Electronic Media Design

Multimedia, film title, television graphics, and video games are only a few of the many elements that fall under electronic media design.  People in this field of design most likely work for film studios, motion picture production firms, television stations, video game designers and a few others.  Throughout this area of design you will most likely develop excellent computer skills in a variety of softwares, gain relevant experience through many part time jobs and internships, stay current with media and cultural trends as well as participate in many different design contests.

Three-Dimensional Design

If you get a degree in three-dimensional design, then you qualify to do various things such as signage, environmental design, packaging, exhibition design, and promotional display design.    Companies that would possibly hire you are design firms, product design divisions of large corporations, advertising agencies, museums and attractions, and government agencies.  In this field you will gain skills in model building and three-dimensional design as well as develop a willingness to experiment.  You may also join a related professional association and participate in design contests.

Print Design

Print design is the most basic of graphic design, you have a hand in creating items both large and small, from posters to logos and much more.  With print design you can do a variety of things ranging from magazine design to identity design such as company logos.  You can also do cover designs for cd's, books, or even videos.  Companies that produce print designs are various publishers, design firms, advertising agencies, large retail stores, or you could be self employed.  Through print design you will develop great communication skills and learn to work well on a team, plus you will gain problem-solving skills and pay more attention to detail.

What can I do if I major in Graphic Design?

If you were to go to college and earn a degree in graphic design there are many different career opportunities for you.  The most basic area of this degree would be Print Design, next would come Three Dimensional Design, then Electronic Media Design/4D design, and finally Advertising.  All of these fields have many different areas within them in which you could pursue a career.  We will go into more detail about the job opportunities for each of these areas with post to follow.

It's a video.

Just incase you are still a bit confused about graphic design, I have found this really neat video on you tube.  The videos shows all the different stages it takes to produce a good graphic design piece.  Take a look!

Watch Me!

Logos

Logos are also another form of graphic design that we see everyday.  When you look at a business or company's name chances are that you are looking at their logo, and that their logo was created through graphic design.  Many company's also have some sort of symbol in their logo, so that when we see just that symbol we think of that specific company.  To be able to create an appropriate logo or symbol for a company the design artist must have a clear understanding of the company's mission or purpose.  For example, when you think of CBS News you think of the eye that they have associated with their name.  The eyeball is a symbol of what they do; they are like eyes for the community to see what is going on.

Image and Type Based

A lot of times artist will even do both image and type based graphic design just to be sure to get the desired message across.  The artist has to be very careful and sure that they find the appropriate balance when creating a piece that involves both.  The image you see here is a good example of both type and image based design because they use a quote about memories, and when the viewer looks at the picture they can instantly understand what it means.  Although not everyone drives this type of car or has been to the field, seeing the image and reading the quote takes you back to a time that you made a memory.

Image-Based

Image-Based graphic design is when the design artist uses just an image to represent a message to the viewer.  The image the artist uses may not only communicate the message but can also communicate emotions and moods.  "A picture is worth a thousand words" is a perfect way to describe this type of graphic design because artists usually use no words and rely fully on the image to get the point across.  This is an example of image-based photography; we all know the peace sign and by putting the peace sign over the Earth, the artist putting across the message for their to be peace on earth.

Type-Based

I personally like type-based graphic design better than image-based.  I feel like when you use words in a creative way, you can get more out of the meaning.  The picture I have included says "Just don't shoot let peace be the way".  Putting the words in the shape of a gun really catches my attention, and portrays the meaning so much better than if the quote was to be simply written.

What is graphic design?

     Many people don't understand what graphic design is, until you explain to them.  Graphic design is everything you see that promotes a company, or that delivers a message.  It can be anything from a company logo to a poster you hang on your walls at your house.  You don't realize all the things around you that are created by graphic design, until you really take a moment to think about it.  Almost everthing you see has some sort of graphic design involved to its making.  The picture you see is an example of both image-based and type-based design.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! This is my first post, and I just want to let you know that over the next few months I will be blogging about Graphic Design; what it is, how it is used, and the role it plays in our world today. My hopes for this blog are that not only do I learn from it, but so does the reader.

-Blair