Graphic Design
The term graphic design can refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines which focus on visual communication and presentation. Various methods are used to create and combine symbols, images and/or words to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may use typography, visual arts and page layout techniques to produce the 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 magazines, advertisements and product packaging. For example, a product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as 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.
History
While Graphic Design as a discipline has a relatively recent history, graphic design-like activities span the history of humankind: from the caves of Lascaux, to Rome's Trajan's Column to the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages, to the dazzling neons of Ginza. In both this lengthy history and in the relatively recent explosion of visual communication in the 20th and 21st centuries, there is sometimes a blurring distinction and over-lapping of advertising art, graphic design and fine art. After all, they share many of the same elements, theories, principles, practices and languages, and sometimes the same benefactor or client. In advertising art the ultimate objective is the sale of goods and services. In graphic design, "the essence is to give order to information, form to ideas, expression and feeling to artifacts that document human experience."[2]
The advent of printing
Main article: History of printing During the Tang Dynasty (618–906) between the 4th and 7th century A.D. wood blocks were cut to print on textiles and later to reproduce Buddhist texts. A Buddhist scripture printed in 868 is the earliest known printed book. Beginning in the 11th century, longer scrolls and books were produced using movable type printing making books widely available during the Song dynasty (960–1279).[3] Sometime around 1450, Johann Gutenberg's printing press made books widely available in Europe. The book design of Aldus Manutius developed the book structure which would become the foundation of western publication design. This era of graphic design is called Humanist or Old Style. [4]
Emergence of the design industry
In late 19th century Europe, especially in the United Kingdom, the movement began to separate graphic design from fine art. Piet Mondrian is known as the father of graphic design. He was a fine artist, but his use of grids inspired the modern grid system used today in advertising, print and web layout. [5]
In 1849, Henry Cole became one of the major forces in design education in Great Britain, informing the government of the importance of design in his Journal of Design and Manufactures. He organized the Great Exhibition as a celebration of modern industrial technology and Victorian design.
From 1891 to 1896 William Morris' Kelmscott Press published books that are some of the most significant of the graphic design products of the Arts and Crafts movement, and made a very lucrative business of creating books of great stylistic refinement and selling them to the wealthy for a premium. Morris proved that a market existed for works of graphic design in their own right and helped pioneer the separation of design from production and from fine art. The work of the Kelmscott Press is characterized by its obsession with historical styles. This historicism was, however, important as it amounted to the first significant reaction to the stale state of nineteenth-century graphic design. Morris' work, along with the rest of the Private Press movement, directly influenced Art Nouveau and is indirectly responsible for developments in early twentieth century graphic design in general.[6]
Twentieth century design
Who originally coined the term "graphic design" appears to be in dispute. It has been attributed to Richard Guyatt, the British designer and academic, but another source suggests William Addison Dwiggins, an American book designer in the early 20th century[7]
The signage in the London Underground is a classic design example[8] of the modern era and used a font designed by Edward Johnston in 1916.
In the 1920s, Soviet constructivism applied 'intellectual production' in different spheres of production. The movement saw individualistic art as useless in revolutionary Russia and thus moved towards creating objects for utilitarian purposes. They designed buildings, theater sets, posters, fabrics, clothing, furniture, logos, menus, etc.[citation needed]
Jan Tschichold codified the principles of modern typography in his 1928 book, New Typography. He later repudiated the philosophy he espoused in this book as being fascistic, but it remained very influential.[citation needed] Tschichold, Bauhaus typographers such as Herbert Bayer and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and El Lissitzky are the fathers of graphic design[citation needed] as we know it today. They pioneered production techniques and stylistic devices used throughout the twentieth century. The following years saw graphic design in the modern style gain widespread acceptance and application.[9] A booming post-World War II American economy established a greater need for graphic design, mainly advertising and packaging. The emigration of the German Bauhaus school of design to Chicago in 1937 brought a "mass-produced" minimalism to America; sparking a wild fire of "modern" architecture and design. Notable names in mid-century modern design include Adrian Frutiger, designer of the typefaces Univers and Frutiger; Paul Rand, who, from the late 1930s until his death in 1996, took the principles of the Bauhaus and applied them to popular advertising and logo design, helping to create a uniquely American approach to European minimalism while becoming one of the principal pioneers of the subset of graphic design known as corporate identity; and Josef Müller-Brockmann, who designed posters in a severe yet accessible manner typical of the 1950s and 1970s era.
Common uses of graphic design include magazines, advertisements and product packaging. For example, a product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as 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.
