Graphic Design B.C. (before computers)
It’s hard to imagine a time without computers these days. We live in the era of iPhone’s, GPS’s and unlimited Wi-Fi everywhere. But, surely there was graphic design before computers, software and all these gadgets? Wikipedia says that graphic design is a collaborative process between a client and a designer – in conjunction with producers of form (i.e., printers, programmers, sign makers, etc.) — to convey a specific message to a targeted audience. That doesn’t say a thing about Adobe, dual wide-screen monitors or fancy mouses!
To me, graphic design is a way of thinking – a lens in which I see things through. Some of the first forms of graphic design were Buddhist texts that were produced by using cut wooden blocks. Even with this method, there still had to be a designer who conceptualized the art and composition that needed to be cut into the wood blocks. I don’t believe graphic design was invented on a specific date. Sure, the verbiage was defined somewhat recently, but graphic design is really just a form of creativity.
My design professor in college made us sketch out dozens of thumbnail-sketches before we could dive into Photoshop on those shiny Macs. It was torture! I used to mutter to myself, “I’m not going to school for 4 years to become really good at drawing on napkins.” It wasn’t until I got further into my education of art, design and composition that I understood – sketching is one of the most immediate methods of getting an idea or concept out-of-brain. As my understanding developed, I learned that the quality of my sketches wasn’t the most important thing. Rather, the central idea portrayed in my sketches (and ensuring my concepts conveyed the message at hand) was crucial. In learning this process, I began to comprehend the separation of design from production.
Computers are tools. Now, this is where it can get muddy, because although people can design with computers, they’re really just apparatuses that create, similar to a pencil or paint brush. Don’t get me wrong, computers are extremely necessary in our industry. They make jobs incredibly efficient, help keep a work-flow’s momentum and there are countless other ways how computers save us time! Computers have more become the toolbox, and the applications we use are the tools. Adobe makes the majority of software used by the design industry. Their applications were done so effectively that they have become the industry standard. This past spring, Adobe released their newest package of design software called Creative Suite 5 (CS5). We will be upgrading shortly and the mouths of the creative team here at Priority are drooling.
Not only is it good to evolve with the industry as designers, but as a consultative company, it’s important for us to be at the forefront of that progression. It’s disgusting how nerdy we can get about content-aware fill, the gap tool and spanning columns – all things I would assume the average person could care less about, but the end design should get our clients excited as well. As we journey into this world of CS5, I will be reminding myself that the computer (and software) are just my instruments. The next time you’re at a restaurant and you look at the menu, or the next packaged product you buy at Target, just remember that they were likely designed before they were created on the computer.
I still think the Chauvet Cave painting in France is some of the best design created. People will argue that’s art not design! But think about it — people back then were communicating to an audience, leaving an important message about how they lived and how it make it in the world.
In a round about way, I completely agree that really good, well thoughtout design does not evolve on a computer screen. My typography skills came from drawing out headlines. My drawing and ideas get better when I use paper and pen (or pencil) before I go near my Mac.
I think solving a design problem or coming to the strongest solution actually can be done quicker using pen and paper — even more fun when you’re teaming up with others in a brainstorming session.
There are so many really cool drawing books for doodling out design thoughts, it should be as cool as having an iPad.