Graphic Design and Softwares
“We need an expert who has commmendable knowledge about Adobe Suite, Corel Suite and other industry demanding softwares.” is often what is said and given priority while selecting a Graphic Designer for a certain work. So, does studying a particular software is equivalent to studying Graphic Design?
Some History Lessons
The history of Graphic Design dates back to 1500BC, when the first known visual communications aroused in the caves of Lasgaus in Southern France. The tools used were generally gindstones, mud, animal bones and fats. Now, if we move thousands of years ahead in time to 105AD, the first papers were invented in China and then came the first printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the early 1400s. Further, we move into the Industrial Revolution during the period of 1700s and 1800s which marked the new age of Graphic Design. And now, we’re in the information age, where the Graphic Design grew significantly into practice since 1900s and now it’s expanding into new horizons. If we consider the entire timeline of Graphic Design, we can see that only one thing is common and that is effective visual communication, while the media of communication being different.
Design is a Knowledge, not a Specific Software
A Valuable Graphic Designer is expected to have the expertise of Design, it’s conceptual skills, reasearches, historical significances, and commendable typographic judgements and can use this knowledge to communicate with the help of conventional crafts and software knowledge. The aim of a Graphic Designer is always to create a strong and compelling design regardless of the tools they use. There are many different ways to do that, not necessarily by any particular medium. Therefore, design is a knowledge, not a specific software.
A Valuable Graphic Designer is the one who continues to provide effective visual communications and contemporary designs by using century old techniques, such as lettering, imagemaking and letterpress printing with the help of advancing design technologies.
