What is Graphic Design?

Is Graphic Design "art"? Like true art, it is definitely misunderstood by the general public. A view of this (very entertaining) video gives one a glimpse of what the layman considers graphic design to be. What many don't realize is that Graphic Design is an integral part of thousands of activities they go through every day. Paul Rand is quoted here as saying, "Everything is design. Everything!" The food you buy, the television you watch, the magazines you read, the buses you ride... Graphic design influenced your decisions to partake in all of these.

You might be asking yourself, "Who in the world is Paul Rand?" I did. Go ahead and Google him. You will see that he has created logos that have been in use by nationally-recognized companies for as long as you've likely been alive. You've never thought about who created those logos, have you? That is Graphic Design. Joshua Porter of Bokardo explains it best. Good graphic design is design that you don't think about. It just appeals to your sensibilities, it compels you to partake in the gifts you are offered without thought.

A gentleman in the linked video stated that anyone with a computer can create design. But we all know that is not true. While laypeople believe that design is as simple as plugging a logo into a web page, we know the amount of thought that goes into each piece that we create. We must identify our target audience, we must create that logo that will please them. We must choose colors that will please them. We must please our clients and our superiors, and we must (hopefully) create a unique idea that nobody in the history of the world has thought of before us.

Whatever Graphic Design is... it is difficult to do it well!