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What does a graphic designer do?

A graphic designer is just one of the creative design roles that people can do. Others include:

  • Artworker - a person who takes designs completed by a graphic designer and prepares them for production. For example, a graphic designer creates a brand with brand guidelines. An Artworker than rolls the brand out across production assets.
  • Creative director - The leading role within a creative team, setting the direction and overseeing quality control
  • Illustrator
  • Animator

What exactly does a graphic designer do?

A graphic designer is responsible for making ideas happen through the art of design. They're creative individuals who can take an idea and bring it to life.

A typical graphic design process follows this process:

  • Somebody (potentially a client or co-worker in the work environment) has a need, i.e., taking a new product to market, launching a new brand, and so on
  • A vision is given to a graphic designer in the form of a brief
  • A graphic designer takes the brief and creates creative concepts based on what the brief is trying to achieve/do
  • Amends are provided (if required) to the graphic designer
  • Final amends are made and the design project is signed off

What tools do graphic designers use?

Graphic designers will typically use tools such as the Adobe design suite:

  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe InDesign

As an emerging trend, Canva is also more commonly used for design. However, it is more common for a designer to use the Adobe suit to create a brand and then for an artworker to roll out the brand via Canva. It is rare that a designer would use Canva to create a brand due to its limitations.

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