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There was a time when the word Design was used for Graphic Design. But in today’s world, the word Design has evolved into a massive giant with a lot of branching out disciplines. The Design sector has various types of designs to offer now other than graphic design. UX Design is one such design stream that is popular nowadays. So, let’s talk about the differences and similarities these two have. Graphic Design or UX Design, both are design-oriented fields of work and may sound the same to an untrained individual. But both have different tasks to perform while the product is developing.
GRAPHIC DESIGN or UX DESIGN
Introduction to Graphic Design
Graphic Design is considered to be the large umbrella within which all the other visual design mediums fall under. So, in a way, all the design disciplines are interconnected with graphic design. Without graphic design, there will be no scope for UX design or any other visual communication design medium. It can be said that all visual design starts with graphic design. Graphic Design is what determines the branding, color palette, style, mood, and so on of a business according to the client’s vision.
In short, Graphic Design is the art of creating visual content for the client to communicate his/her vision and message. Graphic Design utilizes various techniques to ensure the proper communication of the message through design such as visual hierarchy, layout techniques, and so on.
The one who makes use of the colors, images, typography, shapes, layouts, and so on to create visual content. While following Principles of Graphic Design is referred to Graphic Designer. A graphic designer is responsible for designing logos, ads, brochures, flyers, signage, product packaging, and so on.
Introduction to UX Design
UX Design is used by businesses in order to provide optimum customer satisfaction through the use of products. It focuses on the ease of use, utility, pleasure, and experience provided by the product to the customer while interacting with it. A major part of UX design is user research as it plays a key role in the conception of the product. UX design involves the integration of the product with branding, style, utility, and function. It is also referred to as User Interface Design.
User Interface Design revolves around the user and is user-centered. In UX design the one who uses visual design, interactive designing, programming, or psychology to design for the best user experience is called UX Designer. UX designers’ work involves researching, designing wireframes, and so on, along with testing the designs.
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Similarities between Graphic Design or UX Design
As both design forms are interconnected to each other. Here are some of the similarities between the two.
- Both require study of Graphic Design, or Visual/Digital media.
- For working on a graphic design or ux design the knowledge and use of computer software and system is required.
- Along with techincal knowledge both require an artistic and creative mindset.
Difference between Graphic Design or UX Design
Some of the differences between the two is as follows:-
- UX designs main focuse is the user experience, whereas the Graphic designs main focuse is on communication of the message or idea.
- UX design creates interactive products, whereas Graphic Design develops visual content for the audience.
Job Overview
While looking for a job you may have stumbled on the job titles like graphic designer or UX designer. They may sound the same because of the use of the word designer but they are not. Let’s take a quick look at these two design roles.
Graphic Designer
The job title of Graphic Designer is well known to most people. Graphic Designer uses typography, colors, layout techniques, and so on to make visual content for the business. The design made by graphic designers is used to communicate a message or idea through visual content. One of the main goals of the graphic designer is to make the design impactful and appealing by conveying emotions, and message through it. For this purpose, graphic designers make use of color psychology along with other essential tools.
In order to make designs Graphic Designers use various types of Software. Some of the commonly used Software:-
UX Designer
Unlike the graphic designer whose main focus is on the visual appeal and communication in the design. UX designers are focused on the user experience, users, and interactive design. Their primary goal is to provide the best possible user experience to the customer by analyzing the interaction of a user with the product. UX designers analyze the usability points of the product in order to make changes and optimize the user experience. Thus, reviewing and revisioning the product is also a big part of their jobs.
The work of a UX designer involves doing research and making designs. And for this purpose, they use different software. Here is the list of some of the software used by UX designers.
For Research,
And others.
For Designing,
And others.
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Which one is right for YOU?
With the evolution of technology, design has also evolved and its use has expanded to various industries. So, the need for graphic design and UX design also continues to grow with it. Both, graphic design and UX design involves a lot of dedication and a certain amount of artistic flair, and a creative mindset. So which one is right for you? Let’s have a quick talk about the about:
Graphic design is about designing visual content and is brand-centric in nature. The role of a graphic designer is a specialized one and they use typography, layout techniques, color theory, and so on to make designs. Some of the popular tools used in graphic design are Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and so on.
Whereas, UX design is all about interactive design and is user-centric. The role of a UX designer is multidisciplinary as it requires designers to programmers. They utilize work by researching users, making wireframes, and so on to provide the best user experience through the product. Some of the most popular tools used by the UX design are, Adobe XD, Sketch, Zeplin, and so on.
Choosing one for the other is a matter of preference as both graphic design, and UX design have many similarities with enough differences. And both are interconnected with each other.
