? A brief history

Humans have been using design as a means of communication since the beginning of time. As such, the history of graphic design can be traced right back to early cave paintings from about 38,000 BC.

So how did we get from prehistoric cave drawings to graphic design as we know it today?

Here’s a brief timeline of this evolution:

• 38,000 BC: Prehistoric cave paintings show the first signs of humans using visuals to communicate.

• 200 CE-1040 CE: In China, people started to print designs—first onto silk, and then later onto paper. In 1040, Bi Sheng invented the world’s first movable type printing press made of porcelain.

• 1389: In the 14th century, King Richard II of England passed a law whereby all pubs selling beer and ale must have a sign outside to make it easier for the public to locate them. This is one of the first examples of graphic design used for advertising.

• 1439: The Gutenberg press was invented, bringing movable type to Europe. For the first time ever, it became affordable to mass-produce books—making literature more accessible and taking a big stride toward graphic design for commercial use. The late 1400s also saw the first use of logos in the printing industry.

• 1837: As technology continued to advance, chromolithography was born, making it possible to print in colour. This worked its way into advertising, with brands using colour to appeal to their target audience.

• 1903: The early 20th century gave rise to the first graphic design agency, the Wiener Werkstätte (Viennese workshops) in Austria. At the time, it was a lucrative association of architects, designers, and artists, dedicated to the production of modern decorative arts.

• 1919: Another key step in the history of graphic design is the Bauhaus movement. In 1919, German architect Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus school with the goal of bringing together all different branches of design as art. With its focus on minimalism and ‘function before form’, the Bauhaus movement had a huge hand in shaping graphic design as we know it today.

• 1922: Finally, graphic design gets a name! Book designer William Addison Dwiggins coined the term ‘graphic design’ in 1922. He used it to describe his work involving book design, lettering, typography, and calligraphy.

• 1947: Designer Paul Rand published his book, Thoughts on Design, which became one of the most influential works in the field. In it, he shared his philosophies, theories, and ideologies, all of which would go on to shape the field of graphic design as we know it.

Today, graphic design takes many different forms. With the rise of computers and graphic design software, this creative discipline now spans both the physical and digital realms. Next, we’ll explore the different types of graphic design.

3. What are the different types of graphic design? (With examples)

Here are the main types of graphic design along with some examples of each.

Branding and visual identity

This type of graphic design is about helping companies (or individuals) craft their brand identity. Graphic designers in this field help to bring the brand to life through visual design, choosing and/or designing the colour palettes, logos, typography, and imagery that best represent the brand.

Examples:

• Designing company/brand logos—think Nike, Apple, Instagram, and Twitter (to name a few)
• Choosing brand colours and colour palettes—consider our earlier example of the Simple Skincare brand which uses a clean green and white colour palette versus the luxurious golds, pinks and browns of Charlotte Tilbury products
• Designing typography to be used throughout the company website and across any branded materials

Graphic design for marketing and advertising

Some graphic designers specialise in creating visual assets for marketing and advertising campaigns. Such designs can span a broad range of media and channels—from email marketing assets, social media graphics, and imagery and infographics to be used in blog articles, right through to designing the overall layout and individual assets for print adverts or billboards.

Examples:

• Designing email newsletter templates
• Creating illustrations and/or animations for social media ads
• Designing magazine, newspaper, and other print ads
• Creating images and infographics for blog articles
• Designing posters and billboard ads

Digital graphic design

Digital graphic design is exactly as it sounds: graphic design for digital devices and channels. This can include designing for websites and mobile apps (perhaps as a user interface (UI) designer), 3D modelling, or designing graphics to be used in digital marketing and advertising campaigns (like those we touched on previously under ‘graphic design for marketing and advertising’).

Examples:

• Designing logos, icons, and images for websites, apps, and other digital content
• Creating/choosing typography and colour schemes for websites and apps
• Designing online banner ads and pop-ups
• Designing graphics for video games

Packaging design

Product packaging isn’t just a practical requirement, but also a branding opportunity—and packaging design is another niche arm of graphic design. Designers working in this area are responsible for all the visual aspects of a product’s physical packaging, from colour and imagery to type and layout.

