Graphic design: all that meets the eye and so much more!

Take a moment to look around the room or the area where you are right now. Chances are, there are plenty of examples of graphic design. In the classroom, there may be posters and books. In the kitchen, there may be packages of all kinds, from boxes to cans. And on the street, there may be billboards and signs.

Graphic design is truly everywhere. Did you know that a graphic designer was involved in the creation of all twenty of the items listed on the next page? In fact, if you look at anything that is printed, a graphic designer was involved in the process. Graphic designers help create Internet pages and other forms of digital communication, too!

Graphic designers are also known as graphic artists. So, what is the difference between a graphic artist and an artist who does painting or sculpture? Essentially, one of them expresses and the other communicates. Painter or sculpture artists express beauty and feelings through their art.

Graphic artists communicate information and ideas through their work. Sometimes, what the graphic artist does is very close to art and there is not much difference between the two. We can understand graphic artists better if we take a look at the tools they use.

These days, much of the work of the graphic artist is done on a computer using software programs like Adobe InDesign and Illustrator. The computer doesn't do all the work, though. It's still important to use some hands-on, natural creativity. Any good graphic artist still sits down with a pencil and paper and sketches out some ideas at the beginning of a project. These sketches are sometimes called "thumbnails."

Let's see how a graphic designer's skills come together to create a common cereal box.

The graphic artist meets with the client, in this case probably someone from the marketing department of the cereal company. The graphic artist finds out critical information, like who the audience for the product is (you!), what image the company wants to portray, what information needs to be included on the package, and where the product is going to be sold.

The graphic artist sketches out some different ideas or thumbnails for the client to consider. The graphic artist takes one or two of the client's favorite ideas and creates some sample packages on the computer screen. These may be printed out on paper.

The graphic artist makes changes that the client requests, then sends digital files of the final package design to the printer.

The printer turns the digital files into printing plates and prints the packages. The packages go to the cereal company to get filled and sent to stores where the graphic artist's work captures the attention of kids like you and let's you know what fun and tasty cereal is inside!

Graphic artists help to make our world colorful, interesting and informative. Grocery shelves, bookstore shelves, video shelves and mailboxes would be very drab without their work. Nothing could really get printed without them!

So now, as you look around the classroom, the kitchen, the grocery store or the street, you will know that the talents of graphic artists everywhere helped to make those signs and packages and books and posters come alive to make a difference in your daily life.

Some of the many products that graphic artists help to design:

CD/DVD packaging Food packaging Drink packaging Video packaging Books Magazines Catalogs T-shirts Billboards Posters Mousepads Wrapping paper Grocery store flyers Baseball cards Greeting cards Calendars Game boards Newsletters Newspapers Menus

Christy Semple is a trainer and David Watterson is the Art Director for PIA/GATF (Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation), a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocacy, education, research and technical information in the printing industry.