Graphic Design

Graphic Design

Any paper you pick up was put together using graphic design. It is a very widely used art form incorporated into many different projects. The ultimate purpose is to communicate. The field takes a lot of knowledge to be able to produce a finished and printed product (Rogers, interview). Graphic design is an art that uses skill, information, and technology to communicate to the world. Graphic design, even though it may not have been called that, has evolved with technology. It always has been here to get our thoughts across, but they didn’t always use pictures and color. Graphic design started out as typography, letter writing, which quickly gained popularity. Carvings in wood blocks were used as stamps before Johan Guttenberg invented metal casting in AD 1450 (Kagy 27). The first poster made in 1472 used text to advertise a sale on a book in England. Letterpresses were then made. Even though presses were available, most communication was still verbal. The old technology using print presses didn’t start dominating the new art of advertising until the 1940s (Hurlburt 40). Designers then started to influence advertising. The balance began to shift from purely verbal concepts to image presentation. Then the letter types, typewriters, were made. Next came the photocopiers. Finally today we use computer publishing. Even though designers now use computers, they still need pen and markers to create some images. Felt-tip pens and colored markers replaced pencils and paints as a sketching medium. Technical pens have replaced ruling pens in finished artwork. The marker has not changed the idea of the line, but just made it more dominant. It gives the art a different tone in communicating.

Throughout the change of technology, communication has also changed from Old English to our present grammar and slang. Though the language has changed, it is still an important transmission of ideas and information. Graphic design changed just as drastically as our language. It allows easier communication to be achieved between two parties. Individuals with dissimilar backgrounds still share communication with common experiences. Visual design permits individuals with different heritages to exchange ideas, information, and feelings (Knobler 30). From the first sign of communication, cave men, to commercials on television, visual images have communicated our ideas...

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...the screen blocked with a stencil. When ink is put on the screen it is squeegeed through the screen into the open areas. Digital colors printing- the newest technology using a combination of lasers that make plates and offset printing. It is a shortly run, full color job that would be needed quickly. There are many more types of printing, but these should give a good idea of how much information is needed. This is only one aspect of the graphic design process, so there is more to learn in the field and more skill to pick up. Skill, technology, and an immense amount of information gives the designer their ability to communicate. Person to person was too slow for the world communication, so designers started using technology to get messages across oceans. It also got messages across the consumer’s brain. The skills of a graphic designer persuades the readers to purchase a product, go some place to try a product, use a service, vote for a politician, make a contribution, or even join the army. Graphic designers have to professionally display a campaign of persuasion, identity, and information to benefit both the company and consumer. Face it! We live in a communication-based world.