Specializations in Graphic Design

Graphic design today is a combination of the historical skills of illustrators and printers. It combines typography, illustration, photography and, now, digital media to visually communicate a message. Originally it was the domain of the printers. The printers would arrange text and woodblock images in the letterpress. The printers were also the ones who usually designed the typefaces. The work of illustrators was engraved on woodblocks; often by a trained engraver rather than the illustrator. However, it was the printer who developed the finished look of the publication. The advent of the industrial revolution created niches in the printers’ world that were filled with artists, photographers and other tradesmen.
Early printers could easily be called the art directors of their day. Printers came up with ideas for publications and commissioned illustrators and typographers to fulfill their vision. However, the term was not to be found until the latter half of the 19th century. Charles Parsons was one of the first art editors. He discovered and trained artists to improve the image quality of the publications of Harper and Brothers. While Harper and Brothers published and printed the magazine, the overall design was left to an editor. Today the Bureau of Labor and Statistics states:
Art directors are responsible for the visual style and images in magazines, newspapers, product packaging, and movie and television productions. They create the overall design of a project and direct others who develop artwork and layouts.” (Art Directors)
The responsibility of visual style has long been removed from the printer/publisher.
The term compositor was first used in 1569. A compositor is “one who sets type”. (Compositor). In the days before ...

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...tal age has opened up new design fields of game design, software, electronic publications, mobile applications, web design, multi-media and others. Although a designer benefits by having a basic knowledge of each area, it is not possible for one person to do everything. A designer specializing in a specific field produces high quality work. Regardless if the design is for print or multimedia, designers need to use basic elements of design while incorporating the principles of balance, proximity, alignment, repetition, contrast and space.
Works Cited
Doordan, Dennis P and Ellen Mazur Thompson. "Alms for Oblivion: The History of Women in Early American Graphic Design." Design History: An Anthology. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1995. 64. Print.
"Compositor." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 25 January 2014. .