What is Graphic Design?

Graphic design is a visual way of communicating with an audience. Working in graphic design, therefore, means blending together artistic creativity with technical skills to craft compelling visuals for a company or brand. The field offers diverse specializations and the chance to see your work come to life in print, on screens, and even in physical spaces. Learn more about the practice of graphic design and see if it’s the right career for you. 

What is graphic design?

Graphic design uses design elements to create visual assets that help companies connect and communicate with audiences. These assets can be small, like a company logo or app icon, or big, like a website or print ad.

A graphic designer aims to influence consumer emotion using different artistic elements and forms, such as print and digital art. 

What are common design elements?

Because of the emotional connection that graphic design aims to establish with an audience, those who work in the field have a foundational understanding of key design elements. Four of the major design elements include:

• Hierarchy: A very busy design will make it hard for an audience to focus their attention on the important elements. Understanding hierarchy will help a graphic designer create a design that calls attention to the most important pieces. For example, they might use a larger font to highlight the key message.

• Balance: On the topic of graphic design, you'll often hear the word "weight." Key elements in a design will have different weights in order to convey different levels of importance and make a design more engaging. Balance can bring harmony to a design by creating appealing symmetry or interesting asymmetry.

• Negative space: A design will naturally include blank elements because if you fill every piece of a given landscape, it will likely overwhelm your audience. Negative space is important and refers to the parts of the design you leave empty to emphasize the design itself.

• Color: Colors convey different emotions. Drawing on color theory to play up or downplay certain messaging can enhance the design you ultimately create.

Read more: Graphic Artist vs. Graphic Designer: Understanding the Difference

What does a career in graphic design look like? 

A graphic design career involves using art and technology to communicate ideas through various design elements. As a graphic designer, you’ll develop the overall layout and production design for advertisements, brochures, posters, and magazines. When you begin a design, you’ll typically start with rough illustrations by hand or by using a computer program. 

Many designers create a process book for clients to show the process of a design project from start to finish. The process book can also include a mood board that allows the client to select colors, patterns, textures, typography, and other design elements. Process books help graphic designers establish their approach and techniques, which they later apply to their design strategy in the final product.

As a graphic designer, your job duties might also include:

• Meeting with clients to discuss projects and present ideas

• Creating work with software programs, such as Photoshop and Illustrator

• Revising designs to meet client specifications

• Testing the final product to ensure it meets graphic specifications 

What do designers typically work on?

As a graphic designer, you might specialize in one type of design or a variety of projects. Some projects you might work on include:

• Advertising 

• Marketing 

• Branding

• Logos 

• Packaging 

Read more: What Is Content Marketing?

What are the different types of graphic design?

Seven common types of graphic design include:

1. Visual identity graphic design: Creating the visual components of a brand, such as logos, color palettes, fonts, and imagery, that represent a brand and help people recognize it

2. Marketing and advertising graphic design: Creating marketing and advertising materials, such as posters, brochures, social media graphics, and website banners, to grab attention, convey a message, and persuade people to take action

3. User interface (UI) graphic design: Designing the UI of websites and applications to ensure the interface is easy to use, navigate, and visually appealing

4. Publication graphic design: Creating layouts for magazines, newspapers, books, and other publications to design the overall look and feel of the publication, as well as individual pages

5. Packaging graphic design: Creating the packaging for products to make them visually appealing and informative and to protect the product inside

6. Motion graphics design: Creating animated graphics and videos for a variety of purposes, such as explainer videos, marketing materials, and social media content

7. Environmental graphic design: Designing graphics for physical spaces, such as signage, murals, and wayfinding systems, to create a visually appealing and functional space

Reasons to become a graphic designer

If your goal is to work in a creative field, the graphic design field offers opportunities to apply your artistic talents as a remote employee, in an office setting, or as a freelancer. As a graphic designer, you can share your talent and passion for creativity. 

You’ll typically work on various projects to meet a range of client needs. Working with clients in different industries helps you remain inspired and broaden your creative horizons. If you prefer to be your own boss, you can be self-employed and work as a freelancer. Being a freelance graphic designer can help you achieve more creative freedom and enjoy the convenience of working when and where you want. 

When pursuing a graphic design career, you can specialize in your preferred creative field. Whether you love working with typography, illustration, or web design, you’ll find opportunities to match your creative goals.

Read more: 7 Entry-Level Graphic Design Jobs + How to Land Yours

6 career paths related to graphic design

Graphic designers typically work with still imagery. Some related jobs require similar skills, such as proficiency with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator programs. Here are a few examples of related roles.

