Extra Credit Assignment

The Digital Revolution

            With the upcoming of the 21^st century, graphic design was under major construction. With this Digital technology revolution, artists and designers could use technology to enhance or create art. This new tool had rapid growth after the popularity of the Internet hit the world.  Though in the beginning many artists resisted the change to technology, many embraced the new found control and simplistic design process that using digital technology had.  Designers now had a new way to change the form, color, shape and space in an image or design.

            Designer April Greiman was an artist who chose to take on the challenge being the first to master digital art.  Her designs stuck out since she used layering and overlapping in many of her work.  She worked with video, print and tactile patterns. Greiman was one of the first designers to execute a piece only using the computer. Not to mention she was the first woman in the field of graphic design to achieve such success on the computer. Her designs have completely changed what we thought graphic design was capable of.  

         Though there were many designers during the time that changed graphic design, April Grieman proved to the world that her computer-generated images were just as strong as any other design. She knew how effectively communicate ideas and designs with text and images layered together. Now we are able to build on the path she has created for all of graphic design.

Greiman 1987

Greiman 1984

Greiman 1986

Homework #12

Corporate Identity and Visual Systems

            During the 1950’s businesses realized the importance that design had in business. With a clean and eye-catching logo, buyers were more likely to use that business over one with an unsuccessful logo. With the development of many large corporations, graphic design was now being used to help create an image for that company. Though visual marks have been around for centuries, this was the first time that these marks went beyond just trademarks and designs. For the first time, companies were able to have a consolidated design that could be displayed for all consumers.

            Though there are thousands of logo’s, one particular design I can say is my favorite is the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) logo. The companies iconic design features a black and white panda. When the WWF was being created in 1961, the company wanted to use an animal in their design. WWF realized that they needed a strong and recognizable design that would break language barriers. The choice to work with a panda in the design was most appealing because it is thought of as a rather friendly and peaceful creature. Many throughout the world adore the panda’s big furry body, and lovable black-patched eyes. Environmentalist and artist Gerald Watterson was first to produce the beginning sketches. After having a rough idea of what WWF wanted the logo to look like, Sir Peter Scott, a founder of the company, created the first logo. The iconic design went through many stages before it reached success. It was not until 1986 that the design looked like what we see today. Now we see a much more geometric design of the panda. Though the panda is cute, the logo shows a strong animal looking for the consumer’s attention to help fight extinction. What attracts me most to this design, are the implied lines throughout the logo. I like that the viewer has to fill in the lines to complete the design themselves. Overall, I feel this is a strong and eye-catching design that truly represents environmental conservation.

 Chi Chi, the panda behind the design

 Gerald Watterson's beginning sketches

 Sir Peter Scott's logo development 

The logo we see today...

Homework #11

The New York School

            During the 1940’s in America, there was a new wave of designers from Europe leaving their mark in graphic design. Many of these designs were more modern and allowed a sense of freedom that previous graphics did not have. During this time in New York City, artists feed off of each other’s ideas and designs. New York City became a meeting place that allowed ideas and new designs to flow. This phase of design lasted from the 1940’s to the 1970’s, yet continued until the late 90’s. Graphic design changed drastically over the course of the New York School’s 60-year reign.

            Leo Lionni was born May 5, 1910 in Amsterdam. Growing up he was surrounded by art. His mother was an Opera singer and his father worked in the diamond district. At a young age he had a passion for art. In his younger years he focused on painting and was best known for the futuristic style he worked in. As a young adult he left his degree in economics to begin studying and working in advertising design, realizing he would much rather pursue his art. So he moved to America to reach his goals of becoming a successful artist. In 1939 he was working full-time in advertising and worked for Ford and Chrysler Plymouth. By 1949 he was the art director for Fortune magazine. Lionni stood out with his contemporary use of photography in his designs. In his later years, he began to work with collage and used it to create illustration for children’s books. Lionni used many types of design in his art and was never confined by one particular medium. 

            Otto Storch was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1913. He studied art at New York University and worked as a photographic retoucher for Dell Publishing out of college. Yet, he realized that he was not keen of the subject matter; he began taking night classes during the 1950’s with Alexy Brodovitch, the art director of Harper’s Bazaar magazine. Storch began to focus on photography, fashion and illustration. Soon he quit his job at Dell to become a freelance designer. In later years, he joined the McCall’s Corporation as an art director for Better Living magazine. Storch worked mainly with photography in many of his designs. He had an amazing knack for merging text and photography. Some of his graphic designs even include warping or bending of the text to better incorporate it into his photographs. He worked with advertisement along with editorial pieces. Storch’s design style was unmatched by other artists, and he broke the mold for designs that were created during the time period.

             Both Otto Storch and Leo Lionni created iconic advertisements and designs. Each artist had a skill of working behind the camera and using their photographs to conceive an image that grabbed the viewer’s attention. These New York School artists altered American design by creating images that expressed modern and freedom. The works of each of the artists has gone down in history of some of the most important graphics today.

 Otto Storch 1961

Otto Storch 1961

 Otto Storch 1968

 Otto Storch 1960

Otto Storch 1961

Lio Lionni 1949

 Lio Lionni 1953

Lio Lionni 1953

Lio Lionni 1960

Lio Lionni 1989