Working in the Field of Visual Communication
Task 1: Key Sectors in Visual Communication
Graphic Design
Graphic design combines images, words, and ideas to convey information to an audience, especially to produce a specific effect.
(Wahl, 2019)
Illustration
Illustration focuses on depictions made by an artist, such as a drawing, sketch, painting, or other type of medium to create a visual representation. These are most often found in picture books, advertising, magazines, newspapers, instruction manuals, posters, T-shirts and greeting cards. (Gleeson, 2019)
Advertising
Advertising focuses on selling a product, service, brand or concept based on wants, needs, awareness. This is mainly done through visual means as it is more engaging to potential customers.
(Jones Cann, 2019)
Animation
Animation is creation of animated graphics (2D or 3D). As well as the obvious uses such as cartoons and character animation it also applies to subtle animations such as on webpages and apps that are made to create a smoother user experience.
(Doyle, 2019)
Typography
Typography is the technique of designing and arranging type. Typography and choice of typeface is far more than simply making words legible; it is how we make content work with layout and it is absolutely fundamental to good design.
(Swarbrick, 2016)
UX/UI
UX designers focus on functionality, usability and user adaptability. UX designers are generally focused on development of digital products, but the theory and process can be applied to just about anything.
A user interface (UI) designer makes technology easy and intuitive for people to use. User interface designers work on the areas where users directly interact with the product.
(Studio, 2018)
Web Design
Web design refers to the design of websites that are displayed on the internet. It usually refers to the user experience aspects of website development rather than software development. Web design used to be focused on designing websites for desktop browsers; however, since the mid-2010s, design for mobile and tablet browsers has become ever-increasingly important.
A web designer works on the appearance, layout, and, in some cases, content of a website. Appearance, for instance, relates to the colors, font, and images used. Layout refers to how information is structured and categorized. A good web design is easy to use, aesthetically pleasing, and suits the user group and brand of the website. Many webpages are designed with a focus on simplicity, so that no extra information and functionality that might distract or confuse users appears. As the keystone of a web designer’s output is a site that wins and fosters the trust of the target audience, removing as many potential points of user frustration as possible is a critical consideration. Most web designers don’t go as deep to consider all the factors that a UX designer keeps in mind. Web design tends to be less iterative, whereas UX design is about integrating continuous improvements.
(The Interaction Design Foundation, n.d.)
New Media
New Media is media that relates to new design techniques by using computers and tech. New media relies on computers fro the distribution of the materials . Some examples of new media are on Computers, VR, Website, Apps and mobile phones. New media is the contrast to the older medias such as print, tv and books/magazines. These are non print items such as UI, UX, typefaces on screen and on screen graphics.
(Leinonen, 2010)
- websites and blogs
- streaming audio and video
- online communities
- social media and sharing platforms
- mobile apps
- Web advertising
- DVD and CD-ROM media
- virtual reality environments
- integration of digital data with the telephone, such as Internet telephony
- digital cameras
(Webopedia.com, n.d.)
New media is considered to be the multimedia and digital form of communication happening via desktop and laptop computers, as well as phones, tablets and other devices that use screens. New media has introduced user interaction such as animations, rather than simply consuming media. New media can be customised to the users’ preferences and it can selectively link from one form of content to another.
(Techopedia.com, n.d.)
Task #2 — What are the Origins of Visual Communication within Graphic Design
Early Innovations of Graphic Design
One of the earliest examples of Vis Com can be linked to 15,000–10,000 BC where pictographs and symbols were found in the Lascaux caves in southern France.
In 1045 AD Pi Sheng invented movable type, which allows characters to be individually placed for printing.
Printing arrives in Europe in 1276 with the construction of a paper mill in Fabriano, Italy.
In 1450 Johann Gensfleisch zum Gutenberg is credited with perfecting the system for printing type in books in which he gained his fame in graphic design history.
Author Aloys Senefelder created lithography in 1796. This was the first printing method which used a flat surface which would lead to modern offset printing.
In 1800 Lord Stanhope invents first printing press made of all cast-iron parts, requiring 1/10 the manual labor.
