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[[Image:National Park Service sample pictographs.svg|right|thumb|300px|Graphic symbols are often [[Form follows function|utilitarian]] and anonymous,<ref> {{cite web | last=Currie | first=Nick | title=Design Rockism  | url=http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/design-rockism }}</ref> as these [[pictograph]]s from the US [[National Park Service]] illustrate. ]]

The term '''graphic design''' can refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines which focus on visual communication and presentation.  Various methods are used to create and combine symbols, images and/or words to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may use [[typography]], [[visual arts]] and [[page layout]] techniques to produce the final result.  Graphic design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is created and the products (designs) which are generated.
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Common uses of graphic design include magazines, advertisements and product packaging.  For example, a product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as shapes and color which unify the piece.  [[Composition (visual arts)|Composition]] is one of the most important features of graphic design especially when using pre-existing materials or diverse elements.

==History==
{{main|History of graphic design}}
[[Image:KellsFol114vTuncDicit.gif|thumb|Page from the [[Book of Kells]]: Folio 114v, Decorated text. ''Tunc dicit illis'']]
While Graphic Design as a discipline has a relatively recent history, graphic design-like activities span the history of humankind: from the caves of [[Lascaux]], to Rome's [[Trajan's Column]] to the [[illuminated manuscript]]s of the Middle Ages, to the dazzling neons of [[Ginza]]. In both this lengthy history and in the relatively recent explosion of [[visual communication]] in the 20th and 21st centuries, there is sometimes a blurring distinction and over-lapping of [[advertising]] art, graphic design and [[fine art]]. After all, they share many of the same elements, theories, principles, practices and [[language]]s, and sometimes the same benefactor or client. In [[advertising]] art the ultimate objective is the sale of goods and services. In graphic design, "the essence is to give order to information, form to ideas, expression and feeling to artifacts that document human experience."<ref>Meggs, Philip B., 'A history of graphic design'. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1983</ref>

====The advent of printing====
{{main|History of printing}}
During the [[Tang Dynasty]] (618&ndash;906) between the 4th and 7th century A.D. wood blocks were cut to print on textiles and later to reproduce Buddhist texts.  A Buddhist scripture printed in 868 is the earliest known printed book. Beginning in the 11th century, longer scrolls and books were produced using movable type printing making books widely available during the Song dynasty (960&ndash;1279).<ref>“Printing” The Silk Road Foundation. Retrieved May 31, 2008.<http://www.silk-road.com/artl/printing.shtml>.</ref>  Sometime around 1450, [[Johann Gutenberg]]'s printing press made books widely available in Europe.  The book design of [[Aldus Manutius]] developed the book structure which would become the foundation of western publication design.  This era of graphic design is called [[Renaissance Humanism|Humanist]] or Old Style. <ref>“Graphic Design History” Article Cat. Retrieved May 31, 2008.<http://www.articlecat.com/Article/Graphic-Design-History/933>.</ref>

====Emergence of the design industry====
In late 19th century Europe, especially in the United Kingdom, the movement began to separate graphic design from fine art.  [[Piet Mondrian]] is known as the father of graphic design.  He was a fine artist, but his use of grids inspired the modern grid system used today in advertising, print and web layout. <ref>“Graphic Design History” Article Cat. Retrieved May 31, 2008.<http://www.articlecat.com/Article/Graphic-Design-History/933>.</ref>

In 1849, [[Henry Cole]] became one of the major forces in design education in Great Britain, informing the government of the importance of design in his ''Journal of Design and Manufactures''. He organized the [[Great Exhibition]] as a celebration of modern industrial technology and Victorian design.

From 1891 to 1896 [[William Morris]]' Kelmscott Press published books that are some of the most significant of the graphic design products of the [[Arts and Crafts movement]], and made a very lucrative business of creating books of great stylistic refinement and selling them to the wealthy for a premium. Morris proved that a market existed for works of graphic design in their own right and helped pioneer the separation of design from production and from fine art. The work of the Kelmscott Press is characterized by its obsession with historical styles. This historicism was, however, important as it amounted to the first significant reaction to the stale state of nineteenth-century graphic design. Morris' work, along with the rest of the [[Private Press]] movement, directly influenced [[Art Nouveau]] and is indirectly responsible for developments in early twentieth century graphic design in general.<ref>“Graphic Design History” Article Cat. Retrieved May 31, 2008.<http://www.articlecat.com/Article/Graphic-Design-History/933>.</ref>

====Twentieth century design====
[[Image:Air Force One on the ground.jpg|thumb|right|A Boeing 747 [[Air Force One]] aircraft. The cyan blue form, the [[US flag]], [[Seal of the President of the United States|presidential seal]] and the lettering were all  designed at different times and combined in this one final design. Graphic design is applied in virtually every organization or society. There are virtually no limits to the size and applications of graphic design.]]

