OUGD601 - Graphic Design As A Whole

Further Research: 

Look at current CV's - See designers promote themselves - Do they just explain how confident they are in software usage?

Look at an older CV, see how a designer promotes themselves. 

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(Graphic Exchange) 'The Bottom Line' - Nick Shinn
http://www.shinntype.com/Writing/BottLine.pdf



And today, folks are really impressed by a piece of dimensional typography that looks like shiny colored plastic.

The problem is automation. We invest time and effort into learning how to add human, billable-by-the-hour value to a technique, only to see a new invention imitate and automate the skill, reducing our role to that of mouse-clicking digital drones.

Worse, we get completely bypassed. Display typography had evolved by the 1980s to the extent that headlines with careful kerning and all kinds of contextual massaging of details were well respected. Then along came Photoshop and that black and white stuff looked flat, boring and old-fashioned, no matter how well done. So with much effort we figured out how to create 3D typographic effects, inspired by Adobe Press’ Design Essentials 1992). Lovely textured type with spiffy vignetted dropshadows, tacky as all get out, but oh so impressive. Then we coughed up for the next Photoshop upgrade and discovered all that effort had been replaced by a pre-set mini-app.

Pre-digital design culture had evolved to appreciate a level of spare sophistication in the design process, but that went out the window. Now, a lot of relatively uneducated (in art and design, not in software) new players from outside the establishment were equating design with decoration, styling, and software ef- fects.

Design culture has become obsessed with the latest software tricks and design trends, and this does not provide lasting, finan- cially rewarding careers for its practitioners.

As Lorraine Wilde wrote in Emigre No. 39, in 1996, with great prescience,

'...we cannot pretend that this technological phenomena has been de- signed, or is waiting, just for us. New media will go ahead without our participation, which for many designers may be OK. The price of par- ticipation may actually be the end of design as we know it...'

If you’re part of an older generation (say, over 25), it’s going to be harder and harder to compete with these graduates for well- paying new media design work. 

Why bother carefully nuancing a background photo so that ele- gant knock-out type reads clearly, when you could just beef up the type with a drop shadow?

The growth of royalty-free digital stock has changed the status of photography and design. It’s made photography affordable for a far wider range of publications than before. But in so doing, it has lessened the importance of the custom collaboration be- tween art director and photographer, and mandated image ma- nipulation on many a shooter. No, the photographer’s role isn’t what it used to be, and the digital stock agencies have creamed a lot of profit out of his/her pocket.

In typography, where once the art director would send the lay- out, with the copy, to the type house to be typeset overnight,now we have to set the type ourselves. We rarely do as good a job as the tradesman used to.

It’s just that typography is no longer as important as 20 years ago. With bitmap techniques and fonts that fake hand lettering or distressed signage, many art directors downplay the typographic component of display set- tings. It’s overt anti-typography, resonant with the early 20th cen- tury when hand lettering was preferred for ad headlines.

On the other hand—in publication design—magazine and newspaper typography has improved remarkably, right from the late ’80s. It’s a question of control, and commitment to the word. The best typography is done, often in house, by compa- nies whose primary product is editorial.


As David Jury wrote in the UK design journal Eye, Summer 2001,

"Total, independent [typographic] control has been dropped into the lap of every graphic designer, yet the same technology sits on desks in every commercial business and organization. The question will be asked more and more, “Should I employ a graphic designer or ‘design’ it my- self?” Put another way: if the finer points of typography are not ad- dressed, then what will be the difference between a graphic designer and an administrative assistant, paid perhaps ten times less for doing the same job just as badly?"

Before DTP, typefaces were created by an elite coterie of designers for the very few companies that could afford the proprietary manufacturing equipment, and fonts were sold to a limited market of trade typesetters and publishers. It was a closed shop with a controlled quality that was technically superb, but in retrospect, turgid. Come Fontographer on the Mac, and anyone could make a font and sell to a potential mar- ket of millions. What a jolt of miscegenation to the typographic gene pool!—radical new life that created the most exciting burst of typefaces since the Incunabula of the 15th century.

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Beyond The Printed Page - Digitilisation 

http://www.beyondtheprintedpage.org/digitalization.html - J, Joyce (2011)

We are living in a digital age, in much the same way our predecessors lived though ice ages and bronze ages. Everything is going digital from music and television, to public services and print.

On this website we examine the role of the graphic designer in the modern age. We look at some of the new opportunities that digitalization presents, and how it effects some of the more traditional practices.

Digitalization appeals to most commercial operations because of its efficiency and cost effectiveness. The fundamental vehicle for this activity is of course the internet, and over the last decade we have witnessed a massive shift in the way we conduct business across the world.

The creative industries have been particularly affected by digitalization. Graphic design being no exception. Whilst the transition has undoubtedly had a big impact on some components of the industry, namely print, it is important that we also recognize the new opportunities it presents. There has never been a more exciting time to be involved in visual communication. As digital screens begin to replace posters and printed media and the web becomes increasingly robust and flexible, the barriers that previously existed between creative disciplines are being broken down. The digital domain can support audio, video and time based sequences. It can display beautiful typography, the application of colour theory and vivid still images. Digital processing has provided us with the ultimate canvas offering a greater degree of creative freedom than ever before, at a fraction of the cost!
There is however a very recognizable downside to digitalization. In the name of cost effectiveness we as a society have come to accept a lower quality product. It appears the majority of the market will gladly compromise human intervention and craftsmanship in favour of economic return and innovation. A classic example seen in the music industry where the sale of lossy low quality mp3 files, rendered a once booming vinyl and CD industry near obsolete. Compare any harsh digital mp3 to the warm, rich analogue sound of a vinyl record and you will wonder why the public puts up with such a regression.

There are now similar patterns being echoed in print and publishing.

With the recent rise in tablets and e-readers, conventional publishers face some difficult times. Consumers are now being enticed by virtual digital formats, because its cheaper and faster. They lose out completely on the romance of owning a book. The quality of the binding and the smell and texture of the paper stock are completely absent from the user experience, and replaced by sterile coloured pixels.

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The Future of Graphic Design

http://thefutureofpublishing.com/industries/the-future-of-graphic-design/ - Last updated: Jul 4, 2013

The Elevator Pitch for the Future of Graphic Design

1. Graphic design has proved essential to every era of publishing history. Has that changed? A superficial argument could state that graphic design has been diminished by the web. But in fact it has been enhanced. Why? In previous publishing eras the quality of the content was of greater importance than the appearance of the content. On the web, appearance and usability are often of equal or greater importance than the content.
2. There is a direct correlation: a well-designed website, regardless of its other qualities or shortcomings, draws more visitors than one that is poorly-designed. Consider two websites of equal virtue in their content: the best-designed with the greatest ease-of-use will win the day. This is not esoteric; it’s dollars in the bank.
3. Designers who are drawn to the web are a hybrid. Some emerged from print publishing, some from multimedia, some from television and other broadcast media. The web demands the best from each and all of these design disciplines.
4. Designing and architecting effectively for the web is a relatively new skill and its requirements change almost daily. The best designers are being drawn to the web in unprecedented numbers because their skills, when used effectively on the web, generally pull in far better remuneration than they ever did in print (or other) media, while affording tougher challenges and greater career opportunities.
5. The individuals and organizations responsible for website management are increasingly recognizing the virtue of the skills of designers (and their agencies) and are more than willing to pay the going price for the best of breed.
6. One dark cloud currently on the horizon is the drop in employment for graphic designers, roughly 25% since 2006. This is covered in more detail below.
My prognosis for the future of design remains extremely positive: great design is going to ever-increasingly make an enormous difference to the future of communication in all media.

Introduction

Graphic design, long a core element in all media, has gained in significance with the advent of the Web. It brings with it hundreds of years of tradition and innovation from some of the most creative minds ever to have been involved in publishing in its so many varied forms. More so, while writing and publishing tend to be very culturally-specific, graphic design has long been informed with a remarkable international cross-fertilization of ideas and techniques that in turn have brought added richness to the publishing endeavor.
A small note of caution: I’ve no ability whatsoever in creating design or illustration. I am instead a long-time observer and buyer of design and illustration, both as a publisher and as a collector. So my perspective is that of a “consumer” not a practitioner. How this colors my perspective and commentary you will have to judge for yourself.
Underlying everything we read and see is graphic design: some terrible, much quite good, some great. Everything published must be designed, regardless of the medium: Even in the absence of a conscious design effort, graphic design is inherently a part of each published piece. There exists a fundamental graphic “language” of which the amateur is often consciously unaware but which informs all publications.
The graphic design industry, like all other sectors of the broad publishing industry, is facing huge challenges and undergoing great changes because of electronic media. Some abhor and fear those changes; others embrace them and thrive on the new world that awaits them.
We are really just beginning to explore what will constitute effective graphic design in this emerging digital media era. The rules continue to be written.

The Essential Challenge of Graphic Design to the Future of Publishing

There are so many wonderful things about graphic design.
At its best, graphic design can motivate people to do things, try things or make things that they never thought they would or could.
As its role is in the realm of the creative, design remains controversial. Like other art forms, the quality of graphic design is in the eye of the beholder. Graphic design can be extraordinarily beautiful. Sometimes we don’t even care what is being communicated, choosing instead to luxuriate in the sumptuousness of the brilliance and execution of the piece.
But of course, as in other creative forms, there is a great deal of graphic design that is consciously or unconsciously referential to forms that have preceded it. There’s certainly nothing inherently wrong in this.
Originality in graphic design should perhaps be defined. I like this definition: “The quality of having been created without recognizable reference to other works” (taken from a site no longer available online!). When graphic design is original, it gains additional power to move the mind and the soul, regardless of the message.
In the pre-Internet era, graphic design, if not intended to motivate aesthetically, was often consciously asked to undertake the challenging task of motivate action from the viewer – obviously this was at the core of advertising, including direct mail.
So what’s the problem?
I believe that too many graphic designers confuse themselves with artists: “a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination”. Showing sensitivity and imagination is all to the good. The problem for publishers is that graphic artists are employed for a specific task. That task is generally quite functional: to produce a piece of graphic communication, for print or digital media. Showing sensitivity and imagination is not in the core task description (it is, at best, a bonus). Most important is using graphic design to make the published piece easy-to-navigate, easy-to-understand, clear and legible. The role of “artist” is distinct from that of “graphic designer.”
But these roles can be very easily confused. And hence the problem. The same graphic designer who creates a clean and simple interior book design may be called upon to also create the cover. This often demands the skills of an artist, illustrator or photographer (sometimes working with the graphic designer). The same graphic designer who creates a clean and simple web site may be also be called upon to create the home page. This often demands the skills of an artist, and perhaps an information designer.
And so roles become easily confused.
I think that one of the major problems confronting publishing today is helping graphic designers uncover their evolving roles, accept those roles, and successfully perform their new duties. The confusion is sometimes their fault. Just as often it is the fault of those who commission their work. They too often place excessive value on the “original” or the “distinct.”
Graphic design is essential to the future of publishing but its role and methods must change. Many graphic designers will require additional training, much of it in the broad area of information design/information architecture.