1816, the first sans-serif font makes a subtle entrance as one line of a book.
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.
1956, Paul Rand designs IBM logo using City Medium typeface.
1957, Max Miedinger designs Neue Haas Grotesk font, later renamed Helvetica.
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.
(Miller, 2018)
Graphic Design Styles/ Movements
Arts and Crafts Movement 1850–1915
Art Nouveau 1880–1910
Modernism 1880–1940
Futurism 1910–1945
Art Deco 1910–1940
Bauhaus 1920–1934
Surrealism 1925–1930
Streamlining 1930–1950
Organic Design 1930–1960 & 1990-Present
Scandinavian Modern 1935-Present
Contemporary1945–1960
Pop Art 1958–1972
Space Age 1960–1969
Minimalism 1967–1978
Postmodernism 1978-Present
Memphis 1981–1988
Deconstructivism 1988-Present
(Design Movements Timeline, 2019)
Task #3 — Development of Graphic Design
In 1990 Adobe released Photoshop which began a change in graphic design toward a more digital approach. Photo editing created a new subcategory of graphic design which blended together elements of photography, illustration, and CGI.
When the internet came into prominence adopted youthful and at times edgy designs to draw the younger generation into the world wide web. This can be seen in online trends like flat design, which incorporates bright colours and cartoonish figures.
With this the need for UI/UX became more prominent as the internet became a much more widespread phenomenon due to more and more people using the internet and with that more technology which required a user interface for example Apples iPods and early computer systems.
(Ellis, 2018)
Task #4- The Cultural and Economic Importance of Graphic Design
Graphic Design is extremely culturally important as it has and continues to serve as a method to express opinions on current events such as political, social and economic issues as well as being a commercial way to promote certain things in different styles. An example of this would be the influence of Swiss Design on modern work wherein creators from America and other non European countries were influenced by the simplicity and grid layouts of Swiss design.
(Bauer, 2017)
In terms of economic importance there is the obvious factor of advertisements and promotional materials influencing people to buy products, an example of which would be Apples very distinctive but minimalist designs which are clear to the viewer who is advertising. Through this clear promotion more and more people are encouraged to buy their products therefore generating more money for the businesses and economy.
The design economy generated £85.2bn in gross value added (GVA) to the UK in 2016. This is equivalent to 7% of UK GVA.
(Design Council, 2018)
Task #5 — Copyright and Plagiarism
Copyright is about originality, Copyright is statutory protection for original works of authorship. It’s possible that several people working independently will come up with something similar, but it won’t be considered infringement unless you can prove that the later work was actually based on the earlier. You have to prove that the later author had access to the original, and knowingly prepared something that was substantially similar. By copyrighting material you can have control over how your work is distributed and used thereon.
(Cartwright, 2016)
By copyrighting your work you can avoid plagiarism by having a legal upperhand on whoever is copying. The two man types of plagiarism are direct and paraphrasing:
Direct plagiarism: is the act of copying another person’s work word for word. Inserting a paragraph from a book or article into your essay, without including attribution or quotation marks, is direct plagiarism. An example of this is tracing an artists work and selling it as your own which is a very common practise in copyright disputes (see the Tuesday Bassen vs Zara lawsuit wherein the independent designer Tuesday Bassen sued the large company Zara for stealing their badge designs and printing them on their own clothing (Puglise, 2016).
(Valdes, 2018)
Paraphrase plagiarism involves making a few changes (often cosmetic) to someone else’s work, then passing it off as your own. Unless an idea is common knowledge, you cannot include it in your paper without providing a citation — even if you do not include any direct quotes.
(Valdes, 2018)
According to The Berne Convention there is no need to register a work of art. It is automatically copyrighted upon creation in the European Union countries, also in the United States.
Registration procedure in the US is not required for the work to be protected, however not registering limits certain available remedies. If a copyright holder had registered the piece of art before the infringement or within 3 months from making it public, he/she can choose what kind of damages he will receive if his copyright is infringed, it can be actual damages or statutory damages. registration in US does not extend to the other countries.
