Graphic Design & Visual Communication: Design ethics

In association with time, Visual Communication Design is often influenced by the world of business, technology, theory or new concepts, new media and lifestyle with all its demands. Scope of Visual Communication Design increasingly broad and complex over the past 15 years, especially since the global economic crisis in 2008. So to achieve yield optimization qualified Visual Communication Design will need new strategies and tactics. Design Ethics, acts as a concept in the achievement of quality outcomes.

Design Ethics

Ethics

The word 'ethics' comes from the Greek word ethos, which means "character" (customs, indigenous, practice), regarding actions within the framework of good and evil, right and wrong. Often associated that goodness is seen as the key ethical. The truth (the truth) to one aspect of that fullness. Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct.

Design

Design is the creation of a plan or convention for the construction of human problem-solving efforts to produce work in meeting the needs, the needs and desires of the community group. Design is the creation of a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system (as in architectural blueprints, engineering drawing, business process, circuit diagrams and sewing patterns).

The Design Ethic

The design ethic which will be discussed here is limited to Visual Communication Design or Graphic Design, a creative approach and consideration of the essential and ideal in achieving the integral design optimization, the concept can be analyzed in several aspects as follows:

Right Design

Alternatively referred to as deontological theory, emphasizing the obligation or formalistic, also emphasizes the processes and principles (in Graphic Design education is likely to be ignored these days).

Elements of the design should be based on the concept or basis for planning including:

• Background
• Problems
• Purpose / Objective / Goal
• Strategy and Tactics

The emphasis on the process:

• Examined factually
• Be more objective
• Work manually from the beginning of the process will be prioritized rather than with a computer

Approach to culture and nature is a priority. In the code of conduct: no plagiarism, obey copyright laws.

Good Design

Otherwise known as the theory of Axiology. Consideration is harmony and beauty, aesthetic and 'Good-looking' oriented. The characteristics:

• more subjective.
• Meets or Graphic Design or Visual Communication function as informative and identical.
• The emphasis on the outcome or final destination (this tends to be done on modern graphic design education).
• Tend to depend on the device (computer).
• Instant.
• Involve many concepts of marketing communications.

Acceptable / communicative

That a work can be accepted by the public (the target) in accordance with aspects of the geographic, demographic, psychographic and particular goals, such as social class, lifestyle, habits, personality, attitudes, motivation. All close to the culture and norms. It also includes communication approach: emotional, rational and moral.

values

Human-To-Human Relationship

• Ease (sign and all other information media)
• Comfort (campaigns, packaging)
• Security (sign, campaign)
• Welfare (campaign)
• Beauty (magazines, books, posters)
• Supports promotion (advertising)
• Fun / entertainment (various media)

Human Environment Relationship

• The balance of the eco-system through campaigns and propaganda or any Graphic Design programs

Human-To-The Creator Relationship

• Religious values ​​(various media)

Value added

As the demands of the 21st century, starting in the early 1990s, the "Good Design not Enough". That good design need to be value-added, such as some of the following approaches:

additional information

• Cross-disipline
• Cross-culture
• Green or Sustainable
• New aesthetic
• More visionary

Ideal Design Ethic is a true integration of right design, good design, and other values​​.

Editorial: Graphic Design | Between Innovation & Creativity

The modern design is the whole thought process that will establish something by combining facts, construction, function, and aesthetics. The design is a concept to solve the phenomenon of shape, material, technique, appearance, use and function to that which is expressed in the form and image. Are all devoted to meeting human needs.



Due to the development of the design activity, the task of the designers specified in accordance with their respective fields. such as graphic design or visual communication design, interior design, product design and textile design.



Graphic design is also commonly referred to as a visual communication design. Relatively wider in scope. Ranging from planning and making the cover illustrations of books, magazines, newspapers, calendars, brochures, leaflets, stationary, administration and sales kit, seminar kit, sign system, tv identity, web design, logo, corporate identity, brandname, packaging, posters, and much more diverse. But of course, graphic design is closely associated with the printing process. Through print media, graphic design serves as a bridge between interested parties in the business world, and matters related to visual communication media.



lately, graphic design is believed to be a field of art which is dense by the technology, and has a very comprehensive impact to the community as the target audience. Why? Because its existence is able to inform a new product to the audience. It has its own charisma to the consumer to be invited to purchase and use goods and services offered, also pretty good at stimulating the audience to think about something that had never occurred to them. Thus, when we finally recognize and cultivate the field of graphic design, then it seems like we're into angels herald the good news to all peoples in the form of visual communication that includes all areas of human life, either with a target commercial and social objectives.

Graphic design as well as the myth that the profession is not merely someone who is adept at 'riding' computer graphics with all of its programs or expertly create illustrations using rapido, colored pencils, poster paints, and airbrush. But more essentially, it is more to a designer, originator and inventor of the idea.

In order to have a passion as a designer who has always sparked, and finding the brilliant ideas, and always appeared with the feel of newness (novelties), then the concept of higher education graphic design should always prioritize the activity of teaching-learning process which is based on the elements of creativity and innovation. That is, a mental process, stages of thinking that can bring new ideas, and when applied in practice will be able to generate new ways which are more efficient.