Who originally coined the term "graphic design" appears to be in dispute.  It has been attributed to [[Richard Guyatt]], the British designer and academic, but another source suggests [[William Addison Dwiggins]], an American book designer in the early 20th century<ref>“Graphic Design History” Article Cat. Retrieved May 31, 2008.<http://www.articlecat.com/Article/Graphic-Design-History/933>.</ref>

The signage in the [[London Underground]] is a classic design example{{Fact|date=July 2007}} of the modern era and used a font designed by Edward Johnston in 1916.

In the 1920s, Soviet [[Constructivism (art)|constructivism]] applied 'intellectual production' in different spheres of production. The movement saw individualistic art as useless in revolutionary Russia and thus moved towards creating objects for utilitarian purposes. They designed buildings, theater sets, posters, fabrics, clothing, furniture, logos, menus, etc.{{Fact|date=July 2007}}

[[Jan Tschichold]] codified the principles of modern typography in his 1928 book, ''New Typography''. He later repudiated the philosophy he espoused in this book as being fascistic, but it remained very influential.{{Fact|date=July 2007}} Tschichold, [[Bauhaus]] typographers such as [[Herbert Bayer]] and [[Laszlo Moholy-Nagy]], and [[El Lissitzky]] are the fathers of graphic design{{Fact|date=July 2007}} as we know it today. They pioneered production techniques and stylistic devices used throughout the twentieth century. The following years saw graphic design in the modern style gain widespread acceptance and application.<ref>Crouch, Christopher. 2000. ''Modernism in Art Design and Architecture'', New York: St. Martins Press. ISBN 0312218303 (cloth) ISBN 031221832X (pbk)</ref> A booming post-World War II American economy established a greater need for graphic design, mainly advertising and packaging. The emigration of the German [[Bauhaus]] school of design to Chicago in 1937 brought a "mass-produced" minimalism to America; sparking a wild fire of "modern" architecture and design. Notable names in mid-century modern design include [[Adrian Frutiger]], designer of the [[typeface]]s [[Univers]] and [[Frutiger]]; [[Paul Rand]], who, from the late 1930s until his death in 1996, took the principles of the Bauhaus and applied them to popular advertising and logo design, helping to create a uniquely American approach to European minimalism while becoming one of the principal pioneers of the subset of graphic design known as [[corporate identity]]; and [[Josef Müller-Brockmann]], who designed posters in a severe yet accessible manner typical of the 1950s and 1960s era.

==Applications==
From [[Traffic sign|road signs]] to technical schematics, from interoffice [[memorandum]]s to reference [[User guide|manuals]], graphic design enhances transfer of [[knowledge]]. [[Readability]] is enhanced by improving the visual presentation of text.

Design can also aid in selling a [[Product (business)|product]] or [[idea]] through effective visual communication. It is applied to products and elements of company identity like [[logo]]s, colors, and text. Together these are defined as [[brand]]ing (see also [[advertising]]). Branding has increasingly become important in the range of services offered by many graphic designers, alongside [[corporate identity]], and the terms are often used interchangeably. 

Textbooks are designed to present subjects such as geography, science, and math.  These publications have layouts which illustrate [[Theory|theories]] and [[diagram]]s. A common example of graphics in use to educate is diagrams of [[human anatomy]]. Graphic design is also applied to layout and formatting of educational material to make the information more accessible and more readily understandable.

Graphic design is applied in the [[entertainment]] industry in decoration, scenery, and visual story telling. Other examples of design for entertainment purposes include novels, comic books, [[opening credits]] and [[closing credits]] in film, and programs and props on stage. This could also include artwork used for t-shirts and other items screenprinted for sale.

