Graphic Design Ideas & Inspiration - Research Paper Example

Graphic Design The history of graphic design can arguably be traced back as far as the history of man.As soon as individuals began drawing pictures as a means of sending messages to the spirit world and each other, graphic design became a recognized tool for non-verbal communication. “From the first stage, when picture-symbols represented animate and inanimate objects, signs became ideographs and began to represent abstract ideas” (Meggs, 2005). By medieval times, the symbols within the great churches communicated meaning to the largely illiterate citizenry regarding their religion and the lessons to be learned from the Bible. Graphics, not words, typically announced the name of a place of business within the towns and villages which were conveniently given names such as the “Golden Lion” or the “Boar’s Head.” This seemingly primitive use of symbols to provide a quick and easy message to customers continues to be used today in the form of company logos. Study of these various means of expression has provided historians with much information about the social issues and available technology of the time in which they were created. While graphic design has thus had a long and uninterrupted history, “the turn of a century precipitates introspection” (Meggs, 2005) and causes us to take a new look at the graphic art of our own world to ascertain what it is saying about our world. “As shapers of messages and images, Graphic Designers have an obligation to contribute meaningfully to a public understanding of environmental and social issues. Graphic designers have a responsibility to adapt new technology and to express their zeitgeist by inventing new forms and new ways of expressing ideas” (Meggs, 2005). The insights that the depth and variety of 20th century graphic design provides regarding the profound changes happening in today’s graphic design industry are revealed in the various art forms that have developed over time. Contemporary graphics are designed to be more functional and effective in response to social issues and technology which has helped designers to be more efficient in working today. Arts and Crafts as turning point The roots of what today’s researchers identify as the modern period are generally recognized to be twined about the natural forms and artistic investigations of the Arts and Crafts Movement of the 1860s and the Art Nouveau movement of the 1890s. William Morris is the acknowledged founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement in direct response to the ever-encroaching and dehumanizing standardization of machine-made objects churned out as the Industrial Revolution warmed up. “Not only art but also everyday objects, buildings, décor, everything lacked a face, and it was the realization of its lack in this particular respect which began to make the period so cruelly conscious of its anonymity” (Cassau, 1962). In everything they did, crafters working under the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement placed value in art created by hand. This did not necessarily make it unavailable for the consumer marketplace as graphic art demonstrated. The complex details of the woodcuts, designed and printed by Morris and used to decorate the first page of “The Nature of Gothic” for example, appeared as limited edition prints. “The Nature of Gothic” William Morris Detail of expression such as that expressed here, was only possible through careful and painstaking devotion to the task and required a great deal of human ingenuity to replicate the natural curves and angles that continued to be difficult to achieve by machine. As the arts of this period were refined to incorporate the new forms and materials available through industrial production and the greater demand of the emerging consumer culture, this movement naturally evolved into the Art Nouveau movement of the 1880s and 1890s. Rather than repeatedly reinventing the ideals of the old masters, these crafters wanted to develop a new style, one that emphasized ornament and the curving, flowing lines of nature but remained uniquely identified as their own. It was during the Art Nouveau period that the modern era of graphic design was born. James Pryde and William Nicholson, painters related through marriage and working under the pseudonym of the Beggarstaffs, began using colored paper cut into basic shapes to create Japanese inspired designs that refocused the world of art (Chwast 2000). This coincided with a general social shift toward the wonders of industry as life became more comfortable and affordable through mass-produced objects. As art reflecting social interest became reacquainted with the simple and sometimes harsh lines of industry, bolder forms, simpler shapes and more functional design came into vogue. These concepts were refined into the creation of the object poster (Chwast, 2000). Generally speaking, the object poster is characterized by an extreme focus on a simplified rendition of a single image supported by a minimum of text necessary to appropriately identify its advertising statement. “Lyceum – Don Quixote” James Pryde and William Nicholson Adopting the boldness of expression while dropping all of the additional ornamentation of the past enabled artists to begin distancing themselves from the Art Nouveau of the past and begin paving the way for the more scientifically and metaphysically-based Expressionism of the future as can be found through the energy and emotion evident in the posters of their contemporary Toulouse-Loutrec. “Jane Avril” Toulouse-Lautrec Tracing through the movement of artistic responses and uses of the new social environment and technology of their time, a general trend can be seen to