Graphics - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

First steps

Although the terms “graphics” and “graphic design” are inventions of the 20th century, the history of graphics follows that of humanity since the caves of Lascaux to advertizing neons of the district Ginza to Tokyo. Since the beginnings of graphics until today, where the visual communication became omnipresent, it was always delicate to trace the line of distinction which separates graphics from publicity and art, with which graphics shares certain principles, theories, practices or languages. A beginning of answer could be to define publicity as being a practice of which the final goal is the product sales and of services while graphics seeks to order information, to give form to ideas and to communicate emotions through graphic objects.

Paintings of the caves Lascaux (in the Dordogne, 18.000 and 15.000 years before JC) and the birth of the writing (in Mésopotamie with Sumer, towards 3500 before our era) can be regarded as elements founders of the visual communication. Thereafter, which will become graphics will follow the human evolution and in particular that of the writing, then that of the diffusion of the images.

During one period which goes from 700 av JC until the end of the Seventies of the 20th century, the history of printing works and the typographical writings will correspond with a graphic expression primarily built around the letter: the writing phenician (1200-1100 before our era), the Roman capital, then the tiny Carolingian (or Caroline), Gothic penmanship then the Gothic typography used by Johannes Gutenberg (about 1440). The Bible which it carried out in 1444-1445 with Mainz is the first philosopher's stone carried out with this new technology that is the impression by mobile metal characters. Its invention will allow a broader diffusion of the books, which was impossible up to now. Alde Manuce, him, is regarded as a printer of the second generation, it will develop a style and a structure for its books which remains still today of topicality. This time is often definite as humanistic because of employment during the Italian Renaissance of a round manuscript writing (resulting from the Caroline) which we call humanistic writing . Thereafter graphics will know a slow evolution with the liking of the technical and cultural evolutions, more than of significant changes.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the popularization of the Lithographie will release the professional draftsman of very forced formal: creative imagination will be able to be expressed. At the end of the 19th century, one will see an effort, in particular in the United Kingdom, to create a distinction between arts and the applied arts. Indeed, of 1891 to 1896 William Morris published the most significant books as regards graphic art of the movement Arts and Crafts (literally Arts and craft industries) and by selling them, proved that there was a market for graphic works, thus helping with its emancipation. In France and Belgium, William Morris will inspire in particular mobility Art nouveau then Art Déco.

Contemporary time

At the 20th century, the Industrialization, the consumer society, the emergence of new media, Marketing and Publicity, but also the appearance of related disciplines (Design and Architecture) support the emergence of a new type of employment specialized in the graphic design to develop the communications tools. The graphic designer then becomes that which formalizes and clarifies a message of communication, then which graphically puts it on page. Putting in turn its intellect then its graphic creativity at the service of an order, “the graphic designer” is then regarded less as a craftsman. In 1950 the international graphic Alliance is founded in Basle, as of this time then in the years 1960 and 1970, with the development of the Publicité, some poster artists make themselves famous like Cassandre, Savignac, Villemot, Jacno, etc the screen printed posters of May 68 are famous. Later some graphic designers are recognized as artists: Romance Cieslewicz or Grapus for the political poster, Jean Widmer for the Visual identity. Of Andy Warhol with Bazooka, it is in the contemporary context that the discipline and the term graphics are popularized, just like the Design, the Cartoon or the Vidéo.
Into large and small Bibliophilie appear in France from 1945 of the model makers and graphic designers who will renew the delivers starting from typographical research, of audacity of page layout and use of the color. Within the French Club of the book and " clubs" rivals the leader is Pierre Faucheux, one will still quote Massin, Jacques Daniel, Jacques Darche.

Teaching
The term of Graphiste corresponds to a precise course exempted in schools which prepare with the various trades of graphics. Knowledge of the Typography, of the use of the signs and the Images, of the art of the page layout, compose the bases of the teaching which can be seen supplementing by specializations in the field of printed (edition…), of the interactivity (Multi-media Web, ), to see illustration or of animation ( Motion design ).

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