Graphic Design Reduced

I think that there is no graphic design as simple as the layout of the pages of a book that contains no illustrations. I’m referring to the average novel or book of narrative non-fiction.
The design rules for these pages are simple, straightforward, well-documented and well-accepted. I won’t repeat all of them here, but the most important rules in North America book publishing are:
1. The trim size of the hardcover book will often be 6″ by 9″ or, if a trade paperback, perhaps a little smaller, i.e. 5½″ by 8½″ (with minor trim-size variants sometimes demanded according to the presses and production method of the printer).
2. Pages will follow classic proportions in the arrangement of the blocks of text in relation to the overall page trim size. The amount of white space surrounding the text will be sufficient that the page does not appear crowded.
3. The typeface chosen for the text will be a serif face, one of perhaps a dozen or more that have been well-established for their readability over many pages of text. The size and leading of the text will be specified so as to ensure the least strain on the readers’ eyes, while respecting the publishers’ requirement to often minimize total page count for financial or production reasons.
4. There will be a folio (page number) on each page of the main body of the work, and, if appropriate, a running header to identify the chapter or section. This will generally appear on top of the text rather than at the bottom of the page (then called a “footer”).
I challenge the readers of this section to pull a dozen qualifying books off their shelves, and see how many of them conform to these simple rules. The result will, I think, be surprising – you’ll find a significant number of variances.
I’m always left asking myself the question: Why? Why did the designer decide to break these guidelines – perhaps to omit the running head, to choose a small typeface, or, worst of all, to set the book in a sans-serif typeface? Occasionally I’ll deduce a justification. Usually I’ll just shake my head in wonder.
Print design complexity increases across the publishing spectrum, into illustrated books, magazines, newspapers and advertising collateral. Regardless of the print form, the discriminating eye often stumbles on the pages in view. Too often I find myself asking the same question: Why? Why were these design choices made?
Having said this, I recognize also that graphic design is probably as close to an art form as any of the aspects of technology and craft that comprise the publishing industry. As I continue in my career to explore the possibilities of automated publishing, I’ve finally realized and learned to appreciate that design is art, and only repetitive graphic planning can work in the realm of automated publishing. That which is original in graphic design, and design generally, will always be what makes it most valuable. To grasp the future of publishing it’s essential to recognize that there will always be a range of expression that exists primarily in the creative sphere: not everything can be automated.

Web Design

Throw the search term “web design” onto Google and you’ll be rewarded with some 300 million entries. I guess we could say that the subject is well-covered, on the web at least.
There’s no question in my mind that the master of web design theory is Jakob Nielsen He just gets it. I don’t know Mr. Nielsen personally. Maybe he was an auto mechanic before he discovered the web. But he understands what is essential to web design like no other analyst before or since. He understands deeply how graphic design has changed with the advent of the web. Exploring this rich site is always stimulating and fun.
How has the web changed design and what does this mean to the future of publishing? Start with the fine article Nielsen wrote (in 1997!): “People rarely read Web pages word by word; instead, they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences. In research on how people read websites we found that 79 percent of our test users always scanned any new page they came across; only 16 percent read word-by-word.”
I’ve searched multiple sources to find someone who says it better, without success. Nielsen makes the key point: the nature of reading on the web is significantly different than reading in print.
If the nature of reading on the web is significantly different than reading in print, it follows logically that writing for the web is a very different challenge than writing for print publication.
I think that writing and designing for the web must focus on “information architecture” and “information design,” rather than graphic design in its traditional sense. The objective is no longer to enhance the visual to “move” the audience, but rather to use graphics and text and spatial elements to help people quickly detect what it is you’re trying to communicate. In my seminars I talk about “information architects” rather than “graphic designers.” Many graphic designers fear that this advocates for the visually mundane. Instead it is an argument for the visually comprehensible, within the context of an altogether new publishing medium.
This web site is not an exemplar of that difference. The project began as a book. It took me (too) many years to realize that it would be more effective as a web site. I learned several lessons. The first was very basic: why write about the future of publishing and publish it as a book? I wasn’t merely concerned about the logical narrative structure of books, but even more so that they take a long time to get from the written page into readers’ hands, and that they are complex and expensive to update. Obviously the future of publishing is a constantly moving target, with fascinating and important new information made available daily, and I did not want to have to wait a year or more to update this material (assuming that the book sold well enough that the publisher was willing to invest in such frequent new editions).
More importantly, TheFutureofPublishing.com is really a guide to a wide range of information about publishing that is currently available in print and on the web. It’s always been of paramount importance to me to make my sources available. The web itself was obviously a preferable mechanism for readers to gain rapid access to my primary sources.
But, at the same time, my own writing originates from a logical, narrative style. This is not necessarily the best style for web users. For this I apologize: perhaps in the future I will create a version of the site that more closely matches Nielsen’s dictums, of which I fully approve. In the meantime you have before you a book-like construct, modified to take the best advantage I could of what the web affords. (Nielsen has also written about when longer text makes sense for certain web sites. I can’t find the article tonight, but recommend a thorough perusal of his www.useit.com site.)

Graphic Design References

It’s perhaps an indicator of the anarchic creativity of the graphic design profession that an earlier version of this article appears first in a Google search for “future of graphic design.” There are so many great minds (I’m not including my own!) thinking so many disparate thoughts, that the journey towards formulating your own opinion can be a long one. Here are a few leads:

1. I’m always a little leery of referencing graphic designers as a source of commentary on where graphic design is headed — we usually don’t see eye-to-eye, to say the least — but I very much respect the AIGA, the most important professional association of designers based in the U.S. As the association’s web site points out:

“AIGA’s mission is to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force.

“AIGA, the professional association for design, is the premier place for design—to discover it, discuss it, understand it, appreciate it, be inspired by it. It is the place designers turn to first to exchange ideas and information, participate in critical analysis, and research and advance education and ethical practices. AIGA sets the national agenda for the role of design in its economic, social, political, cultural and creative contexts.

“Founded in 1914, AIGA remains the oldest and largest professional membership organization for design. AIGA now represents more than 22,000 design professionals, educators and students through national activities and local programs developed by 64 chapters and 240 student groups.”

This website offers many riches.

2. Why Design?

Published by the AIGA, undated:

(http://www.aiga.org/resources/content/3/6/1/0/documents/aiga_designingprocess.pdf)

This promotional brochure from the AIGA offers an intelligent analysis of the process by which design is created.

3. The Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 1999

By Jakob Nielsen (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990530.html)

OK, it’s from 1999, but it’s a very good introduction to Nielsen’s worldview on web design. I could recommend dozens of his articles. Why not start here?

4. About InfoDesign: Understanding by Design

(http://www.informationdesign.org/)

“InfoDesign: Understanding by Design” supports the growth and application of information design. Information design helps people and organizations achieve understanding through the creation of relevant, clear and memorable information.

“InfoDesign: Understanding by Design” is dedicated to the growth and improvement of the information and experience industries through the provision of a centralized online resource that serves all interested audiences. Launched in 2004, the site will continually evolve to meet the needs and desires of its participants. “InfoDesign: Understanding by Design” is a non-profit informational resource.”

5. Information Architecture Tutorial

By John Shiple, undated, published by WebMonkey (http://www.webmonkey.com/design/site_building/tutorials/tutorial1.html)

As the introduction reveals: “Information architecture is the science of figuring out what you want your site to do and then constructing a blueprint before you dive in and put the thing together.”

6. Typography and the Aging Eye: Typeface Legibility for Older Viewers with Vision Problems

by Paul Nini, January 23, 2006, published by Voice: AIGA Journal of Design

(http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/typography-and-the-aging-eye — the illustrations associated with the article are available at this URL.)

The author points to a well-documented problem, usually seen in the context of health care rather than publishing: “The population is rapidly aging and becoming a larger share of the marketplace. 13 percent of the population is currently over 65 years old. In 30 years that group will double to 66 million people.” While Professor Nini is more focused on signage than publications, he correctly points out that: “Typographic designers must undertake a more comprehensive study of this subject and develop typefaces that work well with the common vision problems of the aging population.”

- See more at: http://thefutureofpublishing.com/industries/the-future-of-graphic-design/#sthash.AtGiPs7e.dpuf

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How Users Read On The Web
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-users-read-on-the-web/

Summary: They don't. People rarely read Web pages word by word; instead, they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences.

In research on how people read websites we found that 79 percent of our test users always scanned any new page they came across; only 16 percent read word-by-word. (Update: a newer study found that users read email newsletters even more abruptly than they read websites.)

As a result, Web pages have to employ scannable text, using

• highlighted keywords (hypertext links serve as one form of highlighting; typeface variations and color are others)
• meaningful sub-headings (not "clever" ones)
• bulleted lists
• one idea per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas if they are not caught by the first few words in the paragraph)
• the inverted pyramid style, starting with the conclusion
• half the word count (or less) than conventional writing

We found that credibility is important for Web users, since it is unclear who is behind information on the Web and whether a page can be trusted. Credibility can be increased by high-quality graphics, good writing, and use ofoutbound hypertext links. Links to other sites show that the authors have done their homework and are not afraid to let readers visit other sites.

Users detested "marketese"; the promotional writing style with boastful subjective claims ("hottest ever") that currently is prevalent on the Web. Web users are busy: they want to get the straight facts. Also, credibility suffers when users clearly see that the site exaggerates.

Measuring the Effect of Improved Web Writing

To measure the effect of some of the content guidelines we had identified, we developed five different versions of the same website (same basic information; different wording; same site navigation). We then had users perform the same tasks with the different sites. As shown in the table, measured usability was dramatically higher for the concise version (58% better) and for the scannable version (47% better). And when we combined three ideas for improved writing style into a single site, the result was truly stellar: 124% better usability.

