Visual communication in its broadest definition has a long and varied history. Within the development of the profession there have been many changes; whether it is the actual role of the designer or whether it is the actual nomenclature employed within the industry itself. Two of the key terms that have been applied to certain mediums found within visual communication are ‘commercial art’ and ‘graphic design. Commercial art was widely considered graphic art created specifically for commercial use, by an individual while graphic design is now a recognised profession of visual communication that combines images, words, and ideas to convey information to an audience, for a specific effect. For many, commercial art can now be considered an obsolete expression due to the fact that while commercial artists were selected because of their proficiency in their chosen crafts, they employed little personal independence coupled with an arguable lack of symbolism, presenting their work merely as shallow representations created solely with the 'commercial' over the 'art' in mind. The term has now given way to the concept of ‘graphic design’, a change which was arguably necessary and represents a far more relevant and indeed reverent term when applied to modern industry; encompassing a singularly autonomous design process that employs traditional skills with a more thematic approach alongside new technologies so that an artist may consciously and deliberately apply their own ideas and knowledge towards appealing to an ever-evolving cultural landscape as this essay will discuss at length. While the term graphic design itself did not exist as a profession until around the mid twentieth century, neither, arguably, did the necessity to employ ... ... middle of paper ... ...riginality and autonomy, but this wasn’t possible or celebrated within the industry yet. Most noted for inventing the term in 1922 was W.A. Dwiggins. This was invented in reference to his own work, which encompassed book design, lettering, typography and calligraphy.The first use of the term 'graphic designer' can be traced back to a short article in the 1922 edition of Boston Globe written by W.A Dwiggns , who used this new coinage to distinguish himself from others practising in the graphic, printing, advertising and typographic arts. Coining this term is a watershed in the annals of visual communications because, unbeknownst to Dwiggins at the time, the term "graphic designer" marked a move away from the specialist to the generalist under one inclusive rubric. More important, it suggests a higher calling than does the now-unfashionable term, commercial artist.
Born in Haag, Austria, in 1900, Herbert Bayer grew up in the period of the fast changing environment and technologically revolutionary years. After serving in the Austrian Army, he started studying architecture under Professor Schmidthammer in Linz, but in 1921, he enrolled as a student at the Bauhaus in Weimar, where he studied mural painting with Wassily Kandinsky. Bayer was later appointed by Walter Gropius to head the first printing and advertising workshop in Dessau. “Under Bayer’s charge, the newly installed workshop developed into a professional studio for graphic design and commercial art. The study of the communicative potential of letterforms and typographic layout was part of a basic curriculum in the mechanics of visual education. Such innovations as the elimination of capital letters, and the replacement of the archaic Gothic alphabet used in German printing by a modern “cosmopolitan” font, and the concept of composition based on strong geometrical elements and expressive values of colors, testify to a move away from individually handcrafted and traditionally shaped goods towards objects meeting functional requirements suitabl...
Dorne, Albert. "Is Illustration Art?" Ed. Walt Reed and Roger Reed. The Illustrator in America, 1880-
It’s often unacknowledged that there are designers that are behind creating and drawing out the designs we see on our everyday products, whether it be toilet paper, bleach, or a can of soup. There are people behind creating the enticing labels that urge us to crave and need that product. Andy Warhol shined a light on a whole world of unrecognised artists,
Peter, S., 1996. The History of American Art Education. 7th ed. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Technology and social change have long been vital in the evolution of graphic design and its importance in the society. In particular was the Industrial Revolution between 1760 and 1840, which brought about the transformation from agrarian to industrialized societies across Europe and America. Mass production was made possible by new technologies; availability and variety of goods increased and cost of manufacturing decreased, accompanied by the higher standard of living for many people. A consequence of mass production on graphic design was that it led to the demise of the unity between design and production. Craftsmen were replaced by modern technologies, sacrificing artistry for speed and cheaper production.
