The Seven Subcategories of Graphic Design

Although there are many forms of graphic design, I’ve included the seven most frequent subcategories. Although there will be some overlap across occupations, graphic designers can apply their abilities in various roles depending on the business and sector they work in.

Product design

The sorts of items that product designers create will primarily rely on the sectors in which they work but might include anything from children’s toys to cutting-edge technology. Product designers utilise their expertise and research to design and develop new products. To ensure that their product would appeal to their target market and not violate the copyright of their competitors, these designers must do market research. They start by researching and making sketches that lead to prototypes of their concepts, which go into production once thoroughly reviewed.

Branding design

To be a successful brand designer, you must understand the primary message your customer or employer wants to convey to their target audience. Branding is about a company’s visual identity. You must ensure that each branding component complements the others and captures the company’s overall vision. It is up to the brand designer to ensure they convey the brand’s story. It will involve utilising various typefaces, colours, and designs to visually represent the company’s message, values, and ethos. Branding has a significant role in customers’ overall perception of a company. Branding encompasses many elements but typically includes logos, business cards, signs, and document design.

Website design

Good graphic design is the backbone of every website or app you use. To ensure that sites are user-friendly on all devices, graphic designers must understand user experience design. To ensure that the websites look good and are easy to navigate so the user can find what they are looking for quickly and easily, website designers need to understand user behaviour. It is also essential that websites are designed with popular search engines like Google in mind. Designing search engine-friendly websites is vital if you want your website to be ranked highly on Google. It’s also essential for designers to understand the message the company wants to get across to its audience and be able to tell the company’s story beautifully.

Print design

Print designers usually work digitally to create designs that will be printed in a physical form, which can be on materials ranging from paper to plastics. Most businesses still utilise business cards and other print design components as part of their overall branding to appeal to clients in the physical world, even if the digital age has led to companies and brands digitising their material.

Publishing design

Even while the number of people using digital devices grows yearly, there is still a vast market for publishing anything from books to magazines. When designing and publishing media, it is essential to create eye-catching covers that will appeal to the target audience and design pages that are easy to understand and navigate and add value to the media.

Environmental design

Environmental design mixes standard design techniques with the environment and architecture of a place. This often comprises building displays, outdoor signs, and exterior design components like statues and fountains. This might include signals, maps, and other visual cues people use to find their way about in the real world.

Animation design

The demand for animation designers has significantly increased as the digital world has grown. They do anything from cartoons to animated graphics using graphic design and specialised tools. These animations are frequently utilised to aid learning through educational films and are generally found in TV shows and video games.

If you want to find out more about graphic design, check out our other blogs or get in touch if you have a design project you need to complete for your company.