Site Version	Sample Paragraph	Usability Improvement (relative to control condition)
Promotional writing (control condition)  using the "marketese" found on many commercial websites	Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996, some of the most popular places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge (86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446).	0%  (by definition)
Concise text  with about half the word count as the control condition	In 1996, six of the best-attended attractions in Nebraska were Fort Robinson State Park, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum, Carhenge, Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park.	58%
Scannable layout  using the same text as the control condition in a layout that facilitated scanning	Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996, some of the most popular places were: Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors) Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166) Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000) Carhenge (86,598) Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002) Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446).	47%
Objective language  using neutral rather than subjective, boastful, or exaggerated language (otherwise the same as the control condition)	Nebraska has several attractions. In 1996, some of the most-visited places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge (86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446).	27%
Combined version  using all three improvements in writing style together: concise, scannable, and objective	In 1996, six of the most-visited places in Nebraska were: Fort Robinson State Park Scotts Bluff National Monument Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum Carhenge Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park	124%

It was somewhat surprising to us that usability was improved by a good deal in the objective language version (27% better). We had expected that users would like this version better than the promotional site (as indeed they did), but we thought that the performance metrics would have been the same for both kinds of language. As it turned out, our four performance measures (time, errors, memory, and site structure) were also better for the objective version than for the promotional version. Our conjecture to explain this finding is that promotional language imposes a cognitive burden on users who have to spend resources on filtering out the hyperbole to get at the facts. When people read a paragraph that starts "Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions," their first reaction is no, it's not, and this thought slows them down and distracts them from using the site.

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The Influence of Technology on Graphic Design

http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/publishing/articles/121403.aspx

As technology continues to change at a mind-blowing pace, we shouldn't be surprised that graphic design evolves right along with it. Here we'll take a look at what influences technology has had on graphic design, as well as view a few examples of today's graphic designs.

• Graphic design has been evolving and changing throughout the years, often redefining the definition of form and functionality while it does so. But why has graphic design changed so rapidly in the last ten years? Thanks to the ever-rapidly developing technology used to create, display, and even print graphics and art, we're seeing designers push themselves -- as well as the boundaries -- as to what we define as graphic design. We'll explore the influence of technology on graphic design, learn the reasons for the rapid advancement, and take a look at how designers are continually coming up with new ways to blow our minds!

• Higher Quality

  Thanks to the advent of faster, more powerful computers and faster Internet, we expect our graphics to be higher quality. We as viewers expect more colors, higher resolutions, and more detailed designs, because our computers can handle these graphics; whereas even as little as five years ago, designers had to be mindful of what they could unload onto us. Now we fully expect art and design that seem to jump right out of our computer monitors, signage, or product packaging.

  Thanks to graphic tablets, new design software, and advances in printing, designers can really get creative and design -- almost without limitation! Imagine how much faster a graphic designer can create with a tablet, rather than using a mouse to do all of their work. And of course with design suites like Adobe Creative Suite releasing new, updated software consistently every few years, the programs feature robust options for designers to utilize in new and often unexpected ways!

  
  

  Printers now have the ability to print high resolution images, blending inks together to create true-to-life representations of what you see on a computer monitor, allowing for bolder designs on more materials than ever before.

• New Concepts and Techniques

  When Internet-era graphic design first began to take off in the 1990s, there wasn't a lot of deviation from the first designs. People tended to use a lot of the same techniques to create quite a bit of similar content. Slowly but surely, people began to deviate from the technique and began to create content in new and exciting ways.

  Now that technology has branched out, offering designers hundreds of programs to choose from, there are almost as many methods of graphic design as there are graphic designers! Seeing a designer's personality shine through in their work is always a bonus.

• Deeper Immersion

  Sure, we want more colors and more details, but some of the best designs offer something more: immersion. People expect to be pulled in by a design, whether it's product packaging or a movie poster, web design or digital art. We expect our graphic designers to utilize the powerful technology around them to create a world at a glance. After all, isn't it nicer to browse a website that feels like it tells a story about a company, product, or individual rather than browsing one that feels very sterilized and cold?

  A designer that can utilize technological advancements to tell a story through their design -- and even across several pieces in their portfolio -- is considered to be one of the best at their trade!

• Cohesive Designs

  Back when the Internet was just becoming widely available to the average home, design was more function than form. Pages were often large amounts of text, broken up by the occasional very small (and very low quality) image, or simply with horizontal rules. Product packaging was simple but effective, but didn't wow us. Today, when we look at a great website, we expect every element within it to fit into the overall design, to flow easily from one area to the other. Product packaging has become an art in itself, with dazzling arrays of colors and information that adds to the design, rather than detracts from it.

• The WOW! Factor

  Let's face it, we're all aware how much we want to be impressed by graphic designers' latest projects. We expect there to be a certain "WOW!" factor in design these days. For example, the piece to the left is actually what is known as vexel art, or pixel art that has been made to imitate high quality vector art. This piece isn't a vector piece that involved hours of work in a program like Adobe Illustrator, but rather a simplified form created in Adobe Photoshop.

  Thanks to advances in technology, artists and designers are developing methods and styles that continually impress us!
  
  

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  The Impact of the Internet on Western Consumer Society

  http://www.sashacrichton.com/the_impact_of_the_internet_on_western_consumer_society.pdf

  
  

  "As Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century which brought together known technologies (ink, paper, wine presses, movable typechannels) (Permberton, 2010) and developed a new means of distribution of information, the internet has similarly drawn upon existing technologies (hypertext, the internet, MIME types) (Permberton, 2010) creating a dramatic informational shift in western culture."

  
  

  The internet can be seen to be imitating old media. Web sites commonly draw upon magazine and newspaper layouts. Content lists, paragraphs, images and graphics are often formatted to a grid layout, reminiscent of print media. 
  
  
  However the constraints of computer software and digital screens different from the conceptual, visual and design framework of the print platform. The visual constraints of design for the internet is practically limitless in boundary-less sides of the ‘page’ (or screen). That is, a viewer may scroll up, down, left or right rather than have a restricted paper size to view. Graphic design on the internet requires digital content to be more compact into a higher level of navigation rather than paced throughout, such as in the printed book, magazine etc. 

Readman (1999) offers (that) ‘communication design is no longer linear and two dimensional: it is hyper fluid and six dimensional, incorporating real-time, motion, sound and interactivity in tradition to x and y co-ordinates’. Therefore as the design constraints have altered in response to the emergence of the internet, it is no surprise that the definition of what constitutes ‘graphic design’ and the role of the Graphic Designer has also changed.

Compared to traditional subsets of graphic design such as typography and editorial design, graphics viewed through the internet demand that the designer consists of a greater range of skills and methodologies. Readman (1999) proposes that digital graphic designers are commonly expected to have an understanding of ‘communications theory (including semiotics) and methodology, as well as cognitive and perceptual psychology and strategies from the social sciences and cultural anthropology.

The graphic design industry and the role of the graphic designer has broadened into what may be considered as deserving a new title and identity; Communication Design.

Recent research has found that 20% of 14–32 year olds surveyed trust print advertising, while only 6% trust online advertising. Another study of 18–54 year olds found that 21% read print ads, yet only 7% pay attention to online ads. While significantly another study found that 63% of internet banner ads were not seen by web users. Eye-tracking software determined that users’ eyes skipped over 37% of the internet ads and stopped on less than one-third of the ads (Marsh, 2010). These statistics indicate that traditional forms of graphic design ads placed on the internet which are reminiscent of print graphic such as the banner ad, largely fail to engage with the viewer in the current media rich culture. Jeff Coghlan, chief executive of Matmi, suggests ‘websites aren’t brochures any more. Companies need to think about how people can engage with their brand and give them something to take away’ (Banks, 2009).

In the future, this the static ad is likely to appear less often, or more often in convergence with graphics which offer an interactive element with the viewer. Coghlan call this model of integrated marketing ‘brand entertainment’ (Banks, 2009).

Television stations are progressively seen to construct promotional pieces using motion graphics styles seen on the internet. For example graphics reminiscent of web buttons were used by Channel 10’s 2010 summer campaign (Australia). The autumn 2010 Vita-Bits Rice-Cakes advertising campaign (Australia) also utilized a computer graphics interface on television.

Graphics originally constructed for website viewing such as navigation buttons are also seen on print media. For example, the billboard on a North Sydney bus in Autumn of 2010 adopts a web button type imagery (see images on the right).

The rise of the internet platform has allowed for the tools and communication possibilities of graphic design to be pushed beyond existing creative, conceptual and industry boundaries resulting in a significant shift on the definition of graphic design.

With the increasing convergence of graphic design technologies we will continue to observe a visual and conceptual blurring between print and digital design aesthetics and narratives. Along with this we can look forward to observing a development in the way in which society reads and interprets visual information.

References

Allen, L., 2010, Lilly Allen [online], Available at http://www.lilyallenmusic.com/lily/fear, [accessed 16 May 2010]. 

Berners-Lee. T., 2010, Tim Berners-Lee, Bio, [online]

http://www.w3.org/people/berners-lee/[accessed 2 April 2010].

Beyond Graphic , 2009, Are you beyond graphic? [online], Available at: http://www.beyondgraphic.org/ [accessed April 17 2010] .

Farrington, P., 2002, Interactive: The Internet for Graphic Designers, RotoVision SA, Switzerland.

Industrial Brand, 2006, Are we still just graphic?, Available at: http://industrialbrand.com/blog/are-we-still-just-graphic, [accessed 17 April 2010].

Pemberton, S., 2010, The Future from Now… on the internet, [online] http://www.w3.org/2010/Talks/04-08-steven-future/, [accessed 2. April 2010].

King, L., 1999, Reload, Laurence King Publishing, London.

Knemeyer, D. 2004, Digital Web Magazine [online], Digital Convergence: insight into the future of web design, Available at: http://www.digital-web.com/articles/digital_convergence/ [accessed 2 May 2010].

Marsh, P. 2010, ‘Worst Practices in Internet Advertising’, Information Today’, Issue 3, p18-19, [online], 

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=51&hid=104&sid=0d1a5da5-c994-4d8a-ba43-481a8c0ce060%40sessionmgr112, [accessed 1 April 2010].

Redman, S.A., 1999, Taking the Leap into New Media, North Lights Books, Ohio.