Examples:

• Designing food packaging (think cereal boxes, chocolate bar wrappers, drink cans, soup cartons, etc.)
• Designing cosmetics and skincare packaging
• Designing takeaway coffee cups (think Starbucks)
• Designing branded boxes and carrier bags

Editorial and publishing

Graphic design has roots in the publishing industry. So, it’s no surprise that graphic designers continue to work in publishing today. This type of graphic design involves providing creative direction—and/or actually designing the layout, typography, and artwork—for any kind of publication, be it print or digital.

Examples:

• Graphic design for physical, printed books, magazines, and brochures
• Graphic design for digital magazines and e-books

Environmental graphic design

Earlier referred to as ‘architectural signage’, environmental graphic design focuses on providing visual cues to help people navigate their way around a particular building or space. The goal of environmental graphic design (or ‘experiential’ design, as it’s sometimes called) is to use visuals to enhance a person’s experience of physical spaces.

Examples:

• Shopfronts and signs
• Museum exhibitions
• The design of public transport systems and spaces
• Store and supermarket design
• The design of event, conference, and office spaces

Those are the main types of graphic design. Now let’s move on to explore the basic elements and principles that graphic designers follow.

4. What are the basic elements and principles of graphic design?

The basic elements of graphic design are shapes, lines, colour, texture, type, space, and images. These are the main components a graphic designer will use to create their designs and form the foundational curriculum of a graphic design course.

The fundamental principles of graphic design are balance, hierarchy, contrast, proportion, and repetition. These are (some of) the guidelines a graphic designer follows to create aesthetically pleasing compositions.

Let’s explore these in more detail now.

The 7 basic elements of graphic design

1. Shapes

Graphic designers use either geometric or organic shapes. Geometric shapes are created by connecting a set of points with either straight or curved lines—think rectangles, circles, squares, and triangles. Organic shapes are ‘irregular’ shapes—for example, seashells, flowers, clouds, and blobs.

2. Lines

Lines can be straight, curved, or zigzag, and they can take on different weights, forms, and directions (e.g. horizontal or vertical). Lines have many different purposes in graphic design: to create emphasis, to convey motion, to create patterns, and to divide or connect different elements.

3. Colour

Colour plays a crucial role in graphic design. It’s used to create balance, harmony, contrast, and, perhaps most importantly, to convey an overall ‘mood’ for the design. This is because, according to colour psychology, colour can impact the viewer’s feelings, moods, and behaviours.

4. Texture

Texture—for example, smooth, furry, silky, or rough (like sandpaper)—relates to how physical objects feel to touch. Graphic designers can convey texture visually, even if the actual surface (or digital image) doesn’t have a physical texture. Texture is used to add depth to a design and make it more interesting visually.

5. Type

This element refers to how you style the words/text within a design. Graphic designers choose the typeface (a group of fonts) they will use based on the kind of style they want to convey. Think of the Comic Sans typeface compared to Roboto; the former is playful and informal, whereas the latter evokes a much more serious tone.

6. Space

Space finds multiple applications in graphic design. It helps to distinguish between different elements, to create emphasis and hierarchy—for example, by drawing the eye to a particular element or area—and to ensure that the overall design doesn’t feel cluttered or overcrowded.

7. Images

Aside from helping to reinforce the brand identity and/or the overall message, images are another great way to catch the viewer’s eye. Graphic designers might include photos they’ve taken themselves, stock photos and images, or illustrations, depending on what fits best with their creative vision.

5 key principles of graphic design

1. Balance

In graphic design, balance is about how you distribute the visual weight of the page. Heavier elements—think textured elements, bigger elements, deeper colours and bold text—are those that stand out more, while lighter elements are less eye-catching. You can balance the page symmetrically (with an even distribution of visual weight), asymmetrically, or radially (with the elements placed in a circular pattern to convey movement).

2. Hierarchy

Hierarchy tells the viewer which elements are most important and draws their eye towards these elements. For example, if you’re designing a book cover, the title of the book might be the most important element in the visual hierarchy—and you could establish this hierarchy by featuring it in big, bold lettering, and placing it above any other text on the page.

3. Contrast

Creating contrast helps to distinguish between different design elements. When using text, contrast is also crucial for ensuring legibility. Graphic designers create contrast through size (big vs. small elements), line weight (thick vs. thin), colour (light vs. dark), texture, and whitespace.

