There are many types of design that we talk about and hear about today. Despite the difficulty of determining the number of facets of the design, due to the large number of modalities and specialties that currently exist.
When we talk about design, we are not just talking about one type of design. In reality, we are encompassing everyone that this discipline encompasses. The best known is perhaps graphic design, but there are many more. Among them are editorial, advertising, fashion, textile, digital, art and packaging. Do you want to know what each one consists of? Find out below.
How many design areas are there?
Currently there are many types of design, which can be classified according to the needs of the users for whom the design is made in four large areas:
- Graphic design : its purpose is the creation of communications and visual images, both static (drawings) and dynamic (videos).
- Industrial design : this type of design is the one that encompasses everything related to the design of objects in three dimensions.
- Interior design : its professionals are in charge of the design and development of the spaces located inside homes, companies, offices, shops and public bodies and spaces.
- Fashion design : this type of design is responsible for the creation of clothing and all kinds of accessories.
Within these areas there are several types of design, which can be included in one or several of them at the same time. We will see them below.
Design Types
There is practically one type of design for each area it covers. That is why they are quite numerous, as you will see below. Surely there are more than you thought existed. The main ones are the following:
- Graphic design
- Space design or interior design
- Architectural design
- Industrial design
- textile design
- Fashion design
- Editorial design
- art design
- Digital design
- Advertising design
- packaging design
- Web design
Graphic design
Graphic design is one of the design modalities that have the most labor demand today. It is one of the main types of design. It consists of the creation and design of all kinds of visual messages: logos, magazine or book covers, advertising posters… Some types of design are sometimes included as specialties of graphic design.
Basically, graphic design is a discipline that is responsible for transmitting and communicating messages through graphic and visual representations. It is perhaps the main branch of design, and itself encompasses several secondary disciplines. It is also known as visual design or visual communication design.
Space design or interior design
We call space design or interior design the design modality that has the function of finding the best possible way to organize and manage interior spaces . That is, of those that are in homes, offices, buildings, restaurants or stores.
Due to its scope and work, it can sometimes be confused with interior decoration, but its differences are more than they may seem at first. To begin with, interior design uses elements of architecture, psychology, the environment, and product design . It also touches the decoration, and it is precisely this that can lead to misunderstanding. But the rest of the components that it uses clearly differentiate it.
An interior designer, in fact, is in charge of analyzing the information related to the project, as well as establishing its direction and foundations. You must also redirect the direction of the project if necessary and make the changes that are necessary for the project to go as planned. In addition, it is responsible for the preparation of all documentation related to the construction of the project and all related tasks. He also supervises the work of other operators in charge of carrying out the necessary tasks to leave a space as planned.
Architectural design
On the other hand, architectural design deals with the design of buildings and other spaces during the construction process . Architectural design and space design are two complementary types of design.
This has its origin in a mental representation, either concrete or abstract, about how a building structure should be constructed. Of course, it has to be aesthetically attractive, as well as of course making sense in terms of architecture. From there, from that mental scheme, the idea of a construction has to pass to the phase of architectural design. First with a sketch, so that the designer can make the corresponding plans. All kinds of related data will appear in them.
To work in architectural design, it is not only necessary to take into account the buildings designed. It is also necessary to assess where the land on which they are going to be built is, and its characteristics in terms of topography, as well as its orientation or the services that will be easily available. And of course, the budget.
Industrial design
Industrial design deals with the development of products, and finding the best way for them and their properties to evolve . It is one of the types of design that are responsible for the development of most machines.
Its objective is, after identifying a market opportunity for which a new product is needed, or to improve an existing one, to cover the needs or tastes that cause the localized market opportunity. That is if, before developing and manufacturing the product on a large scale, it is necessary to validate it and certify that it effectively provides a solution to one or more needs.
This type of design covers and encompasses various disciplines , as well as different areas of knowledge. Among them is product design and engineering of all types of component design. Even vehicles. But also the design of structures. It is constantly evolving, so its professionals have to always be up to date with all the trends that arise and be vigilant in case they are massively adopted.
textile design
One of the types of design that is responsible for the preparation and development of all kinds of fabrics and fabrics is textile design. We could consider that it is a mixture of graphic design and fashion design. In addition, it is also responsible for the manufacture and design of other products of the weaving industry, such as threads and fibers. In some cases, this is the name given to the design responsible for the creation of clothing and various accessories that have different fabrics as raw material.