From scientific journals to news reporting, the presentation of opinion and facts is often improved with graphics and thoughtful compositions of visual information - known as [[information design]]. Newspapers, magazines, blogs, television and film documentaries may use graphic design to inform and entertain. With the advent of the web, [[information design]]ers with experience in interactive tools such as [[Adobe Flash]] are increasingly being used to illustrate the background to news stories.

==Skills==
A graphic design project may involve the stylization and presentation of existing [[writing|text]] and either preexisting [[image]]ry or images developed by the graphic designer. For example, a newspaper story begins with the journalists and photojournalists and then becomes the graphic designer's job to organize the page into a reasonable layout and determine if any other graphic elements should be required. In a magazine article or advertisement, often the graphic designer or art director will commission photographers or illustrators to create original pieces just to be incorporated into the design layout. Contemporary design practice has been extended to the modern computer, for example in the use of [[WYSIWYG]] user interfaces, often referred to as [[interactive design]], or [[multimedia]] design.

====Visual arts====
{{main|Visual arts}}

Before any graphic elements may be applied to a design, the graphic elements must be originated by means of visual art skills. These graphics are often (but not always) developed by a graphic designer. Visual arts include works which are primarily [[visual]] in nature using anything from [[media (arts)|traditional media]], to photography or [[computer generated]] art. Graphic design principles may be applied to each graphic art element individually as well as to the final composition.

====Typography====
{{main|Typography}}

Typography is the art, craft and techniques of type design, modifying type [[glyphs]], and arranging type. Type glyphs (characters) are created and modified using a variety of illustration techniques. The arrangement of type is the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing) and letter spacing.

Typography is performed by typesetters, compositors, typographers, graphic artists, art directors, and clerical workers. Until the Digital Age, typography was a specialized occupation. Digitization opened up typography to new generations of visual designers and lay users.

====Page layout====
{{main|Page layout}}

Page layout is the part of graphic design that deals in the arrangement and style treatment of elements (content) on a page. Beginning from early [[illuminated]] pages in hand-copied books of the [[Middle Ages]] and proceeding down to intricate modern magazine and catalog layouts, proper page design has long been a consideration in printed material. With print media, elements usually consist of [[typography|type]] (text), [[image]]s (pictures), and occasionally place-holder graphics for elements that are not printed with ink such as [[Die (manufacturing)|die]]/[[laser cutting]], [[foil stamping]] or [[embossing|blind embossing]].

====Interface design====
{{main|User interface design}}
Graphic designers are often involved in interface design, such as [[web design]] and [[software design]] when [[end user]] [[interactivity]] is a design consideration of the layout or interface. Combining visual communication skills with the interactive communication skills of user interaction and online branding, graphic designers often work with [[software developer]]s and [[web developer]]s to create both the [[look and feel]] of a web site or [[software application]] and enhance the interactive experience of the user or web site visitor. An important aspect of interface design is [[icon design]].

====Printmaking====
{{main|Printmaking}}

Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing on [[paper]] and other materials or surfaces. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable of producing multiples of the same piece, which is called a print. Each piece is not a copy but an original since it is not a reproduction of another work of art and is technically known as an impression. Painting or drawing, on the other hand, create a unique original piece of artwork. Prints are created from a single original surface, known technically as a matrix. Common types of matrices include: plates of metal, usually copper or zinc for engraving or etching; stone, used for lithography; blocks of wood for woodcuts, linoleum for linocuts and fabric plates for screen-printing. But there are many other kinds, discussed below. Works printed from a single plate create an edition, in modern times usually each signed and numbered to form a limited edition. Prints may also be published in book form, as artist's books. A single print could be the product of one or multiple techniques.

====Chromatics====

Chromatics is the field of how eyes perceive [[wiktionary:color|color]] and how to explain and organize those colors in the printer and on the monitor. The [[Retina]] in the eye is covered by two light-sensitive receptors that are named rods and cones.  Rods  are sensitive to light, but not sensitive to color. Cones are the opposite of rods. They are less sensitive to light, but color can be perceived.<ref>Kaj Johansson, Peter Lundberg, and Robert Ryberg “A Guide To Graphic Print Production“ pp.36</ref>

==Tools==
[[Image:Valued image stock.svg|thumb|Examples of graphic design made on a computer, setting out various possibilities for a [[Wikimedia Commons]] project icon.]]
One may consider the mind to be the most important graphic design tool. Aside from technology, graphic design requires [[judgment]] and [[creativity]]. Critical, observational, quantitative and analytic thinking are required for design layouts and [[artistic rendering|rendering]]. If the executor is merely following a solution (e.g. sketch, script or instructions) provided by another designer (such as an [[art director]]), then the executor is not usually considered the designer. 