occur. As the rural agriculturists of the previous centuries began observing the destruction and dehumanization of industry and standardization, they naturally reacted strongly against it by introducing forms that could only be conceived of by nature or the human mind. The level of intricacy and the complicated twists of art that characterized this early period can be seen as reactions against the encroaching machine and attempts to preserve an old ideal now becoming obsolete. However, this was generally a lengthy and costly process as it involved the labor of a single pair of hands that had to assure artisan sustainability. As a result of its social focus in highlighting the unique and irreproducible nature of mankind, as well as its intention to preserve a level of human artistry and ingenuity quite apart from the reviled machine age, the beginning of the modern age boils down to a social protest against the loss of an already obsolete era in the face of irresistible change. As this approach progressed and made concessions so as to truly remain sustainable, it began acquiring some of the expression of the machine age as well. Complicated lines were simplified so as to provide for easier duplication, new materials were added to the artisan’s arsenal, enabling new forms of expression and introducing new areas for exploration. In making this jump, the artists of the Art Nouveau movement distanced themselves from the classical treatments of the old schools of art and divorced themselves from the strictly hand-made qualities of the Arts and Crafts movement to concentrate on providing a more functional approach for the world stage. Still operating from within the reactionary forces of the old life against the workings of the machine, the Art Nouveau period can be seen as a connection point between the naturalistic forms of the past with the mechanistic forms of the future. Society was increasingly embracing the conveniences of the machine which was being reflected in the continuing acceptance of machine-assisted production techniques in the production of the art of the period. That this connection was recognized as such is revealed in the sudden appearance of the object poster, a masterpiece of understatement and simplicity that at once captured the bold, crisp lines of the machine age and the natural flow and energy of the previous period. The Modern age Through their work and artistic conception, the Expressionists introduced a darker side to art as it turned inward and began exploring the mysteries of inner human experience and the sometimes frightening shapes this could engender. By rejecting the forms of the natural, outer world and focusing on the inner world of the human experience free of rigidly defined form, shape and artistic approach, the Expressionists opened up an entirely new realm of self-exploration for both the artist and the audience. In part in response to the somewhat cold and industrialized aspect of modern society and in part in reaction to increased interest in ‘primitive’ cultures, Expressionism focused on the emotions behind the art by placing less emphasis on realism and external forms and attempted to express the emotional experience they felt through greatly simplified shape and line, ushering in the abstractionists. “The paintings aim to reflect the artists’ state of mind rather than the reality of the external world” (Pioch, 2002). Artists most known for their work in this arena include Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc. “On White II” Wassily Kandinsky For graphic design, this meant bolder colors, more expressive lines, elongated figures and a heightened sense of excitement associated with images as symbols rather than things (Chwast, 83). However, Expressionism also represented a fundamental shift in artistic direction from the past in turning its back on both the natural forms of nature as well as the recognized forms of the machine as necessary means of expression. In doing so, it represents a slight shift back again toward the rejection of the machine seen in the Arts and Crafts Movement as it focuses on the uniquely human experience of the soul. Working in opposition to that is the embrace of the machine age characterized by much of the rest of the Modern movement. During this period, everything from furniture and architecture to sculpture and typography was created in such a way as to illustrate the harsh functionality that characterized the period of re-growth and rebuilding that followed the destruction of the war years. The Bauhaus approach stripped all forms of any unnecessary design elements, insisting upon the functionality of the finished product. The beauty of the piece was to be found not in its artistic embellishments and additions, but instead in the simplicity of its line and the functionality of its form. “Wotruba Church” Fritz Wotruba This had a profound impact on the types of graphic arts produced during this period, reflecting the close connection between human forms and machine production seen during the Art Nouveau period. “When used together, asymmetrical typography, geometric layout, and photographic illustration defined the radical new form language of Modernist design” (Chwast, 89). As a result of this closer connection, in collusion with earlier advancements between art and commerce, the graphic arts era truly saw its first flourishing in areas of advertising and packaging. Key artists during this period included Paul Renner and Jan Tschichold who re-wrote the rules of typography to more accurately reflect the modernist ideals. Tschichold, Herbert Bayer, Laszlo Moholy-Magy and El Lissitzky, all coming out during this same period in time, are generally considered to be the fathers of graphic design as