PAPER 2 · CHAPTER 4

🎨 Varieties of Graphic Design

Fourteen specializations inside graphic design. Each is its own sub-craft, with its own rules, tools, and typical output. Expect a 5 or 10-mark question on any of them.

4.1Typography (अक्षरकला)

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make language readable, beautiful, and expressive.

Core concepts

Typeface vs font — typeface is the family (Helvetica); a font is one weight/size of it (Helvetica Bold 12pt).
Serif — little feet on letters (Times, Georgia). Feels traditional, formal.
Sans-serif — no feet (Helvetica, Arial). Feels clean, modern.
Slab serif — thick rectangular feet (Rockwell). Bold, editorial.
Script / display — decorative, limited use.
Kerning — space between two specific letters.
Tracking — space across a word / block.
Leading — space between lines.
Hierarchy — big/bold headings → subheads → body.
Alignment — left, right, centre, justified.

Kerning = the gap between two people in a queue. Too close = awkward. Too far = someone cuts in. Good kerning just feels right without you noticing.

4.2Layout Design (साजसज्जा डिजाइन)

Layout is the deliberate arrangement of text, images, and white space on a page or screen so the reader's eye travels in the right order.

Grid — invisible lines that align everything. 12-column grids are classic.
Columns, gutters, margins — spatial structure of a page.
Visual hierarchy — biggest, boldest gets read first.
F-pattern / Z-pattern reading — how eyes scan Western text.
White space — empty areas are a feature, not wasted real estate.
Balance — symmetrical or asymmetrical.
Consistency — same styling across similar elements.

4.3Illustration (दृष्टान्त चित्र)

Illustration is a picture, drawing, or painting created to explain, decorate, or accompany a text. Unlike stock photos, illustrations are typically original and purposeful.

Editorial illustration — for news, opinion pieces.
Book illustration — especially children's books.
Technical illustration — anatomy, mechanics, instructions.
Advertising illustration — campaign-specific art.
Digital illustration — Procreate, Illustrator, Photoshop.
Traditional — watercolour, ink, pencil, mixed media.

4.4Logo Design (लोगो डिजाइन)

A logo is a graphic mark or emblem used to identify a brand. It must be simple, memorable, versatile, and relevant.

Types of logos

Wordmark — brand name in a distinctive font (Google, Coca-Cola).
Lettermark — initials only (IBM, HBO).
Pictorial / symbol — icon representing the brand (Apple, Twitter).
Abstract — geometric, doesn't picture a real thing (Nike swoosh).
Mascot — a character (KFC's Colonel, Michelin Man).
Combination mark — symbol + wordmark together.
Emblem — icon inside text, badge-style (Starbucks).

Principles

Simple (scales from business card to billboard).
Memorable.
Timeless (not trendy).
Works in one colour.
Relevant to the brand.

A good logo passes the "fax test": if a black-and-white fax of it still reads, it's solid.

4.5Book Design (पुस्तक/पुस्तिका डिजाइन)

Book design covers both the cover and the interior layout.

Cover — front, spine, back as one design. Must grab attention and convey genre.
Front matter — title page, copyright, contents, preface.
Body typography — readable serif body, thoughtful headings, good line spacing.
Running heads / folios — chapter titles at top, page numbers at bottom.
Margins — inner margin slightly larger to accommodate binding.
Trim size — standard sizes: Crown Octavo, Demy, Royal.
Binding types — perfect bound (paperback), saddle-stitched (booklet), hardcover.
Illustrations, plates, index, back matter.

4.6Packaging Design (प्याकेजिङ डिजाइन)

Packaging design is how a product is visually wrapped — structure, material, labels, graphics — so it's protected, identified, and attractive on a shelf.

Purposes — protect, inform, identify, attract, sell.
Structural design — the box/bottle/pouch itself.
Surface design — the printed artwork on it.
Must include — brand, product name, quantity, ingredients, barcode, nutrition/use info, manufacturer, expiry, MRP.
Materials — paperboard, corrugated, plastic, glass, metal, laminate pouches.
Printing — flexography (common), offset, digital for short runs.
Die-line — the flat cut-and-fold template the designer works on.

Great packaging is the product's silent salesman. On a shelf full of 100 competing snacks, the shopper has 2 seconds to pick one. Packaging does the pitching.

4.7Newspaper / Magazine Design (पत्र-पत्रिका डिजाइन)

Editorial design for newspapers and magazines. This is your home turf at Gorkhapatra.

Masthead — the paper's title block.
Folio — page number, date, section line at the top/bottom.
Column grid — newspapers use 6–8 columns; magazines 3–4.
Headline hierarchy — main head, deck, kicker.
Body text — serif fonts for long reads, tight leading.
Pull quotes — attention-grabbing quoted lines.
Byline — author credit.
Photo + caption — photo with a short explanatory line.
Sidebars and boxes — related content set apart.
Special layouts — cover stories, centre spreads.
Digital version — responsive layout, same brand.

