Technology’s Effect on the Graphic Design Industry

Graphic design has been around for centuries. According to some people, graphic design started around the Stone Age. However, the graphic design of today started in the Second Industrial Revolution during the late 19^th century. In the late 19^th century, posters were used to advertise products such as transportation, entertainment, and manufactured goods. These posters were successful because of technology. Technology has influenced many industries such as farming, medical, manufacturing, and music. In this article, we’ll look at technology’s effect on the graphic design industry.

Reduced Time and Increased Productivity.

Due to technology, the amount of time it takes a graphic designer to create a project was reduced. In addition, their productivity increased. Prior to this, printed works such as posters were created manually. Graphic designers arranged the composition of their models, created design mockups, and cut out pages by hand. Also, they had to set their own type.

After setting their type, the designers sent the type to a typesetting company. The typesetting company would then send it back to the design agency. This process and the editing process (or recreation of the whole design), made one project take weeks to reach completion. Technologies such as lithography and the typewriter helped to create some of these designs, but the process was slow.

However, in 1984, Apple’s introduction of the Macintosh computer hugely affected technology’s effect on the graphic design industry. Instead of creating elements by hand, graphic designers clicked on the screen to change a piece of text or colors in a design. At this time, Mac computers were still flawed because they were too slow in loading and displaying graphics. The computers had low-resolution screens. In addition, sometimes the graphics wouldn’t load at all.

Today, graphic design work can take a couple of hours (or minutes) to complete. Technologies such as 3-D printers and graphic tablets helped to reduce the time it takes for designers to complete projects. These technologies have allowed graphic designers to create multiple projects in a short amount of time. In addition, this allowed them to experiment freely.

Improved Communication.

Another thing affected by technology in the graphic design industry was communication. Now, graphic designers can create graphics and reach an audience with social media or a website. In addition, they can create ads to connect with a targeted audience quickly and psychologically. We see these ads on Facebook, Instagram, and other websites.

Graphic designers can communicate with clients via email and social media. In addition, they can send designs and revisions. Additionally, they can receive client feedback in minutes.

Easier Access to Learning.

Technology gives people easier access to learning. Today, people have more options to learn graphic design than ever before. Traditionally, you would have to go to design school, but not anymore. Online platforms like Udemy and Lynda allow people to learn graphic design from home or from anywhere in the world. Plus, the cost of learning graphic design on these platforms is less expensive than learning from a traditional design school.

 In addition, people can still learn graphic design from traditional schools through virtual learning. More universities have started creating MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). These courses allow people to take online courses from accredited universities by auditing the courses or paying for enrollment. The paid enrollment courses allow you to receive certification. Universities such as California Institute of the Arts and the University of Colorado Boulder offer graphic design courses through coursera.org.

Furthermore, streaming sites such as YouTube and Vimeo have DIY tutorials. People can follow a video and learn the ins-and-out of different designing software, like Adobe Illustrator, to create a design.

Final Thoughts

Due to technological advances, graphic designers have been able to develop and incorporate new methods and styles into their designs. In the future, there will be more innovation to see in the graphic design industry as technology continues advancing.

For more graphic design history, read about the history of logo design.