What Is Graphic Design? (& Types, History & Examples) - Visme

When you think of graphic design, what crosses your mind? It could be a logo, a digital marketing graphic, illustration, a magazine cover or something else entirely. And you know what? You would be right!

Graphic design comes in many different shapes and sizes. What they all have in common is that they’re designed to communicate visually, and are typically done on a computer or tablet.

We’ve put together this comprehensive guide to help you learn more about graphic design and how it’s morphed into what it is today.

In this video, we've also covered how to design like a professional graphic designer–no experience needed. 

Table of Contents

• What is Graphic Design?
• Why is Graphic Design Important?
• A Brief History of Graphic Design (Infographic)
• 9 Graphic Design Types You Need to Know

What is Graphic Design?

Graphic design is the process of creating visual content that helps to communicate messages with an audience. The art of visual communication is essential, especially for brands looking to connect with their target audience, and graphic design is the perfect solution.

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Brands take advantage of graphic design in their logos, marketing materials, ads, website graphics, and even internal documents and email communications.

To further understand how graphic design works, you need to understand the different elements that make up a design. These graphic design elements include:

• Color
• Typography
• Line
• Shape
• Size
• Space
• Texture
• Hierarchy

There are also a number of principles that graphic designers need to follow in order for their designs to be effective and grab attention. 

While graphic designers by trade have often been trained on these principles, having a basic understanding can help anyone with little to no design skills create an eye-catching visual design.

Now that we’ve covered some graphic design basics, let’s dive into why graphic design is such an important skill.

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