4.8Advertising Design (विज्ञापन डिजाइन)

Advertising design creates visual materials to promote a product, service, or idea — with the goal of a specific response (buy, click, vote, donate, attend).

Print ads — newspaper, magazine display ads.
OOH (out-of-home) — hoardings, billboards, bus shelters.
Digital ads — banners, social media, video.
Key elements — headline, visual, body copy, CTA (call-to-action), brand logo, contact.
AIDA model — Attention → Interest → Desire → Action.
Tone — depends on product (humorous snack ad vs serious insurance ad).

4.9Poster and CD Design (पोस्टर, सिडी डिजाइन)

Poster

A single-panel print meant to be read from 3–10 m away.
Common sizes: A3, A2, A1, 70×100 cm.
Core content: striking visual + short headline + what/where/when/contact.
Used for films, events, awareness, political campaigns.

CD / DVD design

Disc face (circular artwork with a centre hole).
Jewel case insert — front cover, back, booklet.
Spine — thin vertical text for shelf viewing.
Must work as circular + rectangular layouts simultaneously.

Note: physical CDs are fading, but the circular-around-a-centre-hole design constraint is a classic exam example.

4.10Calendar Design (ब्यालेन्डर डिजाइन)

Types — wall (single page or 12-page), desk, pocket, digital.
Must include — 12 months or dates, day grid, year, brand/publisher.
Typography — legible date grid is critical.
Cultural context — Nepali calendars include Bikram Sambat, Nepali tithis, festivals (Dashain, Tihar, Holi), English dates alongside.
Theme — landscapes, deities, heritage, company products.
Binding — spiral, saddle-stitch, single sheet.

A Nepali wall calendar is a tiny encyclopedia. Dates in two systems, festivals, tithis, sometimes panchang info — the designer's job is to fit all of that without it looking like a spreadsheet.

4.11Card Design (कार्ड डिजाइन)

Business card — standard 85×55 mm. Name, title, contact, logo.
Invitation / greeting card — wedding, festival, ceremony.
ID card — photo, name, ID number, institution, expiry.
Loyalty / gift card — brand artwork + barcode/magnetic strip.
Event pass — name, date, venue, tear-off counterfoil.
Key constraints — small format; legibility + hierarchy matter.

4.12Corporate Design (कर्पोरेट डिजाइन)

Corporate design (or corporate identity) is the total visual system that represents a company — a consistent look across every touchpoint.

Logo — core symbol.
Typography system — primary/secondary fonts.
Colour palette — primary, secondary, neutrals.
Stationery — letterhead, envelope, business cards, ID.
Templates — reports, presentations, email signature.
Signage — office boards, inside wayfinding.
Uniforms — staff outfits with brand colours/logo.
Digital presence — website, social media templates.
Brand guidelines / style guide — a document that says how everything above should be used.

Corporate identity = a person's wardrobe. You can instantly spot a friend across the street because their whole "look" is consistent. A brand aims for the same: "that's a Nepal Telecom board — I can tell from 200 metres."

4.13Photography (फोटोग्राफी)

For publications — news, feature, sports, events.
For product / ad — food, fashion, e-commerce.
Portrait — for profiles, op-eds, staff pages.
Documentary — long-form storytelling.
Camera basics — DSLR/mirrorless, lenses (wide, standard, tele), flash, tripod.
Exposure triangle — aperture (f/1.4 shallow vs f/16 deep), shutter speed (fast freezes motion), ISO (low = clean, high = grainy).
Composition — rule of thirds, leading lines, framing, negative space.
Post-processing — Lightroom, Photoshop for colour, contrast, crop.
File flow — RAW → edit → export → place in InDesign.

4.14Infographics (इन्फोग्राफिक्स)

An infographic is a visual representation of information or data designed to make complex content easy to understand at a glance.

Types: statistical (charts), process (step-by-step), timeline, comparison, geographic (maps), hierarchical.
Chart basics — bar (compare categories), line (trend over time), pie (parts of a whole), scatter (correlation).
Good infographic principles — one clear message, accurate scale, minimal text, strong hierarchy, cite source.
Tools — Illustrator, Figma, Canva, Datawrapper, Flourish, Tableau.
In a newspaper — election results, budget breakdowns, COVID trends, cricket scoreboards.

An infographic is a journalist and a designer writing together. The journalist says "read paragraph 14 — there's a big number." The designer says "no — let me show you the number."

Practice with sample questions

Gemini will write 5 practice questions (mix of 5-mark and 10-mark) covering this chapter.

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