In addition to making key content decisions, method of presentation (e.g. arrangement, style, medium) may be equally important to the design. The layout is produced using external [[media (arts)|traditional]] or [[digital image editing]] tools. Selecting the appropriate development and presentation tools for each project is critical in how the project will be perceived by its audience.

In the mid 1980s, the arrival of [[desktop publishing]] and [[graphic art software|graphic art software applications]] introduced a generation of designers to computer image manipulation and creation that had previously been manually executed. Computer graphic design enabled designers to instantly see the effects of layout or typographic, and to simulate the effects of traditional media without requiring a lot of space. However, traditional tools such as [[pencil]]s or [[Marker pen|markers]] are often used to develop ideas even when computers are used for finalization. Indeed, a designer or art director may well hand sketch numerous concepts as part of the [[creative process]]. Some of these sketches may even be shown to a client for early stage approval, before moving on to develop the idea further using a computer and [[graphic design software]] tools.

[[Computer]]s are generally considered to be an indispensable tool used in the graphic design industry. Computers and [[software application]]s are generally seen, by [[creative professional]]s, as more effective production [[tool]]s than traditional methods. However, some designers continue to use manual and traditional tools for production, such as [[Milton Glaser]].

New ideas can come by way of experimenting with tools and methods. Some designers explore ideas using pencil and paper to [[outside the box|avoid creating within the limits]] of whatever [[computer font]]s, [[clipart]], [[stock photo]]s, or rendering filters (e.g. [[Kai's Power Tools]]) are available on any particular configuration. Others use many different mark-making tools and resources from computers to sticks and mud as a means of inspiring creativity. One of the key features of graphic design is that it makes a tool out of appropriate image selection in order to convey meaning.<ref>Mike Rohde, [http://www.loosewireblog.com/pen_paper/index.html] [http://www.rohdesign.com/weblog/archives/000472.html] ''Wall Street Journal Mention in Jeremy Wagstaff's Loose Wire,'' Retrieved 3-19-2007</ref> 

====Computers and the creative process====
There is some debate whether computers enhance the creative process of graphic design.<ref>www.designtalkboard.com [http://www.designtalkboard.com/designtalk/index.php/topic,1030.0.html] [http://www.designtalkboard.com/designtalk/index.php/topic,1441.msg6356.html#msg6356] retrieved 3-18-2007</ref> Rapid production from the computer allows many designers to explore multiple ideas quickly with more detail than what could be achieved by traditional hand-rendering or [[paste up|paste-up]] on paper, moving the designer through the creative process more quickly.<ref>Jann Lawrence Pollard and Jerry James Little, ''Creative Computer Tools for Artists: Using Software to Develop Drawings and Paintings,'' Nov 2001 Introduction </ref> However, being faced with limitless choices does not help isolate the best design solution and can lead to designers endlessly iterating without a clear design outcome.

A graphic designer may use [[Sketch (drawing)|sketches]] to explore multiple or complex ideas quickly<ref>Jacci Howard Bear, [http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/basic/a/thumbnails.htm?terms=squiggle desktoppub.about.com] Retrieved 3-19-2008</ref> without the potential distractions of technical difficulties from software malfunctions or learning the software.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} Hand rendered [[Comprehensive layout|comps]] are often used to get approval of an idea execution before investing time to produce finished visuals on a computer or in paste-up. The same [[thumbnail]] sketches or rough drafts on paper may be used to rapidly refine and produce the idea on the computer in a hybrid process. This hybrid process is especially useful in [[logo]] design<ref>Gregory Thomas, ''How to Design Logos, Symbols and Icons: 24 Internationally Renowned Studios Reveal How They Develop Trademarks for Print and New Media,'' April 2003, pp:48 </ref> where a software [[learning curve]] may detract from a creative thought process. The traditional-design/computer-production hybrid process may be used for freeing one's creativity in [[page layout]] or [[image development (visual arts)|image development]] as well.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} Traditional graphic designers employed computer-savvy [[production artist]]s to  produce their ideas from sketches, without needing to learn the computer skills themselves. However, this practice has been increasingly less common since the advent of [[desktop publishing]] over 30 years and its integration with graphic design courses.

