Academic Catalogs

DMAD A151: History of Graphic Design

Course Outline of Record
Item Value
Curriculum Committee Approval Date 04/08/2020
Top Code 061400 - Digital Media
Units 3 Total Units 
Hours 54 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 54)
Total Outside of Class Hours 0
Course Credit Status Credit: Degree Applicable (D)
Material Fee No
Basic Skills Not Basic Skills (N)
Repeatable No
Open Entry/Open Exit No
Grading Policy Standard Letter (S)
Associate Arts Local General Education (GE)
  • Area 3 Arts and Humanities 3A Theory (OC1)
Associate Science Local General Education (GE)
  • Area 3A Arts (OSC1)
California State University General Education Breadth (CSU GE-Breadth)
  • CSU C1 Arts (C1)

Course Description

This course will cover the history and development of graphic design from written communication to current trends as professional and artistic endeavors. The influence of graphic design upon the prevailing culture and the influence of culture upon graphic design will be explored. Transfer Credit: CSU.

Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)

  1. Identify various movements within graphic design including, but not limited to:Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Modernism, Swiss International Style, and Post Modernism.
  2. Differentiate among various styles of typefaces including, but not limited to:Serif, Sans Serif, Textura, Wood Type, Script and Decorative
  3. Identify major figures in the history of graphic design including, but not limited to:Johannes Guttenberg, John Baskerville, William Morris, Lucien Bernhard, A.M. Cassandre, Walter Gropius, Paul Rand, Saul Bass and David Carson
  4. Compare and contrast the visual characteristics of differing graphic design movements and/or designers.

Course Objectives

  • 1. Name major developments in graphic design.
  • 2. Name key figures in the history of graphic design.
  • 3. Recognize and describe distinctives of the major developments and figures of graphic design.
  • 4. Recognize and describe contemporary applications of historic graphic design styles.
  • 5. Compare and contrast historic graphic design styles.
  • 6. Research developments in graphic design.
  • 7. Apply the visual vocabulary of a graphic design style to an unrelated application.
  • 8. Discuss the influence of graphic design upon the prevailing culture, as well as the influence of the prevailing culture upon graphic design.

Lecture Content

Early developments: alphabets, writing, non-western contributions Asia Egypt wood block printing Developments in Medieval Europe illuminated manuscripts printing press Rubrication Gutenberg movable type Renaissance graphic design and typography Roman Italic Bodoni Baskerville Janson Didot Typographic developments during Industrial Revolution; developments in photography Wood type Photoengraving lithography Graphics of the Victorian, Arts and Crafts, and Art Nouveau eras Lithography William Morris Alphonse Mucha Toulouse-Lautrec Beginnings of 20th century design; influence of modern art Vienna Secessioin Peter Behrens Futurism Dada Surrealism Pictorial graphics; language of form Lucian Bernhard WWI Constructivism DeStijl The Bauhaus Moholy-Nagy Dessau Jan Tschichold Piet Zwart Herbert Matter The Modern Movement in America Lester Beall Alexey Brodovitch WPA CCA Herbert Bayer The international typographic style Swiss Sans-serif type Adrian Frutiger Hermann Zapf Joseph Muller-Brockman The New York school; corporate identity Paul Rand Bradbury Thompson Saul Bass Editorial Design Lubalin Conceptual image; global developments CBS IBM Unigrid Olympic Poland Glaser Gunter Rambow Japan Netherlands Postmodern design New-wave typography Greiman Memphis The Michaels Retro/vernacular The digital revolution Apple and the Mac migr David Carson Digital Type Interactivity/Internet Contemporary trends Current leaders and movements

Method(s) of Instruction

  • Lecture (02)
  • DE Online Lecture (02X)

Instructional Techniques

Lectures using extensive visual examples Discussions Demonstrations

Reading Assignments

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Writing Assignments

Written reports based upon materials/subjects introduced in class lectures. Each worth 12.5% of final grade. Each should be a minimum of two pages in length.

Out-of-class Assignments

.

Demonstration of Critical Thinking

Mid-term examinations Final exam Written reports (2 pages minimum, each)

Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration

Written reports based upon materials/subjects introduced in class lectures. Each worth 12.5% of final grade. Each should be a minimum of two pages in length.

Textbooks Resources

1. Required Meggs, Philip. A History of Graphic Design, latest ed. New York: John Wiley Sons, 1998 Rationale: -