we know it today. Although it occurred earlier in century, the Art Deco movement is an important Modern element of the progression of graphic arts because it was the first movement to directly address consumer desires through artistic endeavor. In the face of the stark reality of modernism and the strength of the machine and also with no true desire to return to the elaborate ornamentation of Art Nouveau coupled with confusion regarding the creations turned out by the Expressionist masters, consumers were looking for something comforting and familiar. This again illustrates a rejection of the machine and a turn toward the more natural. The trends in the marketplace drew the attention of those creating the artwork and artists of all kinds responded to this need for common recognition. Artists during this period managed to embrace the machine age through their use of new materials such as plastic and vita-glass while re-emphasizing the comforting solid shapes and forms of symmetric geometry that resonated within the core of human understanding (Chwast, 2000). Socially, the recent discoveries made in Egypt, particularly those of King Tut’s tomb, helped to continue the art world’s connection with primitive art established by the earlier Expressionists. Typography and layout again played a large role in the movement as they were the primary communicators of the style. “The official lettering on most signs and buildings at the 1925 exposition, Peignot, became one of the typographic emblems of the age. In addition, the elegant specimen sheets of Moderne display faces produced by type foundries served as paeans to the style” (Chwast, 2000). Responding to earlier examples of commercial use of art for advertising and promotion purposes, the Art Deco period made art available to the average, middle-class consumer, who began having their own effects upon the way in which illustrators and graphic designers created their work. As a result of the increasing sophistication of message and design features, the graphic design field became a viable marketplace in and of itself. The Contemporary Scene The Postmodern movement, acting in response to the close connection between man and machine characterized by the modern period, was itself strangely definition-less. It is a movement characterized by new technology and a return to the principles of art history as it was put to use within the commercialized social sphere of the latter half of the twentieth century leading up to the 21st. This style is characterized by “a playful kinetic geometry featuring floating forms, sawtooth rules, and randomly placed blips and lines; multiple layered and fragmented images; pleasant pastel harmonies; discordant, letterspaced typography; and frequent references to art and design history” (Chwast, 2000). Postmodern artists recognized that representation, whether expressed in words or images, is not a neutral or innocent activity, but rather one with profound effects on everyday lives. Although some would argue that postmodern art relies on a non-definition of societal symbols and forms to provide the ultimate expression of the sublime, the reality is that there are no forms that have not attached to themselves specific societal meanings. However, current examples within the art world demonstrate how artists have been deliberately working to influence contemporary thought through their art, an inexact science in itself because of the indeterminate nature of the message contained in the sublime. “Images change us as we change them; they are part of the contest that is social change, the contest of differing histories and ideas” (Nairn, 2005). By challenging our ideas of specific images, such as the American cultural view of all people of Arab descent being evil, or of words, these art forms become powerful tools in reshaping political and/or societal views and blurring the boundaries of what we thought we knew. “Text Portrait” Jenny Holzer Typographers continued to play a strong role in the development of the style of the period. Influential designers included Hermann Zapf, whose focus was on blurring the boundaries between serif and sans-serif fonts in much the same way that the ideas of nature and computer were being blurred within social and technological development. However, as might be predicted from the patterns so far revealed, his work was slanted more toward nature than toward machine in a conscious attempt to reinforce the importance of humanity in world development. Another important contributor to the movement was Ettore Sottsass, Jr. His interior decorating was characterized by “cartoon-like, pastel-colored Memphis furniture, textiles, and accessories [that] were at once playful, irreverent, and critical of rigid functionalism” (Chwast, 2000). Thus, it was another example of a return to the softer, more natural approaches of previous years. Approximately 100 years after William Morris and his friends launched their Arts and Crafts rebellion against the mechanical perfection of the factories, the naturally fluid nature of the Postmodern movement was brought face to face with the same sort of mechanistic perfection in the form of the desktop computer. With the aid of the computer and software design applications, is was possible for graphic artists such as Rudy VanderLans and Zuzana Licko to create Émigré, a tabloid that used typography as its content. By doing this, VanderLans and Licko provided a stage in which artful typographic configurations could be explored to its greatest effect (Chwast, 2000). Increasingly sophisticated applications made it possible for graphic artists to attain incredible depths of realism from the depths of their creative being and with no further assistance. With these