When I tell people what I do for a living, many assume that that just means drawing, painting, or logo creation. In reality, graphic design is much broader and can apply to a multitude of areas and industries. In fact, one of the reasons I chose this profession was for its versatility.
When you start to look around, you’ll find that graphic design is everywhere. It’s in the cereal box at your grocery store, the environmental signage at the airport, the menu at your favorite restaurant, and in the apps on your phone. It’s in every movie poster, email blast, deodorant bottle, social justice movement, road sign, and TV commercial.
Likewise, when I seek out inspiration, I don’t need to visit an art museum or an upscale design firm for award winning content. I can walk down the street and soak it all in. My point is this – graphic design is not some unattainable industry that only serves the elite. It is in our daily life, in our common environments. And its basic principles dictate that it be as accessible and digestible as possible.
Recently, the design industry has sought to make information not only more legible but also more accessible to the masses. In some instances, this means adding sufficient contrast to ensure readability for those who are color-blind. Or, it could mean incorporating website text scalability for the visually impaired. In this way, it’s breaking down barriers that the creative industry has had with the public since the days of Renaissance portrait painting. Now, design is for all.