WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CREATIVE SERVICES AND GRAPHIC DESIGN?
In the marketing industry, the words “creative” and “graphic design” are occasionally used interchangeably. Unfortunately the ideas are also sometimes used interchangeably. Both often refer to the development of images. Both are concepts that one person can deliver. Both are admirable. But one is a skill and the other is a process. Distinguishing which is which can save you time, money, and great frustration.
The creative process is all about coming up with a result that is totally new, or taking something established and reinventing it in a new way. It involves taking an idea, a prompting, a need, a work order, or a creative brief and imagining a visual solution. This is beyond an expert knowledge of Photoshop or InDesign; it’s an internal ability to come up with new and inventive ways to fulfill a need. Creating the digital picture of the solution is a separate part of the process.
Telling the Difference
Now for the real meat and potatoes, graphic designers are not always creatives. Likewise creatives are not always graphic designers. It’s easy to understand if you look at an artisan glass blower who is very creative but doesn’t draw anything. On the other side you have someone who has marketable skills designing images but they aren’t really creatives because they lack the imaginative and inventive traits.