7 Interesting Facts About Graphic Design

According to Merriam-Webster, graphic design is “the art or profession of using design elements (such as typography and images) to convey information or create an effect”. Graphic design is present in just about everything we see in our daily lives. It’s on social media, websites, billboards, magazines, books, restaurants, etc. In addition, businesses use graphic design to advertise and promote their products or services and their brands. With everything that graphic design encompasses (typography, logo design, brand identity, illustration, etc.), how much do you know about graphic design? Well, here are 7 interesting facts about graphic design that’ll help you know more.

1. William Addison Dwiggins coined the word “graphic design” in 1922.

Williams Addison Dwiggins was a type designer, calligrapher, illustrator, and book designer. Dwiggins created the term due to the diverse types of graphic work he was doing. Some of the fonts he created are Electra, Caledonia, and Metrolite.

2. You don’t have to have a college degree to be a graphic designer.

You can self-teach yourself graphic design (in any of its categories) by way of books and online courses. You’ll need to have a stellar portfolio that showcases your work. Then, you can become a freelancer, create your own design agency/studio, or work for a design agency/studio.

3. One of the most popularly used sans serif typefaces in the world is Helvetica.

Designer Max Miedinger created the Helvetica font in 1957. Companies such as American Airlines, Jeep, Target, and Verizon Wireless use Helvetica in their logos. Also, the United States government uses Helvetica on the federal income tax forms.

4. Graphic Design is a highly competitive industry.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, graphic design jobs overall are expected to grow by 3% from now to 2028. However, graphic designers who are in computer systems design can expect to see a projected employment growth of 24% within this period. In contrast, graphic designers who are in a newspaper, book, or other publisher types of design can expect to see a projected employment decrease of 22% within this period.

5. The first computer graphic design software was created in the 1960s with a program called Sketchpad.

Ivan Sutherland created a computer program called Sketchpad. This program was the predecessor to CAD (Computer-Aided Design). Sketchpad helped show that computer graphics could be used for artistic and technical uses. Also, it helped to start the human-computer interaction. In this video, you can see how Sketchpad was originally used.

6. British computer scientist, Tim Berners-Lee, created the first website on August 6, 1991.

Berners-Lee created the site to describe the World Wide Web Project and how to use it. Prior to this, different computers stored different information. To access this information, you had to log into each of the computers. Additionally, sometimes the computers had different programs that you had to learn too. Here is the link to the first website created.

7. The Art Nouveau movement helped pave the way for Pop Art and Psychedelic style art.

Art Nouveau was a type of ornamental art that used flowery organic lines. It flourished from 1890 – 1910 in both the US and Europe. Some of Art Nouveau’s elements can be found today in fashion, typography, architecture, album covers, and more. For example, Jedi Mind Trick’s (a rap duo) album cover for The Thief and the Fallen uses Art Nouveau.

Hope you’ve enjoyed these 7 interesting facts about graphic design. For more graphic design facts, check out this article on technology’s effect on the graphic design industry.