What is Graphic Design?

On a rainy Wednesday morning, I walk to the bus stop. I am carrying my book bag, my computer bag, my toolbox, a lunch, and my oversized portfolio case slung over my right shoulder. As I try to free a hand to open my umbrella, a woman who is already waiting at the stop watches me with intrigue. “You an artist?” she asks. “Sorta. I’m studying graphic design.” “Oh yeah? What’s that?” “It’s everything,” I smile. Three years of design school have taught me that graphic design is ubiquitous. It is the coffee cup we sip from on our way to work. It is the website we comb in search of new information. It is the sign we read that tells us where to go. It surrounds us. It permeates our environments and influences our culture. It is persuasive, powerful, and when done correctly, absolutely transparent. “Do you ever notice packaging? Or look at traffic signs or websites?” I ask the woman. “You build websites?” Her eyes brighten with recognition. “Well … yeah, that too,” I say, trying to allude to my discipline’s enormity. To know it by one name only is not to see it in its entirety. “Basically,” I say, “I help people communicate their ideas to other people.” “Hmm,” she says, “sounds useful.” I smile, “it is.” What is design? It is information with meaning, the language of the creative mind, planned visual communication. It is changing. It is you, it is me. It is and always will be.

Viewing the world differently

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