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Graphic design is the process of communicating visually using text and images to present information. Graphic design practice embraces a range of cognitive skills, aesthetics and crafts, including typography, visual arts and page layout. Like other forms of design, graphic design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is created and the products (designs) which are generated.

Uses
Graphic design is used whenever visual intricacy and creativity are applied to the presentation of text and imagery. Graphic design was traditionally applied to static printed media, such as books, magazines and brochures. Since the advent of personal computers – and in particular WYSIWYG user interfaces – graphic design has been utilized in electronic media - often referred to as interactive design, or multimedia design.

Anywhere there is a need to communicate visually, there is potential enhancement of communications through graphic design. Here are a few examples:

In Administration
From road signs to technical schematics, from interoffice memos to reference manuals, graphic design enhances transfer of knowledge. Readability is enhanced by improving the visual presentation of text. Intricate and clever pictures are used when words cannot suffice.

In Advertising
Graphic design enhances ability to persuade and sell products through improved communications, aesthetic and emotional appeal. Graphic design is applied to product and company identity with logos, colors and text style in a process known as branding.

In Education
Graphics are heavily used in education in textbooks for subjects such as geography, science and math to illustrate theories and concepts. Diagrams are also used to label photographs and pictures. A common example of graphics in use to educate is diagrams of human anatomy. Educational animation is an important emerging field of graphics. Animated graphics can have advantages over static graphics for explaining subject matter that changes over time. The Oxford Illustrated Dictionary uses graphics and technical illustrations to make reading material more interesting and easier to understand. In an encyclopedia graphics are used to illustrate concepts and show examples of a particular topic being discussed. In order for a graphic to function effectively as an educational aid, the learner must be able to interpret it successfully. This interpretative capacity is one aspect of graphic design.

In Entertainment
From decoration, to scenery, to visual story telling, graphic design is applied to entertainment. From cover to cover in novels and comic books, from opening credits to closing credits in film, from programs to props on stage, graphic design helps set the theme and the intended mood.

In Journalism
From scientific journals to news reporting, the presentation of opinion and facts is often improved with graphics and thoughtful compositions of visual information. Newspapers, magazines, blogs, television and film documentaries may use graphic design to inform and entertain.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_design