How the Digitization Changed Our Experiences of Art and Design - Research Paper Example

How the Digital Transformed Our Experiences of Art and Design With the coming of the 21st century, there has been witnessed anonslaught in technological advances in the fields of art and design. These advances have in turn influenced our lives by conquering the communication between individuals in society (Johnson, 2012). The technologies have influenced the way people read, write and listen to various forms of arts and designs (Boomen, Lammes & Lehmann, 2009). This paper therefore describes the role currently being played by digitization in the fields of art and design, how it influences the artists and how it transforms our experiences of art and design. Digital imaging has impacted various disciplines within the fields of art and design that range from painting, photography and the making of prints (Heller & Womack, 2007). Despite the fact that these technologies are expensive, they have helped students engaging in these fields to effectively practice their skills (Johnson, 2012). This has been enabled with the invention of software like Abode Photoshop and various other engineering drawing programs like Auto-CAD (Lockwood, 2009). Digital technologies used in paintings have been utilized for purposes of stimulating the painted marks by providing optical illusions (Museum Education Roundtable, 2003). There are computer programs like painter that have been designed for making clever tricks including automating the paintings of photographs (Susanka, 2004). They have brought about our ability to clearly differentiate the color values in images displayed on monitors with the advancements that are being made by several companies like Apple Mackintosh (Johnson, 2012). The advances that have been made in digital technology have continuously given students in art along with design colleges’ greater opportunities in producing high quality works in two or three dimensions (Heller & Womack, 2007). The technologies have also enabled artists and designers to be able to effectively convey their ideas in exciting and new ways that are more appealing to viewers (Boomen, Lammes & Lehmann, 2009). However, there are many risks that are posed by the digitally advanced technologies since they can create false impressions of a student’s ability to comprehend the actual issues in these fields (Susanka, 2004). The other risks that could arise from digital technologies result from the attribution of aesthetic elements to the artists and designers utilizing them (Friesinge, Grenzfurthner & Ballhausen, 2012). Recently there have been increases in the use of digital technologies which have resulted in the over influencing of the qualities of the final images desired through different processes that are semi-automated (Susanka, 2004). The use of modern digital applications may influence the assessment of diverse final outcomes in various works of art and designing by the viewers or users despite the fact that they may be faulty (Boomen, Lammes & Lehmann, 2009). Digital information enables designers and artists to independently express a wide variety of ideas with enthusiasm along with perseverance (Clark & Brody, 2009). Independent judgments are also enabled through the use of critical vocabulary that show a clear comprehension of the complex issues that may be involved in a situation (Heller & Womack, 2007). The technologies additionally help designers and artists to properly explore the processes that are involved in various the experiments they may carry out (Johnson, 2012). These experiments may be used for testing the strengths of different models by designers, the risks encountered after their implementation along with their effects on the surrounding (Museum Education Roundtable, 2003). The use of these technologies can therefore be said to have facilitated the creation of safer habitats for people along with better presentations by artists in their exhibitions (Susanka, 2004). Through the use of digital technologies, artists and designers have been able to clearly expound on complex issues that would otherwise not have been understandable to the ordinary person (Berger, 2010). The digital devices utilized by artists and designers helps in enhancing their abilities of exploring, developing and presenting ideas. This is through their provision of mediums which help them in making investigations before indulging in the practice of designing and making drawings (Heller & Womack, 2007). These devices also provide various different tools that enable designers and artists to evaluate their work before their development begins (Berger, 2010). Through this provision of access to resources, the designers and artists knowledge along with understanding abilities are augmented thereby making them produce better quality work (Boomen, Lammes & Lehmann, 2009). The digital devices enable the artists and designers already established in their fields to make refinements on their works without distorting them. These have been enabled through the use of software invented for the purpose of enabling these activities and include computer programs like Abode Photoshop (Johnson, 2012). The experiences we derive from using digital devices on art and designing can give us more vivid