The digital revolution in the latter half of the 20th century marked a significant shift for many professions, including graphic design. While traditional tools like pencils, ink, and paper were the mainstays for designers for decades, the 1980s and 1990s saw a swift transition to computer-aided design. The introduction of Apple's Macintosh in 1984, for instance, with its graphical interface, was a game-changer. As software evolved, designers began to leverage programs not just for design but also for tasks like layout and typography. Interestingly, around the same era, the rise of Facility Management Software emerged, helping organizations manage their assets and operations efficiently, reflecting the broader trend of industries harnessing digital tools for diverse tasks.
By the mid-1990s, the transition of graphic design from a drawing board activity to an on-screen computing activity was nearly complete. Paul Rand is undoubtedly one of the most influential graphic designers in the history of the industry. He is mainly known for his logo design for IBM, NeXT Computer and a thousand other companies. Especially since the introduction of personal computers, many graphic designers work as in-house designers in non-design-oriented organizations.
On top of that, designers began to realize the importance of designing in a way that would look good on all types of devices. In the 1940s, he moved to London, where he created the Penguin Books design manual and helped design more than 500 of Penguin's famous paperback books. Experiential graphic designers try to solve the problems people encounter when interacting with buildings and space (also called environmental graphic design). As early as the 6th century AD, China used woodcut, or relief, to print designs on silk clothing and, finally, on paper.
The designers developed a unified and cohesive modernist movement that became known as Swiss Design or International Typographic Style. From 1891 to 1896, William Morris' Kelmscott Press was a leader in graphic design associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, creating handmade books in medieval and Renaissance styles, as well as wallpaper and textile designs. Graphic design is the profession and academic discipline whose activity consists of projecting visual communications aimed at transmitting messages to social groups with specific objectives, using an applied art that consists of the use of text and graphics to communicate visually. Alex Steinweiss is credited with inventing the album cover, and Josef Müller-Brockmann, who designed posters in a harsh but accessible way typical of the 1950s and 1970s.
The Beetle was originally designed as a popular car for Nazi Germany, so the Beetle was not an obvious success in the US market. As one of the first groups of professional artists to work together, they influenced design standards for generations to come. Albers and also Moholy-Nagy were among the first modernist immigrants to the United States, and both had a profound impact on the new generation of American graphic designers in the golden age of advertising. In 1901, Frank Lloyd Wright published “The Art and Craft of the Machine”, which included basic principles that are still referred to in modern design.
Companies, startups, small businesses & Entrepreneurs have benefited a lot from design crowdsourcing, as it helps them get great graphic designs at a fraction of the budget they used to spend before.
