ADVENTURES IN GRAPHIC DESIGN

By Jamie Sigadel

# 1

volume one: what is graphic design?

For me, the question of "What is Graphic Design?" didn't come to mind until my senior year of high school. You know, that time when you're supposed to decide what to do with the rest of

For me, the question of “What is Graphic Design?” didn’t come to mind until my senior year of high school. You know, that time when you’re supposed to decide what to do with the rest of your life.

One thing was certain: I wanted to go to art school.

An “Art Kid� for life, I had always been one of those kids asked to draw whenever an artistic opportunity presented itself.

Art has always come naturally to me in some shape or form for as long as I can remember.

I don't remember when this started — I can only vouch that my drawing skills have significantly evolved from the sausage-legged Sailor MoonsI enthusiastically scribbled in various Hello Kitty notebooks.

I asked myself what other things people who draw do for their jobs to figure out my options.

Eventually I came to animation, and for a while thought myself a wannabe animator. The more I looked into it, the more I realized that this wasn’t what I wanted either.

While I love drawing, the idea of drawing the same picture over and over did not appeal to me.

At this point I had started looking up at art schools, comparing their statistics with information from their websites. Going down the list of majors, I ticked off one after another.

Until I came upon..

graphicdesign

»» animation»» architecture»» art»history»» ceramics»» fashion»» fibers

?Graphic Design. Wait.. What’s that? Somehow, in 18 years of existence, I had not familiarized myself with the term.

I was used to thinking of “Art�in black and white: drawing, painting — pieces that required use of charcoal and pastels rather than computers and printers.

Align Ascender Back Matter Baseline Binding

Bleed Body Text Block Quote Callout Caption

Clip Art CYMK Copy Crop Marks Descender

Diecutting Display Type DPI Duotone Em Space Folio Footnote Galley

Gutter Justified Kerning Knockout Ligat ure Masthead

Negative Space

I don’t think I really understood what Graphic Design was, or what I was getting into, until I actually sat in a Graphic Design class.

Oh Boy..

But to my 18 year old self, what was important to me was not the specifics, but the possibilities. Graphic Design seemed to encompass just about everything I held dear — illustration, photography, technology, writing — it could be so many things.

Suddenly everything clicked.

The amateur websites I had made, the Corbis images of puppies I photoshopped magenta, the “vector� images of models I had naively admired. It all made sense.

Essentially, they were Graphic Design. Without even realizing it, I had been a Graphic Designer this whole time.

These visual exercises, as unsucc- essful and unskilled as they were, were more than just fooling around in Jasc Paintshop Pro for fun.

Graphic design is everywhere.Literally. It’s on the television, in our books and magazines, on billboards and, of course, in advertisements.

Anything that uses graphic or textual elements has been designed by an individual or group of people.

It’s a fixture in our lives that has been around seemingly forever, so we simply don’t question it.

However, contrary to popular belief, these things don’t just appear out of nowhere. People are hired to design just about everything visual. And sometimespeople design for fun!

The thought that goes behind some-thing as trivial as a coupon in the daily newspaper doesn’t come across the minds of the general public.

While graphic design is so diverse, there are certain principles to consider thatcross the various boundaries.

One such principle is word and image. Design in it’s basic form contains both these things: words and images, though it doesn't necessarily have to.

These words and images need to work together in order to suit the project.

This can mean influencing a certain meaning or emotion when viewed by the audience. The relationship between an image and word can evoke feeling — a powerful tool.

!

Successful graphic design isn’t about what is aesthetically pleasing or “pretty� — but about function, and in most cases, inflict-ing change of some kind. Whether it be to purchase a flashy handbag or start an entire movement, the results can be incredible.

The form of the project can also have a lot to do with the project’s success.

More and more, designers are finding new and interesting ways to display information. At the same time, if the form isn’t crafted well, the informa-tion becomes insignificant.

Form and content are also important. Several people are involved in a design, such as people who write. The text that is involved in an advertisement or book also has to be sufficient in order for the project itself to successful.

Craft is important in the final product. Many times, designers will collaborate with other types of artists in order to create a beautiful, functioning object.

Designers don’t necessicarily have to known how to make everything, but know how to conceptualize what is possible.

Composition in any form is important as well. You may not notice it, but even the spread in your magazine has been composed in a specific way.

Some designers even believe in applying scientific principles to ensure a design's success. Others are more experimental, and rely on their eyes and instincts to create balance.

The way grids have been used has greatly innovated graphic design.

They remain as a functional guide that can make or break a design.

Uh-oh..

Typography is an art-form in itself and arranging type is crucial to graphic design.

Typography is a large part of design, and most people tend to realize this when it’s badly done.

Type needs to be legible. If the information can’t be read, the project has no chance to be successful.

There also needs to be hierarchy because infor-mation has different levels of importance.

Typography used to be it’s own subset of graphic design but contemporary designers must know how to effectively use it.

Designers want your eyes drawn to the right information in the right order.

Graphic design has changed a lot depending on the latest technology, and we don’t have to look too far from our iPhones to know that.

Design and technology go hand in hand.

Some people say graphic design is a hybrid of art and technology.

However, print and digital coexist because they’re needed for different reasons — and understanding the potential of different formats is important. That’s why when designers do

research they think about the audience and the most efficient way to get their information across.

Historically, there have been many incredible graphic designers who innovated design in their own way. While it’s important to realize designers of the past, it’s also important not to rely on elements of past designs as a crutch.

Unless you’re going for a certain time-period look, using an element because it’s known to be successfuldoesn't make good design.

What does is research.

BassBernbachCarsonGlaserGoldenHohlweinRandSagmeisterTschichold.. And more!

By the time a design has been printed, uploaded, or shared, it has been reviewed, altered, and re-produced numerous times.

A lot of research and hard work comes with the job.

Methods like user-testing, mapping, competitive research, studying the audience — all come into play.

That’s why teamwork is another important part of design.

And sometimes that even means killing a project altogether because it doesn’t work!

As a graphic designer, you will receive a lot of feedback. That is not criticism, but constructive feedback specifically discussed in order to make a project the best it can possibly be.

While design is itself an art form, there are definite successes and failures. That’s why, when design-ing, it’s important to realize all these aspects when creating something.

A designer wants to do the most they possibly can in order to ensure this success.

With that said, nothing is perfect. Things go wrong all the time because, at the end of the day, we are still human.

It’s a tough field to be in — it’s not for everyone.

But people who are passionate about design do it anyway, because it’s what they enjoy and makes them happy.

It’s not a job, but a lifestyle.

R Graphic design is much more than a regular 9–5 job. Being a designer effects the way you see the world around you.

If you are interested in design — read about it!

Go on blogs. Get some books and stare at lots and lots of pictures. Find out what resonates with you and what those people did to get where they are.

For me, the question of "What is Graphic Design?" didn't come to mind un-

You never know... Someone might be looking you up one day!

One of the great things about design is that it’s so diverse that any indi-vidual person has their own strengths to contribute.

And what with so many fields to go into, there’s many opportunities to find one’s niche.

You have the power to be the designer you want to be!

COLOPHON

Typset in Avenir and Memphis.Printed on Glossy Paper using the services of HP Magcloud.

Degree Project Spring 2013Jan Kubasiewicz Thanks to all who have helped along the way!