With new trends showcased every year, graphic design has evolved into beautiful works of art. Even still, there are graphic design misconceptions that some designers believe to this day. The term graphic design was first used in the 1920s by illustrator William Dwiggins from Ohio.
By the 1950s, the term had caught on worldwide and used to describe more than just illustrations. For example, it included visual materials such as signage, print advertisements and posters.
But technology has a way of changing more than just tech specific things. With this in mind, techniques of graphic design has also changed. Now, it encompasses the creative works in both digital and virtual reality realms.
Due to many versions of graphic design in past years, it’s no surprise that there are misconceptions regarding what it means. This blog post will shed light on 5 of the most common graphic design misconceptions.
1. Graphic Design Has To Be Trendy
As we all know, trends come and go. In 2021, it was all about imaginative and creative emojis, nature-inspired design, and optical illusions. Undoubtedly, this year has brought a new set of visual trends. And many artists have chosen to make their designs available for sell online.
Incorporating trends into your designs can be fun. However, they shouldn’t be the primary focus. Designs that use short-lived trends can quickly look dated in just a few months. Ultimately, they will lose their impact on your audience. So, another misconception about graphic design is that it has to be trendy.
2. Graphic Designers Have Innate Creative Abilities
Albeit some graphic designers have a natural creative eye, it doesn’t mean you have to be born with this ability. Like most things, graphic design is a skill that can learned and taught. So, it’s not always just about bringing a creation to life.
In fact, this art form is about science and art. Even math plays a role to precisely position elements on a digital canvas. Given these points, both technique and method are essential in producing an awe-inspiring and powerful design.
3. It’s All About Creating Logos
Yes, logo designing is one of the top art pieces created using the graphic designing process. And logos are an important asset for any business. But graphic design is NOT just about creating a logo design.
It’s one of the most common graphic design misconceptions to believe that it’s solely about creating logos. Instead, graphic designing is the art of creating visual content to convey a certain message.
As such, it can be applied to a wide array of mediums. For instance, presentations, magazine spreads, infographics, posters, book covers – the list goes on!
4. Graphic Designing Is Only For Print Medium
It’s a huge graphic design misconception to think that it can only apply to offline mediums. With many businesses almost completely digital, the application of graphic design is more in use on digital platforms than offline mediums.
Social media designs, email and website designs all have graphics integrated. These are just three of the many examples that clearly debunk the misconceptions about graphic design.
5.Fancy Tools Are Required
Many seasoned graphic graphics use a tablet with a stylus and complex software for precise design elements. Even though these tools give designers more design freedom, they are also expensive. Not to mention, it takes years to master them.
Fortunately, the average person can do well with Photoshop and Illustrator to design creative elements.
