Graphic Designers

Graphic designers are artists who communicate visually through advertising, print media and multimedia sectors. A graphic designer arranges images and/or text through illustrations by hand or the use of programs on a computer. Everywhere we look both in the home and in the streets, images through to product branding present in our world are done by the creative talents of these designers. They work on many areas from construction signs, road maps, brochures, t-shirt designs, corporate branding and any other forms of visual art.

These designers work as freelancers or sole traders to being employed in large multimedia corporations. Many have a creative ability in illustrating, drawing and the fine arts and when they utilise their ideas with programs in a computer, they can be regarded as a graphic designer. Some graphic designers can work directly with a client or under an art or creative director.

Visual communication of any sort from designing a book and laying of text in newspapers, print media to corporate identity in stationary and business cards, to labels on products are done by the final output of these designers.

Typography, desktop publishing, layout designs, printmaking are all connected with graphics, visual art and graphic design.

In the past before computers, the use of cutting and pasting and hand illustrations of images and lettering were considered an art and therefore, there is still a debate on whether a computer can take away the creative process required for these designers or whether it helps to make them more creative. With ongoing advanced technology it is so much easier and cleaner to be able to generate some of the most powerful designs to eye-catching artwork. With the choice of colours and font styles, any artwork can be re-produced through software and now, everything can be done on computers without the use of cutting and pasting illustrators.

Graphic designers work closely with photographers and typographers when required and theirs is a massive and constantly growing industry in the visual communication arena.