Definition Of Graphic Art
Defining what Graphic Art is will depend upon the context of time one speaks of. Today it encompasses a wide range of visual expression within art.
Commonly it is associated with printmaking, screen printing, line engraving, lithography, calligraphy, and even computer graphics.
The impact of its range within art, industry, branding, and design cannot be understated. While it is easy to recognize its impact today, Graphic Art had humble yet a profound beginning within history.
Early Graphic Art History
In its earliest forms Graphic Art was used as a form of communication. It is seen as the foundation for written script which evolved through time.
Here that imagery began its transformation to a written language and influenced early ink art.
Examples of this can be found within more ancient cultures such as the Babylonians and Egyptians with hieroglyphs. When imagery is used to convey words as a written language it is the most basic foundation of Graphic Art.
This imagery would evolve from a meaning or definition of concept to a meaning by sound. The symbol would take on the sound of a word in what we call phonetics.
While its beginning would seem to be simple, the impact is profound within history. As time moved forward other elements of art would be added to its boundaries.
Early European books for example would allow for artists to add artistic fonts and symbols for beauty and aesthetic experience.
Examples of these uses can be found within monasteries across Europe within religious texts of history. Later within the Renaissance this expansion reached beyond religious halls or royal courts into a world hungry for finer and more beautiful things.
The uses for Graphic Art were not always educational or enlightening. In combat a general could lead an army using a system of flags with symbols to control the maneuvers of his troops.
The outcome of a war could depend upon the clarity of a message or the ability to interrupt your opponents communication.
Another powerful development is in coinage that would carry with it a symbol to denote its value as a currency. With this it also held the authority behind its nation or kingdom.
While many early kings of Europe could not read, they used Graphic Art to communicate power and authority. Their crests, seals, and authority was bound by these graphical elements they and others would easily recognize.
These were placed into stone, wood, and metal within many forms throughout a kingdom. The fabric within the dress of those who served the king would also represent these same symbols of power.
It would take some time for Graphic Art to evolve past many of these early means. What may seem rudimentary to us today was essential and critical to the survival of nations and their people of history.
It is interesting though to see how these basic uses still exist today with our currency and emblems of power.
Graphic Art Meets The Printing Press
While the earliest recorded printing press was very rudimentary it held profound implications for Graphic Art. The first press could be found in the Han dynasty within China (206 BC).
This was done with simple rubbing of cloth across stone tables.
The Tang dynasty would introduce wood blocks which would allow for interchangeable printing on paper after 690 AD. Yet these achievements would later be perfected by another culture in Europe by a man named Johannes Gutenberg.
This printing press would allow for 3600 pages to be printed mechanically per day and the press was portable.
This advancement of technology would forever change Graphic Art and how it was used.
Before the printing press Graphic Art was focused either on art to enhance script, or to represent the power of a nation. After the dawn of the press it would serve other purposes beyond what could be initially imagined.
Here Graphic Art began to be used in mass communication, advertising, and the making of products for public use. These graphics would also be used by governments to mark items which had been taxed and were approved for commerce.
Likewise these marks by governments would also lead to insurrection and revolution. It is amazing to see how such a simple concept can convey a deep meaning and impact upon a society.
This new age of Graphic Art would last through the 1900’s until the birth of a new technology which would soon begin to replace many printed forms of communication.
Graphic Art Meets The Modern World
It would be in the latter 1900’s that we would see a new technology take form. A computer as we know it today was very different from the time of the Apollo Program.
A common cell phone now has more computing power than the early Space Shuttle.
Yet it would be through these progressive advancements in computer technology which would eventually forever alter Graphic Art and expand its boundaries once again.
In some ways with this expansion it would also shed some of its older meaning and uses.
Early computer Graphic Art began with simple image editing. Software allowed for these images to be modified faster and more effectively than traditional methods.
With this also came advances in their use for marketing and uses within products.
With a little more time this same technology was adapted for the internet in design. Here Graphic Design would serve to enhance websites, blogs, and sales pages to make a greater appeal to the senses.
The goal was to increase conversion rates and allow a user to feel comfortable on that site.
How this technology is used would not remain inside of this small box. It would not take long for further exploration to cause an explosion of adaptation within other fields.