*All salary data is sourced from Glassdoor as of June 2024.

1. Animator

Average annual base US salary (Glassdoor): $69,686

Graphic designers create static art, and animators use moving elements. Animators bring objects or characters to life using special effects, animations, and visual images. In this role, you might work in 2-D or 3-D design, character animation, or image editing. You’ll create frames and storyboards as an animator and work out content movement. 

2. Art director

Average annual base US salary (Glassdoor): $88,652

As an art director, you’d be responsible for image aesthetics typically in newspapers, magazines, product packaging, and cinematography production. Like a graphic designer, you’ll create a design, but you’ll also direct others to develop artwork and layouts. 

3. Design educator

Average annual base US salary (Glassdoor): $86,583

Graphic design educators are needed in secondary and higher education degree programs. Your teaching would fall under the technical or vocational education umbrella in this role. In this role, you’ll present lectures, develop a curriculum, advise students, and more.   

4. User experience (UX) designer

Average annual base US salary (Glassdoor): $79,483

The UX designer works to make products and services more user-friendly and accessible. You will work with digital designs for websites and apps as a UX designer. You’ll work with static and animated imagery to create a seamless user experience. 

Read more: What Does a UX Designer Do?

5. Production artist

Average annual base US salary (Glassdoor): $63,406

A production artist is a conceptual designer. In this role, you’ll ensure a design works for the intended format, such as an Instagram post or billboard. This role is typically less involved in design brainstorming and is more focused on executing ideas. 

6. Book designer

Average annual base US salary (Glassdoor): $73,737

A book designer works to create the entire appearance of a book. As a book designer, you’ll typically design covers, fonts, layouts, and exterior designs. You might also select the paper type and other features to make the book visually appealing.

Read more: Graphic Design Jobs: Guide

Graphic designer salary and job outlook

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a graphic designer’s median annual salary is $58,910 as of May 2023 [1]. The BLS projects the graphic designer field will grow 3 percent from 2022 to 2032 with an average of 22,800 openings each year. [2].

Do I need a degree to be a graphic designer?

A graphic design degree isn't always mandatory, but many employers do prefer at least a bachelor's degree paired with a strong portfolio. According to Zippia, 68 percent of graphic designers have a bachelor’s degree, and 23 percent have an associate degree [3].

Other educational options are available, such as: 

Associate of Arts in Graphic Design

If you opt to study for an associate degree in graphic design, expect to complete it in two years. You’ll learn and use software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. You can use your class projects to build a portfolio of your creative work.

Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design

Pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design typically takes four years. You’ll start your college career with general education coursework and art courses, such as art history. The career-focused coursework in the bachelor’s degree program will help you build your portfolio.

Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design

Many colleges and universities offer a Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, and some offer a visual communication degree focusing on graphic design, UX design, and motion design. You’ll need a bachelor’s degree in a related field to apply for a fine arts master’s program.  Read more: Your Guide to Graphic Design Degrees

Certifications for graphic designer

Certifications are a great way to enhance your resume and show that you’re willing to learn about new topics. Certification programs are available for graphic design in specialized fields, such as those from Adobe and Autodesk.

Adobe Certified Professional

You can take exams for Adobe Certified Professional certifications in Adobe products, including:

• Adobe Photoshop (visual design)

• Adobe Illustrator (graphic design and illustration)

• Adobe InDesign (print and digital media publication)

• Adobe Premiere (digital video)

• Adobe After Effects (visual effects and motion graphics)

• Adobe Animate (multiplatform animation)

• Adobe Dreamweaver (web authoring)

• Adobe Express (content creation and marketing). There is a fee for each exam and practice tests are available.

Autodesk 3ds Max Certification

This certification demonstrates knowledge of using the Autodesk 3DS Max, a professional 3D computer graphics program used in animation, games, and imaging.

Learn more: How to Learn Graphic Design Skills

Is a career in graphic design worth it?

A graphic design career can be fulfilling if you’re passionate about art, being creative, and working with technology and communication. You can explore more about what graphic design entails and the various degree and certificate offerings on Coursera. 

The Graphic Design Specialization from CalArts on Coursera will help you learn the fundamental graphic design skills you need to launch your career. The course materials are available online, and you can complete the work at your own pace. Although you won’t need prior graphic design experience for this program, some knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite programs is helpful. 

Learn about graphic design on Coursera.

If you’re interested in a career in graphic design, consider learning more with introductory courses such as Fundamentals of Graphic Design offered by Calarts or Graphic Design by the University of Colorado Boulder on Coursera. These courses are a great way to learn about design techniques and principles.