Design is all around us - the spaces we live in, the products we buy, and the clothes we wear. But have you ever wondered about the different types of designers behind all these creations?
Designers bring functionality and beauty into our everyday lives. Graphic designers, web designers, animation designers, and even fashion designers come with their unique skill sets.
While all types of design have their similarities, there are many different types of design fields that would suit your business needs. Recognizing these various types can help you choose which design teams to work with in the future.
If you want to refresh or update your logo, you wouldn't choose a web designer to do this. Instead, you would opt for a graphic designer as they encompass the skills needed to do the job.
Let’s explore the different types of designers to better understand their roles and responsibilities so that you can make informed decisions about your creative design needs.
The 12 Types of Designers
When making informed decisions about which type of designer to hire for your upcoming project, it's essential to understand the different types of design industries and what they offer. Here is an overview of 12 design fields, highlighting their roles and responsibilities:
1. Graphic Designers
Graphic designers use their creative minds to tell compelling stories through visuals. They bring your ideas, messages, or brand concepts to life, just as you imagine. These types of designers have the skills to create original artwork for different platforms, including digital and print mediums. If you're looking for professional assistance, graphic design services can help you achieve a polished and impactful look for your project.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Graphic designers engage in various types of design work, such as creating logos, graphics for advertisements, branding elements, and publication design.
- Stay up to date with design trends, methods, and new technology to ensure that your designs are competitive and stylish.
- Ensure all your brand visuals are consistent and align with your brand identity.
- Manage multiple projects, ensure on-time delivery, and review designs for accuracy and quality before finalizing.
2. Web Designers
Gone are the days when physical stores were the face of businesses. Nowadays, websites have become a more successful way to share information, products, and services.
When physical stores have beautiful interiors, it gives off a feeling of sophistication and elegance. Web designers manage to do the same in the online world by creating visually stunning and easy-to-navigate websites.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Creating and designing the structure and the layout of web pages.
- Web designers are experts in creating responsive designs and easy-to-use interfaces, ensuring your customers have a smooth experience.
- Work closely with you to bring your ideas to life.
- Implementing visual design elements like images, banners, and logos.
3. Front-end Designers
Unlike web designers mentioned above, front-end designers work in the background to bring websites to life through code. Basically, web designers focus on the visual aspects, and front-end designers make those visuals a reality on your website. Another word for a front-end designer is a front-end developer.
Front-end designers have a unique ability to be incredibly creative whilst using technical methods.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Turning design mockups into functional, interactive user interfaces.
- Writing code that is cross-browser compatible (FTML, CSS, JavaScript)
- Making sure the designs are responsive and optimal for all viewing devices.
- Communicate with web designers to ensure ideas are translated and showcased correctly.
4. UI Designers
When browsing through a website, it’s advisable to have home buttons, scroll bars, and menu items in places that make it easy and enjoyable for the customer to navigate.
User interface designers are the geniuses behind these types of visual elements. Their goal is to make them look aesthetically pleasing and, of course, user-friendly. This is a highly technical skill where even the smallest pixel makes a difference.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Design websites, mobile apps, and software that has visually appealing, intuitive user interfaces.
- Research users and test users to ensure the UI design is optimal for your business needs.
- Staying ahead of UI design trends and patterns.
- Collaborating with User experience designers.
5. UX Designers
Have you ever clicked on a website and tried to purchase something, but you had to go through so many steps and confusion that you just left the website? This happens far too often because of poor user experience designs.
UX designers work across multiple areas of design to ensure a seamless user experience. They design road maps that make it less complicated to get from A to B. Think of it like the psychology of design, improving the overall experience that the user faces when interacting with your product or website.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Gather user information to understand what users' behaviors are and adjust to them.
- Design prototypes and wireframes to create a user-friendly experience.
- Stay innovative by refining designs based on feedback and user data.
- Work closely with UI designers.
6. Animation Designers
Animation designers are the types of designers who create special effects or characters for specific projects. It’s sometimes impossible to bring a character or story to life by using real photos or images, so animation designers can help you create these types of visuals. Animation is an umbrella term for the entire field of moving imagery, with many different types of animation sitting under it.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Animation designers create animated visuals that bring characters to life.
- They can work on film, video games, and all digital platforms.
- Work closely with the founder to ensure the animations align with the overall visions and storylines.
- Animation is evolving daily, and it’s their responsibility to stay up to date.
