Leaving Cert Art: Graphic design & advertising
How often Graphic design & advertising comes up on the Art papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.
HL Asked on 1 of the last 3 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2024.
OL Asked on 3 of the last 3 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. banker
Quick ones on Graphic design & advertising.
- Sans-serif fonts
- Serif fonts
- Script fonts
- Many competing focal points of equal size
- Long paragraphs of small, detailed text
- A clear hierarchy of image and lettering
- Target market
- Copyright
- Supply chain
Show the answers
(a) Serif fonts
(b) A clear hierarchy of image and lettering
(c) Target market
Higher Level
Asked on 1 of the last 3 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2024.
Every paper, year by year
| Year | Where it came up |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Not asked |
| 2024 | Q7 |
| 2023 | Not asked |
Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.
More Graphic design & advertising questions
Graphic design & advertising, 2 marks
Printers reproduce full colour using which four inks?
- Red, green, blue and white
- Red, yellow, blue and gold
- Cyan, magenta, yellow and black
Show the answer
Cyan, magenta, yellow and black
CMYK is the print process; K stands for key (black). Screens mix red, green and blue light (RGB), so colours can shift between screen and paper.
Graphic design & advertising, 3 marks
Why do designers use a layout grid?
- To hide some of the text
- To align elements consistently
- To add random variety to pages
Show the answer
To align elements consistently
A grid of columns and margins keeps pages consistent and easy to read. Swiss designers of the 1950s made the grid central to modern graphic design.
Ordinary Level
Asked on 3 of the last 3 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. banker
Every paper, year by year
| Year | Where it came up |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Q1 |
| 2024 | Q5 |
| 2023 | Q5 |
Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.
More Graphic design & advertising questions
Graphic design & advertising, 2 marks
What is a logo?
- The price tag printed on a product
- A long written advert in a daily newspaper
- A symbol or design that identifies a brand
Show the answer
A symbol or design that identifies a brand
A good logo is simple, memorable, works in one colour and at any size, from an app icon to a billboard. Think of the Nike swoosh.
Graphic design & advertising, 2 marks
In poster design, what is layout?
- How many copies of the poster are printed and sold
- How text and images are arranged on the page
- The type and weight of paper used
Show the answer
How text and images are arranged on the page
Good layout guides the eye: a strong main image, a clear title, then details. Designers use grids, alignment and white space to keep it organised.
Graphic design & advertising, 2 marks
What is a target market?
- The group of people a product or advert is aimed at
- The shop or website that sells the product
- The company that designs and prints the advert
Show the answer
The group of people a product or advert is aimed at
Designers choose colours, fonts and images to suit the target market. Bright cartoon packaging aims at children; sleek black and gold suggests luxury for adults.
Other Art topics
- Art elements & design principles
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- Galleries, museums & curation
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- The working artist & career
- Visual Studies Framework
- Art & the environment
- Artists: processes & media
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- Photography, film & animation
- Architecture & interior design
- Art as social commentary
- Product & vehicle design