10 Types of Graphic Design to Consider for Your Career

If you’re a creative person, at some point, you’ve probably considered a career in graphic design. However, graphic design is a broad area that encompasses plenty of different types of design. Even though all of them can be collectively called “graphic design,” they are all different, and you may enjoy one more than the other. In this post, we will go over some of the different careers you, as a graphic designer, can choose to become a professional.

1. Advertising design

Modern marketing teams simply cannot function without graphic designers. Anything from brochures to big billboards or even whole marketing campaigns needs to be designed well so that it captures the eye of the potential customer. Humans are visual beings, and companies have learned to exploit this by making engaging visual content for their advertisements. Of course, it’s the graphic designer’s job to create this visual. Social media graphics, email marketing templates, and content marketing are just some of the digital uses of marketing and advertising design.

2. Branding design

Branding design focuses on the company’s visual identity, utilizing it to send a message in line with the company’s ethos. Branding designers must be synchronized with the marketing team - they must be on the same page regarding what type of message they want to send and what audience they want to reach. Therefore, a branding designer must sacrifice some of the designer’s freedom, as all designs must fit the aesthetics of the company because their branding often drives a customer’s perception of a company. If done well, branding can have a profound impact on customers.

3. Environmental design

Environmental design is a multidisciplinary skill that combines elements from architecture, interior, landscape, and industrial design. A good environmental design makes the environment, well, look nice, but also makes it memorable, informative, or easier to navigate. The main purpose of environmental design is to help people find their way and better navigate their surroundings. Making a great environmental design is not an easy task, and in order to create something truly amazing, you’ll need to have a basic understanding of architecture.

4. Publication design

In the traditional sense, publication design refers to printed publications - books, magazines, newspapers, etc. However, the advancements in digital media have broadened the meaning of publication design. Now, eBooks, email newsletters, online journals, and many other digital publications are all in need of designers to make their publications look presentable, even though they are not intended for print. Publication design jobs are usually connected to publishing companies, but some work as freelancers too.

5. UI design

One of the most popular types of design nowadays must be UI design. With the rise of computers, and particularly smartphones, every company that’s developed an app has had to employ a UI designer to make the app look beautiful. In essence, the user interface (UI) design focuses on the aesthetic and style of a user interface. UI designers must work closely with UX designers, which is why they’re often careful with their designs - they must make the app look nice without disrupting the app’s usability. Graphic designers who focus on UI design tend to specialize in web apps, mobile apps, and games.

6. Web design

In 2020, a website is the single most important thing a company can have to gain visibility on the market. As the market’s generally tough, it can be of crucial importance to produce a well-designed website, which might be the factor that would sway the customers your way. Web designers are in charge of producing such designs. They deal with the page layout, they choose images and decide on the best typography that will appear on the website. As UI designers, web designers work closely with UX designers to make the whole design look nice and useful to the customers.

7. Packaging design

Let’s return back to the physical world for a short moment. When you visit a grocery store or a retailer, you can, of course, see many different products on the shelves that come in various packages. As the competition is generally very hard, producers must use everything at their disposal to try and sell their product before the competitor. A good packaging design is one of the weapons in their arsenal. It is often said that the packaging sells the product, and it’s the packaging designer’s job to make it happen. Packaging designers utilize colors, shapes, and typography to try to seel the products by influencing customers’ perception of the product.

8. Motion design

Sometimes static designs just do no good. It might be hard to convey the correct message through still images, which is why it’s important that motion designers do their job. Today, examples of motion design can be found across all digital platforms, such as in GIFs, apps, website design, etc. If you have experience or you wish to learn motion graphics, then perhaps motion design is the right one for you.

9. Apparel design

Apparel designers create original images for clothing. In order to do so effectively, they need to understand the customers to make sure their graphics are in line with the company’s branding while being visually appealing to the audience. Apparel designers design various images and font-based graphics printed on shirts and other clothing pieces offered by the company. Apparel designers usually have a developed sense of fashion, so if you think that you can create the next big fashion thing, this area of design is just for you.

10. Logo design

Last but not least, there’s logo design. Logo designers do a lot of research before they create their designs. They need to know as much as possible about the target audience, about the market, and about symbols. This designer employs distinct colors and shapes that relate to the brand identity of the company or product. They must also keep their eye on the other designs on the market, as they must make sure that they’re not copying anyone else on the market.

Conclusion

All areas of design provide unique challenges, which means that whichever one you choose to pursue professionally, you’ll surely have lots of fun. Not only that but because the designers are in high demand, you’ll probably make a nice buck in the process. Choose the correct area for yourself and always do your best to create something you can be proud of.