What is Graphic Design? Suppose you want to announce, inform or sell something, amuse or persuade someone, explain a complicated system or demonstrate a process that is long and convoluted. In other words, you have a message to be communicated. How do you "send" it? Maybe you can tell me or speak to each person one by one or broadcast by radio or loudspeaker. But all you do is oral communication. Meanwhile, if you use visual media such as posters, typing letters, creating corporate logos, magazine ads, or DVD album cover, flyers and the like, even just using a computer printout and in it are definitely using a visual format, then the thing you do can already be regarded as a work of graphic design.
What is Graphic Design
In terms of science, graphic design is essentially a form of applied art. In the process given freedom to the designer to select, create and organize the basic form elements such as line, color, shape, look, texture, value, and work on the basic principles of design include balance, rhythm, emphasis and unity. Designers can work with the support of some other aspects like understanding in organizing the creative process and have the ability to deliver and capture the message. The messages are produced by designers in a work that aims to be produced or communicated through various media.
Graphic design is a creative process that combines art and technology in communicating ideas. Designers work by utilizing a set of 'tools' to convey the message that comes from the client to the audience. Some devices are used such as pictures, illustrations, paintings, photography, letters, numbers, graphics and or images that have been generated by some computer applications. Designers create, choose and organize all or part of the element and the device into a field called "white space" and then delivered to the public as a medium of communication.
Graphic design has some kind of base works (by looking at the composition of the elements contained in these works), including:
Image-based design
Designers build the image of which is a representation of the idea of personal or business clients. Image is very powerful to be trusted and is a communication tool that can influence, able to convey not only information but also moods and emotions. People will react to images instinctively based on their personality, associative based on their environment, and experientative due to their previous experience.
Image can be taken in various ways and techniques, and it is tailored to the needs of applications and media. In Image-based design, the main thing that must be considered by a designer is to understand that the images are exposed must carry the entire message, for it sometimes gives designers a bit of text to help. Because each image shown is the representation of languages to be delivered, then in the image execution process, a designer must also understand the importance of managing sensitivity to the audiences, so designers do not blindly rely on their sheer aesthetic tastes in showing the images. Would not a picture can bring thousands of meaning and purpose? Thus, the direction of this aim must be delivered with the image that is executed by the designer.
Type-based design
In some cases, designers rely on text to convey a message, but they use words differently from the usual procedure performed by the authors. For designers, they see the visual text is as important as the intent or meaning of the text itself. Visual format of the text, either printed or tipography type of handmade writing, has the same function is to implement the communication function and a designer must be aware that the existence of the text must have a readibility / legibility function. Text can also emphasizes attention to a particular purpose and identify a meaning to a visual display. But legibility of the text will be processed by the designers do not just rely on the lexical meaning of a text only, or only in accordance with the grammar, but also physically mentions the purpose of the role of the text itself. For example, we don't find Stencil font on toothpaste packaging, because Stencil font style is identical to the Army Look.
Almost all designers agree that the use of text as a visual display legibility without sacrificing functionality is important. Let's look at a "general page" that contains a text, you might think that the graphic design work does not need to be involved in designing a page that seems as simple as that? Think, what would you do if you were asked to redesign the page. Would you change the typeface or type size? Would you divide the text into two columns are more slender? What about the margins and spacing between paragraphs? Will you bend or give space to each paragraph? Or perhaps start with changing the text in the form of ornamental writing? Are you going to give strength to the text by giving the number, the number of pages or writing a particular text in each chapter? Would you change a term in a way to make the text bold? Or perhaps using italic letters or letters underlined? Is there anything else that can give strength and emphasis in a change that you are doing, or how strong these texts will influence the reaction of the readers? Please note, that all the above questions made and answered by the Designer at the time of starting their job retention until the end of the evaluation process before the texts were decided to be communicated.
Image-based / Type-based design
The designers often combine tipography and image to communicate a message to an audience. Exploration on a variety of creative possibilities presented in a tipography combination (text, etc.) and images (photography, illustration, and fine arts), it aims to give the appearance as well as complete information. So the designers do not simply create a match between 'letterforms' and mere image but also to establish the best balance between them.
Symbol-based design, logo and logotype
Simbols and logos are special, a very concise form of information and serves as a 'identifers'. Symbols are abstract representation of a particular idea or identity. The logo is a visual format that functions symbolically represent concepts or specific groups. Logotypes are identifications both concept and visual groups based on a series of words strung together or special text. Some of identity is a 'hybrid' or a combination of logotypes with a symbol. In creating the 'identifiers', designers will set a clear visual and in accordance with the vision and mission of a corporation, group, concept or idea to be represented and in accordance with their respective objectives.
Graphic Designers, Resources Messages and Audience
On one hand, a message source is sometimes too close to the contents of the message itself, of course, contain a high element of subjectivity, so it is necessary to find ways to be able to introduce and understand the messages. Audience, on the other hand, is a complex community, which is very spacious and has a wide variety of characters. It directly affects how or mechanism in communicating these messages. More than that, in general it is very difficult to make the audience become part of the communication process.
In contrast to the message source and audience, graphic designers learn how to construct a message and how to present it well and successfully. Because graphic designers are among the chain of message source and audience, they have two sides work to do. First, they work with the source of the message (in this case is the client) to understand the content and purpose of the message. Second, working with market researchers and other specialists even with the real conditions of society to understand the nature of the audience.