The concept of fair use is standard of the copyright law in US. Copyright laws in the EU don’t apply such a doctrine. They do however provide a list of exceptions and limitations enumerating the various detailed forms of permitted use. According to the EU’s Copyright in the Information Society Directive of 2001 such forms of use as parody, quotation, private copying or classroom use are permitted.
The United States approach, unlike the continental European law approach, specifies that for some purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research (the list is non-exclusive), the use of copyrighted work is not an infringement of copyright, but a fair use. There is also no distinction between private use and public.
(Kijak-Markiewicz, 2017)
BRIEF ONE BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bauer, K. (2017). Cultural Influences in Modern Graphic Design | Kat’s Theory. [online] Rampages.us. Available at: https://rampages.us/katbauer/2017/05/05/cultural-influences-in-modern-graphic-design/ [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Cartwright, J. (2016). What Every Designer Needs to Know About Copyright Law. [online] Eye on Design. Available at: https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/what-young-designers-need-to-know-about-copyright-law/ [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Design Council. (2018). The Design Economy. [online] Available at: https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/research/design-economy [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Design Movements Timeline. (2019). [ebook] Canterbury: St Edmund’s School, p.1. Available at: https://www.stedmunds.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Design-Movements-Timeline.pdf [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Doyle, K. (2019). What is Animation. [online] Quora. Available at: https://www.quora.com/What-is-animation-design [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Ellis, M. (2018). A brief history of graphic design — 99designs. [online] 99designs. Available at: https://99designs.co.uk/blog/design-history-movements/history-graphic-design/#graphic [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Flagg, J. (n.d.). I Want You for U.S. Army. [image] Available at: https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/i-want-you-us-army-35637 [Accessed 25 Mar. 2019].
Gleeson, M. (2019). What is Illustration?. [online] Martina Gleeson Illustration. Available at: https://www.martinagleesonillustration.com/what-is-illustration.html [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
The Interaction Design Foundation. (n.d.). What is Web Design?. [online] Available at: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/web-design [Accessed 25 Mar. 2019].
Kijak-Markiewicz, K. (2017). Copyright law: EU countries vs US — part 2 — PhotoClaim. [online] PhotoClaim. Available at: https://photoclaim.com/en/copyright-law-eu-countries-vs-us-part-2/ [Accessed 25 Mar. 2019].
Jones Cann, M. (2019). The 8 types of graphic design. [online] 99designs. Available at: https://99designs.co.uk/blog/tips/types-of-graphic-design/ [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Leinonen, T. (2010). Designing learning tools.
Miller, E. (2018). What Events Shaped Modern Design?. [online] Lifewire. Available at: https://www.lifewire.com/key-moments-in-graphic-design-history-1697527 [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Puglise, N. (2016). Fashion brand Zara accused of copying LA artist’s designs. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/jul/21/zara-accused-copying-artist-designs-fashion [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Schmidt, J. (n.d.). Staatliches Bauhaus Ausstellung. [image] Available at: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/6235 [Accessed 25 Mar. 2019].
Studio, T. (2018). What is UI & UX Design? — Hacker Noon. [online] Hacker Noon. Available at: https://hackernoon.com/what-is-ui-ux-design-1f01e9dbbf02 [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Swarbrick, L. (2016). What is typography and why is it important in design?. [online] Abstrakt. Available at: https://weareabstrakt.com/views/typography-and-why-it-is-important-in-design [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Techopedia.com. (n.d.). What is New Media? — Definition from Techopedia. [online] Available at: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/416/new-media [Accessed 10 Jun. 2019].
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (n.d.). Neue Helvetica. [image] Available at: https://www1.ucdenver.edu/offices/anschutzcomm/cuanschutzbrand/visual-identity/typeface [Accessed 25 Mar. 2019].
Valdes, O. (2018). 4 Types of Plagiarism and How to Avoid Them. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/plagiarism-definition-1691631 [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Wahl, J. (2019). Design 101: What is Graphic Design. [online] Learn.g2crowd.com. Available at: https://learn.g2crowd.com/what-is-graphic-design [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
Webopedia.com. (n.d.). What is New Media? Webopedia Definition. [online] Available at: https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/N/new_media.html [Accessed 10 Jun. 2019].
