Researching the historic precedents of professions in creaive industries
“Knowing where, why and how this industry came about helps designers understand their place alongside history … and studying the past can inspire some innovative ideas in the present.”[1]
Graphic design has been around since language was first expressed in the written form. Visual communication has developed from pictures, to the alphabet, to the printing press that mass produced the written language. The term “graphic design” was first recorded in 1922 by William Addison Dwiggins and from the 1950s onwards graphic design really started to pick up pace with the the dawn of the digital era.
In the past, graphic design was hand-rendered. Before computers, graphic designers would create all their work using physical tools like craft knifes, letracet and photography. They would meticulously and precisely work by hand with extreme attention to detail.
Now, these skills and tools are all recreated digitally, though it is still important to remember traditional practices as these are what inform digital outcomes. Sometimes it is important to use traditional graphic design processes instead of modern ones using technology. Some designs call for the traditional techniques and unique hand-rendered finish as opposed to the digital finish because it adds to the meaning and overall concept of the design piece. Also, the trends that were explored in the past are all returning back to graphic design now. Our technology is ever-changing but themes and ideas are always cyclical.
With the invention of the computer and especially the Apple Mac, graphic design became more available to the public in two ways. The first is that they were able to do it: Adobe Photoshop was released in 1990, creating a whole new element to graphic design by incorporating photo manipulation, illustration and computer generated images. It also meant the public were able to try out digital design and experiment with creating their own work.
The other way that graphic design became engrained in the public is through the sheer amount of it. With the expansion of the internet and eventually social media, the public are exposed to graphic design in so many ways all the time: from content creation, to logos, to advertising, to user interfaces, to websites, to phone screens. In the past, graphic design was seen in books, magazines, logos and advertising, but now the possibilities are so wide and ever-expanding that design is with us 24/7.
With the developments in technology came new jobs. There is now a need for web designers, typography designer for screens (computers, phones, tablets), social media designers and content creators.
Graphic design now is something that goes hand in hand with a business. Rather than contracting someone to create a logo for your business once, businesses now have whole graphic design teams to create cohesive branding, social media and internet presences.
There are now also less jobs in printing in the traditional way. Printers today are run by computers that we plug details into. In the past, printing presses would have to be assembled by hand. The leading and kerning that we now do on the computer was once all done by physically placing extra metal in between the letters. However, there are still many jobs in printing in the modern way. For example, someone needs to run the modern printers and use the software to adapt designs to be printed successfully.
[1] https://99designs.co.uk/blog/design-history-movements/history-graphic-design/ (Date Accessed: 16/06/2021)