Essay

HOW HAS TECHNOLOGY CHANGED OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GRAPHIC DESIGN?

RYAN PETERSON / BA GRAPHIC DESIGN

HOW HAS TECHNOLOGY C OUR RELATIONSHI GRAPHIC D

CHANGED IP WITH DESIGN?

M

aterial culture is a term, developed in the late 19th and early 20th century, that refers to the relationship between artefacts/objects and social relations. It supports the notion that everyone is dependant on the material type of culture. In this day and age people are constantly dematerialising their lives; they are essentially getting rid of objects that are no longer needed, and technology is believed to be the cause of this.

Our group really enjoyed Victor Buchli’s material culture lecture. We felt as though the subject of material culture was the most relevant topic for us to investigate, because it relates to each of our practices (Graphic Design, Product Design and Architecture). We chose the question, ‘How has our relationship with objects changed with technological advances in the last 60 years?’ and it was a great subject to look into, because there were very interesting examples on both ends of the spectrum. We are analogue people in a digital world, and as designers it’s important for us to understand how people relate to particular objects, especially with the rapid development of technology.

Whilst attempting to unravel this question in my group, I learnt a lot about how technology has changed the other design pathways, thus encouraging me to discover more about the effects of technology on my own practice.

Graphic Design dates back to the Stone Age, when the people chalked and cut their images into stone. Undoubtedly, Graphic Design has evolved since then, and the way we do things today is a lot more sophisticated. The software we have access to is getting more and more advanced, but how is this affecting the way people understand and relate to Graphic Design?

In this investigation, I aim to look further into how technology has affected our relationship with Graphic Design.

The first example I am going to discuss within Graphic Design is magazines. The earliest example of magazines was Erbauliche Monaths Unterredungen, a literary and philosophy magazine that was launched in 1663 in Germany.

The Gentleman’s Magazine, first published in 1731, in London, is considered to have been the first general-interest magazine.

Nowadays, magazines have moved on to the digital, in the form of iPad and other tablet apps.

I did a survey, which posed the question, “Which would you rather read, a printed magazine or a digital magazine?� to a variety of people. For those in Generation X (b. 1966-1976), 85% chose printed. Generation Y (b.

1977-1994) had 72% that chose printed. However, in Generation

“PRINT IS NOT AS APPRECIATED AS IT WAS 6O YEARS AGO” - Joanna Coles

Z (b. 1995-2013), only 20% of people said they would rather read printed magazines. One person from generation Y said, “Technology dulls observation and lacks tactility. Having a printed magazine also makes me feel like I own something. There is more attachment and connection with the material.” From these results, it seems as though most members of Generation Z are more “connected,” having had lifelong use of communication and media technology like the Internet, instant messaging, text messaging, MP3 players, and mobile phones, earning them the nickname “digital natives”. This suggests that digital magazines will become more and more popular with each generation, thus decreasing the value of printed magazines.

However, Joana Coles, editor-in chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine said, “Print is not as appreciated as it was 60 years ago, because of the rapid upsurge in digital publishing, however, I think print will become more appreciated as we are flooded with more and more digital product.” I strongly agree with this quote; although it seems like the digital side of publishing is taking over, printed publications will always remain materialised and have much more value than a digital version. To add to this, on 3rd December I went to a talk given by Andrew Lowe, the digital head of Condé Nast, and his tablet producers. One thing that stood out to me was how they make the iPad editions of the magazines; they pull everything out of the print edition and alter it to fit the iPad format. I asked them if they

thought this would ever change, to which I got the response, ”Never.

Print came first and will always come first.” This verifies that printed publications have much more importance and priority.

To summarise, I think at present our relationship with printed magazines has changed and deteriorated slightly, because of the current trend and novelty of digital versions. In a chart that was shown during Max Gadney’s lecture about how a designer works within the world of technology, there is a “Peak of Inflated Expectations’ that then drops after the hype, meaning that printed magazines will gradually become appreciated again as objects of significance and importance.

When looking at photography, the most obvious development is digital photography. Digital versus film photography has been a topic of debate in the photography world since the invention of digital cameras towards the end of the 20th Century.

Both digital and film photography have advantages and downsides. 21st century photography is now dominated by digital operation, but the older photochemical methods still continue to be used by certain people. Convenience is among the main reasons for the widespread adoption of digital cameras. When using a digital camera, the image can be viewed immediately, the photographer can delete unwanted photographs, and photos can also printed quickly. What’s more, Digital images can be stored on a personal computer or in memory cards. When film was the only option of photography, photos had to be developed to be seen, and they would be kept in an album or file of some sort. Today, digital photographs are mainly viewed on the screen. In fact, the iPhone camera is currently the most used camera of all time; every day, more photos are taken with the iPhone than any other camera. This dematerialization of photographs has affected the way people relate to photography. Photographs lose so much value and worth when taken on an iPhone, because of the ease and expediency of the process. But just like magazines, I believe film will always have its place in the world of photography, due to its unique qualities and importance, particularly within Graphic Design. As a designer and photographer, I would always prefer to use a film camera to shoot any subject, because whilst I prefer the colours and soft ‘matte’ feel of film, the process is what interests me, and film requires a lot more skill and patience than digital photography.