Sia, 2008, You’ve Changed, You Tube [online], Available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLPPlRDOZx0, [accessed 16 May 2010].

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The Digital Revolution & It's Influence on Contemporary Graphic Design

http://onairdesign.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/the-digital-revolution-and-its-influence-on-contemporary-graphic-design/

Author: On Yi Lai, 2011

Web, multimedia and interactive presentation are becoming more prevalent in the design industry; this post explores the position of the 21^stcentury graphic designer in the midst of a world where virtually all-communicative mediums are becoming increasingly digitized. The graphic design industry has been subject to significant transformation in the midst of the recent digital revolution and it appears the role of the graphic designer is increasingly hard to decipher with the introduction of social media platforms, mobile devices and the gaming industry. Graphic designers are confronted with several key issues that ascend from the emergence of digital technologies and devices. The first problem is concerned with print versus digital mediums such as the web. The question that arises is where print designers fit in today’s design profession “as virtually all media become increasingly digital” (Shull, 2009, p. 1). Another major issue is the designer versus the everyday user who calls him/herself a designer because he/she can use Photoshop. Where does the graphic design professional working in two-dimensional design stand in the facade of “accessibility to free stock photography, clip art, pre-designed page templates, designer fonts, and inexpensive inkjet printing?” (Panning, 2005, p. 3). The third and final issue is the wide reaching demands and expectations from the average employer seeking a ‘graphic designer’. This begs the question, “what should young graphic designers do to make themselves relevant and hireable in the market today?” (Shull, 2009, p. 1).

• Print vs Web vs UI Design

 “Print isn’t dead, but it’s certainly not a David and Goliath battle anymore. David threw the rock and he won, but the rock didn’t kill Goliath. You have to eliminate paper before you can kill print design, and while the Kindle is a great gadget, it’s not making Hammermill think about closing down their paper mills.” (Zambrana in Shull, 2009).

In addressing this issue of print designers and their place in the contemporary design industry we must firstly examine the source of competitors that form the debate. There are three subcategories where graphic design skills play an essential role including; print, web and user interface design. The emergence of the web and various other digital technologies has caused many individuals to believe that ‘print is dead’ and “culturally irrelevant, at least with respect to the global media matrices fostered by advanced information technologies” (Kirschenbaum, 2000, p. 1).  Michael Joyce, an author and critic of electronic literature claims “We are in the late age of print; the time of the book has passed. The book is an obscure pleasure like the opera or cigarettes” (Joyce, 1991, p. 176). It appears that his comments were too rash as we can identify print is still being readily utilised across contemporary business collaterals, books, magazines, product packaging etc. In comparison Rob Zambrana, a graphic designer and marketing director, claims “you have to eliminate paper before you can kill print design” (Zambrana in Schull, 2009, p. 1) which seems to be a much more compelling approach to the situation.

There is no doubt that the Web has purged significant market share from print related industries as “the internet is removing print as a necessity for most people… information is spread by websites and most people communicate by email” (Gettler, 2010) however the relevance and market for print is still strong as they both have their own individual marketable qualities which are irreplaceable. It is fair to say that the emergence of Web, rather than destroyed print, has provided an additional platform for companies to distribute information and market their products and services to a global audience however this is in most cases complimented by some form of printed collateral, “print media and books are likely to coexist with digital newspapers, magazines and books for some time” (Gettler, 2010). The Web platform is particularly popular in comparison to print because it is easily accessible, dynamic and substantially cheaper to create and maintain.

The question of print has been subject to further scrutiny with the recent boom in tablet devices mainly the Apple iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab. Bailey argues while eBooks can be convenient and easily accessible through a single device, some old-school publishing such as graphic novels, oversized coffee-table tomes, hefty design magazines and the like will prove more resistant to the digital revolution as they are treasured for their material qualities just as much as their content (Bailey, 2011). Furthermore Gettler asserts Bailey claiming that “print won’t die, it will just change. Companies like Apple and Google taking over the distribution changes, the economics of the newspaper, magazine and publishing industries” (Gettler, 2010). It is also interesting to note that this idea of combining both physical paper with digital capabilities has already been proposed. It is a new hybrid medium termed ‘electronic paper’, which “entails; portability, durability, and low-cost, but with web like features, such as search functions, linking and the ability to access other media.” (Downs, 2005, p 32).  Whether this proposal will successfully hit the market in masses is a question of production cost and user-practicality however if this were to succeed the print industry might be faced with another league of competition.

The notion of ‘print is dead’ is clearly a misconception that has derived from misinformed theorist, critics and the like. One can argue that the industry is “certainly facing a major downsize” (Shull, 2009, p. 3) but it is still “an integral part of the contemporary media ecology” (Kirschenbaum, 2000, p. 1). One area of print design that will prevail is product packaging as there is no foreseeable replacement of packaging that is economically viable or technologically advanced. In addition the tactile qualities and ‘realness’ of print will allow it to coexist, for some time, in the midst of the digital revolution alongside the web, smartphone and tablet.

• Graphic Designer vs the at Home Photoshop Rookie

Let us now identify the effects the evolution of affordable and user-friendly hardware and software have had on graphic design professional working in two-dimensional design and graphic reproduction. Panning claims that “many professions are compromised and sometimes even eliminated by the very technology that was designed to assist it…graphic design is one such industry that exists within this fluctuating realm of uncertainty” (Panning, 2005, p 9.). This idea is best highlighted through the professional graphic designer versus the everyday computer-user with access to design software such as Adobe Creative Suite, “through imitation, experimentation and personal expression, the average computer user can now produce quite acceptable results with a certain amount of ease” (Panning, 2005, p. 3). The digital revolution has on the whole “made more people sensitive to graphic quality…bit by bit, the general public has learned the literal and metaphorical language of graphic design…carried by computers, aesthetics has spread to places and professions that were formerly off-limits to any such frivolity” (Postrel, 2003, p. 55).

The contemporary graphic design industry has been considerably compromised by the prevalence of affordable and user-friendly software. Companies of low-end design software such as Corel Draw and Microsoft Publisher have marketed their programs towards non-professional designers. In contrast high caliber software offered by companies such as Adobe and Macromedia continue to pitch their applications for design professionals. However digital technologies have enabled users to download pirated copies of these high-end applications with a simple click of a button. Computer users at home can easily imitate and reproduce graphic design work at home as “digital technology makes each copy of every copy equal in quality to the initial master” (Saffo, 1997, p. 96). Graphic design which was once “an unforgiving profession, where every error was mass-produced and required an expensive reprinting to correct, has now become a profession of second chances and redemption” (Panning, 2005, p. 23). With the introduction of the Web and electronic publishing virtually everything is only at a temporary state waiting “to be replaced or improved upon in the sequence of time” (Panning, 2005, p. 23).

To identify the accessibility and ease of design application let us examine some common tools that are publicly available to the average computer user. Essentially anyone who has a computer with Internet access can create their own website without the need of any prior theoretical design knowledge or knowledge of html/css coding. WordPress is a popular blogging website which exemplifies this idea of simplicity, “We can do this for free; we can all do it at home, not only designers, but also everybody else in the world” (Heller & Pettit, 2001). Users can choose from hundreds of pre-designed templates, all that is required of them is to upload text and images to the relevant sections and straight away they have a live streaming website that looks and feels relatively professional. Applications such as Photoshop CS5 makes life much easier for the contemporary graphic designer however this has also meant it is similarly easier for the average computer user to comprehend. The array of tools, pre-installed filters and online tutorials available has really challenged the graphic designer to strive much further to create visuals that are professionally presented and executed.

Although the average computer novice might have easy access to and share the same set of tools as professional graphic designers there will still be obvious differences between one who is professionally trained and one who learns at home. Like any other profession, one must work and develop experience in the industry to identify the standards expected of the area, “jobs tend to be either underestimated or misunderstood by people who don’t do them” (Zambrana in Shull, 2009). For example it is unlikely an average computer user will consider the context and the audience in which their ‘design’ is being presented. Graphic designers must acknowledge, “communication is only as effective and as meaningful as the sensitivity of the receiver” (Cataldo, 1966, p.7). Without formal study of design principles one might be able to create something that is aesthetically pleasing however lacks any sense of usability or ability to convey a clear and effective message to the end consumer.

• Expectations of the Contemporary Graphic Designer

A large part of the compromise lies not only in the easily accessible and user-friendly software that is available but also in the general definition of the term ‘graphic designer’ as it “constitutes a kind of language with an uncertain grammar and a continuously expanding vocabulary” (Hollis, 2001, p. 10). Zambrana claims there has been a huge “misconception as to what modern design really should cover, and it’s made the toolkit designers work with crossover into a lot of fields that aren’t necessarily a natural match” (Zambrana in Shull, 2009, p 3).  The digital revolution has dramatically changed the demands and expectations of the contemporary graphic designers. The term is so broadly applied and is often likened with web design and increasingly also associated with user interface design. However the term graphic and web design has often debated as being “separate and not equal” (Haas, 2010). Haas claims they are different because he considers Graphic designers as ultimately working with print only mediums while web designers working on web platforms only (Haas, 2010). I think this interpretation is rather narrow and misconceived in several ways. The first problem with this interpretation is that it automatically assumes graphic design is solely print based. However the digital revolution has proven that graphic design reaches beyond that of just print mediums.

In comparison I perceive graphic design as the parent category and under this big umbrella feature different sub categories including; print, web and user interface design. There is no doubt that each sub category embody to a degree their individual design principles and technicalities however they all commonly share the fundamental notion that their role is to “communicate new and exciting meanings through a visual, universal language” (Panning, 2005, p. 66). Yes one can claim that there are many technical aspects and structural frameworks of web design that need to be taken into consideration but if one takes the term ‘graphic design’ to its most basic state, they all fall under the same umbrella. In print, the graphic designer’s task is to communicate the message through a single frame of action while for web and user interface platforms; the graphic designer’s role is to similarly communicate a message through an interactive framework.

