Until the late 20th century, the graphic-design discipline had been based on hand-craft processes: layouts that were made by hand to visualise a design; type was specified and ordered from a typesetter; and type proofs and photostats of images were placed into position on heavy paper or card for photographic reproduction and platemaking. During the 1980s and early ’90s, however, rapid changes in digital computer hardware and software completely altered graphic design.
Software for Apple’s 1984 Macintosh computer, such as the MacPaint programme created by computer programmer Bill Atkinson and graphic designer Susan Kare, had a revolutionary human interface. Tool icons controlled by a mouse or graphics tablet enabled designers and artists to use computer graphics in an intuitive way. The Postscript™ page-description language from Adobe Systems, Inc., enabled pages of type and graphics to be assembled into graphic designs on-screen. By the mid-1990s, the transition of design from a drafting-table action to an on-screen computer activity was virtually complete.
Digital computers placed typesetting tools into the homes of designers, and therefore a time of experimentation occurred in the design of new and unusual type and page layouts. Type and images were layered, fragmented, and disfigured; type columns were overlapped and run at very long or short line lengths, and the sizes, weights, and typefaces were sometimes changed within single headlines, columns, and words. Much of this type of research took place in design training at art schools and universities. American designer David Carson, art director of Beach Culture magazine in 1989-91, Surfer in 1991-92, and Ray Gun magazine in 1992-96, captured the imagination of a youthful audience by taking such an experimental approach into publication design.
Fast changes in onscreen software also enabled designers to make elements transparent; to stretch, scale, and bend elements; to layer type and graphics in mid-space; and to connect imagery into complex montages. For example, in a United States postage stamp from 1998, designers Ethel Kessler and Greg Berger digitally montaged John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Frederick Law Olmsted with an image of New York’s Central Park, a site plan, and botanical art to commemorate the landscape architect. Interwoven, these images create a rich expression of Olmsted’s life and work.
The electronic change in graphic design was followed quickly by public access to the internet. A whole new area of graphic-design activity developed in the mid-1990s when internet business became a fast growing sector of the world-wide economy, causing companies and businesses to quickly establish web-sites. Designing a website involves the layout of screens of information rather than of pages, but approaches to the use of type, images, and colour are similar to those used for print. Web design, however, requires a myriad of new things to consider, including designing for navigation through the site and for using hypertext links to see additional information. An example of strong Web design is the Herman Miller for the Home Web site, designed by BBK Studio in 1998. These designers created a purposeful visual identity, effective navigation, and informational clarity. Attributes that added to the effectiveness of this Web site included a consistent colour palette, an informative use of pictures of products, and a scrolling montage of products.
Because of the world-wide effectiveness and reach of the Internet, the graphic-design domain is becoming increasingly global in scope. Additionally, the blending of motion graphics, animation, video feeds, and music into Web-site design has brought about the merging of traditional print and broadcast media. As kinetic media expand from motion pictures and basic television to scores of cable-television channels, video games, and animated Web sites, motion graphics are becoming an increasingly important area of graphic design.
In the 21st century, graphic design is ubiquitous; it is a major component of our complex print and electronic information systems. It permeates modern society, bringing information, product identification, entertainment, and persuasive messages. The unstoppable advancing of technology has changed dramatically the way graphic designs are created and distributed to a mass audience. However, the basic role of the graphic designer, giving creative form and clarity of content to communicative messages, remains the same.
Looking for art supplies? Australia is the lucky country when it comes to canvas art supplies and if you are looking for a painting easel, make sure you consider Discount Art Warehouse.
Sphere: Related Content