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What is Graphic Design?

After establishing what design is in our previous blog post, we will now explore the topic further and talk about GRAPHIC DESIGN. Let's begin with some wisdom from wikipedia:

Graphic design is a creative process, one most often involving a client and a designer, and traditionally completed in conjunction with producers of form (printers, sign makers, etc.). Graphic design is undertaken to convey a specific message (or messages) to a targeted audience, usually from the client, known as the 'brief'. The term "graphic design" can also refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines that focus on visual communication and presentation. The field as a whole is also often referred to as Visual Communication or Communication Design. Various methods are used to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may use a combination of typography, visual arts and page layout techniques to produce a balanced, focused and symmetrical final result. Graphic design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is created and the products (designs) which are generated.

Common uses of graphic design include identity (logos and branding), publications (magazines, newspapers and books), print advertisements, posters, billboards, website graphics and elements, signs and product packaging. For example, a product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as images, shapes and color which unify the piece. Composition is one of the most important features of graphic design, especially when using pre-existing materials or diverse elements.

Of course we could go further into detail but one can find plenty resources about the topic on the WEB and in bookstores. The Design Council has done a great job breaking down GRAPHIC DESIGN with videos and simple text to communicate the purpose of graphic design. And should be prefer the old school way of education by reading a book, below you'll find three books that will help you better understand the elements of graphic design, expend your knowledge and give you inspiration for your own projects:


   


What is Design?

Design is a roadmap or a strategic approach for someone to achieve a unique expectation. It defines the specifications, plans, parameters, costs, activities, processes and how and what to do within legal, political, social, environmental, safety and economic constraints in achieving that objective. (Design Maual Vol 1 by Don Kumaragamage)

Another, rather simpler definition from dictonary.com:

DE·SIGN [dih-zahyn]
  1.  to prepare the preliminary sketch or the plans for (a work to be executed), especially to plan the form and structure of: to design a new bridge. 
  2. to plan and fashion artistically or skillfully. 
  3. to intend for a definite purpose: a scholarship designed for foreign students. 
  4. to form or conceive in the mind; contrive; plan: The prisoner designed an intricate escape. 
  5. to assign in thought or intention; purpose: He designed to be a doctor. 
  6. Obsolete . to mark out, as by a sign; indicate.

And since we live in a visual world the British Design Council has put together a video that sums up what DESIGN is:



As we learned from the video, there are many  Types of  DESIGN (Applied arts, Architecture, Communication design, Engineering design, Fashion design, Game design, Graphic design, Information Architecture, Industrial design, Instructional design, Interaction design, Interior design, Landscape architecture, Lighting design, Military Design Methodology, Product design, Process design, Service design, Software design, Web design, Urban design and Visual design) but since AM PhotoDesign offers WEB and GRAPHIC DESIGN services we will focus on the before mentioned  two disciplines with dedicated blog posts for each.

Many people may think that design is a simple process that can be done very quick, but fail to account all the phases needed to develop successful DESIGN. Initial planning stage, execution and corrections are necessary to produce a design that will stand out in the masses and communicate well its intend. Therefore we will explore the Phases of DESIGN PROCESS:

1. Pre-production design
  • Design brief – a statement of design goals 
  • Analysis – analysis of current design goals 
  • Research – investigating similar design solutions in the field or related topics 
  • Specification – specifying requirements of a design solution for a product or service. 
  • Problem solving – conceptualizing and documenting design solutions 
  • Presentation – presenting design solutions 

2. Design during production
  • Development – continuation and improvement of a designed solution 
  • Testing – in situ testing a designed solution 

3. Post-production design feedback
  • Implementation – introducing the designed solution into the environment 
  • Evaluation and conclusion – summary of process and results
  •  Redesign – any or all stages in the design process repeated (with corrections made) at any time before, during, or after production.

We have covered the BASICS OF DESIGN, next up we will look into the History of Design in our next blog post, followed by a detailed exploration of Graphic Design and Graphic Design Tools and Resources.


Photo Editing Software & Free Downloads

After exploring what photography is and learning bit about its history it is now time to cover some tools of the trade. We are going to focus on the digital workflow and the software available to photography lovers of all stages from beginners and professional users. First of there are two types of programs to consider that were designed to either assist users in managing large quantities of digital images, doing post production work or even do both.

The leading graphic editing program in the market today is Adobe Photoshop developed and published by Adobe Systems. Due to the rather high price tag and advanced features Photoshop is mainly used by professionals in the creative industry that depend on its performance and high quality output. Alongside Photoshop Adobe introduced Adobe Bridge, an organizational file browser that ships as part of the Adobe Creative Suite. The last addition to the Adobe family came with Photoshop Lightroom a photography software program that combines photo management and non-destructive editing in one interface. Targeted at hobbyists and consumers seeking a program with fewer and simpler options Adobe offers Photoshop Elements that allows users to create, edit, organize and share images, all from the same product and at a fraction of the cost of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

Another great option for raster graphic software with a moderate price tag is Corel PaintShop Pro that was first developed for computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system. And for the OS X environment Apple developed Aperture a photo editing and management computer program that is currently available in the Apps Store.


                


Should you be unsure if the software mentioned above is what you want to buy? Below you will find a selection of links to free versions of photo editing programs (listed in no particular preference or order). Check them out, follow the link to download the program and most importantly have fun exploring the endless possibilities of photo editing.


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