Did you know that cavemen were graphic designers? They didn't use Macbooks or InDesign, but they used a technology as old as time— their hands. Prehistoric civilizations weren't the only ones to incorporate the hand in this graphic form of communication, but this type of design has been evolving since then up until this very day.
From the ancient Egyptians, Native Americans, and even artists and creatives in the Renaissance leading up to the installment of the Gutenberg printing press, the hand had a crucial and desirable role in design. Hand-carved hieroglyphs and symbols were the only form of visual communication at that time, and have become incorporated into modern day, but in a different way.
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| (Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics) |
Fast forward to today, where all we DO use Macbooks and InDesign, I believe the hand is still just as crucial to design. With all the digital work and computer-generated images constantly being put out left and right, incorporating bits and pieces of hand-done elements help to break up the monotony and bring a fresh voice into design.
The trend these days seems to be going back to those simpler times of hand illustrations, funky screenprint textures and overlays, and hand done typography, evocative of the Victorian times through the sock hoppin' 50's and 60's.
Paul Rand "Love Against Hate" Peter Mendelsund "Lolita" Jessica Hische
Beautiful, right? Let's not lose the charm of the hand in our design, whether we're on the computer or on the light table.
Alisa –
ReplyDeleteI love the way you introduced this article with the bit about cavemen – very attention-grabbing. It’s a great idea to relate the historicity of your topic to present-day issues for graphic designers. Overall, your writing looks great, and you provide some good visuals as examples to your readers.
My suggestion is to expand a bit on this article. Perhaps you can discuss your own experience using handmade elements in your own design work. Or, you can take one of your example images and explain a bit about the process of how it was made. Additionally, the question of WHY hand lettering is becoming more popular now is a pertinent topic of discussion recently. What are your thoughts on it?