==Occupations==
{{main|Graphic design occupations}}

Graphic design career paths cover all ends of the [[creative industries|creative spectrum]] and often overlap.  The main job responsibility of a Graphic Designer is the arrangement of visual elements in some type of media. The main job titles include [[graphic designer]], [[art director]], [[creative director]], and the entry level [[production artist]]. Depending on the industry served, the responsibilities may have different titles such as "[[DTP associate|DTP Associate]]" or "[[Graphic Artist]]," but despite changes in title, graphic design principles remain consistent. The responsibilities may come from or lead to specialized skills such as [[illustration]], [[photography]] or [[interactive design]].

A graphic designer reports to the [[art director]], [[creative director]], [[senior media creative]] or [[creative director]]. As a designer becomes more senior, they may spend less time designing media and more time leading and directing other designers on broader creative activities, such as [[brand]] development and [[corporate identity]] development. As graphic designers become more senior, they are often expected to interact more directly with clients.

==See also==

* [[Open design]]
* [[Web design]]
* [[Design]]
* [[Art]]
* [[Fashion design]]

{{Portal|Visual arts|WPVA-khamsa.png}}
====Related disciplines====
{| width="100%"
|- valign=top
|width="33%"|
*[[Architecture]]
*[[Art director]]
*[[Communication design]]
*[[Copywriting]]
*[[Creative director|Creative direction]]
*[[Desktop publishing]]
*[[Design]]
|width="33%"|
*[[Environmental graphic design]]
*[[Industrial design]]
*[[Information design]]
*[[Instructional design]]
*[[Interface design]]
*[[Marketing communications]]
|width="33%"|
*[[Motion design]]
*[[New Media]]
*[[Technical writing]]
*[[Typography]]
*[[Web graphic design]]
|}

====Related topics====
{| width="100%"
|- valign=top
|width="33%"|
*[[List of graphic designers|List of notable graphic designers]]
*[[:Category:Graphic design schools|List of graphic design institutions]]
*[[Aesthetics]]
*[[Color theory]]
*[[Composition (visual arts)]]
*[[Design principles and elements]]
|width="33%"|
*[[European Design Awards]]
*[[Graphic art software]]
*[[Graphic design occupations]]
*[[Graphics]]
*[[Information graphics]]
*[[Logotype]]
*[[Professional web designers]]
*[[Style guide]]
|width="33%"|
*[[Visualization (computer graphics)]]
*[[Value (colorimetry)]]
*[[Newspaper]]
*[[Paper]]
*[[Pen]]
|}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Fiell, Charlotte & Peter (Editors). Contemporary Graphic Design. TASCHEN Publishers, 2008. ISBN 978-3-8228-5269-9
* Wiedemann, Julius & Taborda, Felipe (Editors). Latin-American Graphic Design. TASCHEN Publishers, 2008. ISBN 978-3-8228-4035-1

== External links ==
* Contemporary Graphic Design: http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/design/all/04417/facts.contemporary_graphic_design.htm
* [http://www.thedesignencyclopedia.org/ Design Encyclopedia (The)]
* [http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos090.htm Government Graphic Design Statistics]
* [http://www.designtalkboard.com/design-articles/job-descriptions.php Graphic design job definitions]
* [http://www.howdesign.com/ HOW Design Magazine]

=== Graphic Design Professional Associations ===
* [http://www.agda.com.au/ Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA)]
* [http://www.icograda.org Icograda (International Council of Graphic Design Associations)]
* [http://www.aiga.org/ AIGA | the professional association for design]
* [http://www.rgdontario.com/ RGD Ontario | Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario]
* [http://www.gdc.net/ GDC | Society of Graphic Designers of Canada]
* [http://www.gag.org Graphic Arts Guild]


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[[Category:Graphic design]]
[[Category:Communication design]]