History
While Graphic Design as a discipline has a relatively recent history, graphic design-like activities span the history of humankind: from the caves of Lascaux, to Rome's Trajan's Column to the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages, to the dazzling neons of Ginza. In both this lengthy history and in the relatively recent explosion of visual communication in the 20th and 21st centuries, there is sometimes a blurring distinction and over-lapping of advertising art, graphic design and fine art. After all, they share many of the same elements, theories, principles, practices and languages, and sometimes the same benefactor or client. In advertising art the ultimate objective is the sale of goods and services. In graphic design, "the essence is to give order to information, form to ideas, expression and feeling to artifacts that document human experience."[2]
The advent of printing
Main article: History of printing During the Tang Dynasty (618–906) between the 4th and 7th century A.D. wood blocks were cut to print on textiles and later to reproduce Buddhist texts. A Buddhist scripture printed in 868 is the earliest known printed book. Beginning in the 11th century, longer scrolls and books were produced using movable type printing making books widely available during the Song dynasty (960–1279).[3] Sometime around 1450, Johann Gutenberg's printing press made books widely available in Europe. The book design of Aldus Manutius developed the book structure which would become the foundation of western publication design. This era of graphic design is called Humanist or Old Style. [4]
Emergence of the design industry
In late 19th century Europe, especially in the United Kingdom, the movement began to separate graphic design from fine art. Piet Mondrian is known as the father of graphic design. He was a fine artist, but his use of grids inspired the modern grid system used today in advertising, print and web layout. [5]
In 1849, Henry Cole became one of the major forces in design education in Great Britain, informing the government of the importance of design in his Journal of Design and Manufactures. He organized the Great Exhibition as a celebration of modern industrial technology and Victorian design.
From 1891 to 1896 William Morris' Kelmscott Press published books that are some of the most significant of the graphic design products of the Arts and Crafts movement, and made a very lucrative business of creating books of great stylistic refinement and selling them to the wealthy for a premium. Morris proved that a market existed for works of graphic design in their own right and helped pioneer the separation of design from production and from fine art. The work of the Kelmscott Press is characterized by its obsession with historical styles. This historicism was, however, important as it amounted to the first significant reaction to the stale state of nineteenth-century graphic design. Morris' work, along with the rest of the Private Press movement, directly influenced Art Nouveau and is indirectly responsible for developments in early twentieth century graphic design in general.[6]
Twentieth century design
Who originally coined the term "graphic design" appears to be in dispute. It has been attributed to Richard Guyatt, the British designer and academic, but another source suggests William Addison Dwiggins, an American book designer in the early 20th century[7]
The signage in the London Underground is a classic design example[8] of the modern era and used a font designed by Edward Johnston in 1916.
In the 1920s, Soviet constructivism applied 'intellectual production' in different spheres of production. The movement saw individualistic art as useless in revolutionary Russia and thus moved towards creating objects for utilitarian purposes. They designed buildings, theater sets, posters, fabrics, clothing, furniture, logos, menus, etc.[citation needed]
Jan Tschichold codified the principles of modern typography in his 1928 book, New Typography. He later repudiated the philosophy he espoused in this book as being fascistic, but it remained very influential.[citation needed] Tschichold, Bauhaus typographers such as Herbert Bayer and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and El Lissitzky are the fathers of graphic design[citation needed] as we know it today. They pioneered production techniques and stylistic devices used throughout the twentieth century. The following years saw graphic design in the modern style gain widespread acceptance and application.[9] A booming post-World War II American economy established a greater need for graphic design, mainly advertising and packaging. The emigration of the German Bauhaus school of design to Chicago in 1937 brought a "mass-produced" minimalism to America; sparking a wild fire of "modern" architecture and design. Notable names in mid-century modern design include Adrian Frutiger, designer of the typefaces Univers and Frutiger; Paul Rand, who, from the late 1930s until his death in 1996, took the principles of the Bauhaus and applied them to popular advertising and logo design, helping to create a uniquely American approach to European minimalism while becoming one of the principal pioneers of the subset of graphic design known as corporate identity; and Josef Müller-Brockmann, who designed posters in a severe yet accessible manner typical of the 1950s and 1970s era.
What Employers Are Looking for in Graphic Designers - Part II
It’s More than Just Talent
When you are going after a graphic designer position, your prospective employer is not only seeking qualified talent but “soft” skills and abilities. The “hard” skills as described in our last article, What Employers Are Looking for in Graphic Designers - Part I, gave a list of the skill sets that graphic design job candidates should have.
In this article we’ll look into the set of skills and attributes called “soft skills” that can play as important a role in landing a graphic design job as graphic design talent.
The “Soft” Skills
Soft skills are attributes that have to do with a person’s work ethic, teamwork skills, and positive personality traits that are important in the dynamics of the workplace.