tools, designers are now able to create nearly realistic 3D worlds within the confines of the computer. The degree of realism afforded through such features as lighting, shading and texturing has also sparked new areas of graphic design growth, specifically in the areas of animation and game design. Digital Dinosaurs, Dinosaur Plastics The technologies of the new digital age not only brought art back into the world of the machine, but it enables graphic artists to quickly and efficiently adapt their designs and artwork to any number of applications. At the same time, this technology also made computer-generated designs immediately available for client review or collaborative work. These attributes meant digital illustration became the wave of the future for graphic design as well as many other forms of art media. It was the perfect solution to advertising needs and the ultimate expression of precise control. As a result of graphic designers and others fervently exploring the possibilities of these new digital tools, the market soon became saturated with digitization at the expense of individuation. “Crisp digital solutions and a fashion for super-slick-vector-traced-one-size-fits-all-what-you-see-is-what-you-get images has emerged in recent years. In providing more answers than questions, the computer had removed any element of chance. In the crop of recent digital imagery, there has been little room for risk, for failure or, more importantly, for the hand of the artist to shine through – software had taken over. Originality and individualism had become far less important than cool control over a vector curve” (Hand Made, 2007). Untitled, Cesare Viaggi While digital graphic design offers immense possibility, flexibility and precise control, it was soon realized that this perfection of form was somehow lacking in aesthetic appeal. Images created solely on the computer in graphics programs that can produce flawless vector curves and impossibly straight lines retain a perfection that most artists and clients are uncomfortable with because it is lacking that same human quality the products of the earlier machine age were found to lack by the founders of Arts and Crafts. “There’s something slightly embarrassing about it – slightly too good, too smart, too egotistical. We like the work to be slightly imperfect, humble if you will, then the client likes that” (cited in Hall, 2001). This seeming lack was recognized first in Japan, but was soon a subject discussed among graphic designers and artists throughout the world. With the advent of these new technological tools, the illustrative world became dominated by the perfect images the computer could produce, but was quickly exposed as lacking an essential spark, ushering in a new revolt against the power and perfection of the machine. “Everything was just so slick for a while – it was all so process-led. I think that it just led straight up a blind alley and as the process itself couldn’t change, it was the artist that needed to initiate that change” (Craig Atkinson cited in Hand Made, 2007). The lack of the human element within the art itself could not remain unanswered by those who appreciate the subtleties of professional illustrations nor could society completely ignore the various imperfections and vagaries of the human condition. “Design, and the creative disciplines as a whole, is beginning to have a resurgence in popular estimation. Ad campaigns that might at one time have been purely live action are incorporating animation. Illustration is strong across editorial, advertising and TV” (Penfold, 2006). As was seen in the Arts and Crafts Movement’s reaction against machinery, the modern graphic artist is again seen to be moving away from the obviously machine-produced image to focus more upon the techniques of the ancients and the strength of the purely human. Modern graphic design, meaning since the advent of the computer, has continued to look to the concepts of fine art as guiding principles despite the plethora of images now available for filling space. Holly Wales, for instance, confides, “I’m very interested in traditional design considerations like line, composition and balance – they usually play a big part in shaping my images” (Hand Made, 2007). Wales is talking, of course, about the elements of composition that can make or break an illustration’s ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with its intended audience that are largely ignored by the amateur or machine-produced art of plugging in requisite parts. Illustrator Michael Terry explains, “The value of drawing in illustration has always been paramount. Drawing ability is essential. An illustrator’s style is over laid on a sound drawing ability. No amount of stylization will cover up a lack of drawing skill. That lack will always show through or will limit the subject matter an illustrator can handle. Illustration without drawing is a sham. It is not professional it is amateurish” (Can You Draw, 2001). It is through this human connection to the actual production of the artwork that the machine is again refuted by the art world, which the imperfect effects of this appeals on a subconscious level with the public. Other artists in recent years have turned to hyperrealism as a means of addressing society’s essential antagonism toward the invasive ways in which the computer has infiltrated our lives. A prime example of this type of art can be found in the work of Ron Mueck. Mueck works in hyper-realism to depict figures that are purposefully mis-scaled so as to properly convey the attitude Mueck is trying to present while preserving the essential imperfect humanity of his subject. This is the case in his sculpture “Pregnant Woman” (2002). “Pregnant Woman” Ron