Thursday 26 June 2008

* An eye on Graphic Design in the Arab world

We find it mandatory to say that graphic design, this late specialty, quick in its development, related to all walks and activities of life, this only comprehensive technical specialty due to its relation with a piece of information and technology, we know it by its many names besides graphic design, for it is a design of a piece of information and design of communication means. All of these names refer to the extent of its development as an independent science, the task of which in to find solution to problems in the field of promotion, presentation or communication. Therefore, it is the language of time, a language that is not stationery or static, but developing and keeping pace with the changes of time thus, we find that graphic design is in need for a qualified and developing cadre able to deal with modern life requirements in a language that has a brief, simple and direct message, we acknowledge also the relationship of graphic design with writing, printing and publishing since its origin and it is an innovative work that couples word with shape using art and technology as a means of communication which begins with a message innovated by a designer that develops to become a means of visual communication beyond words and excels them with control of color, letter, picture and ideas through the designer's imagination and production of media through which he can convey the desired message to the crowd.

Hence, its importance emerged to play an important role in modern life and to be a critical factor in promotion, media and other means in fast conveying a piece of information to community dominated by speed that excels the speed of light, therefore, it becomes fast in changing due to its relation with community. We find ourselves in front of the fact of graphic design origin and its development stages. Through reading its history, we have been able to know the stages it had gone through since its beginning at the early of 19th century and how Europe was its first home and the role played by some of the pioneer designers, each in his specialty, through developing its tools and techniques besides knowing its means which developed and multiplied after the first poster and book. Further, we know the factors that made it an independent science in addition to its influence by the late artistic trends.

I talked about the relationship of graphic design with special techniques confined with printing which developed to visual media and become conclusive of multi phenomena that get developed by the development of modern technology, therefore, graphic design changes into a knowledgeable science with a constant developing concept. This reflects the limits of the classical concept of graphic design and the development in what is called net vacuum which brings back to the mind the necessity of assessing the individual skills and characteristics of cadres in this field in addition to limiting the classical concept of the term graphic design as being fictitious and imaginary though organizing theoretical or imaginative factors to produce them by the use of different techniques that suit the production mechanism, so, production may be one of the media contained in graphic design.

The close relationship of graphic design with printing can not be ignored; therefore, I would rather clarify a misunderstanding that confuses between graphic design and graphic art and the role of each of them. Relying on this definition, we were able to clarify the role played by the graphic designer who uses design factors in an idea and prepares a special design for each media depending on its end i.e., what printing style he will use, keeping in mind that the success of printing depend first on the designer.

All of this makes us ask, is graphic design philosophy able to, through imagination and fiction, face the challenges of the information time in an effective way? For sure, the answer is determined by the fact that a designer should have absorbed the product of his time concerning information in on effective way and he has to develop his fictitious impression of the piece of information in order to produce it in a form that suits his time and his requirements. I also talked about how graphic design deals with given material and information and how to manage each of them to realize the required message.

We can not talk about technology without talking about computer which since its beginning has an important influence on the development of performance of graphic design since 1970 outside the Arab World and at late 1980's in the Arab World. By nature, the availability of computer makes available many programs that serve graphic design at all levels besides the innovation of the internet. The computer has helped a lot in developing the abilities of designers as well as introducing the attribute of speed performance through a group of solutions special to picture, letter, shape and color.

We can not deny the importance of developing means and curricula of graphic design besides diversifying them in order to cope with the speed of its development and not to forget the requirements and the development of the market. The academic process should depend on time requirements determined by the constant developing technology and the requirements of time. Therefore, the goals of innovative work combined with designer's competency and qualification are the basis on which planning strategy depends to prepare study plans that motivate and activate creative thinking and relate it to information technology relying on the different levels of human knowledge and scientific programs supporting the principle of how to understand and apply comprehensively graphic design program in order to protect it from short term programming relying in this respect on the designer's material cognitive theory, the language, how to talk and his ability to know how to deal with time changes, technologies, training and qualification for what is in the future concerning the stages of human knowledge developments, developed curricula and programs that are subject to constant development.

Thus, the nature of graphic designer work is different from other professions not only because it is the most innovative field through the approach of dealing with a piece of information and visual communication means but also through the different standards constituting the work scene which follow a special innovation and an advanced approach to realize the goals of this innovative work as well as the competence and qualification of the designer. Graphic designer is not only an artist but also a technician who is able to make use of the available programs and their techniques in order to fulfill the task he is charged with. As a result, he is a designer who, through his imagination, reaches the crowd, promotes his imagination, reaches the crowd, promotes and presents through effective implementation with little technical exaggeration to realize successful work.

The fact is that graphic design is firm in its core, developing in its tools which needs close follow- up and cadre distinguished with a lot of knowledge in the field of arts, psychology, marketing, knowledge and information techniques. It is considered the assistant partner of technical development in terms of computer, the internet or programming and its systems. We find it developing in the ways of presenting its different media which come in the form of stationery, poster, brochure, flyer, catalogue, directed post, pamphlet, website and other large group of media.

The core of graphic design is the design foundation factors and their theories and philosophy which are constant any whereas the variable is the style of implementing the design, the form of the medium and the tools of implementation which have moved to the practical side of using computer and a large group of programs that deal with picture, hand writing and color. The development of the ways of promotion, presentation and communication besides the diversity of their developed forms, all depend on digital media.

We conclude, after studying these factors and phenomenon in which and with which graphic design plays an important role that graphic design is constantly developing.

* THE FUTURE OF GRAPHIC DESIGN IN THE ARAB WORLD
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