Graphic design is a craft where professionals create visual content to communicate messages. By applying visual hierarchy and page layout techniques, designers use typography and pictures to meet users’ specific needs and focus on the logic of displaying elements in interactive designs to optimize the user experience.

graphic design is a promising and rewarding career in today’s technological world. However, one’s capabilities and interests play a major factor when it comes to making it a full-time career. The annual average pay of a graphic designer is INR 3.6 LPA and $59,406 in the US.

Graphic design is the art of using visual elements to communicate information or convey a message. It’s a craft that involves using colors, shapes, images, and words to create visual content. Graphic design is used in many forms of media, including print and digital. 

“Every day, we take many of the subtly artistic things around us for granted,” says Jacob Smith, founder of illustration studio ProductViz. “But hidden in every magazine, exit sign and textbook lies a set of design ideas that influence our perceptions.”

Graphic designers work to communicate ideas in a visual format, guiding perception and informing their audience. Most graphic designers work on behalf of a client or company, creating designs to satisfy specific objectives. Graphic designers are also often considered artists.

Graphic design is a huge industry. And if you’re at all interested in becoming a professional graphic designer, there are so many options to explore!

First, what is graphic design?

Graphic design is “the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content,” according to the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA^®). In simple terms, graphic designers make visuals to communicate certain messages. These visuals can be as simple as a business logo, or as complex as page layouts on a website.

“Graphic design helps the producer connect with the consumer,” says graphic designer, Alexandros Clufetos. “It conveys the message of the project, event, campaign or product.”

Companies use the visual concepts of graphic design to promote and sell products through advertising, to convey complicated information in an easy-to-understand format (think of infographics), to develop a brand identity, and so much more.

While most companies are hiring graphic designers for commercial purposes, many designers also use their work for artistic expression.

What are the elements of graphic design?

A graphic designer creates work utilizing certain visual elements. Graphic designers can use these elements in conjunction or opposition with each other to create striking and impactful visuals.

These graphic design elements include:

• Color
• Form
• Line
• Shape
• Size
• Space
• Texture

Graphic designers also adhere to the principles of design, which are essentially a set of guidelines that help a design achieve appealing composition.

These visual concepts include:

• Balance
• Contrast
• Emphasis
• Movement
• Proportion
• Rhythm

A good graphic designer must first understand these principles, then use them (or discard them) with intention in each project.