depictions of what a situation really looks like before it becomes a reality. For instance, various designing programs like Auto-CAD, have been developed to assist designers of buildings come up with designs more efficiently while reducing the costs and labor involved in the process (Museum Education Roundtable, 2003). Digital devices additionally help artists in the review and reflection of the quality of their work as they progress in turn enabling them to come up with more efficient and higher quality designs (Johnson, 2012). These devices have also been effectively used for the purpose of enhancing learning activities in the fields of art along with design (Clark & Brody, 2009). This is mainly achieved through digital devices that create animations and videos for enabling easier presentations to groups of learners (Friesinge, Grenzfurthner & Ballhausen, 2012). They additionally help students pursuing arts and design courses to present their work for assessment to their supervisors even when they are located far away from one another. This can be effectively carried out using devices like teleconferencing equipments (Boomen, Lammes & Lehmann, 2009). The use of digital equipment has facilitated the ease of collection of information by artists and designers concerning previous works that have been carried out by past people originating from diverse cultures (Heller & Womack, 2007). Through the utilization of the internet, information regarding past works can easily be attained for the purpose of facilitating the enhancement of the current works that are being undertaken by an artist or a designer (Museum Education Roundtable, 2003). The comparison of various styles brought out by different artists has also been facilitated by the use of digital devices in these fields like the internet. Thus, it can be said that the individuals practicing in this fields are able to undertake broad enquiries into the topics they are undertaking due to the availability of digital technologies (Johnson, 2012). The digital technologies currently being used in the fields of art along with design have enabled us to gain access to an extensive range of information and galleries from different movements in the past including other contemporary sources (Heller & Womack, 2007). They also avail extensive visual information concerning the different techniques and issues that are affecting the fields of art along with design and how they can be solved (Boomen, Lammes & Lehmann, 2009). For example, digital equipment can be used for the selection of images in skeletal form for units of work in structures (Berger, 2010). Digital devices have also enabled the artists and designers to make higher quality presentations to different audiences that are also located in different places (Friesinge, Grenzfurthner & Ballhausen, 2012). The digital transformation that exists within the society has influenced the way designers and artists edit and manipulate their moving and still works that may comprise of various images along with sounds (Romans, 2005). For instance, with the introduction of the digital cameras and scanners, the images created can be easily manipulated for the purpose of developing newer and more exciting images (Johnson, 2012). The storage of the secondary sources of information that have been used by artists and designers in their works has also been facilitated through the use of digital equipment which are able to store them in the form of an electronic book. The books are easily retrievable for the users who can print them and use them for other purposes (Romans, 2005). Presentations are also currently being made in electric form due to the presence of digital technologies in the fields of design and art (Lockwood, 2009). These have been enabled through the creation of animated sequences, movies that have sound, presentations and the use of interactive websites that in turn facilitate the flow of information between them and their market (Boomen, Lammes & Lehmann, 2009). This flow of information further enables the parties involved to effectively share information regarding the issues that may be experiencing while receiving timely criticisms on their work before they are published (Heller & Womack, 2007). This enables the artists and designers involved to come up with designs and works that are more appealing to the viewers thereby bringing appropriate returns once they are brought into the market (Romans, 2005). Through the use of digital technologies, designers and artists practicing in their fields are able to work collaboratively on projects that require their collective efforts (Lockwood, 2009). For instance, through the use of image sharing in e-mails, artists can be able to share their works with others in the field and receive timely criticism to assist them come up with better products (Berger, 2010). They can also be able to exchange the images they have created for the purpose of integrating them into one whole (Museum Education Roundtable, 2003). In addition, as artists and designers work on collaborative projects, they can be able to share information concerning the most appropriate techniques and styles that they can use through the digital technology (Johnson, 2012). The costs incurred traditionally when producing various types of art and