Graphic Act

Component 1

For this task, student are required to write an essay about?
• What is Art, Graphic, Design?


1. What is Art?

This coming from my own words and research that has been made, art is the freedom of expression and imagine that one human has to form a skill of piece that can be shown around. The creative activities from it all result into so many things in making masterpieces of music, paintings, sculptures.
 According to (Wikipedia, 2014), Art be expressed as ‘the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.’

2. What is Graphic/s?

In relation to what art is, there has to be a way into which the visions and imaginations we have are wanted to put down. The way we visualize these and put them down are the graphical side of it all. The side we see is the graphic which we see what idea and appreciate the ‘art’ into a piece that one makes graphically. Mostly displayed on a sort of media, like paper, wall etc.

3. What is Design?

Design with reference to (Wikipedia, 2014) describes it as ‘purpose, planning, or intention that exists or is thought to exist behind an action, fact, or material object.’
In relation to what is described above, Design for me is the way we articulate whatever we want to do be it graphically or any means of art direction. The method we use to come out with that final piece of art is the way design it. To be more of a guideline towards what my imagination wants me to create and present that into a graphical case through the media required.

4. What is Graphics Design?

Without any research or reference from anywhere, in my own words I could describe graphics design as the form in which we design things with a clear vision and also mix a variety of skills to come out with a piece of art. This could be a mixture of the image we see and mix it with for example, text. They are everyday things we see that have graphics design in them. Billboards, posters, logos, magazine layouts etc. All those are got from what we understand from Graphics and Design and fuse them as one to create whatever we are willing to imagine.

TASK 2

For this task, student are required to write an essay about?

• What is Graphic Design?
• What understanding about graphic design?
• What the history of graphic design?
• Examine graphic design changes from primitive to contemporary?
• What the function of graphic design?

What is Graphics Design?

In reference to (Agda.com.au, 2014), ‘Graphic Design is an interdisciplinary, problem-solving activity which combines visual sensitivity with skill and knowledge in areas of communications, technology and business. Graphic design practitioners specialise in the structuring and organizing of visual information to aid communication and orientation.’

Graphic designers work with drawn, painted, photographed, or computer-generated images (pictures), but they also design the letterforms that make up various typefaces found in movie credits and TV ads; in books, magazines, and menus; and even on computer screens. Designers create, choose, and organize these elements-typography, images, and the so-called “white space” around them-to communicate a message. Graphic design is a part of your daily life. From humble things like gum wrappers to huge things like billboards to the T-shirt you’re wearing, graphic design informs, persuades, organizes, stimulates, locates, identifies, attracts attention and provides pleasure. (AIGA | the professional association for design, 2014). This tis the main thing that we discuss as graphic designers.

What is the understanding of Graphics Design?

My understanding of graphic design is the way we relate to what we see and what we are able to create in our minds and our resources around us. Be it paintings, illustrations, drawings, printings. If anything that has art value that can be shared and have information that is shared by the designer and the other person/people then that graphically designed media is appreciated by both.

Dictionary.com defines graphic design as “the art or profession of visual communication that combines images, words, and ideas to convey information to an audience. (Miller, 2014)

Graphic Designis surrounding us. It is in our morning paper, on our drive to work, and on the spread of our most loved books. The most well-known structures incorporate:

• Brochures

• Billboards

  

• Posters

• Greeting Cards

  

  

What the history of graphic design?

With reference to Miller, 2014, I managed to get a timeline on the history of Graphics Design and this helped me gain some understating on it.

