FUNDAMENTALS OF GRAPHIC DESIGN

Graphic Arts as a discipline

 Graphic design takes ideas, concepts, text and images and presents them in a
visually engaging form through print, electronic or other media.
 It imposes and order and structure to the content in order to facilitate and ease
the communication process, while optimizing the likelihood that the message
will be received and understood by the target audience.
Graphic Design
 It is a creative visual arts discipline that encompasses many areas. It may include
art direction, typography, page layout, information technology and other
creative aspects. This variety means that there is a fragmented landscape for
design practise within which designers may specialize and focus.
THE EVOLUTION OF GRAPHIC DESIGN
 Graphic design developed from the printing and publishing industry, with the
term itself first used in the 1950s. At that time, there was a clear demarcation
within the different stages of the print production process, with specialist
professionals or trades performing each one. These stages involved printers,
scanners, photographic reproduction, graphic design, typesetters, print buyers,
film, proofreaders and production managers.
 The consumer economy that emerged in the western world following the
Second World War brought with it the emergence of bright and attractive
packaging as competition between products intensified.
 The number of magazines also began to increase, resulting in greater demand
for visually appealing designs.
 Technological development, particularly in the digital age, has revolutionized
and rationalized the processes of print production.
 Trades such as typesetting and artwork preparation have become obsolete, as
they can now be performed by a
designer.

MONZA 1948

Max Huber designed this poster to

advertise motor racing at Monza, Italy in
1948. It incorporates various elements,
such as typography, imagery and colour
to present the concept of motor racing.
Although no car is pictured, the design
captures the essence of speed and
competition through the use of coloured
arrows and angles, diminishing type.
REVOLUTIONS

Pictured is a poster created by 3 Deep

Design that has similarities to the adjacent
Monza poster, made in the pre-computer
age, despite the fact that they were created
using different technology. Both feature type
and images that tell a message and create
visual impact. Technology may alter how
designs are created and produced, but good
design always goes beyond this via the
effective application of design principles.

Graphic Designer

Thinking of graphic design as a trade is

anachronistic and limited. It is more useful to look at the underlying approach to
design that a graphic designer takes in order to understand his or her role in the
print and digital production process. A designer essentially has two roles in the
process: satisfying the design brief and executing the job.
Fulfilling the brief
1. Work out what has to be done in order to satisfy a design brief.
2. Conducting research into the subject matter in order to generate preliminary
ideas.
3. Design a series of preliminary sketches, thoughts or ideas
4. Bring a sense of order to these concepts and arranges them in a way that gives
them pace and meaning.
5. Creatively structures and edits the job, and makes decisions regarding what is vital
to communicate and how best to convey the message
Executing the Job
 The designer’s next task is to execute the job.
 Designers may work with, and choose from, a varied selection sources to
conceive the final design whether employing a philosophical viewpoint, such as
modernism, or relying on pure aesthetics, such as current trends in typeface
design or fashion.
 A valuable part of the design process is the final resolve, look and feel (aesthetic
qualities) of the project. Aesthetic control is more far-reaching than selecting
sizes and colors as it brings order to a project, and aids communication and
understanding.
Communicating and Conveying Messages
A designer can arrange text and images in an infinite number of ways, but the
ultimate aim is to infinite number of ways, but the ultimate aim is to communicate
effectively rather than produce avant-grade work for its own sake.
Design actively develops, maintains and evolves conventions, axioms and clichés in
order to convey important messages. For instance, why does the front page of a
newspaper contain 500 words and one large picture, a masthead and a stand first?
Because this format has become the convention accepted by readers and anything
drastically different may prevent them from buying or reading a newspaper.
Conventions save designers from having to start from scratch with every job.
However, this is not to say that there is no room for innovation. On the contrary,
innovation tends to occur within the bounds of established convention. Design
conventions are a useful and necessary element of society. For example, motorway
signs function according to conventions as they communicate messages that can be
instantly processed by motorists. If signs did not communicate effectively, there
would be more accidents.