Nowadays, you can find different types of graphic design, which are created using unique techniques, have some special features, and are suitable for particular aims. Before ordering graphics for personal and business use, you should clarify how they differ. Thus, you’ll understand what specialist can create a particular design.
We see various samples of graphic design when browsing the web, walking the street, watching TV, traveling in transport, etc. By rendering pictures, text, and symbols, professionals in the design field bring their ideas and concepts to life. This article covers 10 different types of graphic designs and defines where they can be used.
Samples of brand identity design:
The best representatives: Meta Design, Brandient
Graphic design for visual and identity is probably the most demanded type of design, as it is widely used for brand advertisement. These graphics is usually developed by a designer, who knows how to use various design techniques and advanced vector graphics software. Such type of graphics design is suitable for conveying the brand’s identity and making your business stand out from the crowd.
Besides, specialists not only design projects, but also offer style guides that describe the most important components of a successful brand identity design – appropriate color palette, features, text style, font and case, shapes, and details. Once all the needed info is collected, designers get down to work.
Samples of advertising graphic design:
The best representatives: The Chase, Winkreative
This is probably one of the most popular types of graphic design. It aims at drawing clients’ attention to the brand and inducing them to make a purchase. In most cases, specialists prepare visuals for further printing, taking into account technical specifications of printers for graphic design. However, nowadays this type of graphic design is implemented in the form of digital advertising.
While creating advertisement design, a professional needs to stay in touch with the company’s marketing specialists. This is necessary for receiving access to the firm’s assets and gaining a reliable base for implementing graphic design ideas. Designers usually use Adobe Illustrator, Inscape, various layouts and presentation apps for their work.
Samples of publication graphic design:
The best representatives: Pentagram, Triboro
Usually, this type of graphics design is used in various magazines, newspapers, brochures, newsletters, and other printed media. However, nowadays digital materials are gaining more and more popularity, so you can come across this kind of design in different online publications. Actually, the process of creating printed publications and digital analogs is practically the same.
When designing visuals for further publishing, designers take into consideration an optimal combination of colors, shapes, and styling. They need to create designs that look equally appealing both in a printed and digital form. Designers engaged in this sphere must be aware of various layout techniques to arrange design elements in a book, newspaper, or magazine, making sure they are easy to percept.
Samples of packaging graphic design:
The best representatives: Charlie Smith Design, Bedow
As a rule, only experienced designers dare to take up the development of graphic packaging design, as this process is quite complicated and time-consuming. To create original and well-selling packaging, specialists have to deal with various configurations, have a deep understanding of the printing processes, commercial design and manufacturing. Besides, to create such content, you can’t do without the best computer for graphic design.
Properly designed packaging is one of the most powerful tools for promoting, popularizing, and advertising a product and the brand in general. This is probably one of the most effective ways of telling the company’s story, describing its values, and presenting the brand in the best possible light. Very often high-quality packaging is the reason why certain products become the most popular on the market.
Samples of environmental graphic design:
The best representatives: Landor, Studio Fnt
This type of graphic design serves for marketing various events, places, exhibitions, and more. Environmental graphic design provides people with all the necessary info about the event, uniting expected visitors by common interests and motivating them to attend this particular meeting. Such visuals also perform an informational task, providing people with clear navigation, etc.
When working on environmental design, specialists cooperate with architects, landscape, interior, or exterior designers. To create attention-grabbing graphics, a person involved in its development should understand architectural plans and know how to use architectural design software. Professionals in this field not only deal with printed graphics but also develop interactive projects in the form of original installations.
Samples of typeface graphic design:
The best representatives: House Industries, Mucho
Typeface graphic design involves creating original letters, fonts, and inscriptions. Specialists who work in this field need to understand how to arrange text elements in a harmonious way so that every element will be an organic part of the overall picture. They should also make sure that the designing elements don’t deteriorate text readability and people can grasp the message without problems.
A designer who works in the niche must know how to develop graphics and make it useful for different purposes. Moreover, he/she has to excel in calligraphy and use computers, laptops, and drawing tablets to fulfill the task.
Samples of user interface graphic design:
The best representatives: Radish Lab, Frog
UI is a very important part of any computer software, mobile app, video game, and website because users deal with it directly. A good interface is eye-pleasing and convenient. Therefore the main task of a designer is to pay attention to both functionality and aesthetics when working on buttons, panels, bookmarks, etc. To achieve such results, professionals should work in conjunction with user experience developers (specialists who define how an application functions) and UI developers (experts, who write codes and make them work).
Creating a handy and attractive UI is probably one of the most complicated types of graphic designs. A designer should understand the essence of web development and the basis of responsive design. Professionals who know such programming languages as HTML, CSS and JavaScript, code editors and 3D modeling software have a considerable advantage over other designers.
Samples of motion graphic design:
The best representatives: Fireart Studio, Bond
Motion graphics visuals are commonly reproduced on various screens of digital media. This is probably one of the most popular types of graphic design, as more and more people are interested in video content. Besides, motion graphics design is tightly related to ad design, the creation of digital presentations for environmental design, and 3D art installations.
While working on a project, designers start with developing a storyboard and then realize their concepts in the form of animation, video, and other media art using various motion graphics software. Such designers must know how to use video editing software, tools for three-dimensional modeling, processing, and various animation software. Motion graphics can be used for different purposes – for social media networks, personal blogs, company presentations, online media, and more.
Samples of website graphic design:
The best representatives: Franclyn, Made by Alphabet
Considered as the most extensive type of graphics design, web design involves the creation of website layouts, arrangement of all elements of a web page, as well as developing UIs and landing pages with the help of handy web design software. The main task of web graphic designers is to create an attractive and functional page.
It is also important to make sure that the website design can be properly displayed on both desktop and mobile devices. Besides, specialists who work in this field should be skillful enough to achieve optimal color combination, work on saturation, choose appropriate sizes and shapes of elements, select the right fonts, etc. The most important thing here is to arrange all elements in a logical manner so that they will convey the main idea of a website right after users open it. Graphic designers use visual hierarchy techniques to prioritize and emphasize important content on a web page. Through the careful use of size, color, contrast, and spacing, they guide users' attention and help them navigate through the website more easily.
Samples of art graphic design:
The best representatives: Hey, A Practice for Everyday Life
Artistic graphic design is an umbrella concept for a great variety of author’s graphics. Famous graphic designers develop artworks for multiple purposes, from showcasing to selling author's designs. An artistic graphic design can be divided into several groups depending on the media developed by the artist for digital or print publications.
Besides, this type of graphic design doesn’t have some strict requirements, as artists can express their ideas and combine elements the way they want. But to develop an interesting project that can bring income, an author should have exquisite taste, think creatively, and strive to improve his/her skills by visiting different graphic design courses.