Graphic Art Uses In CGI, Design, And Digital Art
CGI has become a vehicle for Graphic Art especially within the world of advertising. What would take a team of experts in the 1990’s can be done by one person with basic software today.
Commercials frequently use basic CGI elements for products as they implement Graphic Art. Design of products as well carry with it an older and more traditional use of this art.
Just as the coinage of ages past and the marks of kings, a product design will carry with it the companies branding. This branding is Graphic Art which is easily recognizable by anyone at a distance.
New Media Art also has brought Graphic Art to a new world yet holds a nostalgic quality to the monks of ages past with their artful books and beautiful calligraphy.
This new age of art can be used for anything such as posters to banner ads and even animated covers for books. NFT Art is the new craze which has entered due to technology.
The days of older vehicles for this art are long past. While Graphic Art can still serve these older models the great strides which are being made can be found within digital technology.
Future Of Graphic Art
I have highlighted other cases where design and art are merging with this new evolution in technology. Each day which passes the concept of augmented reality is becoming more real in practical applications for daily life.
I have no doubt whatsoever that Graphic Art will also play a major role within this future technology. It may in fact find more fertile ground for development than other arts.
The reason for this is due to how simple the application is especially for corporate and marketing purposes.
The reasoning for this goes beyond how Graphic Art is used. It reaches into how human nature can take simple imagery at a passing glance to recognize its meaning. This is why branding is so powerful.
Text on screens continue to evolve in order to better allow for adaptive reading with speed irrespective of background. This kind of technology in an augmented environment gives not only speed and ease of reading but also safety.
The uses of Graphic Art inside of these technologies are many. This field has held major implications for kinetic art and its practical uses continue to grow.
The Purpose Of Graphic Art Has Not Changed With Time
The amazing part of Graphic Art is that despite the many revolutionary changes through history its real purpose has never changed. From ancient Egypt to our modern use in marketing and web technology it still serves the same function.
At the end of the day it is to convey a meaning. Whether it be for communication or as a symbol of power we find it still serving these same purposes.
It is this principle which displays how powerful the art is and why it should be studied by every artist today.
It appears that the near future will also be shaped by its ability to communicate irrespective of the vehicle of technology which uses it.
Big Definition For Graphic Art Within A Simple Concept
If one were to approach the average person on the street and ask them what Graphic Art is, the answers could range widely. Most would associate this art with some form of technology today.
The age of the individual would also impact their answer.
Each generation has come to associate the meaning behind this art with what they have commonly interacted with in life. While these answers may not fit the academic definition it is a very practical definition to a society.
Here is what really begins to separate Graphic Art from other art forms. While painting, sculpting, pottery, and wood art is all great and wonderful these do not impact us in the same way.
Graphic Art is interwoven into the fabric of our daily life.
There are few things which we touch that it is not placed on. There are few things we see where a symbol will not exist that we recognize.
There are few arts which have had such a profound impact upon a society in such a broad and deep way.
It is due to this that defining what Graphic Art is can be difficult by category. While a very simple concept, it is this simplicity which has allowed it to evolve into so many uses across time.
No longer can it merely reside as a category within fine arts.
The role it has played in industry, design, branding, and art has allowed it to escape its rudimentary beginnings.
New Artists And Students Studying The Arts
If you are a new artist or a student studying the arts one of the major questions asked is, where will you fit in the market? Some will teach. Others will find success as an artist in their own right.
Still others may move to a design related field for an industry. An art major focused in graphic design may be a key to your vision and goals of success.
It may be easy to overlook Graphic Art or understate its importance. Yet no matter what field one may find themselves within you should take the study of this art seriously. What can separate someone who is good from another that is amazing can be found in simple things.
The study of Graphic Art is about this very simplicity. An example of this is in the speed of recognition by brand and the aesthetic appeal to the eyes. Can you capture the attention of an individual within a mere fraction of a second?
It is the elements found within this art that can open the possibilities for an artist to discover how to achieve this. It is a study of human nature and how we take in the things we see, feel, and how we react to our environment.
Within Graphic Art you still find many of the same elements of art that are found within any and every art. Yet here the difference is how these elements are distilled down to the very essence for immediate impact to send a message the moment it is seen.
As a young artist or student do not underestimate what this art can give you. By knowing and mastering its use one can separate themselves from their counterparts within any industry.