The following examples are some of the soft skills employers like to see in their graphic designers.
.
* Flexibility - Graphic designers who understand the work and flow of how design projects are handled know that there can be last minute changes, delays or deadlines that need to be moved up. Employers want graphic designers that can be flexible and adapt to an ever changing work environment without being stubborn about “how things should be”.
* Meet Deadlines - In the perfect world deadlines are scheduled with enough time to finish a project — but in the real world this rarely is the case. Last minute changes made by the clients, problems with press production or other factors outside your control can take you off track and cause delays. But successful graphic designers know how to manage their time and prioritize tasks in order to meet deadlines.
* Strong Communication Skills - Graphic design projects that turn out wrong are sometimes due to poor communication with the client or as a result of a misunderstanding of what needs to be done. Good communication skills, both verbal and written, are essential for a graphic designer to do the best job possible.
* Team Player - If you are attending a graphic design school, are taking classes to further your graphic design education or work in an office you know what one uncooperative person in the workplace can do to lower morale. A person who isn’t a “lone wolf” or someone that isn’t out to only further their own career is an individual that is considered a valuable member of the team.
* Creative and Resourceful - There are many people who have talent in graphic design but those who are creative, resourceful and can think outside the box are highly treasured by design firms. Knowing all the elements of how to design is not enough. What separates the average graphic designer from those who are truly creative is how effectively concepts can be understood and modified to present a coherent idea through the use of a variety of graphical elements.
A Wise Manager
This true story was related to us about a graphics design manager who was in search of a new graphics person for his department. He interviewed literally hundreds of applicants and finally decided upon an individual who just graduated from college, but had no real work experience.
When the manager was asked why he selected the untested individual he replied that the person he chose “seemed to be a good fit for the department and was willing to learn new things.”
His philosophy was that given the choice between arrogant talent and a good fit, he would choose the good fit because talent can always be improved upon, while negative personal traits are often more difficult to change.
Soft skills are very important to employers and should not be overlooked. Make sure you develop your people skills as well as your graphic design education and graphic skills.
Next Time…
Now that we’ve covered hard and soft skills our next article in this series will focus on what your portfolio should look like, what it should include and other hints on qualifying for a graphic design position.
When you are going after a graphic designer position, your prospective employer is not only seeking qualified talent but “soft” skills and abilities. The “hard” skills as described in our last article, What Employers Are Looking for in Graphic Designers - Part I, gave a list of the skill sets that graphic design job candidates should have.
In this article we’ll look into the set of skills and attributes called “soft skills” that can play as important a role in landing a graphic design job as graphic design talent.
The “Soft” Skills
Soft skills are attributes that have to do with a person’s work ethic, teamwork skills, and positive personality traits that are important in the dynamics of the workplace.
The following examples are some of the soft skills employers like to see in their graphic designers.
.
* Flexibility - Graphic designers who understand the work and flow of how design projects are handled know that there can be last minute changes, delays or deadlines that need to be moved up. Employers want graphic designers that can be flexible and adapt to an ever changing work environment without being stubborn about “how things should be”.
* Meet Deadlines - In the perfect world deadlines are scheduled with enough time to finish a project — but in the real world this rarely is the case. Last minute changes made by the clients, problems with press production or other factors outside your control can take you off track and cause delays. But successful graphic designers know how to manage their time and prioritize tasks in order to meet deadlines.
* Strong Communication Skills - Graphic design projects that turn out wrong are sometimes due to poor communication with the client or as a result of a misunderstanding of what needs to be done. Good communication skills, both verbal and written, are essential for a graphic designer to do the best job possible.
* Team Player - If you are attending a graphic design school, are taking classes to further your graphic design education or work in an office you know what one uncooperative person in the workplace can do to lower morale. A person who isn’t a “lone wolf” or someone that isn’t out to only further their own career is an individual that is considered a valuable member of the team.
* Creative and Resourceful - There are many people who have talent in graphic design but those who are creative, resourceful and can think outside the box are highly treasured by design firms. Knowing all the elements of how to design is not enough. What separates the average graphic designer from those who are truly creative is how effectively concepts can be understood and modified to present a coherent idea through the use of a variety of graphical elements.
A Wise Manager
This true story was related to us about a graphics design manager who was in search of a new graphics person for his department. He interviewed literally hundreds of applicants and finally decided upon an individual who just graduated from college, but had no real work experience.
When the manager was asked why he selected the untested individual he replied that the person he chose “seemed to be a good fit for the department and was willing to learn new things.”
