At its basic level, graphic design is the combination of type and image used to communicate a message visually, most often for clients to specific audiences. In a broader and more profound sense, graphic design is a culture-shaping force that has the ability to powerfully effect change.
Graphic design is an integrative practice in that the designer is charged with the clear and persuasive combination of the different ideas, viewpoints, and concerns of all the parties involved in visual communication. Clients provide subject matter that differs with each new project. The designer then collaborates with clients during the research and design stages, as well as throughout the application process (production and distribution). The application phase often involves a wide variety of people and organizations including writers, photographers, illustrators, printers, and code writers. Integration with other disciplines is an essential part of the world of graphic design. In this sense, a design project is a prime example of how various disciplines in the liberal arts can relate to each other.
At Notre Dame, graphic design is an ideal way to turn scholarship into service. As described in the school's mission statement, "the University seeks to cultivate in its students not only an appreciation for the great achievements of human beings but also a disciplined sensibility to the poverty, injustice and oppression that burden the lives of so many. The aim is to create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice." As you will see, my own work and the work of my students reflect this mission.