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Should I Do Graphic Design Or Illustration?
There is no one course of study that is “the right” for all, but there are some common programmes that cater to the artistically inclined. Illustration and graphic design are two of the most common art school concentrations. Although both majors share some similarities, they also vary in terms of education and career opportunities.
To assist those deciding between these distinct art school systems, we have contrasted them in a few primary ways to see if they differ.
What you will do
Graphic design workshops teach students the fundamentals of visually expressing knowledge and feeling. You can practise graphic design in various mediums, from classic print to cutting-edge multimedia and tablet. Graphic design students learn how to create art that incorporates text, animation, and other design elements to create a coherent message.
Illustration students use their art to illustrate stories. Whereas graphic designers are concerned with the overall appearance, including colours, fonts, and layouts, illustration majors are more concerned with studying how to produce concrete images. Students in illustration programmes learn how to use drawing and digital art techniques to create works that reinforce the message of a book, post, storey, or website.
Descriptions of employment
Graphic artists work on a variety of campaigns, ranging from magazine advertisements to food packaging. Their job is to give a campaign or product a certain feel or identity that is visible. Graphic designers work in a collaborative environment, often interacting with clients, art directors, advertisers, executives, and other designers. There is also a wide freelance demand for graphic designers – about 20% of graphic designers in the United Kingdom are self-employed.
Illustrators, like graphic artists, can operate in various settings but are most often hired by publishers: companies that create magazines, newspapers, books, and journals, among other things. Today, there is also a growing need for digital illustrators who can design illustrations for websites and apps. Illustrators that specialise in areas such as anatomy, genetics, and chemistry are also in high demand.
What major do you pursue: illustration or graphic design?
Like most questions about what to read, the response to this dilemma is largely up to you. If you are good at drawing and sketching and enjoy the thought of making art that reinforces the message of an accompanying post, plot, or essay, the illustration might be a good fit for you.
Graphic design, on the other hand, could be a great fit if you love working with a team and want to produce more detailed projects that use colour, structure, lines, and space to express a brand or feeling through a range of mediums. You can study graphic design with Blue Sky Graphics online.
The two domains are not mutually exclusive: some graphic designers are also illustrators and graphic designers who are illustrators. Both careers have a similar perspective in terms of pay and career prospects, and they are both excellent choices for an artist who wants to work for themselves. Learn as much as you can about both majors, talk to professors and experts in each discipline, and select the one that appeals to your creative imagination and passions.
Understanding the eight categories of graphic design will help you choose the right skills for the job, whether you are an aspiring artist or looking for your company’s design services.
Visual Identity Graphic Design
A brand is a partnership that exists between a business or entity and its customers. A brand identity is a way an organisation expresses its personality, tone, and meaning, as well as its memories, feelings, and experiences. The visual identity graphic design is just what it sounds like: the visual elements of a brand’s branding that serve as the brand’s face, communicating intangible values through photographs, forms, and colour.
Visual identity graphic designers work with brand owners to develop tools such as logos, typography, colour palettes, and image libraries that reflect a brand’s personality. Designers also create a series of visual branding standards (style guides) that define best practices and include examples of visual branding implemented across diverse channels in addition to traditional business cards and corporate stationery—these guidelines aid in maintaining brand continuity in potential implementations.
To produce design features appropriate for all visual media, visual identity graphic designers must have a general knowledge of all aspects of graphic design. They must also have strong leadership skills, conceptual and imaginative thinking, and a desire to learn about markets, organisations, developments, and rivals.
Graphic Design in Marketing and Advertising
Many people associate graphic design with templates designed for ads and advertisements.
Businesses rely on active marketing campaigns to influence the purchasing decisions of their target audience. People are drawn to a good, service, or brand based on their preferences, wants experience and satisfaction. Since visual content is often more attractive to customers, the graphic design lets companies advertise and collaborate more efficiently.
Marketing designers collaborate with business owners, directors, administrators, and marketing experts to develop marketing properties. They can work individually or as part of an artistic or internal team. Designers may specialise in a particular medium (for example, car wraps or magazine ads) or produce a wide range of support materials for print, digital, and other media. While this position has historically been based on print, it has expanded to include more digital properties, especially in content marketing.
Typography, photographs, colour, and form are used in graphic design to solve challenges and express ideas. They must be familiar with development for both print and web formats, in addition to learning numerous graphic design, architecture, and presentation applications. Entry-level jobs in this field are excellent opportunities for new designers to understand the processes and develop useful expertise and experience.
User Interface Graphic Design
A user interface (UI) is how a user communicates with a computer or programme. UI design is the practice of creating simple to use interfaces and have a pleasant user experience.
A user interface covers anything in which a user communicates (screen, keyboard, and mouse). Still, in the sense of graphic design, user interface design focuses on the visual environment of the user as well as the design of on-screen graphic features such as buttons, menus, micro-interactions, and more. A user interface designer’s role is to strike a balance between visual beauty and technical functionality.
Desktop apps, smartphone applications, online applications, and gaming are all areas at which user interface designers excel. They collaborate closely with UX programmers (who design the application’s interface) and UI engineers (who write code to make it work).
User interface designers must collaborate as a team, relying on both serious graphic design expertise and a thorough knowledge of user interface/axiology, responsive design, and web creation concepts. They must be familiar with programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in addition to visual applications.
