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.