The Graphic Designer

The role of the Graphic Designer

Whereas the interactive designer is responsible for the structure of the program and its navigational and other functions and features, the graphic designer focuses on screen design and layout. This includes the production of menu screens, iconography and illustrations. Often they will have to process photographs for inclusion in the program and to convert between image formats. The graphic designer(s) will work particularly closely with the interactive designer and artistic director if there is one.

Personal Skills and Qualities of the Graphic designers

The graphic designer should have good drafting skills and a familiarity with a broad range of digital drawing, painting, photo-touchup and other image processing and conversion tools. It is also desirable if the designer has well-developed 3D-modelling skills and experience.

Consider the attributes and qualities Lorenz identifies as important for the successful designer in industry:

"...imagination; the ability to visualize shapes and the relationship between objects, in three dimensions; creativity; a natural unwillingness to accept obvious solutions; the ability to communicate, through words as well as sketches; and, finally, the designer's stock-in-trade Ñ the ability and versatility to synthesize all sorts of multi-disciplinary factors and influences into a coherent whole." (C. Lorenz, The Design Dimension, Oxford, 1990 edn., p.9)

"Designers working in CD-I need to be aware of the restrictions and the possibilities the medium creates. Previous experience in television graphics will be useful, but its probably more important that designers can get to grips with and respond to the CD-I technology, and interpret material for this new medium." (Philips IMS, The CD-I Production Handbook, Wokingham England, 1992, p.19.)