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 specialisations 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 you create a design that calls attention to the most important pieces. For example, you 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 emphasise the design itself.

• Colour: Colours convey different emotions. Drawing on colour theory to highlight or downplay certain messaging can enhance the design you ultimately create.

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 colours, patterns, textures, typography, and other design elements. Process books help you establish your approach and techniques, which you later apply to their design strategy in the final product.

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

• Meeting with clients, project managers, and creative directors to discuss projects and present ideas

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

• Revising designs to meet client specifications

What do designers typically work on?

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

• Advertising 

• Marketing 

• Branding

• Logos 

• Packaging 

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, colour palettes, fonts, and imagery, that represent a brand and help people recognise 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 specialise in your preferred creative field. Whether you love working with typography, illustration, or web design, you’ll find opportunities to match your creative goals.

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. Below are a few examples of related roles. 

Animator

Average annual base salary (Glassdoor): ₹3,60,000 [1]

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. 

Art director

Average annual base salary (Glassdoor): ₹8,00,000 [2]

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. 

User experience (UX) designer

Average annual base salary (Glassdoor): ₹8,00,000 [3] 

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’d work with static and animated imagery to create a seamless user experience. 

Production artist

Average annual base salary (Glassdoor): ₹2,90,466 [4] 

A production artist is a conceptual designer. In this role, you’d 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. 

Salary and job outlook

According to Glassdoor, a graphic designer’s median annual salary was ₹3,00,000 [5]. As India becomes increasingly digitised, the demand for graphic designers has grown, especially those with skills designing for social media, web, and mobile applications. According to Cognitive Market Research, the graphic design market in India has a forecasted CAGR of 7.2 per cent from 2024 to 2031[6]. 

Do I need a degree to be a graphic designer?

You may need a degree to be a graphic designer if your employer prefers candidates with a degree. A certificate course or diploma in graphic design are suitable alternatives for many people.

Education options include the following:

Diploma in Graphic Design

You can complete a diploma programme in about one year. These programmes typically include introductory design courses and training using popular graphic design tools.

Bachelor of Design (BDes)

Pursuing a Bachelor of Design typically takes four years. You’ll likely start your college career with foundational, such as art history and design theory. The projects you complete in a bachelor’s degree program can help you build your portfolio.

Master of Design (MDes)

Many college and universities offer a Master of Design, and some offer specialisations in communication design, animation film design, product design, and more. You'll need a bachelor's degree, preferably in a related field, to apply for a design master's programme.

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 specialised fields, such as those from Adobe.

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). 

The price of each exam voucher is 80 USD [7]. 

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

Graphic design combines artistic creativity and technical skills to create visually engaging assets, offering diverse career opportunities in various industries. 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.