As you grow more familiar with the world of design, you’ll likely come across two terms that people use interchangeably: brand design and graphic design. Though they overlap, each has its own roles and specific goals. So, the question: Is brand design under graphic design?
This blog will cover how a brand designer and a graphic designer are linked, highlight the differences between a brand designer and a graphic designer, and discuss when you should hire the right expert for your brand. And along the way, we’ll share examples from the real world and testimonials from users to elucidate on the concepts.
What is Graphic Design?
Graphic design is a visual communication art. Graphic designers develop visual content to deliver messages, ideas, and information. From logos to brochures, websites to social media graphics, graphic design has a hand in various industries, from advertising and marketing to media.
Graphic designers craft images that tell a story and communicate a message to the audience. They typically deal with typography, imagery, color palettes, and layouts that ensure the designs serve their functionality while being visually best suited for the users.
What is Brand Design?
Starting with graphic design this is a broad area that encompasses a multitude of disciplines and focuses on the visual communication of various elements. Whereas a brand designer is not only responsible for developing a complete visual identity but also encompasses a brand’s personality, values, and mission. This can be done through logos, color palettes, typography, and even through branding guidelines to make sure everything matches across your marketing materials.
Though brand design leverages components of graphic design, it takes a more strategic approach. The ultimate goal of brand design is to ensure that a business’s identity not only resonates with its target audience, but also is aligned with the brand’s values.
Brand Design vs Graphic Design
The difference between brand design and graphics design comes down to the purpose and scope. Brand design is wider and serves to influence how people perceive a company or product. It includes logos and packaging, tone of voice, and messaging. Graphic design, in contrast, is a more expansive discipline that encompasses many types of visual work whose goal is to communicate information and that isn’t necessarily related to a brand’s identity.
Here’s a convenient breakdown of the two:
Brand design refers to the process of developing and managing a cohesive identity for a brand.
Graphic design is the element of art dedicated to creating visually compelling materials for particular purposes, such as brochures and advertisements or websites.
Branding & Graphic Design: Amalgamations Between The Two
Though brand design is a different discipline from graphic design, the two often overlap. The reason for this is because working on brand design requires a good map of graphic design fundamentals. For instance, when a brand designer is creating a logo, they must know about graphic design principles like composition, typography, and color theory.
In which a graphic designer skills are often utilized in the area of brand design. Graphic designers are important in bringing the visual identity of the brand to life and creating marketing materials such as social media ads, website graphics, or product packaging.
We did this with a local café when designing their brand, but first connecting with their mission and values. Next, our brand designer helped them define a unified look and feel that would resonate with their market, enabling them to establish a loyal customer base. It was clear how good branding had an impact on their business.
A Beginner’s Guide: The Graphic Design Branding Process
Graphic design branding process Understanding their business, values, and goals is the starting graphic design branding process. Here’s the general process for getting started:
Discovery: Learning the brand’s mission, values, and goals.
Idea: Get ideas for visual identity.
Design Development: Design logos, color palettes, typography, and visual elements.
Implementation: putting the brand design into action on marketing material, website, packaging and more.
The graphic designer plays a crucial part in that process. They also ensure that each visual component of the branding is consistent with the brand’s values and conveys its message appropriately.
What Are the Key Differences Between a Brand Designer and a Graphic Designer?
Both brand design and graphic design are disciplines of visual design, so while there is some overlap, the focus is different. Here are the key differences:
Scope: Graphic designers are more specialized in graphic works, whereas brand designers their focus a bit more on creating a whole.
Most brand designers are able to think strategically, being long term about the manufacturer’s future and find. And graphic designers are much more about the execution.
Consistency: Brand designers ensure a brand’s visual identity is coherent from one platform to the next, whereas graphic designers work on individual pieces that may not necessarily adhere to a larger strategy.
If you’re looking for some inspiration on how to get started or expand your career in this field, check out these great graphic design business ideas for creative success.
Brand Designer vs Brand Strategist
A brand designer often gets confused with a brand strategist, but they’re not the same. Brand strategist helps a brand to define long-term delays, positioning, and messaging. They collaborate internally to define the brand values and customer profiles. Once that’s established, the brand designer comes in, translating the strategy into a visual identity.