15,000 - 10,000 BC
The first known visual communication, with pictographs and symbols in the Lascaux caves in southern France.
3600 BC
The Blau Monument, the oldest artifact known to combine words and pictures.
105 AD
Chinese government official Ts’ai Lun credited with inventing paper.
1045 AD
Pi Sheng invents movable type, allowing for characters to be individually placed for printing.
1276
Printing arrives in Europe with a paper mill in Fabriano, Italy.
1450
Johann Gensfleisch zum Gutenburg credited with perfecting the system for printing type in books.
1460
Albrecht Pfister the first to add illustrations to a printed book.
1470
Nicolas Jenson, considered one of history’s greatest typeface designers, sets news standard for Roman type.
1530
Claude Garamond opens first type foundry, developing and selling fonts to printers.
1722
First Caslon Old Style font developed, later used for the printing of the Declaration of Independence.
1760
Industrial Revolution begins, setting the stage for advances in graphic design production.
1796
Author Aloys Senefelder develops lithography.
1800
Lord Stanhope invents first printing press made of all cast-iron parts, requiring 1/10 the manual labor and doubling the possible paper size.
1816
First sans-serif font makes a subtle entrance as one line of a book.
1861
Williams Morris, who became a highly influential figure in design history, sets up art-decorating firm.
1880
Development of halftone screen allows for first photo printed with a full range of tones.
1890
Art Nouveau movement begins and changes design, making its way into all types of commercial design and utilizing all types of arts.
1917
James Montgomery Flagg designs famous “I Want YOU for the U.S. Army” poster. The poster, a self-portrait, was actually an American version of a British poster by Alfred Leete.
1919
The Bauhaus, a German school, is founded, eventually providing the framework for modern design.
1932
Stanley Morison oversees design of Times New Roman font, commissioned by the Times of London.
1940
First issue of Print Magazine printed.
1956
Paul Rand designs IBM logo using City Medium typeface.
1957
Max Miedinger designs Neue Haas Grotesk font, later renamed Helvetica.
1959
First issue of Communication Arts printed.
1969
Douglas Engelbart develops first computer mouse, setting the stage for the future tool of graphic design.
1984
Apple releases first Macintosh computer, featuring bitmap graphics.
1985
Aldus, formed by Paul Brainerd, develops PageMaker software. Brainerd coins the phrase “desktop publishing.” In the same year, New York firm Manhattan Design creates the MTV logo.
1990
Photoshop version one released, and physicist Tim Berners-Lee develops the world wide web, along with HTML and the concept of website addresses.

These are images that I found online via Google Search that also had some information on the history of Graphic design.

The Graphic design changes from primitive to contemporary.

Graphic Design is more paramount in today's much computerized public opinion than at any time in the past. The proceeded advancement of substance to impart thoughts, associate with others and business sector products and administrations is driving the need for originators to make and upgrade that substance. It's not an administration that will be going ceaselessly whenever soon. Inbound promoting depends on the making of significant substance to captivate prospects and clients, thusly architects will dependably be required to make graphically fascinating substance vehicles.

With reference to (Brandbyblake.com, 2014), historically, graphic designers have relied on professionals from outside trades to handle technical aspects of design such as typesetters and printer. The designers only need to develop concepts, seek approval from clients, and assemble the finished art to complete the piece. Once the type set and style were specified for the typesetter, the proofs were attached to a presentation board with all of the artwork and design elements for final production. The relationship between designers, typesetters, paper suppliers, and printers was almost exclusive. The development of the computer has changed the routine path for the industry. Graphic designers often still have agreements with suppliers, but typesetters have disappeared, and their duties are absorbed by the designers themselves. These days clients provide all of the copy in a digital format, and the designers are in charge of formatting the copy and creating a layout. Once clients approve the designs, it goes straight to prepress preparation or printing. The trail from start to beginning to end can be completely digital from the design standpoint.

Function of Graphic Design

In reference to (Wikipedia,2014) Graphic design is the art of communication, stylizing, and problem-solving through the use of type, space and image. The field is considered a subset of visual communication and communication design, but sometimes the term "graphic design" is used interchangeably with these due to overlapping skills involved. Graphic designers use various methods to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may use a combination of typography, visual arts and page layout techniques to produce a final result. Graphic design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is created and the products (designs) which are generated.

Common uses of graphic design include identity (logos and branding), publications (magazines, newspapers and books), print advertisements, posters, billboards, website graphics and elements, signs and product packaging. For example, a product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as images, shapes and color which unify the piece. Composition is one of the most important features of graphic design, especially when using pre-existing materials or diverse elements.