4. Proportion

The proportion principle considers how different elements relate to each other. For example, does one element appear much larger and heavier than another? If graphic designers want to create realistic images, they’ll focus on ensuring that the proportions of each element are realistic. For a more playful design, they might exaggerate some elements—for example, drawing a person with disproportionately huge hands.

5. Repetition

Simply put, repetition is the art of using the same design elements repeatedly. If you’re creating an e-book, for example, you might feature the brand logo in the top right corner of every new page. Graphic designers also use repetition to create texture or patterns (think leopard print).

5. What is the graphic design process?

As with any creative discipline, there is no universal process that all graphic designers follow. However, there are some high-level steps that generally guide a project from brief to completion.

Here’s how the graphic design process might look:

1. Define the project brief: This sets out the scope of the project and clearly defines what should be designed, why, and for who. The brief should include any existing brand guidelines, details about the target audience, the final deliverable (e.g. a printed poster, a PDF brochure, a book cover, etc.), and any examples or inspiration. At this stage, there may be some back and forth between the graphic designer and the client/internal stakeholders to define and clarify the project brief before moving forward.

2. Conduct research: Once a clearly defined brief is in place, the next step for a graphic designer is to start conducting research. They might do some competitor research to see what similar brands are doing, explore current trends, and gather visual inspiration to create a mood board.

3. Brainstorm ideas and fine-tune the concept: This is where the graphic designer starts to visualise their interpretation of what the client (or internal stakeholder) wants. They might mock up a few bare-bones ideas to illustrate the overall concept and possible directions it could take, without going into too much visual detail. The next step is to pitch these ideas to the client (together with any moodboarding they’ve done) and to get early-stage feedback before taking the design in a specific direction.

4. Design: With everybody aligned and the concept approved, the graphic designer can start designing the final deliverable. How this part of the process looks depends on what is being designed. But, generally, it will involve defining colour palettes, sourcing or creating imagery, choosing or designing typography, creating individual design elements (e.g. logos and icons), and applying all the key principles of graphic design—balance, hierarchy, proportion, and so on.

5. Gather feedback: Like most design disciplines, feedback is a critical step in the graphic design process. Before taking the design to production, the graphic designer will gather feedback from the client or internal stakeholders and make any (hopefully minor!) changes.

6. Finalise and deliver: With all feedback implemented, this is the stage where the design is finalised and ready to go. The graphic designer will convert the deliverables to the relevant format (again, this varies depending on exactly what they’re designing) and hand them over to the client.

That’s the graphic design process in a nutshell. You can see this in action in this course project completed by an AND learner.

Now let’s take a closer look at the role of the graphic designer.

6. What does a graphic designer do?

Graphic designers are experts in visual communication. They turn abstract concepts and ideas into aesthetically pleasing designs that connect with the target audience and convey a specific message.

Depending on what type of graphic designer they are, their role might be to develop a visual identity for a brand—using colour, imagery, and type to visually capture what the brand stands for—or to design advertising and marketing assets that resonate with consumers.

Here are some of the tasks and responsibilities a graphic designer may take on:

• Develop design concepts based on project briefs - as done in AND learner Dushyant Singh’s project
• Present ideas to clients and internal stakeholders
• Design assets, including illustrations, static images, and videos, for social media campaigns
• Design individual elements, including shapes, icons, and logos, from scratch
• Source imagery and stock photography for various design projects (across both digital and print)
• Choose colour palettes and typography
• Create mood boards
• Design posters and other artwork for events
• Develop and maintain a style guide to uphold the brand identity
• Oversee the graphic design workflow

In addition to plenty of hands-on creative work, graphic designers can expect to collaborate closely with clients and internal stakeholders (for example, marketers and copywriters) to refine concepts, hash out their ideas, and get feedback.

Let’s move on to the top skills a graphic designer needs to excel in their role.

7. What skills do graphic designers need?

Graphic designers possess industry-specific knowledge and expertise, including:

• Deep knowledge and understanding of graphic design principles (as outlined in section 4 of this blog post)
• Knowledge of colour theory and colour psychology
• Expert knowledge of typography
• A keen eye for detail and aesthetics and a general ‘flair’ for what looks good
• An understanding of visual communication and branding
• Proficiency in graphic design software and tools (we’ve covered these in more detail in the following section.)

