ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY #3
Pan, R., Kuo, S., & Strobel, J. (2013). Interplay of computer and paper-based sketching in graphic design. International Journal Of Technology & Design Education, 23(3), 785.
This source is, in short, a documentation of a study done with a mixed group of graphic design students to determine their attitudes in the role of paper-sketching in preparation for a digital design. With numerous students specializing in different types of design and with different amounts of experiences, the conclusion could be drawn that students typically used to computer as much as they did hand-drawn sketches regardless of experience.
“This research shows that sketching and computer as design tools help students generate ideas in the early stage of design.”
“Many students have to rely on computer software to help them visualize the real subject and different effects and a group of students said they found their design in computers was very different from sketches, which, on the other hand, reflects their disability to generate imagery either by mind or by hand.”
Considering that the experiment was well done with randomized sorts of students stratified by age, experience, and specialization of design, with an extensive sample size by an expert with numerous graphs and sources for their information, the article is well-constructed and credible and could be generalized upon the general atmosphere of graphic designers.
This article with its research is beneficial to my studies in graphic design because it advocates for the ways to have the most successful design: the study suggests that students with better beginnings in the early methods of first creating a design with more tools and a more specific idea end up with a more pristine, clean, and well-thought-out design.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY #2
Anderson, Tasha. “Graphic Design III: Beyond Just Business.” Alaska Business Monthly, 1 Aug. 2017.
In Anderson’s article “Graphic Design III: Beyond Just Business”, she discusses an interview she has with the head of a graphic design firms who gives advice on what makes graphic design so important for businesses. By combining what he describes as highly creative art with the necessity of marketing, the head of graphic design in a small town in Alaska says that “even with an experimentation process that can go on forever… it [a design] must convey a message”. In exemplifying the different formats of design (posters, post cards, billboards, business cards) with the different messages and the multitude of businesses, the article shows the diversity of graphic design with the same end goal of conveying a specific and effective message.
The most effective quotes in the paper that generalize the meaning of the work as a whole are from the interviews with people knowledgable in either graphic design or business, such as “there’s a whole creative experimentation process that can go on forever, but you have to understand that it’s not just art, it does serve a purpose, and it has to communicate a message” and “Brace explains there’s a methodology involved in creating the signs. She says the signs have about three seconds to grab the viewer’s attention; eight seconds to keep their attention while reading the sub-heading; and ‘if they’re drawn in they’ll take the time to read the literature below.’” Furthermore, the questions raised by the graphic designer also in part coincide with my question as an intern: “‘In order to make sure his clients receive the right designs for their needs, Hollingsworth asks a series of questions: Who is the target audience? What is the message? How does the company want to appear to its clients? Who is the competition?’”
The source is credible because it uses direct quotes from established businesses regarding the central topic of the article. It acts as an informative piece, so all responses are honest and relevant to the topic at hand. Since all quotes are from a business, the sources are credible and works well for the overarching motive for writing the article.
This article directly ties towards what I intend to research through the hands-on experience of my internship. Because it’s from a source with direct quotes from someone who designs for a living and people who use graphic design to improve their business, that means that it has relevance in the field of graphic design as a whole. It also reaffirmed my essential question of what makes a successful design; from this source, Hollingsworth’s questions, outlined in paragraphs prior, raise something of an answer, and the overall tone of the passage indicates that graphic design is a success when aesthetics and communication of a message are both effective.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY #1
In Rob Walker’s article, The Most Important Quarter-Inch in Business Logo, Walker emphasizes the amount of change that technology has spurred in the business world: how consumers see businesses, how the development of advertising has minimalized to fit on the screen of a phone, and most importantly, how graphic designers have had to adapt to the new way consumers approach businesses and their products. Because of the change in consumption, businesses have changed, and in order to appease their clients by making them as successful as possible with accurate and incentivizing logos and visual aids, graphic design as an occupation has had to change as well. As seen in the statistics Walker provides, a change in logo can increase or decrease a business’ sales. It can make or break a business. It is up to the graphic designer now to reprioritize: is it important to make a logo that’s creative and understood by the business-owner or is it more important to create a logo that appeals to the consumer?
The article fits directly into my type of research because it is the exact mindset that a graphic designer must have when constructing a final product for a business. Since my research is probably going to be about how graphic design impacts the success of business, the subset of graphic design dealing with specifically creating logos for a business corresponds exactly to my research in that graphic designers must understand how consumers work and how to use visuals in order to leave an impact about what a business does, what products they produce, and how they benefit the consumer. The source is reliable with numerous statistics backing how graphic design functions in the role of providing for businesses and equipping them with visuals that will gain more business in an increasingly technologically advanced society.