This is an illustration which shows the elements of graphic design:

Study of Graphic Design & Social Problem

With this task, we were told to study and research on a graphic designer of a choice and when we did that, we had to look at a social problem which was passed over to us  by lecturer and then we chose. 

So for my selection of an artist, i chose, Neville Brody. Then the social problem that I was going to assess using this artist was Racism.

Neville Brody

With reference to his own site, (Researchstudios.com, 2014), Neville Brody is an internationally renowned designer, typographer, art director and brand strategist. As founder of the Research Studios network and partner in each of our operations, his insight, methodology and appetite for excellence inform every aspect of our work.

Neville Brody is one of the most celebrated graphic designers of his generation – a leading typographer and internationally recognised art director and brand strategist. The founder of design agency Research Studios, Brody established his reputation working with record labels, magazines and a range of international clients from Apple to Dom Pérignon. His hugely influential work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions and publications, most notably the two-volume monograph The Graphic Language of Neville Brody, which was accompanied by an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

He was one of the founding members of FontShop http://www.fontshop.com in London and designed a number of notable typefaces for them. He was also partly responsible for instigating the FUSE project an influential fusion between a magazine, graphics design and typeface design. Each pack includes a publication with articles relating to typography and surrounding subjects, four brand new fonts that are unique and revolutionary in some shape or form and four posters designed by the type designer usually using little more than their included font. In 1990 he also founded the FontFont typeface library together with Erik Spiekermann. (Wikipedia,2014)

Some of his designs are shown below:

With the images taken from above, I used this to make a design off the topic we were supposed to discuss a social problem being Racism. I was going to design a craft with typography/text/fonts with two different colors, which are the normal black and white colors, white & black. These were going to be merged and then show a design of what something could be. These are samples of some of the racism designs/layouts I researched on:

So after that research on the artist. I designed to design my own racism poster related to my artist. I was going to mix up text and have a design that can be seen and have a meaning to it.

I had a few quotes that I was going to use and then use them as a brush preset which i was going to form in photoshop and then have different fonts used so that they could have an artistic vibe to it.

“I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.” ― Martin Luther King Jr., I Have A Dream

“What is it you most dislike? Stupidity, especially in its nastiest forms of racism and superstition.” ―Christopher Hitchens 

“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.” ― Muhammad Ali

“Yeah, I love being famous. It's almost like being white, y'know?” ― Chris Rock

"Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism."― Oprah Winfrey

This is how my text looked in photoshop after compiling them all.

My work proceeded as the images show to get final artwork.

Hand used to represent a 'stop' visual message

Text that will be used to splash around the photo and show the quotes

Draft layout of how i wanted the typography to be laid out before final copy

The image above shows the final text i was going to use to give out the message on top of the hand which represents a 'stop' signal.

FINAL DESIGN

References

Brandbyblake.com, (2014). Graphic Design Evolution | Brand By Blake. [online] Available at: http://brandbyblake.com/2010/02/graphic-design-evolving/ [Accessed 20 Apr. 2014].

Fontfont.com, (2014). Designers: Neville Brody. [online] Available at: https://www.fontfont.com/designers/neville-brody [Accessed 24 Apr. 2014].

Miller, E. (2014). All About The Elements of Graphic Design. [online] About.com Graphic Design. Available at: http://graphicdesign.about.com/od/elementsofgooddesign/tp/elements.htm [Accessed 22 Apr. 2014].

Researchstudios.com, (2014). Research Studios / Neville Brody. [online] Available at: http://www.researchstudios.com/neville-brody/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014].

Royal College of Art, (2014). Professor Neville Brody. [online] Available at: http://www.rca.ac.uk/more/staff/professor-neville-brody/ [Accessed 24 Apr. 2014].

Screenculture, (2014). Getting specific about Theme, Concept and Premise. [online] Available at: http://blogs.aftrs.edu.au/screenculture/?p=621 [Accessed 15 Apr. 2014].

Wikipedia, (2014). Idea. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idea [Accessed 14 Apr. 2014].