Graphic design is a visual means of expressing ones view or opinion. It is used globally in many different aspects such as advertising, media and artistic freedom. It has taken a global turn as it is a method that is used almost everyday and appears in everyday life such as store merchandising and branding. A main area where graphic design is most overused is in politics where propaganda is used as a subject at its finest. There are many ways it is used to either pursue or detach itself from a political agenda. Many take more on an illustrative role when it comes to expressing how they feel about a certain topic, however it is very common for existing pieces to be used and manipulated to influencing the public to believe in the politicians
in today's society and is important to have in life. Graphic design is used in media, the
Graphic design is a type of art that has been around almost since the beginning of time. Its main purpose has always been to communicate something to the viewer, and this communication is being done through visuals and in some cases typography as well. An era of graphic design that revolutionized design into what we now know it as today is the Swiss design era. Specifically, work done by Armin Hofmann. His work is what kick started modern graphic design. His designs have a clean, minimal feel, which is popular even in today’s graphic design. Hofmann as well as other Swiss graphic designers in the modern art movement really set the bar for designers who came after them. The post-modern
Many do not consider where images they see daily come from. A person can see thousands of different designs in their daily lives; these designs vary on where they are placed. A design on a shirt, an image on a billboard, or even the cover of a magazine all share something in common with one another. These items all had once been on the computer screen or on a piece of paper, designed by an artist known as a graphic designer. Graphic design is a steadily growing occupation in this day as the media has a need for original and creative designs on things like packaging or the covers of magazines. This occupation has grown over the years but still shares the basic components it once started with. Despite these tremendous amounts of growth,
Visual culture came about around 1990, around the time of the end of the Cold War. The end of the Cold War essentially divided the world into two zones and also marked the rise of postmodernism. Postmodernism changed simple skyscrapers “from austere rectangular blocks into playful towers.” (Mirzoeff, How To See the Word Pg.11). People also begun to see themselves differently and started challenging old definitions of race, gender, and sexuality. At this time visual culture also came into the academic scene, “mixing feminist and political criticism of high art with the study of popular culture and the new digital image.” (Mirzoeff, How to See the World Pg.11). Visual culture is a little different nowadays, and is now the study of how to understand such an enormous and diverse world.
The technological aspect of digital art often leads to questioning of whether or not it can be considered art. Digital art has been accepted and embraced by the commercial and entertainment industries for many years, but is finding it much harder to become part of the fine arts community. Digital art has many hurdles to overcome before it will be fully accepted by the mainstream tradit...
In the art community there is a lot of controversy in distinguishing what the difference between an artist and a designer. Designers are told they are not artist and they need to stop thinking they are artist. When dealing with art and design specific demographics and viewers interpret the messages of each subject in different ways. Art is said to be elucidated and design is said to be understood. Artists usually develop a work of art with the intention of bringing an emotion viewpoint, instinctive feeling, and or state of mind. When you look at an artist work it cannot be limited to just exhibiting one individual thought or just one individual meaning. That is a big difference when it comes to graphic design. Graphic design usually has a very specific goal and point to make. When dealing with graphic design there should not be any room or space for any mixed messages or multiple meanings. The audience of the design should immediately understand the design that the designer created. Art connects to people differently in so many ways. The only reason it connects to people in different ways is only because it is interpreted differently.
Visual Communication could be described as processes that rely primarily on rich visual content as the means of conveying information through words, photos, colors, shapes, and many other components. However, visual communication explores the use of graphical components in achieving communication goals. Visual communication has both critical and practical parts. According to the current book we use in the class “Visual Communication, Images with Messages”, the critical part of visual communication is known as visual rhetoric, which explores the way that designers use visual elements to influence audiences.
‘You cannot hold a design in your hand. It is not a thing. It is a process. A system. A way of thinking.’ Bob Gill, Graphic Design as a Second Language.
Art is everywhere whether one likes it or not, and can be appreciated in the smallest of ways. It’s absolutely necessary for the growth of a society and its people. It’s mainly used for businesses today to either raise people’s opinions of their company or sell a product. For example if you go to the marketplace and you pick up a gallon of milk the first thing you may see on that gallon is a picture of a cow or the same milk being poured into a glass in a way that captures the eye and makes you think “wow that looks great!” This is the most common use for visual art today and often makes people “miss the point” of what it truly means (Why Art Matters, 1). Advertisement is one of the biggest fields in then visual arts and shapes the way we see a product as well as the choices we make on such judgment. This is where the illusion comes in making the visual arts, a potentially harmful thing. The illusion of it comes from what’s true and what’s made up or “altered truth”. A company could make their product seem way better than it really is essentially tricking people into buying it. One example is when you go to a fast food restaurant and you see signs of perfect looking sandwiches when in reality they don’t look like that. Most people don’t see any illusion but when they do it’s hard for them to see the other side of things, the ones that aren’t “stretching the truth”. People today tend to see that kind of advertisement as normal. In fact, it kind of helps with things like morale by making things seem much more worth it and just all around nicer. So there for the arts are the very “soul” of a successful business.