We see graphics everywhere we go, so much so to the point where we rely on them for our guidance sometimes. Airports, train stations, bus stations, and tourist information all rely on graphics to direct us to other terminals, train platforms, the right bus or coach and the airport gate where our plane is waiting. As we drive along the streets and road we see small pictures of a tent, for example and we know immediately that it means a campground is close by. We see a picture of a picnic table and we know there is a rest area nearby or a white ‘H’ on a blue back ground, we know is a hospital. We rely on thousands of those tiny helpful graphics every single day of our lives and yet we never give them a single conscious thought.
When it comes to graphic design Minneapolis MN will have companies who design the street signs, signals and information that people will follow to get from point A to point B during their working day or their visit. The same applies to all other cities that require signs and graphics.
What Are Graphics?
Graphics are a way of communicating a specific thing to the public without the use of words. It’s like looking at a picture book until you can read the words. Graphics depict all manner of symbols that tell us where to go, what to do, which road to follow, how to get somewhere and it uses visual art instead of letters. We commonly see graphics used in the forms of pictures, icons, emoticons, posters, advertisements, product packaging and billboards, as well as road signs and information boards. It takes us back to the days of cave paintings when drawings would depict our message before we had the written word.
The designing of a graphic image is all about placement. When the editor of a magazine decides the best way to lay out the pages they think about appeal, visual impact and how to illuminate the page to captivate the reader. The same applies to all other visual applications in many arenas. Prior to computer aided design—CAD—we used pencils, rulers and paper to design our messages and they were transferred to the appropriate medium.
