4. Part 2, Digital Graphic Design

In today’s class the topic of Digital Design History was presented by my fellow classmates.

It was learnt that the history of digital design starts from the illustrations on stones and in caves. However, the actual graphic design is existing for the last hundred years. So, throughout those hundred years digital design has grown to an industry that grabs attention and sparking interests of people. Following is the brief history of digital design.

During the 15,000 BC the first known visual symbols started to appear in the caves. For example, in Southern France the pictographs are presented in Lascaux caves. The pictures show the visuals of animals and landscapes.

Furtherly, in around 105 AD in China, there was the invention of paper which resulted in the concept of printing. Then in around 1300-1500, the paper mill arrived in Europe and afterwards the first book illustrations. By the 1530 the first type of foundry was established by Claude Garamond

The boom of innovative technologies, which also called Industrial Revolution, happened during 1760s. It involved various methods of lithography which helped to reduce costs for printing by reducing labour costs and doubled the size of printing paper.

In 1900s there was a growth of digital design starting with the basic principles of “The Art and Craft of the Machine” that was released by Frank Lloyd Wright. Because of the increased interests in making advertising, business owners focused on branding by creating logos, posters, t-shirts and other. Further, in around 1990s designers tend to use digital tools such as Photoshop to design. Thus, such tools revolutionized the field of digital design.

(the principles) (first version of photoshop)

So, today digital design remains focusing on communicating ideas through various illustrations and texts. Graphic designers tend to follow the trends and expectations of the industry in order to create logo that lasts, or establish a unique image for a business brand. So, today’s organisations are looking for a way to appeal to target customers with the help of talented graphic designers.