The textile industry is part of one of the most important economic sectors in the world . Both for its production for mass consumption and for the number of people to whom this industry provides employment in all related: clothing, weaving or dyeing, among others.
Fashion design
While textile design is in charge of making fabrics, fashion design is in charge of making the different garments and clothing accessories that will be made from them. It also includes the design and elaboration of jewelry elements, shoes and other accessories.
Fashion design is done based on different influences of culture and society on the designer. Also your tastes and preferences at all times. In recent decades, this type of design has become increasingly relevant, to the point that it is considered an expression of the culture of each people. In addition, it is considered a manifestation of the prevailing values and ways of life at all times.
It is one of the design sectors with the most changes over time , as it evolves based on people’s tastes and needs, as well as the preferences and desires of designers. Of course, it is characterized because, despite the changes that occur year after year, and season after season, it is always nourished, to a greater or lesser extent, by designs from the past.
Editorial design
It is one of the types of design considered a specialization of graphic design. Deals with the design of books, newspapers and magazines . But also of all kinds of publications, both periodic and occasional. Among them, the manuals, the informative pamphlets or the fanzines.
The different supports and materials produced by editorial design have several pages or spreads of pages, and present much greater regularity in terms of composition and arrangement of letters and images, as well as in terms of typography, than other types of pieces and documents.
art design
This modality is responsible for the design of the sets and other elements related to the film production process.
To perform this type of task it is necessary to address several steps. In other words, your creativity process will have several phases. Fundamentally, there are three: inspiration , which in many cases is equated with research; the identification of the type of public to which you are going to direct the work to adapt the designs to it; and the process of creation and creativity , with which the design is brought to life.
Digital design
This specialty is based on the design and retouching of images and other digital materials . It is also considered one of the specialties of graphic design. On the other hand, there are those who consider it a branch of product design, because its function is to translate into images the design of a product or an element that the industrial or product designer has devised.
It is characterized by the use of digital tools , such as computers, graphics tablets, and graphic design software. With them, the generation of images or sketches of the elements that are to be represented is carried out. Either to keep them in digital format or to serve as a model for the manufacture of a specific component or product.
Advertising design
It is, without a doubt, one of the types of design with the most labor demand today. It deals with the design of all the advertising elements of a company. That is, from posters, advertising brochures, leaflets and even from television ads and banners and images for advertising on social networks. And in general, of any element that has as its objective the presentation of a product, a service, a brand or a company.
Its purpose is to attract the attention of the public, in addition to informing you about its characteristics if it is new, or its novelties if it has been modified. But he also does it with a positive intention. In other words, it seeks to provoke positive sensations in those who see the elements designed for advertising purposes.
packaging design
This type of design deals with the creation of the wrapping and packaging of the product . Therefore, it is one of the types of design most related to branding and brand creation. It also has a certain relationship with advertising design, since the packaging of a product, in addition to protecting the product it contains, is also responsible for informing about it.
Packaging design doesn’t just create something that wraps a product . Also something that, as we have seen , informs about him and protects him . And in recent times, it has created packaging capable of attracting sales and facilitating its distribution by adapting to weights, shapes and sizes.
Far from the cardboard boxes or plain paper bags in which products were stored and distributed, today’s packaging is designed to be comfortable, light and, increasingly important, to be sustainable. This does not mean that it does not have any decoration. Quite the contrary. The packaging of the products are increasingly colorful and take more care of their presentation.
Web design
It handles the entire process of designing and creating a web page . But also the planning of its implementation, its development and its maintenance after its publication. We can include, in this category, user experience design . It is an essential specialization to guarantee a good customer experience when browsing a web page.
Although all the activities we have mentioned are typical of this type of design, web design focuses above all on the design of the interfaces of a web page. That is, to design the appearance of a page but also taking into account the experience that the user who navigates through it will have.
