Heart Type

I've been wondering what truly distinguishes graphic design from other design fields. Is it the creative process? Or the medium? Or possibly the audience? No, I think it comes down to one single element—type. I'd like to think that graphic design is primarily visual communication, but it is not. That's art. The heart of graphic design is the written word spoken by real people who have something passionate to say. Don't believe me? Take any of your favorite print ads, catalogs, posters, whatever and remove the words. Now, tell me if you can still understand the original meaning of the communication piece. Probably not. And that's the way it should be. Graphic design evolved around text, not the other way around.

Let's go back to the original question and see if the hypothesis holds true. Fashion design: not much type on clothing. Architectural design: Other than some signage on commercial building, type is non existent. Industrial design: Some words, but only in a facilitating role. Interior design: none. So, there we have it. Words rule graphic design. Now the hard part begins…finding something worth saying.