“I HAVE NO DOUBT IT IS GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD” — Craddock

HOW WOULD 3D PRINTERS INFLUENCE OUR PERCEPTION OF MATERIAL CULTURE IN THE FUTURE?

Another topic of interest to me is 3D printing. It has been speculated that 3D printing may become a mass-market item in the future. This year, at the 3D Print Show in Paris, researcher James Craddock said: “I have no doubt it is going to change the world.”

Craddock nevertheless predicted that use of 3D printing would be limited. “You would use it for highvalue, beautiful items or replacement parts,” he also said. It seems the real revolutionary factor for the 3D printer is industrial use.

I think 3D printing could change our feeling towards objects such as tables and chairs. These objects have been around for thousands and thousands of years and, generally speaking, their function has (with a few exceptions) very much remained the same, despite the rapid technological advances that have occurred.

A chair has always had the same primary function, to sit on. Just like a table will always be used to support objects. I think it’s fair to say that people’s relationships with such objects have not really changed, because technology has not altered the way in which they work. Essentially, they cannot be dematerialised.

With the use of the 3D printer, things could cause the way we feel about these objects to change. For example, if you took a chair that was made by hand, and placed it next to an exact replica that had been 3D printed, I am pretty sure that most people would rather have the hand-made version. That being said, and referring back to Max Gadney’s chart, I believe people will a give more value to objects that are 3D printed at first because of the hype it has created.

However as it becomes more widespread and mainstream, it’s value will decrease rapidly. Within the realm of Graphic Design, 3D printing will be a great convenience to designers, as it will enable us to create things more easily and rapidly, but design may lose its value because of its ability to be mass-produced. One interesting question that arises is: How would 3D printers influence our perception of material culture in the future?

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR DEMATERIALISATION?

To conclude, it’s clear that as analogue people, we are always trying to facilitate our lives through the use of technology and this, I believe, will be an ongoing thing. Technology has already influenced and changed society, giving birth to completely new behaviours and understandings.

As much as people care about the functionality of design, by working with my Bigger Picture group, by and looking at my own practice with magazines, photography and 3D printers, I’ve realised that designers in particular also care about process of design, and always will. Traditional practices and

methods within Graphic Design will always remain, despite multiple advances in technology, but as a designer you must be aware of these changes and sometimes adapt to the evolving needs and demands, being cautious not to let the rapid pace of advancing technology hinder your creativity. Value plays an important part in this investigation too, because although value differs for each person, the process of the design can alter the value of the design greatly, as seen with photography.

Furthermore, it’s important that we stop thinking of design as the construction of graphics, products, services, systems and environments, and think about those things as means for people to act, in order to realize satisfy their needs. After all, it is the needs and the wishes of people that we have to serve, and this requires a better understanding of people, of society and of the ecosystem.

Undoubtedly, dematerialisation is occurring. Looking at buildings as an example, a contemporary building is all about minimalism and simplicity, with the ambition to declutter our lives. From the examples reviewed, I think the value of Graphic Design decreases if it can be dematerialized, and has no additional personal or sentimental value. This is because of the convenience of using technology. It makes things much easier for our lives, but at the same time, encourages laziness, as we avoid doing things the analogue way. As Mark Kennedy states: “All of the biggest technological inventions created by man says little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his laziness.”

The Internet and social media have also had an impact on Graphic Design too. Design has become more convenient, accessible, and has presented a platform for designers to show their work. As Max Gadney said in his lecture, “Data is the new oil” and, “Socialising of data is very important.” This has encouraged laziness too, and the value of design is decreased because of its ability to be seen on the Internet.

In response to the question, our relationship with Graphic Design differs from person to person (taking into account the different cultures and generations), therefore it is not possible to generalize my answer. Instead, as I reflect on this topic it raises more questions. Is technology improving our lives, or hindering it? What does the future hold for dematerialization? In a world that is full of stuff, is there any more space for objects? The one thing we can be certain about is that technology has indeed changed the world and we are always trying to better our lives with it. But will this ever end?

BOOKS Batteau, A.W., (2009). Technology and culture. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. Drucker, J., McVarish, E., (2009). Graphic design history: A critical guide. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

MacGregor, N., (2011). A History of the World in 100 Objects. London: Penguin.

Vogt, E.E., Brown, J., Isaacs, D., (2003). The Art of Powerful Questions: Catalyzing, Insight, Innovation, and Action. Mill Valley, California: Whole Systems Associates.

JOURNAL ARTICLES Liechty, M., 1999. Material Cultures: Why Some Things Matter. American Anthropologist, 101, pp.458-59.

McLuhan, M., 1964. The Gadget Lover: Narcissus as Narcosis. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, pp.41–47.

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