Graphic Design the Objective of This Work

Graphic Design

The objective of this work is to examine the knowledge needed by the graphic designer both historically and in today's modern world.

Swanson (2010) writes in the work entitled "Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art: Design and Knowledge in the University and the 'Real World'" states "Though hardly homogeneous, the vast majority of graphic design programs, whether in vocational schools, art schools, or universities, are, at least in concept, vocational training programs." (p.3)

The Composition of Graphic Design As A Liberal Art

Swanson examines what graphic design would entail as a liberal art and states that it would take various forms. Swanson states specifically that design should be

"…about the relationship of form and communication. It is one of the fields where science and literature meet. It can shine a light on hidden corners of sociology and history. Design's position as conduit for and shaper of popular values can be a path between anthropology and political science. Art and education can both benefit through the perspective of a field that is about expression and the mass dissemination of information. Designers, design educators, and design students are in a more important and interesting field than we seem to recognize." (Swanson, 2010, p.5)

II. Design Scholarship

According to the work of Swanson there is presently "no clear role for design scholarship. Traditional fields of scholarship are stated to have subject matter of their won although design scholarship does not and this makes it difficult to identify models for this approach as design "in practice, exists primarily in response to an externally generated need or situation." (Swanson, 2010, p.5) Richard Buchanan, chair of the Department of Design at Carnegie Mellon is noted to have stated: "subject matter for the designer is an indeterminate problem, made only partly determinate by the interests and needs of clients, managers, and the designer." (Swanson, 2010,. p.6)

Design programs are inclusive of a significant contraction on skills and this is stated to be "hardly…unique to academic -- Technique will probably be a large part of any design program, but the meaning of techniques will take on more importance." (Swanson, 2010, p.6) Swanson notes that Buchanan has argued that designer have "through designed objects…directly influenced the actions of individuals and communities, changed attitudes and values, and shaped society in surprisingly fundamental ways." (Swanson, 2010, p. 7)

III. History and Theory in the Classroom and Studio

The work of Jan Tsichichold states that history and theory "should be married in the classroom and honeymoon in the studio" of the graphic designer." (nd, p.1) Tsichichold additionally states as follows:

"To truly understand and use a piece of theory properly, we need to know why it became worth knowing -- in what conditions was it first developed and used, why was it successful and what was its original purpose and audience? Without this knowledge, how could we use it effectively? Many of our ideas are well established -- concerning the relationships between image and text, or color and balance, or texture and contrast, and countless more can all be mixed in infinite possibilities -- and knowing of how (and why) these ideas were developed helps us use them today. Knowing the context in which they were originally born help us see similar contexts today that the theory can perfectly be matched to. Rather than simply borrowing style, ideas about layout can be learned and expanded upon. We can see what ideas worked and what didn't, allowing us to skip previous mistakes and forge forward, treading on new ground in familiar shoes." (Tsichichold, nd, p.1)

While history may be boring, in the field of graphic design one must know history to avoid plagiarizing someone else's previous work and to know what works and what does not work as well as grasping how previous works and theory can be expanded upon in the present.

Graphic design is reported to include such as:

(1) Pictograms -- an image that represents an object such as the Department of Transportation road signage in the United States.

(2) Rebes -- pictorial image that represents a spoken sound.

(3) Phonogram -- symbol that represents a spoken sound.

(4) Ideogram -- character of symbol representing a complete idea or concept.

(5) Trademarks/Brands -- the term 'hallmark' comes from the identification marks artisans stamped in metal.

(6) logotype or logo -- a symbol comprised entirely of typography;

(7) Printer's devices -- symbols used to identify the printer or publisher of a book.

(8) Monogram -- a single line historically affixed to signed documents and presently affixed to retail sales objects and designs.

(9) Coat of Arms and Family Crest- Symbols displayed on the crest of a helmet or metal chest army to identify soldiers in battle.(History of Graphic Design, nd)

Swanson states that graphic design, more so than other areas of design is "usually directly about persuasion -- intellectual, logical, aesthetic, and emotional. Thus the balance of practice and analysis of rhetoricians clearly makes sense for graphic design." (2010) Swanson states however, that this does not mean that the "formal procedures of rhetorical study should be applied to graphic design to the exclusion of all others. Grammatical, semiotic, theatrical, anthropological, psychological, physiological, philosophical, and political perspectives also need to be considered." (2010)

Swanson states that Mark Salmon and Glenn Gritzer states their support for liberal arts to be integrated both in general and in the social sciences in the professional design curriculum." (2010) It is reported that the strategy of art faculty presenting social science material due to having failed to academically prepare is rejected by Salmon and Gritzer who are reported to "advocate parallel content, where social science courses that correspond to the design curriculum are offered." (Swanson, 2010) For instance, interior design students would study courses on marriage and family, sociology, and occupations, while their design courses covered domestic design, office design, etc.