Graphic designers also rely on soft skills to collaborate effectively with clients and stakeholders and to communicate their ideas. Among the most important soft skills for graphic designers are:

• Communication
• The ability to give and receive feedback
• Problem-solving
• Creativity and an ability to think outside the box
• Research

Learn more: What Skills Do Graphic Designers Need in 2024?.

8. What tools and software do graphic designers use?

Depending on the exact nature of their role and the types of designs they’re creating, graphic designers use a variety of tools, generally relying on a combination of physical tools and digital software.

The most important physical graphic design tools include:

• Pen and paper
• A laptop and/or desktop computer
• A graphics tablet and stylus (the digital equivalent of pen and paper)
• A professional camera (if and when the role involves photography)

Some of the most popular digital tools and software used by graphic designers include:

• Adobe Illustrator —vector-based illustration software
• Adobe InDesign —a graphic design app for layout and page design
• Adobe Photoshop —used for creating and editing images
• Sketch—a vector design and editing tool
• Canva—a free drag-and-drop graphic design tool for beginners

For more graphic design tools (including prices, the pros and cons of each, and how to choose the right graphic design tools for your stack), turn to this guide: A Complete List of the Best Graphic Design Software, Tools and Apps.

9. What are some common graphic design job titles and career paths?

The most obvious role for someone working in graphic design is that of graphic designer—but that’s not the only career path within the field. Given how vast and varied the field is, those with the right set of skills can move in different directions.

Some common graphic design job titles (besides graphic designer) include:

• Brand designer—an expert in visual branding; responsible for defining and conveying the brand’s visual identity through colour, typography, logos, and more.

• Web designer— a graphic designer for websites and apps, responsible for all the visual elements of landing pages and screens. This role may overlap with user interface (UI) design.

• Motion graphics designer (or animator)— a graphic designer who specialises in creating animated graphics for games, films, websites, and marketing campaigns (to name a few).

• Book designer— an expert in designing books, including both the front and back cover design as well as the design of individual pages.

• Layout artist— focuses on the overall layout and composition of the page.

• Art director— responsible for the overall visual design or direction of a project; someone who oversees the artists and designers who execute the vision.

You can learn more about these roles (and additional graphic design career paths) in this post: A Complete Guide to Graphic Design Jobs & Career Paths.

10. How much do graphic designers earn?

A graphic designer’s salary is determined by several factors such as experience level, location, sector, and qualifications.

To give you an idea of how much graphic designers earn, here’s the average salary data for junior, mid, and senior graphic designers in a range of locations:

Source: Indeed, SalaryExpert

For more salary data (and some expert tips for handling your next salary negotiation) check out our full salary guide: A Complete Breakdown of Graphic Design Salaries in 2023.

11. How to get started with graphic design

If you like what you’ve read about graphic design, you might now be wondering how to get started in the field. Here are some steps you can take:

Learn as much as you can with free resources. Consider this your research phase where you’ll devour as much blog, video, book, and podcast content as you can. This will give you a solid understanding of graphic design theory and what it’s like to work in the field. See the next section for a video to get you started.

Get practical with graphic design tutorials. YouTube is abound with free video content showing you everything from how to create basic shapes to designing custom logos and typography from scratch. Try your hand at some practical graphic design work!

Get a graphic design qualification. If you’re enjoying your journey into graphic design so far and want to start a career in the field, consider a professional graphic design qualification. A good quality course will teach you the most important industry tools, have you work on practical projects, and help you create your graphic design portfolio. Here’s a complete guide to the best graphic design courses and certifications.

Next steps

In case you need further assistance, here are some of our resources you can consider:

1. Watch this session by design veteran and AND’s Academic Head, Prachi Mittal, and our Course Lead, Soumya Tiwari.
2. Talk to a course advisor to discuss how you can transform your career with one of our courses.
3. Pursue our Graphic Design courses - all courses are taught through live, interactive classes by industry experts, and some even offer a Job Guarantee.
4. Take advantage of the scholarship and funding options that come with our courses to overcome any financial hurdle on the path of your career transformation.

Note: All information and/or data from external sources is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication.