Graphic Design in Everyday Life

The common perception of graphic design often involves thoughts of home decorating and office furnishings. In reality, graphic design is all around us. Graphic design is incorporated into almost every product humans interact with from reference manuals to billboards and road signs.

Even a book – one of the simplest and ancient of human inventions – benefits from graphic design, which enhances readability through attractive visual presentation of text.

Effective visual communication is the foundation of good graphic design, and many people depend on it to sell an idea or a product. Creating a company’s brand – logo, colors, product labels and packaging – requires advanced knowledge of graphic design. Because branding is essential to a company’s identity, many businesses depend on a graphic designer to assist them in creating all the components of their brand. It is this brand which customers will come to know and rely on as they choose which products to buy.

Another area where graphic design is essential to the communication of knowledge is in textbooks. The goal of a textbook is to effectively convey specific knowledge to its readers. In a typical textbook, you will find pages of practice questions, diagrams, charts, images, special highlights of important materials and lots of real world examples or case studies to bring home the lesson. With all these different elements to contend with, the layout of information on each and every page is crucial. Graphic design is the key to arranging this information for optimal learning. Just think about how much geometry, human anatomy and physiology books rely on graphic design. Other examples are comic books, programs for Broadway shows, and even the opening and closing credits in movies.
Contemporary design has branched out to the modern computer, with different interfaces, multimedia programs, and interactive designs. Graphic elements that are applied to any design have to be originated with visual arts and the people who have those skills. Visual arts includes works that use traditional media, photography, and computer-generated art. The principles of graphic design can be applied to each art element by itself to present a final finished composition, whether it is in print or online.

Graphic design is everywhere, and graphic designers are always in high demand. Wherever information needs to be effectively relayed, graphic design is behind the scenes operating to catch and keep attention. From textbooks to logos to newspapers and even this webpage you are reading right now, graphic designers are working hard so that you don’t have to.