Which of the Following Is Not True About Graphic Design?

The answer

The false statement — the one the question wants you to identify — is that "both lithography and serigraphy are sub-categories of graphic design." They are not. Lithography and serigraphy are printmaking / printing techniques: methods for physically reproducing an image onto a surface. Graphic design is the discipline of visual communication — arranging type, images, color, and layout to convey a message. A designer's work may eventually be printed using lithography or serigraphy, but those processes are means of reproduction, not branches of the design field.

• Lithography is a planographic printing method based on the fact that oil and water repel each other. The image is drawn on a flat stone or metal plate; ink adheres to the greasy image areas and is repelled by the wet blank areas. Offset lithography is the dominant commercial printing process today.
• Serigraphy (screen printing / silk screening) pushes ink through a stencil on a fine mesh screen onto the surface below. It is used for posters, T-shirts, and fine-art prints.

Both are ways to output a design; neither is a category within graphic design.

Why the other options are true

The remaining statements in this common MCQ are accurate, which is why they are not the answer:

• "Graphic design is a form of visual communication." True. Its entire purpose is to communicate ideas visually.
• "Typography is an important element of graphic design." True. Typography — the selection and arrangement of type — is one of the core building blocks designers work with, though not every single piece uses text.
• "Graphic design combines art and technology / can be considered an art form." True. It blends aesthetic principles with tools and production processes.

Because each of these correctly describes the field, the only statement that misclassifies unrelated printmaking techniques as "sub-categories of graphic design" stands out as the untrue one.

The bigger picture: design versus printmaking

The confusion this question exploits is the difference between creating a visual message and reproducing an image. Graphic design is upstream: it is the conceptual and compositional work — logos, layouts, branding, typography, illustration arrangement. Printmaking (lithography, serigraphy, etching, gravure, letterpress) is downstream production: the physical or mechanical process that puts ink on paper or fabric. The two intersect constantly — designers must understand print processes to prepare files correctly — but they are distinct domains with different histories. Lithography was invented in the late 1790s as a printing technology; serigraphy grew from ancient stenciling into modern screen printing. Neither originated as a "type" of graphic design. Recognizing that categorical mismatch is precisely what makes the statement the correct "not true" choice.