Graphics

Graphics are visual elements used to create images for print publications, videos, and Web sites. The term graphic is often used in a generic sense and can encompass a variety of visual elements associated with the design and creation of printed materials, such as photographs, illustrations, drawings, clip art, line rules, typefaces, and tint boxes.

Graphics are a powerful way to communicate in today's visually oriented society. Most publications need strong, dominant visual elements to make them more interesting to the reader. Graphics can accompany copy to help attract attention, unify a look, convey special meaning, and add impact. They can also clarify, educate, and improve read-ability. Graphics are pieces of art used to express ideas, create a mood or image, and enhance the attractiveness of a piece.

Public relations practitioners use graphics to cre-ate identity systems for an organization. An identity system includes the organizational name and logo, which are used in all the materials produced by the organization, such as letterhead, business forms, brochures, invitations, and advertisements. Practitioners also use graphics to produce just about any communication tool, including newsletters, signs, posters, press kits, and Web sites.

Graphic design is the artistic and skillful application of type, color, and images to paper or another medium, such as a Web site, to create a clear and appealing whole. Many specialists work with the creation and production of graphic images, including art directors, graphic artists, and graphic design-ers, and they comprise an entire industry of professions relating to the design and printing of messages. Graphic designers, for instance, are pro-fessionals who design and may even coordinate the production of a printed piece, including the selection of type, art, paper, and ink. They work with public relations practitioners to ensure that a piece is visually appealing. A graphic artist is an individ-ual who produces art through graphic methods, such as painting, etching, and drawing. Public relations practitioners work with these graphic special-ists to create materials with graphics, such as brochures, corporate identity systems, Web sites, and advertisements. Public relations practitioners who work in this capacity are considered print brokers because they hire illustrators, graphic designers, and printers to help produce their work.

Like any type of pictorial matter in a publication or other medium, graphics can include original [Page 373]illustrations and clip art; photographs; logos and symbols; graphs, charts, and maps; numbers; and visual elements such as bullets, line rules, borders, screens and tint boxes, typographic ornaments, geo-metric shapes (bars, stars, diamonds, hexagon), and enlarged letters. Clip art includes images in many different forms, such as photographs, illustrations, and typefaces. Clip art can be purchased on a CD; it is also available free on Web sites. Typically not created for any specific use, the art is generally copyright-free. Public relations practitioners need to be aware of the United States Copyright Revision Act of 1976, which states that those who use copyrighted work must have the permission of the copyright holder. Even though some graphics work may be in the public domain, other images may be protected by copyright even if a copyright does not appear with the graphic.

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