What is the purpose of a wireframe in graphic design?

A wireframe serves as a foundational blueprint for a design project, illustrating the structure and layout without getting into the specifics of color, typography, or detailed visuals. This skeletal framework allows designers to focus on the organization of elements, navigation, and overall functionality of the design. By using a wireframe, designers can effectively plan the placement of text blocks, images, buttons, and other components, ensuring that the user experience is logical and intuitive.

Selecting a color palette, presenting a high-fidelity prototype, or choosing typography are all important aspects of graphic design, but they occur after the wireframing phase. A wireframe is primarily concerned with the arrangement and flow of content and does not delve into those advanced visual details. This phase is crucial for identifying potential issues in layout and usability before committing to more polished design elements.