What is the role of the Graphic Designer?

Source: Kittyfinegan

So what is a graphic designer, and what roles do they have? A graphic designer is someone who is open to furthering their abilities, whilst also wanting to learn about new technology and integrate it to their own flow and style. You then commit to the lifestyle of a graphic designer; subscribing to certain magazines, creating a twitter account, participating in designer forums and communities, visiting exhibitions of other artists, research your chosen field. There is much more that you would do, but everyone is different. The general reasoning for doing all of this however, is so that you can know what's going on in the industry, and then be able to challenge it head on by yourself.

Experimentation and determination is key for a successful graphic designer. If you stick to one type of media and don't adapt your technique or try new ideas, you are not giving yourself the full oppertunity to succeed, and will not progress much from where you began. A good graphic designer is someone who can express themselves in their work, and can push the boundaries to create something new; something that you wouldn't expect. Examples of this are the likes of Banksy, Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol and Michael Craig Martin; artists that don't just do a painting on canvas, they go out of their way to get their work out there and do the unexpected, always experimenting with new ideas and giving the shock factor to the public.

Banksy is a worldwide known graffiti artist, who uses spray painting for designs which are controversial to what is happening in the society at the time. No one knows what he looks like, but everyone admires his work. The sense of mystery is one thing which makes this artist exciting; no one knows who he is, but we love his work either way because it's not something we see in everyday art, and we then have the anxiety because we don't know who he is, but we want to see more of it.

   

Source: Newyorker