Print Design – Types and Uses
Print design is, basically, a graphic design process, aimed at creating a product to be printed that is in a digital form. The print design can either be in .psd, .indd, or .tif, among others, and is printed on a material such as paper, ceramic, metal, cardboard or plastic. The main purpose of print design is to convey information to a targeted audience using visual communication. Most of the times printing design is confused with printing. That is, however, not the case as printing design does not involve the actual printing of the design. This post by Guttulushighlights the uses and various types of print designs available.
Uses of Print Design
Almost all forms of communicative designs in the society today employ print design. Some of the common uses of print design today include: creating posters, brochures, packaging labels, business cards, flyers, banners, magazines, books covers, receipts and shopping bags.
Types of Print Designs
1. Banner Design
Banners are normally used for commercial or personal messages on a vinyl, a piece of cloth or a tarp. They are mainly used for promotion, branding or other private occasions. In the past, banners were handwritten using paint or ink and the design was manual. Today, print design is employed in making banners where the message to be communicated and the format or the banner is created on a computer and the final design printed out. The method is faster and even more efficient.
2. Book Cover Designs
Every book has its own unique content and message that it communicates. The book cover is an important part of any book as it helps give an idea of what the book speaks about. In addition to making creating a book cover that is in harmony with the content of the book, the print design should be appealing to the audience that the book content is a meant for.
3. Business Card Designs
Business cards are essential for all types of businesses as they are an integral part of the identity of a brand. They help in expanding the business connections and client base. A normal business card contains relevant information about a business like the name of the business, the job title, the company logo, the company slogan and the company contact information.
4. Brochure Design
Organizations, institutions and companies usually need print brochures to give more information about the company, organization or institution. The design of brochures usually involves the inclusion of the website link of the company, organization or institution, their logo and their CTA. These are normally designed together masterfully to communicate a message intended.
5. Label and Packaging Design
The commercial packaging of a product is important in ensuring that the business has a strong image brand. Packaging is important in attracting new customer and making the product stand out from other similar products in the market. This type of print design usually incorporates a great deal of creativity. This type of print design usually involves the inclusion of a simple description of the product and the name of the company.
6. Poster Design
Posters are large notices in form of pictures or written content meant to communicate to passers-by. Print design is employed in poster design to generate posters that are visually appealing and that capture the attention of persons easily. Important considerations in designing posters are the color, positioning of the picture and the font type and size.
7. Vinyl Wrap Design
Vinyl wrap is a print design type that deals with the creation of print designs used to cover vehicles. It is, also, known as vehicle wrap. The vehicle is what’s used to reach the audience when they move around. The main considerations when creating vinyl wrap designs include the size of the vehicle, the font size, spacing and color.
8. T-Shirt Design
T-shirt printing is pretty common and is mainly used for product promotion. This type of design usually creates great room for creativity and is a cheap way of making a brand known to the market. The main considerations are the main regions to be printed – front, back or both, the font size and font color. T-shirt designs normally do not incorporate a lot of text. The designs are mostly simple but creative.
9. Shopping Bag Design
Industries that sell clothes, shoes, cosmetics and jewelry bank heavily on shopping bag designs to make their brand known. The bags are used as the advertising agents – walking promotional product. The design is normally simple containing either the brand name only, a picture of a product offered by the brand or both.
10. Menu and Wine List Design
These designs are mainly for hotels and restaurants. Menu print designs should give an insight of the drink and food offered and their pricing. The design often includes pictures and color blends combined in a creative and attractive manner to entice restaurant customers.
Print design is very important in ensuring that institutions, businesses and organizations get to establish their position in the market and communicating to the audience. While it incorporates a great deal of creativity, the basic elements of design are still to be put into consideration for the message to be clear.