As a contemporary graphic designer of the 21^st century it is necessary to equip yourself with the skills and knowledge to work across platforms mainly print, web and user interface. Zambrana argues “Why expect your designer to be an excellent programmer if you wouldn’t expect your programmer to be a top-level designer?” (Zambrana in Shull, 2009). That is a valid point however having an understanding of the mechanics behind web developing is also beneficial to the contemporary graphic designer, with “73.3% of the print designers stated that they plan to expand their skills to include Web, multimedia and interactive design” (Panning, 2005, p 58) in a online survey conducted on HOWdesign.com. In a recent search on seek.com.au with the job description as ‘graphic designer’, more than half of the jobs listed a criteria/responsibility that was related to web design, flash, and html/css coding skills. As one can see from a quick job search Graphic designers are now naturally expected to have some understanding of how the web functions and it is preferred that they also understand coding the structure behind their designs.  The key to becoming a more marketable graphic designer in the midst of this digital revolution is to “Be versatile, but don’t spread yourself thin. Learn a lot but don’t be afraid to key in on strength or a passion” (Zambrana in Shull, 2009).

The digital revolution has not only brought about change to the available technologies to the graphic designer but has ultimately transformed and expanded the practice of graphic design industry. There is definitely still a market for print design, however it is best to equip oneself with multidisciplinary knowledge and skills. One can conclude by saying that the graphic design practice has become much more collaborative in nature. The digital revolution has brought together developers, engineers, architects, marketers and graphic designers. Each position playing a different role/part that at the end forms a large enterprise.

* References and Further Reading

Bailey, J. (2011). Tablet or Tome?. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved on 12.08.2011 fromhttp://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/tablet-or-tome-20110804-1idad.html

Cataldo, J (1966). Graphic design & visual communication. Scranton, Pennsylvania: International Textbook Company.

Cramsie, P. (2010). The Story Of Graphic Design: From the Invention of Writing to the Birth of Digital Design. New York: Abrams.

Campaign Brief (2009). Frost to CD of Woolworths South Africa. Retrieved on 13.10.2011 fromhttp://www.campaignbrief.com/2009/11/frost-to-cd-of-woolworths-sout.html

Downs, S. (2005). Is it a book, is it a screen, no it’s…—graphics and the interface in electronic paper. Digital Creativity, 16(1), 31-42. Retrieved on 12.08.2011 from EBSCOhost.

Engholm, I. (2002). Digital style history: the development of graphic design on the Internet. Digital Creativity, 13(4), 193. Retrieved on 12.08.2011 from EBSCOhost.

Gettler, L. (2010). Digital Revolution Not About to Close Book on Print. Retrieved on 12.08.2011 fromhttp://www.smh.com.au/business/digital-revolution-not-about-to-close-book-on-print-20100414-se6b.html

Heller, S. and Pettit, E. (2001). Design Excerpts in Kelsalls, A. ‘The Impact of New Digital Technology on the Nature of Graphic Design: The Digital Designer’. Retrieved on 13.082011 from http://www.andrewkelsall.com/the-impact-of-new-digital-technology-on-the-nature-of-graphic-design-the-digital-designer/

Hollis, R. (2001). Graphic Design: A Concise History. Revision and expanded Edition. London: Thames & Hudson.

Joyce, M. (1991). Notes Toward and Unwritten Non-Linear Electronic Text. The Ends of Print Culture.

Kirschenbaum, M. (2000). The Other End of Print: David Carson, Graphic Design and the Aesthetics of Media. Retrieved on 12.08.2011 from http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/papers/kirsch.html

Lowgren, J. (2006). Articulating the Use Qualities of Digital Designs. Aesthetic Computing. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Meggs, P. (2005) A History of Graphic Design. 4th Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Panning, S. (2005) The Status of Print Designers and the Influence of Digital Technology.

Postrel, V. (2003). The substance of style: How the rise of aesthetic value is remaking commerce, culture, and consciousness. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Saffo, P. (1997), The place of originality in the information age. In M. Bierut, W. Drenttel,S. Heller, & DK Holland (Eds.), Looking closer 2 (pp. 94-97). New York: Allworth Press.

Shull, M. (2009). Graphic Design and the Digital Revolution. Retrieved on 12.08.2011 fromhttp://www.spoonfeddesign.com/graphic-design-and-the-digital-revolution

Truong, A. (2010) Is 3-D Here to Stay? The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 12/08/2011 fromhttp://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/06/24/is-3-d-here-to-stay

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The Digital Revolution & It's Influence on Contemporary Graphic Design

http://www.andrewkelsall.com/the-impact-of-new-digital-technology-on-the-nature-of-graphic-design-the-digital-designer/

The Digital Designer

Within this essay an investigation shall be made into how graphics designers work now, compared to how they used to work. Firstly, a short study of the origins of computers will be shown, and a brief history of how computer generated design concept was developed. I shall look into what exactly the role of the graphic designer is and the different and varied ways in which technology is used within it. Also, the nature of ‘graphic designer today’ will be studied and compared with the areas of graphic design in previous eras. Secondly, a study shall be made into what different technologies which are used in design and what these different technologies are. This essay will explore how these technologies are used and what benefits there are from using them over traditional and established methods. Thirdly, there shall be discussion about why graphic designers need  – or think they need technology and if there is merely a want for technological advances.

The concept of a design method derived in the 1960’s.’Design method’ refers to the procedures and techniques to be used within design. ‘Design Method’ has often been referred as ‘design methodology’, which is the study of the methods of design. At this time there was much discussion into the ways in which design was moving. The ways of design method in the 1950’s and 60’s were used to justify the development of new design techniques. It was at this time when computers were starting to be marketed to business users and scientists, not just for the Military. By 1962 there was enough interest in new design methods for a conference to be held in London. Many agreed that the use of new technologies, utilising a more systematic method of design by use of computers and automatic controls was the way forward. There were other conferences up to 1965. However, there were many disagreements about ‘design method’ and ‘scientific method’ due to the similar methods utilised in both – such as the use of machinery and computers.

One of the last conferences was about the different areas of design in which these new technologies were being used and experimented with. Such area included architecture, engineering design and computer-aided design methods. Computer-aided design was a subject of much interest which inspires many publications and              conferences. Since this basis derived, computers were starting to be used for other areas such as
artistic and graphical applications. The late 70’s saw the advent of the Macintosh. From there was an explosion of technological advancements which have greatly helped in this field. Such advancements include the invention of the 3.5 inch floppy disc, which was launched in 1980. This has given the means for graphic designers to be flexible and distribute and archive their work. Fig one shows an early computer aided design of a hospital bed designed to a systematic design specification. It was produced using newly developed computer technology. As can be seen it is simple and precise. As computer technology developed and printmaking techniques have improved, colour designs such as playing card prints (fig two) were developed. It is the techniques of printing and designing simple designs such as these which have evolved into the kind of computer-generated imagery that we all see today. Fig three shows a combination of fine colour print, 3D design and computer-aided design that we are al now used to seeing every day. Even with the use of computer technology, let us remember that the computer has been developed; edging towards a perfection – but they are just tools and it is the role of the designer which confirms a good design.

So what is the role of the graphic designer? Well, there are roles in which graphic designers take part. Not only do they choose to design, they have to be aware of such matters as currant affairs and peoples
attitudes towards design. Also, they are employed as strategists, conceptualists and aestheticisms and work in management. Currant affairs can greatly affect the direction of a designers’ work. For example, if a British designer was asked to promote British beef for France after the ban was lifted, the designer would have to incorporate many factors in his/her thought to produce a good and appropriate design. There would need to be a factor of sensitivity towards the attitudes of the French people towards British beef – not to mention the political issues involved. A design must then be devised which does not offend but instead reassures. In my opinion the nature of the graphic designer is fundamentally to produce design work that is worthwhile, appreciated, responds to the target audience and is original and different. The desire to create work that is different, I feel, is the greatest challenge of all requirements. After all, not all work is aimed at a certain target audience, therefore cannot respond to everyone. In light of this, graphic design work which reaches further into originality has the greatest impact within some areas. Obviously, sometimes an original, pleasing design is not always appropriate, such as designs for elections (such as America now), designs need to be able to be punchy and easily understood – which have their basis on simplicity.

Unlike previous generations, designers now have digital technology as an allie and tool. Designers can now interface with various forms of technology in many different ways. Digital technology is now the way forward in the field of graphic design. ‘Digital’ language is the language of computers. Digital technology is now practically used in every form of machinery; from mobile phones to car engines. One of the most useful ways in which to utilise digital technology is through the use of computers. Digital applications used on computers give designers to means to create, erase, manipulate and experiment with design.
There are many different forms of technological applications at the designers’ disposal. Graphic designers and artists can use graphical computer programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and many other professional applications to create images. There are literally endless possibilities of what a good and talented designer can use programs such as these for. There are other collectives of computer programs such as publishing applications (such as Quark Express and Adobe Indesign) and also 3D programs, such as 3D Studio Max and Rhyno. There are Internet applications (such as Dreamweaver and Adobe Go Live!).
These applications are utilised using a Macintosh or Personal Computer. The applications have simple interfaces and can be easilylearned by enthusiastic people within a good education. A mouse or graphics tablet is used by the designer to produce designs on-screen. Digital cameras, printers and scanners can be plugged into the computer to give the designer versatility and creativity. There are many benefits from using computer technology instead of more traditional methods. Methods of design in the past were all produced by hand and methods of print were vastly different. The impact of the digital revolution is profoundly affecting the ways in which designs are printed. For example, the days of using acetate type overlays, colour selectors and ‘cut and pasting’ are pretty much now in the past. One great advantage of using computers is that applications contain tools which enable graphic designers to experiment with much ease. Therefore, designers now have more power with the use of new digital technology. Technology has given not just professional graphic designers and students in education the chance to express themselves in various ways, but it has given way for anybody around the world who is interested in design the chance to get themselves known.

“ Because of the technology, we have the opportunity to become really important. We don’t need publishes anymore to do this. Just look at the Web designers, they can single-handedly reach the world eventually with
full-motion video and stereo sound. We can do this for free; we can all do it at home, not only designers, but also everybody else in the world. So I am exited by this because I am hoping that people are going to be serious enough to not be constantly in search of something that’s just cool, but to be in search of ideas that can eventually begin to fill these huge empty vessels of technology”
Steven Heller and Elinor Pettit

Graphic Designers use digital technology because it is more productive than previous traditional methods, but do they need to use the technology – or merely want it? In my opinion designers need digital technology. There are many complexities within the field of graphic design. It incorporates technology, art and science. Therefore designers have to produce work which can be commercial and to be distributed throughout the world. The only way to do this is through the use of digital technology. There are many areas of graphic design, which include various specialties (editorial, corporate, retail, ect) and subspecialties such as direct mail, environmental design and Web design. The only way to ‘tie’ all these areas of design together is through the use of digital technology. Not only is there a need for digital technology, there is a requirement for it from the Industry. Designers also want to embrace the technology because of the vast implications that it can and does have in design. There is risk in using computers though. Designers’ work can easily become systematic and boring – only utilising the computers functions and creativity as their own.