In other words, brand strategists design the route for the brand and brand designers get the route customers see.
How Do You Determine Which Type of Designer Is Best for Your Company?
Deciding on a brand designer vs graphic designer definitely comes down to what you require:
So, if your aim is to build a cohesive brand identity for your business or if you want to rebrand your company, a brand designer is the way to go.
If you need special marketing graphics (brochures, ads, websites), a graphic designer can help with it.
Best Practice: Work with a Brand or Graphic Designer
Whether you work with a brand designer or a graphic designer, that synergy will call for clarity in communication. Below are some advice to work well with your designer:
Clearly Define Your Goals: Explain your goals. The goals should be relatively specific, whether you are doing a brand design or specific materials on graphic design, and communicate up front.
For Practice: Be open to giving constructive feedback. Designers want to know how their work resonates with you, and they’re most inspired when they have that information.
Trust the process: Both graphic designers and brand designers are experienced specialists. Believe in their expertise and allow them to lead you through the creative process.
Examples of Great Brand Design
Apple: Apple is an excellent example of a brand with a minimalist design philosophy, and their design language is echoed across all of their products and marketing materials to align with their brand of innovation and simplicity.
Nike: Along with its “Just Do It” slogan, the Nike swoosh is one of the most recognizable brand identities globally.
Food and beverage: Coca-Cola: A Red and white scheme with a unique font gives Coca-Cola a unique identity that translates to freshness and fun.
What Is a Graphic Designer?
A graphic designer is a professional who creates visual content in print and electronic format. They utilize design programs, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, to design logos, brochures, website layouts, etc. Graphic designers know the principles of design and use them to convey a message visually.
What Is a Brand Designer?
What you should know about a brand designer: A brand designer is a specialist who is focused on the creation and management of a company’s visual identity. They’re in charge of creating an organization’s logos, color schemes, typography, and aesthetic branding strategy to ensure a company’s visual identity embodies its mission, values, and audience.
When and How to Hire the Right Person for Your Business
This is why hiring the right designer is so important for a business’s success. Here’s when you need a brand designer vs a graphic designer:
When to Hire a Brand Designer: When you’re starting a new business or rebranding. They’ll guide you through creating a consistent and strong visual identity.
Graphic Designer: Use a graphic designer when you have particular marketing materials such as brochures, web pages or social media posts.
Brand Designer vs Brand Strategist: Which One Do You Need?
Where a brand strategist focuses on the overall vision and positioning of your brand, a brand designer works to carry that vision visually. If you are new to it, you might need both. Establish your brand identity first with a brand strategist, then find a brand designer to create your visual identity.
Conclusion
So, is brand design under graphic design? Although they overlap, brand design is a subset of graphic design that centers around a company’s visual identity and the strategic alignment of that identity with the goals of the business. Both are worthy disciplines and understanding how they differ can help you hire the right expert for your business.
Understand the role of each so that you can tailor your organization’s visual identity to accurately reflect your company’s mission, attract the right audience, and be noticeable in the marketplace.
Branding in graphic design plays a crucial role in creating a visual identity for a business or product. Branding graphic design involves crafting color schemes, typography, logos, and other visual elements that reflect a company’s mission and value. Effective graphic design and branding ensure that every marketing material, from business cards to websites, carries a consistent message that resonates with the target audience.
FAQ:
Is a brand designer a graphic designer?
Yes, a brand designer is a type of graphic designer, but they specialize in creating a brand’s visual identity, such as logos, color schemes, and typography.
Is branding a part of graphic design?
Yes, branding is a key aspect of graphic design. It involves designing visual elements that represent a company’s identity and values.
What falls under graphic design?
Graphic design includes logo creation, typography, layout design, packaging, digital content, advertising, and branding.
Is logo design part of graphic design?
Yes, logo design is a fundamental part of graphic design. It focuses on creating a unique symbol or design that represents a brand or company.
What is brand design?
Brand design is the process of creating the visual identity of a brand, including logos, color schemes, fonts, and other design elements that communicate the brand’s personality and values.
