A Laypersons Guide To Graphic Design

The transcript 'A Laypersons Guide to Graphic Design' posted on DesignObserver.com is taken from a radio broadcast by Adrian Shaugnessy where he had 30 minutes to introduce Graphic Design to a non professional audience.

The post caught my interest as I often struggle explaining what Graphic Design actually is and the first question always asked when I say what I am studying is "What is Graphic Design?" and I find myself almost justifying what design is and why I have chosen the subject usually making the person even more confused which I find really frustrating.

I hoped reading a brief explanation about graphic design from a professional would give me some ideas about how to explain the career I have chosen but the transcript shows that even a professional designer faces difficulties when trying to describe a subject which is blatantly obvious to a designer but proves to be such a difficult subject to actually explain, Why is this?

Adrian Shaughnessy makes a good statement "considering graphic designs ubiquity in modern life, I'm not sure that many people (non-designers that is) understand much about it. It's something people encounter every day - perhaps every minute of their waking lives - yet they hardly bother to consider the impact, either good or bad, that it has on their lives. It means a lot to the people who do it for a living, but rarely means much to the people it's aimed at".

Perhaps the public is just so saturated with various forms of design they have just become oblivious to what it is actually for - to communicate some form of message or perhaps non designers just don't feel that they have to understand the role of a designer, they just view the finished product and probably have no real interest in the process. But should designers have to justify their profession just because of a lack of understanding amongst the general public? Adrian Shaugnessy makes an interesting point that if Graphic Design was taken away, no logos, no street names, symbols or road markings - perhaps people would recognise the importance of design, he also states some important historical and professional facts - he differentiates design and art, which appears to create confusion amongst non designers, he justifies the need for design education and explains the various roles of a designer in a concise and interesting way, making the transcript an enlightening read for designers and non designers.