“…..a couple of things bother me. One is the extent to which technology has evolved. The evolution of technology has been tremendous. I’m not computer-literate at all. And at the risk of being thought an old fogey, I mistrust what computers do to ideas. But given the impact of computers within the design world, the impact of computers on photography, the impact on the Web, I think that there has been a really fundamental sea change, a kind of shift of the critical mass.”
Steven Heller and Elinor Pettit

I agree with the above quote. I feel the development of digital technology is a great aspect of graphic design. As computer applications become more powerful, it is easy to let more of the computer produce the work and lesson a designer’s creativity. As the nature of the graphic designer is to think and then act on his/her thoughts; when a computer can do the thinking – where does this leave the graphic designer and what is the role that they play?

Bibliography
Internet:
Introduction to The Education of a Graphic Designer
Steven Heller
Writing, Publishing, and the Internet
Tad Crawford
Excerpt from ‘Design Dialogues’
Steven Heller and Elinor Pettit

Books:
Type and Colour
Alton Cook and Robert Fleury
Design and Industry
The effects of Industrialisation and Technical Change on Design
The Design Council

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What Impact Have Digital Technologies Had On The Graphic Design Practice

http://kayleighmahon.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/essay-what-impact-have-digital-technologies-had-on-the-graphic-design-practice/




Introduction
In my essay I will be investigating designers thoughts on the impact digital technologies have had on the graphic design process. I will be looking back on where it all began starting with firstly the tools that technology came together to create. I will be including research on how computers simplified the whole process and also at the downfalls technology had had on graphic design. I’m interested in this area, as I want to learn about the changes with graphic design as technology had progressed.


Literature review
Technology today is referred to as “electronic cocaine” according to a statement on the ITV news, it is said that 70% of people become stressed when they can not access the internet, digital technology has become a major part of peoples lives and most say they can’t live without it either it being to socialize or when they are working. Even when people are not working they admit to carry on working 24/7. 62% of people believe that technology has changed their lives forever.

In the case of the graphic design practice technology has had a huge impact on how people work, before you would start off by sketching your ideas, then you would create a mockup showing what the product would look like, complete with the dimensions and colors ready to show the client.

An email from a graphic designer on their thoughts whether they prefer design these days or whether he preferred it before technology. This was his response.

“Bit of both, I like the technology and ease of now but prefer the older days when skill and ideas were appreciated more. Photoshop and Computers do not make you a designer – Ideas and thought do. You can’t purchase that in a box” (Burgess,b).

Another opinion of this would be “new technology has had a great impact on the field of graphic design because of printers and scanners, internet and designing programs” (Ausrine31,2008)

Although someone would disagree “despite the health hazards and rampant insanity, there were some great things about the whole “hands – on process”

Berry Burges also believes

“I think we actually had a life, to be honest. We weren’t slaves to technology, original thought was a valued prize, and a person’s craft and skill were honed over well-balanced judgment, implementation and experience. Focus and application were the name of the game, not option 3-9” (Burges,2010)

Although William Perez would disagree, “New graphic design software allows us to skip the old copy and past and stripping process, allowing us to do the work in a quarter of the time, lets be thankful” (Perez,2010)

Andrew Kelsall would argue, “a couple of things bother me, one is the extent to which technology has evolved. The evolution of technology has been tremendous. I’m not computer literate at all and at the risk of being thought of as an old fogey, I mistrust what computers do to ideas. But given the impact of computers within the design world, the impact of computers on photography, the impact on the web, I think there has been a really fundamental sea change, a kind of shift of the critical mass” (S.Heller,E. Pettit,2001)

Someone else who would agree with the above quote would be Dean Rieck “After more than three decades of technological evolution, creativity isn’t what it used to be. I don’t mean the pool of creative advertising talent is shrinking; I mean the way creative people go about creating is different, its design programs; it’s a complete shift in the creative process” (Dean Rieck, 2006)
He would also argue “Technology often is criticized for taking us further from the natural order of things, But in my experience, technology brings us closer. Today creating advertising can be more organic and free flowing than it ever was with typewriters or paintbrushes, with such a low barrier to entry, there’s more bad advertising than ever. But there’s also more good advertising than ever” (Dean Rieck,2006)

Another opinion would be

“With the help of good printers that knew what they were doing, results were as good as anything you’d see today with all of the fancy technology. So has all of this “new” technology made our job easier? “Yes and no” would be my answer. We still face challenges as designers. One of the biggest challenges is restraint. We now have millions of fonts, stock photography up the wazoo, photo-retouching software where we can make an 80 year old into a teenager again. We are now the typesetters, paste-up artists and art directors, account executives AND designers… all wrapped into one. This gives us enormous flexibility and creative control. However, it gives the customer more chances to make changes that although not time consuming, can often be counter productive. That said, I don’t think I’d want to return to the “old” ways of doing things. This old dog likes learning new tricks! “ (willis,2011)

A theory made by business writer Richard Thorton was, “the invention of the personal computer made it possible for untrained designers to create their own documents. This injured the market for included document templates, typefaces, clip art and more. The end user can also go online and purchase or sometimes download for free any of these things as well” (Richard Thorton)

Where it all began
In the 70’s Graphic designers only tools would be rubber cement, kneaded erasers, x-actoknives, proportion wheels, border tape and illustration boards to create logos, posters and many other advertisements.

Until technology came together to create the Corel PageMaker a computer application, this then started a revolution in Graphic Design drastically changed the whole process. Then DTP (desktop publishing) was created most aspects of Graphic Design traditions were no longer used. The change in tools made a change in education, this field became technology-heavy.

Computers simplified the whole process, more work could be completed at work or at home, the computer applications included fonts, font sizes and leading options meaning there where no need for a typesetter. The flexibility of the computer made it so that clients could approve designer’s designs faster because you could now send the items electronically. Computers now make it so that one person can answer a client brief in a quarter of the time it would usually take a whole team of designers to create.
Technology progressed further causing some disruption
Technology became even better when Graphic-design software was improved, QuarkXPress replaced PageMaker, QuarkXPress made it so that designers had more control over their work. Just over a Decade after that Adobe released InDesign, which is now very widely used in Graphic Design.

But because of these applications and because apple revolutionized the industry and made Graphic Design much more widespread, practically everyone can get their hands on the software meaning people could now create their own documents and designs.



The impact on the industry & society
Technology is having a huge impact on large newspaper companies as well as everyday life. Newspaper companies have been hit hard as people are turning to the internet to find out the news, its become even more easier to access the news as people can simply click and app on their smartphones and it will load up in their hands at any time of day in any place they are. Now because of this newspaper companies have been forced to close down, as they are no longer needed. This would be a huge downfall because of the progression of technology, but there are also good points to this in my opinion I feel the ease of just clicking something on your phone to bring up what you need to see within a few seconds a lot simpler than having to go out to your local newsagents and have to spend money. So I believe there is good and bad towards this side of technology. You can see the impact technology has on society, when you walk around people have their heads down to the floor because they are looking at their phones, people don’t have the communication skills people used to have before technology, people don’t speak face to face, you no longer even have to go to the office for a meeting. There are also the good points to this also, the fact that if you need to get in touch with someone very quickly it can be done with a press of a button. People can now communicate with people from all around the world, whether it be a meeting, work or socially.

But as a result of this people no longer want to step outside and find something fun to do such as, meeting friends, going for walks etc. people are becoming more and more lazy as technology progresses. Technology should be a privilege but people today take it as a right they should have.

Technology has saved money in the graphic design field as things like posters had to be painted by hand meaning paints needed to be purchased, brushes, inks, glues which where also a health hazard, spray mount, tools and so on.

The internet made it possible for Graphic Designers to communicate between clients, to search for new ideas for their projects, send their projects to friends or put them up on a blog for opinions. This why a designer can alter any mistakes there may be in their designs that other people could spot.
Even with all the good points of technology some people would argue

“I think we actually had a life, to be honest. We weren’t slaves to technology, original thought was a valued prize, and a person’s craft and skill were honed over well-balanced judgment, implementation and experience. Focus and application were the name of the game, not option 3-9” (Burges,2010)

But also because of the invention of the personal computer

Richard Thorton said that, “the invention of the personal computer made it possible for untrained designers to create their own documents. This injured the market for included document templates, typefaces, clip art and more. The end user can also go online and purchase or sometimes download for free any of these things as well” (Richard Thorton)

Another downfall of the impact of technology on the graphic design field would be plagiarism many users are unaware of copyright laws and that they are violating by using a designers work, they wouldn’t know that some one is doing this unless you where searching online all the time.



Technology or 70s approach?
As I have gone through my research I have found there is an equal balance of for and against technology, technology has its good and its bad points, Dean Reick would argue

“Technology often is criticized for taking us further from the natural order of things, but in my experience, technology brings us closer. There’s more bad advertising than ever. But there’s also more good advertising than ever” (Dean Rieck,2006)

I have included some poster designs created with technology and without technology to support the above quote,

After looking at the different variations I have learnt that design was just as good as it is now and technology doesn’t necessarily make design better, it just makes the whole process quicker.



Technology v’s Before Technology
I have learnt that before all this technology came about, designers would be more thoughtful and careful with their designs. I feel a lot more time was spent creating all the paste-ups, whereas nowadays its straight onto the computer and it can be done within a day or so.

But I also agree with a quote from Burgess B who said he prefers “a bit of both, I like the technology and ease of now but prefer the older days when skill and ideas were appreciated more. Photoshop and computers do not make you a designer, ideas and thought do. You cant purchase that in a box” (burgess B,2012)

As I have gone through my research I have found that most designers feel they do prefer the technology nowadays because of the ease of everything but they do feel there was more appreciation before
technology when they had to create and spend time on their mockups.

Conclusion
In conclusion I feel that the impact digital technologies have had on Graphic design are a mixed bunch of opinions, personally I agree with each different opinion to some extent. I feel technology has made the job a whole lot easier than how it used to be in the 60’s as you can now answer a clients brief easily within a few hours as the designer and client can communicate by email its much more flexible this way. But on the other hand I have discovered a downfall of the impact of technology on the practice, as the work isn’t appreciated as much as it used to be back when everything was carefully thought out. People can easily access the design software graphic designers use, making it easy for any untrained designer to become a graphic designer by creating their own documents, etc. Most people don’t see the hard work behind the designs created anymore.


