GRAPHIC
Design
Graphic design is the art or skill of combining text and pictures in advertisements, magazines, or books or in other forms of brand messaging.
Graphic design is a practical art which helps in communication. Visual information is formed in a way that produces a message. In printed media, graphic design includes typography, organising illustration, book design, page layout and specifying print.
People who do graphic design as work are called graphic designers. Graphic designers create visual concepts, either by hand or using computer software, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, or captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for advertisements, brochures, magazines and corporate reports, among other things. Graphic designers create and combine symbols, images and text to form visual representations of ideas and messages
THE EIGHT TYPES OF
graphic design
• Visual identity graphic design.
• Marketing & advertising graphic design.
• User interface graphic design.
• Publication graphic design.
• Packaging graphic design.
• Motion graphic design.
• Environmental graphic design.
• Art and illustration for graphic design.
ELEMENTS OF
design
• Colour
• Line
• Point
• Shape
• Texture
• Space
• Form
• Unity/harmony
GRAPHIC DESIGN
in the print industry
Graphic design or designs are needed in every single job before we can go to print.
Think about it; business cards need to be designed before going to print. A logo for a company is a representation of that specific company and it needs to be beautifully created. And yet, a logo is only the beginning; a business card needs more than just a logo; it needs information, contact details, services etc. Fonts can be used to create this, and eye-catching images can be incorporated into the design.
Before you can have flyers and brochures printed these need to be designed. This is the job of a graphic designer.
- The client meets with the designer, they discuss the client’s needs and a brief is taken.
- The designer takes the information and creates digital designs for the client.
- These are mailed to the client and the client makes changes if needed.
- Once we have a signed-off design, we can go to print.
Training manuals need to be designed and the layout needs to be done before it can go to print. This can take hours of work and designers have to come up with concepts, layouts and use different fonts to create a visually appealing publication that will be a good platform for learning.
Often people think they can use a home office program or free software to create artwork. The problem here is that when you need to go to print these generally are not set up correctly for printing. People do not understand that often a graphic designer needs to redo most of the artwork to make it print-ready.
A few things to note about the print-ready file:
- It is best to have images created in CMYK and or spot colours – this can often not be done with home or free software.
- The black text needs to be set in 100% black and not CMYK. Otherwise, you might not get black but rather a brownish-black.
- When the page is set up for print you need to allow for bleed, bleed is part of the image or background that bleeds of the page so you can have a card, brochure etc with a full bleed and not white borders all the way around your artwork.
- Also, with home or free software the size is often incorrect, as its set up in American A4 which is not the same as South Africa A4 and with business cards you often have very funny sizes which makes it difficult for us to use in the printing industry.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
for online
Before you can create your company’s website, lots of things need to be created by graphic designers. Graphic designers create digital graphics, which can be turned into brochures, posters or whatever branding materials are required. These same digital designs can be adapted to be used for social media or on a website. Often graphic designers are also required to create the visual elements of a website, like, for example, the banners, buttons, icons and other imagery required for the site. Graphic designers do not do any programming.
Web graphic designers often decide how websites will look, making choices about layout, fonts and images to create usable and aesthetically pleasing websites. They may also work closely with clients to determine the design and graphical elements of sites.
Graphic designers are allowed to use previously created illustrations or templates to make their job easier. That is each designer’s prerogative.
How do you create graphics for a website?
USING A
design program
1. Create simple shapes and use them to crop images in place.
2. Add borders and fills.
3. Add your own graphic elements.
4. Use brushes to add detail.
5. Use layer masks to edit colours.
6. Save your graphic element for web.
What skills do you need to become a web designer?
• Visual Design.
• A web designer will often thrive if his visual designing skills are advanced.
• UX.
• Print Design Skills.
• Resourcefulness.
• CSS.
• HTML.
• Communication Skills.
• Time-Management Skills.
CLOSING
comments
Our clients are more than welcome to use their own computers and home office/free software to create whatever they need, and today there are many very helpful online tools and software.
It is, however, important that you are aware of the pitfalls often not known to inexperienced individuals creating their own designs.
This might end up costing you more money and time. Consider paying a professional to handle this for you from the outset.
Your idea is very important, and you will have the opportunity to discuss your ideas with our graphics team. Let us come up with something amazing that you will be able to use for years to come. We will listen to you and incorporate your idea. After all, it is your design; we are just creating it for you. Honestly speaking, wouldn’t you rather have your work professionally done? Remember, your design will represent you, your company and your brand.
