07/10/2021
What Does A Designer Do?: Scope of Graphic Design Services
Graphic design has many definitions (and famously quoted designers gave some good ones), but the simplest way to explain it is that it’s the creation of visual assets that communicate ideas or certain messages to a certain group.
From a landing page to packaging design, every graphic design project is created for a specific purpose and intended for a specific audience. In that sense, it’s different than some forms of visual art (which are created for “everyone”).
So, let’s dive right in and look at everything graphic designers do.
1. Brand design
Whether it’s corporate or small business branding, you need a professional designer to create the look of your brand.
In the first place, this means a logo that will communicate your brand’s mission and values in a visual way. On the basis of that, a graphic designer has to create a color palette, typography, additional visual elements such as icons or illustrations that can be used for any visual asset belonging to the brand.
This is a huge task that usually takes a designer several weeks (if not months to finish). If done properly, however, it means you will end up with a complete brand guide. This document is an indispensable asset, as it helps anyone you might work with in the feature (freelancer, design agencies, marketers) know how to create graphics that adequately reflect your brand.
2. Advertising design
Creating graphics for advertising purposes is of course closely related to creating the look of a brand, however, a skilled designer knows these tasks often need to be approached differently.
A professional designer knows what’s the right size for a LinkedIn ad, or a YouTube banner, and they also understand other technical aspects such as printing practices (the most basic example of this are the color mixing modes, CMYK and RGB, which are used for print and digital designs respectively).
Next, target audience awareness is most important in these types of design. For example, from the technical skills required to create a post, a professional designer needs to know the relevant social media trends, and understand the key objectives of a campaign.
Creating things like display ads and web banners can really put designers on a test: understanding basic principles such as balance, contrast and rhythm will help them create ads that perform effectively.
3. Website design
You might now need a developer to get your website up and running. But you should also know that before a developer can get to work, you need the help of a web designer.
There is no doubt that having a professional website is a must.
Creating websites requires a set of specific design skills, including the knowledge of particular computer software like Adobe XD or Sketch, which is used for creating web pages.
Web design consists of UX and UI design, or user experience and user interface. In other words, the look and feel of your website. This is a highly sought-after design skill since it requires both the technical knowledge of relevant software and experience in similar projects. For that reason, UX/UI designers are usually paid more, with a median salary of about $40 per hour.
4. Packaging
Have you ever picked something up at a shop because of appealing packaging? Well, you’ve got a talented graphic designer to thank for that.
Packaging designers need to understand the brand and target audience but also need to have technical knowledge of materials used in packaging (for example, many contemporary designs focus on sustainable or recycled packaging, which might mean a different set of design challenges).
5. Illustration
Illustration is a very specific field of graphic design that not all designers specialize in (for example a UX/UI designer probably won’t be the most experienced illustrator). Illustrations can be found in an array of different styles, from modern and minimalist isometric illustrations to photorealistic illustrations (illustrations so realistic that they look like photos), there is something to fit almost any style.
If you want an illustrated logo design, you should probably look for an illustrator, rather than a logo designer, as the latter might be able to combine elements into a successful logo, but not necessarily provide good, original illustrations themselves.
6. Typography
Every single typeface we use in print and digital design was created by a graphic designer. Though a layperson might not see a huge difference between two similar fonts, creating a typeface requires meticulous attention to detail, and making all sorts of specifications to ensure that fonts have a consistent and unified appearance.