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References

Websites

Ausrine31 (2008) technology in graphic design [online] available from

< http://www.studymode.com/essays/Technology-Graphic-Design-147109.html>

Andrew kelsall(2001) the impact of the new digital technology on the nature of graphic design the digital designer[online]available from < http://www.andrewkelsall.com/the-impact-of-new-digital-technology-on-the-nature-of-graphic-design-the-digital-designer/>


Dean Rieck (2006) how technology had changed creativity in the ad business [online] available from <http://www.directcreative.com/how-technology-has-changed-creativity-in-the-ad-business.html&gt;


Sharon Mcelwee, how has the internet changed grapic design [online] available from<http://www.ehow.com/about_5418496_internet-changed-graphic-design.html&gt;

Technology in graphic design (2008) technology in graphic design [online] available from<http://www.studymode.com/essays/Technology-Graphic-Design-147109.html­>



Personal Email

Burges,b.(2012) their opinion [email] to me. [accessed 9 october 2012]

Blog

Burges,BB.(2010)Advertising and design b.c – before computers, advertisitng and design b.c – before computers. [blog]26th November 2010. Available from < http://www.armadillo-creative.com/blog/advertising-and-design-b-c-–-before-computers/>

Perez, WP.(2010)graphic design before the computer, graphic design before the computer.[blog]27/September/2010.available from <http://breezycreativedesign.com/2010/09/27/graphic-design-before-the-computer/>

Willis,W.(2011)back in my day cut & paste vs pasteup, cut and paste vs pasteup.[blog]july 10th2011.available from

< http://blog.willisdesign.com/?p=263>_____________________________

Bibliography

websites

Andrew kelsall(2001) the impact of the new digital technology on the nature of graphic design the digital designer[online]available from < http://www.andrewkelsall.com/the-impact-of-new-digital-technology-on-the-nature-of-graphic-design-the-digital-designer/>



Ausrine31 (2008) technology in graphic design [online] available from

< http://www.studymode.com/essays/Technology-Graphic-Design-147109.html>



Burges,BB.(2010) Advertising and design b.c – before computers, advertisitng and design b.c – before computers. [blog]26th November 2010. Available from <http://www.armadillo-creative.com/blog/advertising-and-design-b-c-–-before-computers/>



Dean Rieck (2006) how technology had changed creativity in the ad business [online] available from <http://www.directcreative.com/how-technology-has-changed-creativity-in-the-ad-business.html>



Perez, WP.(2010)graphic design before the computer, graphic design before the computer.[blog]27/September/2010.available from < http://breezycreativedesign.com/2010/09/27/graphic-design-before-the-computer/>

Sharon Mcelwee, how has the internet changed grapic design [online] available fromhttp://www.ehow.com/about_5418496_internet-changed-graphic-design.html



Technology in graphic design (2008) technology in graphic design [online] available from<http://www.studymode.com/essays/Technology-Graphic-Design-147109.html­>

Willis,W.(2011)back in my day cut & paste vs pasteup, cut and paste vs pasteup.[blog]july 10th2011.available from

< http://blog.willisdesign.com/?p=263>

(2012) design before computers ruled the universe [online] accessed from<http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2012/02/design-before-computers-ruled-the-universe/>

(2009) the negative effects of advancing technology on society<http://www.articleonlinedirectory.com/128143/the-negative-effects-of-advancing-technology-on-society.html>

(2011) how the mighty computer changed the industry [online] accessed from

<http://inspiredology.com/how-the-mighty-computer-changed-the-industry/&gt;

Personal Email

Burges,b.(2012) their opinion [email] to me. [accessed 9 october 2012]

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How has the Internet Changed Graphic Design?

http://www.ehow.com/about_5418496_internet-changed-graphic-design.html

While many "old school" designers abhor the Internet and what it has done to the graphic-design industry, others welcome the change as they did when the personal computer changed graphic design forever. There are four areas that have seen the most impact: collaboration, education, medium and plagiarism.

Theories
According to business writer Richard Thornton, the invention of the personal computer made it possible for untrained designers to create their own documents. This injured the market for professionals, as anyone could buy their own software, which included document templates, typefaces, clip art and more. The end user can also go online and purchase or sometimes download for free any of these things as well.

Others, such as designer Todd Bertsch, recognize that today's Web designer usually wears the hat of computer programmer as well. With the sophistication of search engines, designers must learn to utilize programming and SEO (search engine optimization) techniques in order to get client's pages seen at the top of the list on popular sites such as Google.
The Internet has impacted graphic design and many other industries in a major way. Just as the advent of the personal computer allowed designers to take their designs off the drafting table and on the screen, the Internet has created a new medium for design, a new way to collaborate, more opportunities for education, and an easier way to plagiarize the work of others.

New Medium
The single most beneficial thing that the Internet has done is to create a new medium for designers. Design becomes a living, breathing animal that users can interact with. Many broadcast designers find the Web a natural evolution of their skills, while print designers may constantly struggle. Whether watching a movie, flash animation, or using interactive tools on a well-designed website, the user is no longer a passive participant.

With the importance of SEO, Web designers must also be technical experts, and understand the behind-the-scenes programming that helps a page rise high in search engine rankings. Designing a beautiful page for a client that can't be found is of no value. So the designer becomes computer programmer.

Collaboration
Collaboration using the Internet is instant. Online communities allow a designer to work together with her peers to come up with solutions that arise in everyday work. Uploading work to the web for review or tweaking is simple with the massive online storage space (many times free) and high-speed Internet available to anyone at a reasonable cost. A designer in Japan can instantly comment on the work of a designer in the United States. Designers have clients worldwide instead of just in their own backyard. Cultural boundaries melt away and influence becomes farther reaching than ever before.

Education
A slew of schools now offer graphic design as a major. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design allows students a practical, working knowledge of their chosen field. Adobe has create the Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) and specialist program to allow those highly skilled in Adobe programs to show potential clients and employers their abilities.

Many certificate programs are available to older students looking to switch their careers without the expense of going back to schools. These programs many times promise more than is available to those without a degree and years of experience in graphic design, but they can be helpful to those who already have a publishing background.

Plagiarism
The biggest problem that both graphic designers and writers face regarding the Internet is plagiarism. It is simple to save a web page designed by someone else and use it as your own. Plagiarists can download graphics with a click of the mouse. Adding copyrights to images can help, but it is impossible to know who has taken your things unless you are constantly looking for them. Many users are unaware of copyright laws and that they are violating them by using your work. A simple email after looking up the site owner is usually enough to deter them.

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Back in My Day - Cut & Paste Vs Paste Up

http://blog.willisdesign.com/?p=263

Rapidograph, steel rule, xacto knife, blue pencils, t-square, vemco, rub-off type, kroy machine, triangle, french curve.

They sound like the name of cheesy garage bands, but they were the tools of my trade. They were primitive and crude design tools, and to quote Dana Carvey’s grumpy old man, “We liked it that way!”

Nowadays clients will bring us copy they scribbled down in their car on the way to our office. When they hand it to me, it’s hard to tell what language it even is. After clarifying about every other word on the paper, they will often say, “that’s just a draft, we’ll clean it up after you get the proof ready.” After the proof is delivered, they will inevitably schedule a meeting for an edit session, which consists of them sitting behind me editing copy while looking over my shoulder. With a marked up copy of the brochure in their hand, they start directing me like a human Wi. Barking orders like a little league coach, “Move that there, add this here.” “Change the font, make the logo bigger….”

Fifteen or twenty minutes later it’s close to going to print.

BACK IN MY DAY…

You'd run your strips of type through this waxer and it would coat the back with a thin layer of sticky wax.

Twenty years ago that wasn’t very feasible. Getting what we called a “paste-up” or “mechanical ” ready was quite an ordeal. On the copy given to us- we would have to call out font size, leading, column width, fonts, etc. for our typesetter. A typesetting machine was a monstrous machine and the person that operated it was akin to the wizard of OZ. It wasn’t like a computer though. I don’t think it even had a screen, certainly no preview. However you called out the directions was how it came out… like magic. A day later you could pick up your “galleys”. Big rolls of type all to your specifications. Then you’d cut these up with an Xacto knife and run them through a waxer. Then you laid out a grid on your art board using blue pencils (because they were invisible to the graphic cameras that made the printing plates). Once that was done you started sticking down the type. Graphic artists? More like graphic surgeons.

Pretty crude, huh? The boxes you see are for photos that the printer will add later.

After you got everything down you’d tape a piece of tissue paper over the art and call out colors and other instructions for the printer to do. At this point, the client would review a photo copy. Any changes meant another trip to the typesetter. Luckily my typesetter was just down the street. Kaye Tyree was her name, and she still does that type of work, albeit in a more modern way, for Hall Lettershop in Bakersfield… last I heard anyway. So, another day later- you’d start the process over. That is why clients usually handed us edited, reviewed and approved copy. Changes were time consuming and expensive!

Nice "color comp" huh? No color print outs or anything fancy like that. Back then the customer had to use their imagination, and trust us... a lot.

Printed piece.

With the help of good printers that knew what they were doing, results were as good as anything you’d see today with all of the fancy technology. So has all of this “new” technology made our job easier? “Yes and no” would be my answer. We still face challenges as designers. One of the biggest challenges is restraint. We now have millions of fonts, stock photography up the wazoo, photo retouching software where we can make an 80 year old into a teenager again. We are now the typesetters, paste-up artists and art directors, account executives AND designers… all wrapped into one. This gives us enormous flexibility and creative control. However, it gives the customer more chances to make changes, that although not time consuming, can often be counter productive. That said, I don’t think I’d want to return to the “old” ways of doing things. This old dog likes learning new tricks!

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Graphic Design Before The Computer

http://breezycreativedesign.com/2010/09/27/graphic-design-before-the-computer/

Publication Design, page layout and typography vintage handbook on design

What would we do as graphic designers without the computer? Before the ease of Photoshop and Illustrator, and before the ease of transferring our design sketches onto our computer screens, graphic designers copied, pasted and stripped. Past greats worked this way before 1984 and created some of the most iconic logo designs of all time. That year marked the introduction of apple’s first ever Mac with a GUI (Graphic User Interface) and a mouse.