designs have drastically reduced with the introduction of digital technology (Lockwood, 2009). This is because the costs of transportation and purchasing the equipments traditionally required when producing the works have been done away with (Boomen, Lammes & Lehmann, 2009). Traditionally, artists and designers would have to employ different staff to assist them in their activities but this has since ceased being the case. This is mainly because the digital technologies have in built features which enable the performance of the duties the staff members performed (Heller & Womack, 2007). Students pursuing courses in arts and design are additionally able to view the works of other students located far away through the use of these equipments (Romans, 2005). They are able to share information concerning their perceived differences along with similarities of different works done by past artists and designers for the purpose of advancing their knowledge (Friesinge, Grenzfurthner & Ballhausen, 2012). The digital transformations occurring around the globe have changed the learning experiences of students who are pursuing courses in these two fields. The students have experienced changes in the way editing, researches and presentations were traditionally carried out (Johnson, 2012). The students currently use digital equipments that range from scanners, digital cameras along with video players for carrying out these activities (Berger, 2010). In carrying out research, the students are able to access a wide variety of information concerning the styles, traditions and genres using digital equipment and media (Lockwood, 2009). On the other hand, when developing their work, students do not have to utilize manual labor since digital equipments like scanners and cameras are easily able to perform these tasks for them (Heller & Womack, 2007). Finally, when students are making presentations, they do not have to come up with charts and other forms of making presentations that were traditionally being used (Lockwood, 2009). This is because the digital technologies currently being used in these fields enable the establishment of multimedia presentations. The presentations may comprise of sounds along with images for facilitating effective communication with the different types of audiences that may be involved (Boomen, Lammes & Lehmann, 2009). The use of digital technology has been used in diverse activities that range from painting, collage, drawing, films, animation, digital photography, graphics and making 3D creations (Romans, 2005). The technology is able to make marks by utilizing certain computer features and effects for the purpose of drawing or painting (Clark & Brody, 2009). They make collages through specialized software while enabling the editing of moving images and the creation of animations through the use of photographs and other drawn images (Museum Education Roundtable, 2003). When using digital technology, an artist or a designer is able to save his work while reviewing it as he progresses in his task. This was not previously possible since the storage and review facilities were not yet present (Lockwood, 2009). The process of reviewing a piece of work as an artist or designer progresses with his duties enables them to make their desired products in less time and more perfectly. This is because they are able to keep track of their work and determine the effects of changes made on them (Johnson, 2012). In conclusion, digital technologies can be said to have changed the way artists and designers explore and develop ideas, investigate and create their works of art and designs along with how they evaluate and develop them. The experiences brought about by the digital transformations have additionally enabled artists and designers to gain further understanding along with knowledge concerning their respective fields. This is because the digital technologies have enabled them to research for more information concerning the issues that may be affecting them from a wide variety of sources found in the internet (Boomen, Lammes & Lehmann, 2009). References Berger, W, 2010, Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Your World, Random House of Canada, Canada. Boomen, M. V. D, Lammes, S & Lehmann A, 2009, Digital Material: Tracing New Media In Everyday Life And Technology, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam. Clark, H & Brody, D, 2009, Design Studies: A Reader, Berg, London. Friesinge, G, Grenzfurthner, J & Ballhausen, T, 2012, Mind And Matter: Comparative Approaches Towards Complexity, Transcript Verlag, Vienna. Heller, S & Womack, D, 2007, Becoming A Digital Designer: A Guide To Careers In Web, Video, Broadcast, Game,+ Animation Design, John Wiley & Sons. Johnson, C, 2012, The Practical Zone System For Film And Digital Photography: Classic Tool, Universal Applications, Focal Press, London. Lockwood, T, 2009, Design Thinking: Integrating Innovation, Customer Experience And Brand Value, Allworth Press, London. Museum Education Roundtable, 2003, The Journal Of Museum Education, Volumes 28-30, Museum Education Roundtable, New York. Romans, M, 2005, Histories Of Art And Design: Collected Essays, Intellect Books, New York. Susanka, 2004, Home By Design: Transforming Your House Into Home, Taunton Press, Quebec. Read More