As I walked into this class, I did not really expect much. This type of class is not something that could interest me. Normally, I tend to be more enthusiastic about anything related to illustration as opposed to just graphic design. To be very blunt, I’m just taking this class to complete my upper electives requirement. Never did I expect to actually find such interesting subject matter during class.
For starters, I had to get a crash course on the different types of past graphic design. Russian Constructivism, Dadaism, and Swiss International Style were some of graphic design styles that I had to get recaps for. This turned out to be an interesting recap as the explanations were more straightforward here than in the History of Graphic Design class that I took two years ago. Instead of spending an entire semester vaguely explaining what these styles were, the core information was properly explained in one hour. Also, the explanations were not boring either.
Aside from the design recap, we also had to ask questions about what we expect to know in the class. However, I didn’t even have a question to give. It wasn’t because I knew everything (which I obviously do not), but because I had no idea as to what I should expect. For somebody who primarily cares about just drawing all day, I did not come to class with Topics in Graphic Design on the brain. Plus, most of the questions that I could have asked were already brought up, so I was left at a blank for the rest of the class. In a way, this provided the reality of my situation being that I am not the only one who is curious about some sort of aspect to this class, even though I find myself to be extremely clueless.
Lastly, I found myself watching a TEDtalk about the clarity and mystery that can be used in graphic design. This was the moment when I had an epiphany; I already had this graphic design knowledge staring right at me this whole time. Like the examples used in the TEDtalk, there have been many times when I have seen content look either obvious, helpful, confusing, and just straight up ridiculous because of how they were designed. I see stuff like this everyday, but never did I actually analyze anything in this sense until now. It felt like a wake up call as I can now see designs, and wonder about what went on in the designer’s mind when trying to create content.
In short, my first day in this class was a real eye opener. It was a huge reality check about how there really is a hell of a lot more to graphic design than just having a process of thumbnails, and other sketches to create something. I now see that everything is in a web of many different aspects of what pertains to graphic design, which includes different styles, approachable questions, and interpretations. There truly is a lot more for me to learn, and comprehend about graphic design now that I found myself just scratching at the surface of it all. Can’t wait to see what else is there to fully understand in this class.