Apple revolutionized the industry and made graphic design much more common and widespread. Pretty much anyone can get their hands on computer design software, but that doesn’t mean they know what true design is. Graphic design is actually a true profession, as opposed to what people think. We work hard to develop design sketches into working concepts and create original ideas from nothing. Just putting that out there.

Now back to the process of layout and stripping.

Before using the computer as a tool for design, graphic designers used scalpels, drawing boards, typesetting machines and darkrooms. Each element that belonged on the final page of the design concept was either illustrated or cut out from actual pictures. If the sizing wasn’t correct, back to the darkroom. Once the final design layout was placed correctly, large cameras were required to create negative film of the final design for the stripping process. Stripping is the process of arranging the film negatives into a pattern to create an order of pages. Each color requires it’s own negative when using a printing press. These processes are rarely done anymore, as they are too time consuming.

New graphic design software allows us to skip the old “copy and paste” and stripping process, allowing us to do the work in a quarter of the time. Let’s be thankful.

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Design Before Computers Ruled The Universe

http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2012/02/design-before-computers-ruled-the-universe/

When I first went to art school, a required course was Paste Up and Mechanicals. It was print production techniques. It took a steady hand, good eye, and the use of very toxic solvents and razor sharp cutting tools. The teachers, as with any production designer who had been in the business for more then ten years, had multiple scars on their hands from Exacto blade cuts and were criminally insane from the solvents soaking through the finger tips into their brains.



It started with a layout board. A pre-printed board with non-reproductive blue lines…which meant a stat camera wouldn’t see the lines when shooting Photostats. These were then pasted on more layout boards, to be shot again into film, that would be turned into a printing plate to print a magazine, poster, or flyer. Naturally, this process took about one thousand times longer than what we now do with simple strokes and keyboard commands on computers and are either digitally printed or go live in digital format onto the web.

Non-repo blue lines gave designers guides to make straight lines and right angles…as long as the elements to be pasted down were just as straight and at 90 degree angles. That was the trick!






Practice made perfect! Years of doing paste-ups made designers and production artists good…and usually criminally insane!

Once the layout board was firmly affixed to the drawing table using pieces of drafting tape—white tape that’s sticky enough to hold a piece of cardboard to a wooden or Formica surface but not sticky enough to tear the entire paper surface right down the middle when removing the tape—it was time to break out the toxic-but-fun chemicals and expensive Photostats.

Carefully using the T-square and triangle to make sure everything was cut just right, square and even using an Exacto blade, which is as sharp as a scalpel but can be lost in a carpet or fall into your pocket to discover later when reaching for change, it was time to start playing “design element collage” and “guess how many lines of type will fit on the page!”

Some of the art supplies needed to be a designer. These supplies are still sold at art stores. I just can’t figure out why?

The trusty drawing table all designers had. The tilt of the table assured you that once you put down your Exacto knife, it would inevitably roll off and land, point down, in your thigh or foot.

By now you have used the handy proportion wheel to order Photostats or “stats” at the size needed and figured out how many lines will fit on a page using a mathematic solution akin to algebra or calculus or something else that would be assigned to the “Rain Man” in the department, and it was time to affix the pieces to the layout board.

An essential tool unless you wanted to do proportions and ratio math. You had to be exact when ordering photostats to the size you needed them or it would take an extra day to get another!

Taking your handy jar or rubber cement that has been carefully thinned with Bestine—a chemical solvent that is hazardous to breath in an unventilated area (like an art studio)—and you would coat the board and the backs of the stats and then have a cigarette at your desk while the cement dried. Yes, you could smoke in an office and yes, Bestine was highly flammable.

Rubber cement is a gooey, snot-like adhesive. We would put some on our drawing tables and once dry, roll them into fake boogers to hang from our noses. It seemed funny at the time but that’s probably from being high due to the toxic fumes from the cement.

The often mentioned Bestine! Make a mistake and just spray it all over the mechanical board. It softened the rubber cement and functional brain cells. The warning label filled the entire back of the one gallon can.

People still use aerosol spray mount. Use it in a spray booth—which will have stalactites forming all over the edges of the booth—which should tell you that you’re breathing it in, too! The wheezing noise you make after a few weeks of using this product may alarm you. Smoke more and it will help melt the glue into your system.

The “waxer” was a pleasure compared to the other adhesive methods. Run the stats through the machine and the back would be coated with a sticky hot wax. It was easy to place the stat on the layout board and it could even be moved without using Bestine. Aside from the hot wax burns on your hands and arms, the health benefits were outstanding!

Once everything was dried and you carefully removed the cigarette ashes from the cemented surface because black smudges would show up when the boards were shot for film, you would take each cut stat and place it ever so carefully down on the board. Oh! This piece is just a touch askew. Well, everything had to be exacting and perfect so you take your can of Bestine and spray it all over the stat and board, making sure it covers your exposed skin so it could soak into the membranes for definite brain cell and cancer damage later in life.

This cover of Print magazine shows a layout board with the usual injury suffered by designers. Most of us looked upon the deep cuts as battle scars.

Carefully picking up the stat piece with a tweezer that is coated with dried rubber cement and cigarette ash, you then replace the piece on the board, praying it will be straight the second time. If you were a great paste up and mechanical person it would only take two tries…which meant other designers would get cancer and insanity quicker and you would WIN!


The rubber cement pickup was a small piece of rubber that I suspect was carved from the flesh of Gumby. Rub it over the entire paste-up and it would clean up all the rubber cement along the edges. The inset photo shows how a new pickup would look after one day.

No one really knew what was inside but you’d squeeze the bag and let the mystery powdered substance fall all over the mechanical board and then rub the cloth bag over the surface to make it neat, toxic, and tidy.

Once the pages were pasted down, they were sent off to the pre-production house that would shoot them and create “bluelines.” These were literally blue, and then they would be proofread for a third time so editors could discover the mistakes they missed the first two times and the designers would have to cut out sections of the type galleys and replace them with the corrected type, once again using the toxic chemicals, cigarettes, and blood from cut arteries. Once approved for final film, there would be celebratory smoking and the pages would be shipped off to the printer for film—shortly thereafter followed by prayers that United Parcel Service or Federal Express wouldn’t lose the package and the entire process would have to be done again in one night.

Once film and color stats were produced, art directors would pour over the stats with loops (magnifying devices guaranteed to cause blindness when used for three or four years) and they would make calls of “20% less cyan and 5% less yellow” and then the printer would ignore those instructions and print the magazine or ad. All of this was then celebrated by screaming editors who hated the final colors and wondered why there were typos in the story. It was a magical time!


The long road

As computers moved into design departments, there were those of us who adopted them with wonder and excitement and those who kicked and fought and died off like the dinosaurs and Bestine victims. While the transition could have been seamless, in most cases it wasn’t.

As art director at one publication, in the far-off distance of 1994, the art department still used layout boards. Although they had the latest power Macs (6100s, I seem to remember), they were used as typesetting devices and the printouts were pasted to the boards, sent out for bluelines and then shot for film. Images were Xeroxed and placed on the boards for position and size and the original art was photographed and stripped into the film.

While I tried to convince the elderly editor that full digital production was possible, his answer was, he “liked the feel and weight of the boards in (his) hands.”

“Yeah…like your *#%$!” I replied…or thought to myself. I really don’t remember after some years of using Bestine.

After one particularly bad issue of original art being submitted to me at the wrong size, I stayed late, cloning extended space for the images to fit properly and then prepared digital files for half of the magazine. It was a gamble that would either lose my job or make for a wonderful evolution in our work process. When the magazine was published and we held our “debriefing” of how each page looked, the editor threw a tirade at how half the magazine looked like “crap.” I asked which half he didn’t like and as expected, it was the digital half he liked.

The gamble worked out: instead of me being sooooo fired, as a compromise to the editor’s wish to hold something in his hands we agreed to affix printouts of the digital pages onto layout boards.

The publisher was more then happy that over $2,000 per issue was saved by switching to full digital production. The staff was happy to be able to create the magazine issues in a fourth of the time it had taken using the old methods of production. The President of the publication was happy she could increase the number of issues we put out in a year without having to add staff.

Oddly enough, right up to 2001, I ran across companies that were just adding computers to their art departments. Again there were those who couldn’t wait to start using the digital tools and those who refused and were gone. I suppose for those who refused to change, there was only one way to wield an Exacto knife but Photoshop would change every year or so.


Was it the “good ol’ days?”

Despite the health hazards and rampant insanity, there were some great things about this whole “hands-on” process.

When type was sent out for galleys, it signaled the end of the workday. Since type was due at the typesetter (which was a business across town as it wasn’t done in-house) by 7:00 pm, nothing else could be done after 6:00 pm and we went home.

With computers setting type instantly, the 9-5 day became a 24-hour possibility most employers welcomed with glee and evil laughter.

Editors didn’t understand the paste-up and mechanical page and seeing what went into it with all the smoking and such, they seldom if ever made changes to the layout design.

With computers, editors, writers and janitorial staff feel they can ask to see what an image looks like blown up, shrunk down or moved left-right while they stand over the designer’s shoulder, usually drooling and breathing heavily.

Although glue products were highly toxic, the fumes provided a legal and fun way to get high at work while bad memories were wiped from the brain cells that carried them.

With computers, designers have to sneak off to the back stairwell to huff from paper bags to get high.

Food stuck to layout boards was a hazard, so we were encouraged to take a lunch hour out of the office.

Computers are impervious to most sandwiches and so we are seldom allowed to wander far from our desks, just in case of a fourth or twelfth design change from an editor or marketing person pops up in the middle of the day and they need to “see it for themselves.”

Doing production by physical paste-ups required a steady hand and good eye to make sure everything was square, even, and clean of dirt and smudges for the best printing.

Computers do that all for you so even a “Shaky-nerves” McGee can produce clean, straight lines and type.

Nobody but designers understood how to do paste-ups and mechanicals, so we were considered demigods and walked the halls like untouched giants.

Now that even four year-olds have computers with image software, everyone is a “designer” and we are just “overpaid crybabies.”

The good news is: we know we are not “overpaid crybabies.” We are talented and adaptable, “underpaid and underappreciated professionals” who get to evolve with technology. Hold THAT in your hands, naysayers!

For more scenes and fun facts from the days of killer art supplies, visit the Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies.