Do you have to know things about websites if you want to be a graphic designer?

Hey Destiny,

Well, as much as you might think graphic design needs to stay in a 2d field your graphics are going to be used across all fields of marketing and advertising, including web. So you could really focus on a space that allows you to stay in the traditional design space we've all known Graphic Design to fit in. However, graphic designers are so much more these days.

Some examples where graphic designers play rolls: Interior Design, Set Design, Storyboards, oh... and Web Design! In fact Adobe Creative Cloud offers up a web building software designed for graphic designers! Now they are dropping it in 2020 for a new rollout of another web building software so don't worry. But, yeah, in today's market space all graphic designers need to be able to understand (at worst) how to put that graphic component in place across all visual markets, including web.

Here's the thing... you don't necessarily need to know the back end coding, in the case of Adobe's Muse; it creates the code as you build, it takes your AI and PS files when you place them, and creates the code in the background for HTML and CSS. Cross platform software is here and graphic designers need to know how to visually sell that user experience. Learn whatever you can at bare minimum in web design, it will make you more marketable, without it, the person who has it might end up with the job you wanted.

Our website was built on Muse, and it was done based on a graphic designer interface. Every element in the site was built on AI and PS, and all of it started as sketches on paper.

Hi Destiny. Great question. I think about 10 years ago you could get away with not learning about websites and web design but now graphic design is really all encompassing of many things. You may not focus in on web design after your studies, however it is good to know the basics about how web design works, how to export files for the web / mobile.

Hey Destiny,

I can see where you're coming from. I was going to school with my fellow classmates and most of did not desire to pursue web design but it was required to understand the basic. Back then, web design wasn't as big and easy as today. Now, most designers have a understanding how web design work, if you learn even more in web designing. It will boost your chances than doing more than one job.

Some of friends are able to find jobs doing only graphic design while most, did not.

Having more skills under your belt will only benefit you, doesn't hurt to try and learn.

Given the expected skill set and role of a graphic designer professional, you do not have to know what a website developer knows about building websites. I would expect that a graphic designer would be more involve with the UI usability experts because of the need for various images especially if there is a custom requirement for new image around advertising and new products. I've work with usability professional and think they would be a good resource to reference.