I had just read the book "The Fundamentals Of Graphic Design" which was a great introduction to a career path I had thought I knew about. It seems to be more about graphic design than actually teaching you how to do it.
"The Fundamentals Of Graphic Design" covers the different roles and businesses in the design industry. The book provides an informative introduction to all the varied aspects of the graphic design process. "The Fundamentals Of Graphic Design" continues with graphic design influences and creative elements; the processes comprising graphic design; the usage of graphic design with respect to print, informational design, direct mail, packaging, screen design, and environmental graphic design.
"The Fundamentals Of Graphic Design" is specifically recommended as an introductory text for graphic design students and is a core addition to academic library Art & Graphic Design reference collections. I found this gave me a great sense of `what' graphic design truly is before I was encouraged to think about how I can become a graphic designer in later chapters.
The following is a summary of the book "The Fundamentals of Graphic Design".
BOOK SUMMARY
The Fundamentals of Graphic Design
Graphic design as dicipline
Graphic design using: ideas, concepts, text and images and presented in the form of visual interest through print media, electronic or otherwise, aim to facilitate the communication process so that the message contained in it can be accepted and understood by the target audience. A designer can achieve this goal by manipulating some of the elements of art such as: design that has philosophical, aesthetic, emotional, and so forth.
What is Graphic Design?
What is Graphic Design? Graphic design is a creative visual arts discipline which covers many areas. May include art direction, typography, page layout, information technology and other creative aspects. This variety means that there is a fragmented landscape for design practice in which designers may specialize and focus.
What is Graphic Designer?
Thinking of graphic design as an anachronistic and limited trade. It is more useful to look at the underlying approach to design that graphic designers need to understand its role in the process of print production, and digital. A designer basically has two roles in the process: meeting the design brief and carry out the work.
* Group structures and working methods
A designer can fulfill various roles in a variety of environmental and corporate structure. They can engage in various activities and working with a number of other creative professionals. Each design studio has its own particular ethos, style, purpose, and cultural influences.
* Way of working
Many designers would prefer the freedom and responsibility in working in smaller organizations either as traders, freelancers or part of the partnership, which may allow them to specialize in a particular design solution. Working in a smaller entities generally allows designers to have greater creative freedom and constantly involved in the 'big picture', including working with clients. Small-scale design organizations often become famous for a particular design style, specializing in serving certain sectors or in working with certain materials.
Influences and creative elements of graphic design is subject to the growing intellectual and aesthetic trends that affect the work of designers and reflects the attitude of society at large. For example, the design respond to the changing themes that govern the way we see the world, and this is evident in movements such as Modernism, Postmodernism and Deconstructivism. These trends help shape the development and evolution of graphic design as a creative discipline, opening new doors of creative possibilities and providing new tools to meet the needs of designers.
Graphic design: art or craft?
Graphic design is a multidisciplinary process that refers to the creative resources. Some people see it as a craft - one of the trade from the traditional printing and publishing process - while others see it more as art. Subtle differences can be of fundamental importance of design, as will be seen in the following section.
* Craft design
As a craft, graphic design is an integral part of the print production process that involves the preparation of text, images and other content for publication. Thus, a graphic designer occupies an important role in the process by liaising with clients and other professionals such as printers, typographers, photographers and finishing houses.
View graphic design as part of the printing process to see graphic design as a craft. Some elements of design work, such as the addition or subtraction of space between letters to make a good and interesting text set, can be regarded as a craft designer type in a manner similar to a carpenter working on a piece of wood or adjust the pressure of the bed to make the right impression on the type of stock .
This view is seen as a designer has a relationship with clients as part of the process assigned, with the designer to facilitate what needs to be done to generate jobs.
Industrialization
Industrialization in the eighteenth century: see the mechanization of the printing industry which allows for printing with a higher and greater levels of production. More importantly, it brought dramatic changes to the print and production processes as the type and method of typesetting altered to support the faster production rate.
Technology
Graphic design, like other disciplines, related to technology at various levels. Technology affects how the design is produced and also influence the development of style, art and society as a whole, which in turn is reflected in the form of design. The technology also offers designers a variety of media for their projects.
Typography
Typography is the meaning given to the idea of writing in a visual form. This is one of the most influential elements that define the character and emotional attributes of design, visual form that is required to dramatically affect the accessibility of ideas and how readers react towards it.
Consumerism
Demand for various goods results in a wider fierce competition between manufacturers and products. Consumerism impact on graphic design for packaging and product advertising can be narrow and limited window to improve connectivity with consumers.
Identity and Branding
People tend to use 'identity' and 'Branding' interchangeably, but they refer to two different concepts. An identity is synonymous with the quality of service levels of an organization. Branding is the process by which identity is used as a 'visual expression'.
Social responsibility
There is a tendency in the design industry to question the point of view of ethics in its relation to issues around the world such as gender, poverty and global warming. Organizations are increasingly encouraging and promoting their own ethical position to guide their activities, which can lead to conflict with personal ethics.
Modernism and postmodernism
Modernism and postmodernism refers to two different views of the world are developed and mentored creative activity at various points in the twentieth century. Modernism and modernist thinking still has relevance today, and their influence can be seen in contemporary designs as people attempt to understand the world around them.
Graphic Design Process
The production process is seen in a basic tool kit graphic designers use to create and produce an effective design. Tool to release and distribute the creative ideas of the design process to be workable and physical products - through the printing process or for electronic applications such as web pages. This section also includes basic information on how to ensure that control is maintained over the use of images and colors.
* Designer basic tool
Designers have access to a variety of traditional and modern tools that provide great flexibility in the design process and work results. Of handson craft-based tools, such as scalpels and cutting mat, to a personal computer with a tablet drawing, the designer can express themselves in a number of ways to experiment and develop visual ideas.
* File format
Designers must work with different types of images are stored electronically in a variety, because different types of image formats and how they will be used. Digital images can be stored in several ways, each of which has advantages and disadvantages of a graphic designer needs to understand.
* Picture type
The Difference Between Vector and Bitmap Images. The following are two main types of image type raster (bitmap) and vector (line art). A raster image is one that consists of pixels in a grid, where each pixel contains the color information for image reproduction. Raster has a fixed resolution, which means that results in a decrease in the quality of the image magnification. On the other hand, scalable vector image contains many objects that are defined by mathematical formulas, or path, rather than pixels. Therefore this type of vector is a scalable and resolution-independent. They can be enlarged and will be clearly infinite. Vectors are used to create logos because they have no background color, which means they can be placed on top of other artwork.