Historically,
graphic designers have relied on professionals from outside trades to
handle technical aspects of design such as typesetters and printer. The
designers only need to develop concepts, seek approval from clients, and
assemble the finished art to complete the piece. Once the type set and
style were specified for the typesetter, the proofs were attached to a
presentation board with all of the artwork and design elements for final
production. The relationship between designers, typesetters, paper
suppliers, and printers was almost exclusive. The development of the
computer has changed the routine path for the industry. Graphic
designers often still have agreements with suppliers, but typesetters
have disappeared, and their duties are absorbed by the designers
themselves. These days clients provide all of the copy in a digital
format, and the designers are in charge of formatting the copy and
creating a layout. Once clients approve the designs, it goes straight to
prepress preparation or printing. The trail from start to beginning to
end can be completely digital from the design standpoint.
The
introduction of the computer to the design world has revolutionized the
way graphic designers conger up and process ideas into the finished
products we see on billboards, movies, fliers, magazines, and especially
websites. A new medium of work has been sent to the playing field.
Instead of a typesetter working with 2,000 characters, now
computer-based software products can take the creative process straight
to the computer with thousands of type fonts to experiment with. Adobe, a
major software company, has licensed several products and packaged them
into a design suite with software which allows users to manipulate
anything from simple fonts to images, or even video and animation. Due
to the ease of use and lack of training required for basic tasks users
have began to take projects into their own hands. Thus, eliminating some
need for hiring designers. This is one reason why designers have been
forced to spread themselves lightly over a variety of platforms. The
survival of a designer in the digital world partly demands that the
individual must study in multiple types of media. The fine arts have
been almost stripped from graphic design and journalism has been added
to form a type of hybrid individual for the digital market. Although
drawing skills and many of the fine arts can be greatly beneficial to
anyone working in digital media, it is no longer necessary to land a job
in a small firm, or maybe even a large firm. Whether or not one can
survive as designer never touching a pen and paper is quite
controversial considering it can astronomically reduce creative results
and greatly simplify, or abstract, your work as a designer.
With
all of the new bells and whistles being used in graphic design,
education has evolved to meet such expectations and demands. As the
graphic design field continues to merge more every day with computer
technology, university curriculum has followed the trends by offering
courses which reflect the needs of the design industries. Perhaps a
degree which used to recommend classes such as print technique,
typesetting, and typography has introduced courses such as animation,
web design, and now even digital three-dimensional design to appeal to
the job markets. These are all of the perks of an education obtained
from a physical university, but some students are choosing an
alternative route by going to the internet to learn. In the past few
years, a slew of online universities have popped up offering an
education to incoming students searching for an affordable, yet
acceptable, means of being preparing for the design world’s demands of a
degree and experience. As a student who attended a physical university,
I could not imagine omitting the hands-on skills taught to me by my
instructors. The advice, peer collaboration, and bits of fine art forced
upon me were the struggles that forged me into the well rounded
professional I am today. It seems that every time I’m stuck, I think
back and find some application of the thought process and skills which
most would not consider necessary to design a product package, website,
or branding concept. The will to design coincides with the ability to
spark the thought process with inspiration and past experiences, hence
the struggle of an artist.
As
the world becomes technical intertwined with digital communications,
the design realm is following along. Collaboration is easier that it has
ever been before. The communication process has moved from merely voice
over telephone and/or in-house teamwork to include widespread
collaboration via the World Wide Web using email, chat software, and
teleconferencing. And the web connectivity does not stop there. There
are many software solutions provided by online freelance services such
as ODesk (http://www.odesk.com) and Guru (http://www.guru.com)
which allow a group of individuals to team up by utilizing
sophisticated yet user-friendly desktop management applications online.
Anyone can join websites like these, so it is likely that you could be
receiving work from clients anywhere around the globe. These web
entities have influenced the graphic design business in both a positive
and a negative way. Outsourcing has become less difficult for companies.
Graphic designers seeking jobs outside of local areas can now log onto
the internet and find employment, but the compensation often suffers at
the same time do to competition. The employers who hire online have the
choice of choosing the most qualified designer but most likely at the
lowest rates.With the introduction of the internet, to the graphic design field has become a stagnant pool of plagiarism and copyright infringement. Amateurs looking for quick designs such as clip art have found it easy to snag an image directly from the Google image search engine and paste it into their own project without regard to the laws that are in place to prevent such crimes. One such example of this involves Portland High School in Portland, Michigan, and Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Both schools seem to be using the exact same logo design of a cardinal; however, Portland High is calling the design a “raider bird” named after their school mascot. Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president for marketing and communications, claims that Portland is infringing on the Ball State trademark, and the university wants the high school to “cease and desist” using the logo. The school is merely 602 students compared to the whopping university student count, but the point is that it is quite easy to step on toes when using the internet as a source for design. According to Ball State Daily News, the “Cardinal bird” has been a registered trademark of Ball State since 1989 when alumnus William Villarreal won a nationwide contest to design the image. Portland High School later adopted the logo around the same time from a company who said it was free from trademark. Before the introduction of the internet is more likely that such an issue would have never come to light since searching the words “cardinal logo” within a search engine have become so effortless.
Through
ample research and dedicated work experience within the graphic design
industry, I’ve concluded that the world of design has shifted
drastically in recent years. The process of design has transformed
because of computer software and the extinction of industries which
artists used to rely on for the full production of print design.
Communication has become so simple that graphics designers can now
work with nearly anyone in the world to help run a graphic design
business. Outsourcing has become prominent with the use of the internet
as a catalyst for work transfer. Websites provide collaborative
networking, and email puts delivery of the designs only seconds for
client approval. The ability to post and share work publicly with the
world has also posed a risk of creative stagnation, but once a designer
can work through all of the differences between now and ten to twenty
years ago, I think one will see that the aspirations of a graphic
designer have not changed."Found here:
http://blakemccreary.com/2010/02/graphic-design-evolving/
