Job No:01077 Title:The fundamentals og Graphic Design
1ST
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024-071 01077.qxd 8/1/08 4:15 PM Page 26
Job No:01077 Title:The fundamentals og Graphic Design
1ST
Proof Page:26
26 The Fundamentals of Graphic Design Influences and creative elements
Reappropriation
Taking elements from mainstream culture and re-inserting them into peripheral culture or vice versa.
Graphic design: art or craft?
Graphic design is a multidisciplinary process
that draws on many creative sources. Some view it as
a craft – one of the trades of the traditional printing
and publishing process – while others see it more as
an art. This subtle distinction can be of fundamental
importance to a design, as will be seen in the
following sections.
Design as art
As an art, graphic design creates striking images
and layouts to communicate ideas and information to
different audiences. The discipline is at the forefront
of creative thought, advancing theory on how to
communicate effectively through visual media by
using a wide range of intellectual tools to establish
meaningful connections between different design
elements. This view of design sees the designer as
a separate entity who is preoccupied with personal
expression rather than being led by a brief or
a commission.
Many designers undertake personal
experimentation projects and produce self-published
work whereby their intentions can be closely linked
to those of an artist. However, the two views on
design are not mutually exclusive. Many designers
are commissioned for their unique styles, while
other designers adapt their style to suit a
specific commission.
Design as craft
As a craft, graphic design is an integral part of the
print production process that involves preparing text,
image and other content for publication. As such, a
graphic designer occupies a key role in the process
by liaising with the client and other professionals
such as printers, typographers, photographers and
finishing houses. This view of graphic design as part
of the print process sees graphic design as a craft.
Some elements of design work, such as the
addition or subtraction of space between letters to
create well-typeset and attractive text, can be
considered as a designer crafting the type in a similar
way that a carpenter works a piece of wood or a
letterpress printer adjusts the bed pressure to create
the correct type impression on the stock. This view
sees the designer as having a relationship with a
client as part of a commissioned process, with the
designer facilitating what needs to be done to
produce the job.
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Job No:01077 Title:The fundamentals og Graphic Design
2ND
Proof Page:27
Graphic design: art or craft? > Industrialisation 27
Blanka (above)
This Paul Barruel illustration was commissioned by NB: Studio
and features the re
appropriation of a traditional style as part of
a contemporary look. The black-and-white image is styled like an
engraved plate, such as those that were traditionally used to
illustrate books; it is shown here to illustrate the fact that
graphic design draws from many disciplines. An engraved
illustration is one that would have been carefully crafted to
present an accurate impression of the subject, yet it is
intrinsically beautiful and can stand alone as a work of art. The
design process, by commissioning pieces, often blurs the line
between whether something is considered as art or craft.
London’s Largest Living Room (above)
London’s Largest Living Room was created by Gerrard
O’Carroll for the London Architecture Biennial and Design for
London. The installation is a combination of art and craft as the
designers turned their hands to a variety of disciplines to
produce the final result, a return to the multidisciplinary
practices of the Renaissance period. The detail shows the
carpet design that was 30m x 14.5m and produced using 500mm
square tiles upon which the living room was arranged and laid
out. The carpet was designed by Studio Myerscough.
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