7. Motion Graphic Designers
Motion graphics is a type of moving imagery that sits under the umbrella term of animations. With so much going on, it is difficult to capture people's attention. A motion graphic designer adds movement to digital static designs to create something captivating enough for people to engage with them. Motion graphics designers most often create captivating videos for advertisements, promo videos, and entertainment.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Focus on adding movement to static designs.
- Produce motion animations for marketing campaigns and videos.
- Make static visuals more engaging and captivating.
- Stay ahead of the online trends to stay relevant.
8. Brand Designers
Creating a brand that can coexist across all communication positions is a challenging feat. Brand designers are experts in creating brand elements such as logos, typography, images, and color palettes that work together to create one unified image in the eyes of the consumer.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Do market research to analyze competitors and target audiences.
- Turn brand elements into a cohesive story.
- Create style and user guidelines to make your brand stand out across all mediums.
- Work closely with a business owner to bring the story to life.
9. Packaging & Product Designers
The products you offer can be a powerful tool for marketing, creating emotional connections, and increasing perceived value. This is where your consumers are engaged with your business. Product and packaging designers can create products and packaging that ensure you are giving your customers the best experience while effectively conveying your brand identity and marketing messages.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Create and design products that will align with your brand identity and exceed customer expectations.
- Do market research and stay on trend.
- Update and improve product designs based on feedback.
- Creating sketches and prototypes to visualize and check design concepts.
10. Interior Designers
Unlike the above-mentioned designers, interior designers turn physical places into beautiful and functional spaces. It takes a lot of experience to design stunning spaces, and it can make a world of difference in physical stores.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Creating beautiful spaces that are also functional.
- Sourcing materials and décor that can tell a story.
- Working with architects and builders to make sure of accurate finishes.
- Stick to building standards and regulations.
11. Illustrators and Art Designers
Illustrators and art designers have a fantastic ability to turn text into images and drawings. These images and illustrations are commonly used in books, magazines, websites, ad creatives, and social media.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Designing illustrations and artwork based on a story or narrative.
- Work with writers and art directors to ensure the concept and visions are brought to life.
- Use different techniques and styles to ensure the desired aesthetic is achieved.
- Stay up to date with the latest illustration trends, software, and styles.
12. Fashion Designers
Fashion designers work in the apparel and accessories world. They are able to combine creativity and artistry to make fashionable and trendy garments that meet the market's desires. If you have an apparel business, it would be recommended to get advice from fashion designers.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Brainstorming market trends and designing clothing, footwear, and accessories that suit these current trends.
- Work with sewists and material manufacturers to bring these trendy designs to life.
- Create fashion products that complement your brand's image.
How to Choose Different Types of Designers
Choosing the correct type of designer for your business is important. It is always beneficial to choose a designer who is experienced in their field. Understanding the areas of design and different design fields can further enhance how effectively you leverage design in your business strategy.
Here are some steps to take to select the correct type of designer:
Step 1: Set your Design Intentions
Clearly write down what you want your brand to achieve or what your specific design goals are. These goals could be to increase your sales, get your products into more stores, or create new ad copy to use. These intentions will narrow your search and ensure you get the right type of designer to suit your specific needs.
Step 2: Figure out Your Budget
Before you go on your search for a designer, you need to decide what your budget for the project is. This will give you a better understanding of the different designer price levels and the quality you can expect for your budget.
Step 3: Create a Mood Board
Do some research on platforms like Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and magazines to create a mood board with all the different styles that interest you and align with your brand. This will help you communicate your vision with a potential designer.
Step 5: Start your Search
Now, you might be asking yourself, what about if I need multiple designers to get my project done? Do I need to hire six different people who are skilled in each design field? The answer is no! A great solution to this is using design subscription services.
Working with subscription-based design services is like getting the best of everything. They offer a wide range of services for a monthly fee. This model provides you with access to a team of skilled designers, ensuring that your design needs are met and remain consistent across all your projects.
If your business requires ongoing designs, then this would be the ideal choice, as these creative services offer fast turnaround time, flexibility on revisions, and cost-effectiveness.
Conclusion
Choosing the right designer for your needs is a vital step, as it can impact your design outcomes. Understanding the different types of designers and their specific roles can help you make an informed decision on which type of designer to work with. Leveraging subscription-based services can make all the difference by providing a versatile and cost-efficient solution. They can handle multiple design requests while maintaining a high-quality consistency across all your projects.
By carefully evaluating your options and using the above insights, you can make your decision and improve the success of all your design initiatives.