Mueck Her scale, 8 feet tall as opposed to the average mid-5 feet range, as well as her superb realism, contributes in large part to her impressive quality. The sculpture stands with her hands over her head and her feet slightly apart making it obvious that this woman is not trying to hide any part of her body from the observer. Her face is slightly flushed, as if the room were too hot for her to bear in clothing and her hair is pulled up in an untidy knot, as a busy mother’s might be. This slightly flushed look provides her with a natural reason for having her hands above her head as she takes a moment to relax and cool off. She looks down toward the ground in a serene moment, which also has the effect, thanks to her large size, of allowing her to look down upon her visitors. This position provides her with an inherent power beyond that of her impending motherhood. With this position, she takes on the persona of everyone’s mother, exasperated and warm from keeping up with all her children even as she gets ready to bear another. The presence of unflattering body hair, moles, freckles and other not so wonderful but entirely human imperfections brings this massive woman into being with undeniable humanity. Conclusion Through this investigation, it has been shown that the modern period beginning near the end of the previous century was characterized by a revolution in the world in the form of the machine-age. It was a revolution that would change all aspects of society including artistic expression and purpose as well as begin to establish a cyclic pattern that provides deep insights into today’s movements in graphic arts. This cycle began with a general negative response to the changes being introduced to society, particularly the aversion to anything made by vile machinery rather than retaining the masterful touch of the sublime human mind. Gradually, as society warmed up to the benefits to be gained through mass production and the standard of living slowly rose, the art world found itself reflecting this ease. It softened its stance against machinery by beginning to produce art that was more easily mass produced and that reflected the major concepts associated with the machine age, such as clean, sharp lines and bold shapes while it began to recognize and even embrace the relationship between art and business in the form of the object poster. As society continued to embrace the wonders of the new world opened to them through industry and science, these forms only became condensed more completely into the minimalist lines of expression and abstraction that characterizes the Modern period through such approaches as Expressionism, the Bauhaus and the revealed understandings of Art Deco. Through this movement, the art world can be seen to fully embrace the machine world and perhaps even abandon itself to its uses entirely, thus representing the polar opposite stance from that taken by the early modernists in the Arts and Crafts period. The carefully organized and straightforward understandings of the world were thrown into mass confusion, however, with the effects of two world wars and the image of perfect harmony between machine and nature began to break apart with the introduction of Postmodernism. Struggling to again find a balance between nature and machine, the movement attempted numerous combinations of the art forms that had come before and believed to have finally found the answer in the absolute perfection of forms finally introduced with the development of the desktop computer. As occurred approximately a century before, the machine was hailed as the perfect answer to humanity’s troubles and again has prompted a negative, distancing response. As with the introduction of the Arts and Crafts Movement as a means of highlighting the uniquely human element of art, contemporary movements in graphic arts, focusing on the hyper-real, can also be found to be attempts to assert the human’s dominance in a corporate conglomerate mechanized space despite the increased need to continue commercial cooperation. The cycle has been completed. Through this new response to machine dehumanization, it can be expected that new graphic designers will use the scientific revelations of the past in conjunction with the modern conveniences of today’s technology to create images of profound impact on body and mind, managing to both assert human superiority as well as manipulate human standardization in delivering their message and attempt to reconcile the split between the individual and the corporate. Contemporary graphics are thus revealed to be more functional and effective regarding social issues today than they have been in the past largely through the knowledge, experience and technology developed through the artistic depth and variety of the previous century. References “Can You Draw Part I.” (June 1, 2001). AOI Information. Available August 3, 2008 from Cassou, Jean, Emil Langui and Nikolaus Pevsner. (1962). Gateway to the Twentieth Century: Art and Culture in a Changing World. New York: McGraw-Hill. Chwast, Seymour and Steven Heller. (2000). Graphic Style: From Victorian to Digital. New York: Harry N. Abrams. Hall, Andrew. (August 1, 2001). “Illustration in Tokyo.” AOI Information. Available August 3, 2008 from “Hand Made!” (2007). Computer Arts. Bath: Future Publishing Limited. Available August 3, 2008 from Meggs, Philip B. & Alston W. Purvis. (2005). Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. 4th Ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Penfold, Mark. (2006). “Future Trends.” Computer Arts. Bath: Future Publishing Limited. Available August 3, 2008 from Pioch, Nicolas. (October 14, 2002). “Expressionism.” The Web Museum, Paris. Available August 3, 2008 from Read More