His philosophy was that given the choice between arrogant talent and a good fit, he would choose the good fit because talent can always be improved upon, while negative personal traits are often more difficult to change.
Soft skills are very important to employers and should not be overlooked. Make sure you develop your people skills as well as your graphic design education and graphic skills.
Next Time…
Now that we’ve covered hard and soft skills our next article in this series will focus on what your portfolio should look like, what it should include and other hints on qualifying for a graphic design position.
What Employers Are Looking For In Graphic Designers - Part I
What You Need To Qualify
To land a job as a graphic designer you need the skill sets and talent necessary to fill the job requirements. There are two types of skill set categories employers are looking for when hiring a graphic designer. In the following three part series we’ll delve into what these qualities are and also offer advice on how to prepare for a career as a graphic designer.
Two Skill Sets: Hard and Soft
No matter what job you are applying for there are certain job prerequisites that are usually common to all job position openings.
The “hard” skills have to do with your career training, proficiency, and expertise in your field. The “soft” skill sets have to do with personality traits such as working well under pressure, teamwork, attitude, etc.
Graphic Design: The “Hard” Skills
So what are employers looking for when they are filling spots for graphic designer positions? Here is a short list of the “hard skills” you need to qualify for most graphic design jobs.
You should be familiar with producing graphic design projects related to:
Each design firm has its own set of specific requirements and needs but this list of basic project skills should be in every graphic designer’s arsenal of abilities.
Related Hard Skills
To be a viable candidate for a graphic design job there are other hard skills related to the basic ones concerning project development and production. * Computer Design Skills - Graphic design has experienced a great deal of change in the last decade with the advent of computer graphic assisted design. A good working knowledge of graphic design software and hardware is essential to any graphic designer’s creativity and production skills.
* Good Communication Skills - Graphic designers should be able to communicate effectively and clearly through writing or speech in order to present ideas, ask pertinent questions about their projects, and keep everyone in the loop about the progress of the project. Without good communications skills, a graphic designer is limited in scope.
* Education - In most cases a bachelor’s degree is required for entry level positions in graphic design. For jobs as an assistant to graphic designers or for graphic design work that is more technical in nature a 2-year degree at a community college or certificate of completion is needed. There are many graphic design schools and colleges that can give you the graphic design education and career training needed to pursue a career as a graphic designer.
Next Time…
What are the “soft” job skills employers are looking for in their graphic designers? Next time we’ll cover these skills and discover that possessing these attributes may increase your chances of getting a graphic design job.
To land a job as a graphic designer you need the skill sets and talent necessary to fill the job requirements. There are two types of skill set categories employers are looking for when hiring a graphic designer. In the following three part series we’ll delve into what these qualities are and also offer advice on how to prepare for a career as a graphic designer.
Two Skill Sets: Hard and Soft
No matter what job you are applying for there are certain job prerequisites that are usually common to all job position openings.
The “hard” skills have to do with your career training, proficiency, and expertise in your field. The “soft” skill sets have to do with personality traits such as working well under pressure, teamwork, attitude, etc.
Graphic Design: The “Hard” Skills
So what are employers looking for when they are filling spots for graphic designer positions? Here is a short list of the “hard skills” you need to qualify for most graphic design jobs.
You should be familiar with producing graphic design projects related to:
- Packaging
- Catalogs
- Brochures
- Advertisements
- Web sites
- Posters
- T-Shirts
- Post cards
- Web banners
- E-mail blasts
- Web banner ads
- Newsletters
- Invites
- Banners
- Signage
Each design firm has its own set of specific requirements and needs but this list of basic project skills should be in every graphic designer’s arsenal of abilities.
Related Hard Skills
To be a viable candidate for a graphic design job there are other hard skills related to the basic ones concerning project development and production. * Computer Design Skills - Graphic design has experienced a great deal of change in the last decade with the advent of computer graphic assisted design. A good working knowledge of graphic design software and hardware is essential to any graphic designer’s creativity and production skills.
* Good Communication Skills - Graphic designers should be able to communicate effectively and clearly through writing or speech in order to present ideas, ask pertinent questions about their projects, and keep everyone in the loop about the progress of the project. Without good communications skills, a graphic designer is limited in scope.
* Education - In most cases a bachelor’s degree is required for entry level positions in graphic design. For jobs as an assistant to graphic designers or for graphic design work that is more technical in nature a 2-year degree at a community college or certificate of completion is needed. There are many graphic design schools and colleges that can give you the graphic design education and career training needed to pursue a career as a graphic designer.
Next Time…
What are the “soft” job skills employers are looking for in their graphic designers? Next time we’ll cover these skills and discover that possessing these attributes may increase your chances of getting a graphic design job.
