Visual, UX or Graphic Designer: Whom Should you hire and why?

If you are puzzled with the terms like graphic designer, User Experience (UX) designer or web designer then you can be pardoned for the confusion! Many people out there have this misconception that the basic work profile of designers is the same i.e. to conceptualize and create beautiful designs. True to certain extent but in this ever expanding world of web and print designs, such generalization no more sounds practical.

Every design project nowadays demands something new and exclusive. Thus it would be unfair to expect a single designer to meet diverse end-goals. Hence, when it comes to hiring for business or commercial purpose, it’s very important to learn the responsibilities of a visual, graphics and UX designer to take an informed decision.

Here we offer an analysis of the types of work each of these designers does and how to select the one matching your project requirements.

Graphic Designer – A Creative Expert Who Provides Systematic Solution to a Problem

You think it’s really that simple to create a logo or advert that communicates seamlessly with your targeted audience? Plunge deeper into the world of graphic design and you will realize that this is not at all easy. Thus the graphic designer plays a crucial role that of a visual communicator who creates visual concepts to attract, inform and inspire buyers. They are comfortable in both online and offline media and can undertake multiple responsibilities like designing logo, billboard, website, apps, print adverts, brochures, posters, animation and the like. They know how to use color, font, shape, image, design and text to elicit the desired response.

Graphic designers nowadays use modern tools and techniques that go much beyond the conventional sketchpad and pencil. They communicate with artists, photographers, multimedia animators, production artists and other creative people to bring out the desired visual effect. The success of a professional graphic designer lies in creating a perfect graphic design which becomes iconic and memorable.

Whether you have an existing business setup or planning to start a new one, a professional graphic designer should be hired to improve the brand image and to stand out from the crowd!

Visual Designer – The Creative and Art Director of the Mobile and Web Design World

Visual and graphic designs are related very closely yet they are not the same. While the visual designer focuses more on defining the brand’s unique identity the graphic designer performs more practical tasks that of creating a perfect product using hierarchy, typeface, images, color, and placement. The visual designer is expected to be proficient in understanding and defining the look and feel of the brand. They basically work with web design and deliverables like logos, presentations, info-graphics, etc. Yet they are expected to have good idea about the print medium as well.

Companies hire visual designers to ensure seamless collaboration between computer programmer, graphic designer, web developer, content creator and other related professionals.

User Experience (UX) Designer – The Driver of the Design Project

As the term suggests, UX designers focus more on users and ensure that their interaction with the site remains an enjoyable and fruitful one. His work horizon encompasses lots of responsibilities but the fundamental goal remains is to present a website that is easy to use and provides all necessary information in a smooth manner, without unnecessary navigation around the site. He should be competent in creating wireframes, or visual layout for the site’s design. He needs to have good understanding of information architecture.

UX designers fit projects that aim at building products/services which people want and use on a regular basis, e.g. ecommerce stores.

From the above discussion it’s clear that each type of designer is meant to handle unique responsibilities. Therefore the hiring decision should be taking after assessing what kind of project requirement you have. Yet if you are working within a limited budget and need an expert to handle multiple design responsibilities then settling for a graphic or visual designer would be a prudent decision.

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