Creative and innovative human beings usually think convergent and divergent. Merging of two concepts of thought will produce broad range of fantasy and imagination, whose existence is useful to bear ideas in quality design work.

The success of a process of creative and innovative in graphic design education environment can be seen when the students have a high sensitivity towards solving the problem of communication (verbal and visual), fluent in creative thinking, flexible and conceptually. In addition, they will quickly define and elaborate on a wide range of issues that are needed in the increasingly fierce competition in all areas.

When the creative and innovative processes are embedded in the minds of students as an ideology, its presence is expected to become agents of change, and the pioneer of reform in the trigger and produces a wide range of ideas that poured in graphic design work.

Graphic Design Principles: Visuals as Symbols in Graphic Design

Visual symbols are very close in our daily lives. Especially in big cities, we can see so many visual symbols are placed in various places such as shopping areas, public transport, on billboards and posters, print ads, even on your t-shirt. Visual symbols have different meanings, both in the social interaction, economic, personal to the spiritual. As you might know that there are already many existing visual symbols throughout the world.

Why we use visuals as symbols

It's basically humans tend to use visual symbols to convey their message, that have occurred since prehistoric times. As you may already know on the walls of ancient caves have been found many visual symbols, like images of humans and animals that form simple scratches with the colors of nature, such as soil color and the red color of blood, or white tree sap. That is one indication that humans have been using visual symbols to convey a message.



With the growing sector of culture and technology, visual symbols co-evolve. Every nation has a corresponding visual symbol of the distinctive character of its culture. Nevertheless, universal visual symbols where the symbols have the same meaning in each nation also evolve as the development of world culture and technology. In the past when digital technology and communication has not as sophisticated as it is now, symbols such as mobile phones, iphone or the Internet would not exist, that's progress.

Oh by the way, do you know why a visual form more widely used as a symbol? That's because visual perception can have the same on every person who saw it, so it's easier to communicate, other than that the visual can have a broader meaning and deep. For example: the visual form of the word "Love" has the same form on every person in the world (you are currently thinking about a heart shape, right?)

In Graphic Design

In graphic design, visual symbols could be developed with various techniques and styles in accordance with the character that you want to communicate. The same visual symbols such as "Love" can be described in various models, such as the classical model that is different from the modern model. Visual form of "love" is a classic of course will tend to have a style of ornamental when compared with the visual form of "Love" is a more modern minimalist.



Visual symbol also has a strong influence on a person's lifestyle and character. Certain visual symbols can be considered able to raise the prestige and social status, or the personality of its users. For example when someone wearing a t-shirt with a "tiger" as visual will have a different feeling than the person which are wearing a t-shirt with a "rabbit" as visual. Since both the visual and character has a different meaning. Imagine when you see two mighty men, both men are wearing different t-shirts. The first man is wearing a shirt with the "Harley Davidson" logo, while others wearing a shirt with the "Playboy" logo. Obviously your perception of these two man would be different, right?

Design Management: Discipline and System Becomes Very Important

When I hear the word 'design', then that will come into my mind is an artwork. But whenever I hear the word 'management', then that will come to mind is an arrangement, may also be the smell of money (read: business), psychology, and
quite a lot of complicated things to do in anticipation of a business entity. Now, the question is, how to combine design as a work and also appreciate the designer as a 'maker'? It might be done by making arrangements to protect the business entity that houses the design and designer, also with respect for the human resources involved in it. Because the term 'design management' itself is a contradiction and semantics, as it can be interpreted in two ways: managing design and design management.

Design Management

According to Wikipedia, design management is an organizational approach in making design decisions that are relevant in the market and also a customer-oriented manner and to optimize the relevance of the design process (corporate design-relevan process). Design management is an activity that includes all levels of performance that have an impact on the quality (core business), from the fuzzy front-end for the design implementation.

Why it could have an impact?

Here's why. Because of design management acts as a management interface and design serves as a bridge between the technology platform, design it self, design thinking, enterprise management, product management and marketing management on internal and external interfaces of the company.

Wait, are you confused? :D
Okay, I will simplify the definition of 'design management' in detail.



When an organization is established, it certainly has a purpose. A formal (organization) is expected to be the best form that fully support the achievement of the founder / vision of the organization. This formal configuration is referred to as the organizational structure. Problems arising in the establishment of organizational structure is usually not fully 'match' with the vision of the organization. Even in some ways it doesn't reflect the basic rules of good organizational structure.

So how to make a good organizational structure?

We must first understand the internal and external factors. Several internal factors that affect the concept of organizational structure are:

* Vision and mission of the organization
* organizational strategy
* Leadership model
* Policies and procedures
* Organizational culture

And here are some external factors that affect an organization's systems:

* Customer
* Supplier
* Government
* Formal rules, laws and regulations
* Technology management

Now, what about design?

According to Peter Gorb, the design is divided into three different classes, the design fully operational in and on all classes.:

• Product (e.g.,industrial design, packaging design, design services)
• Information (e.g.,graphic design, branding, media design, web design)
• Environment (e.g.,retail, exhibition design, interior design)

Now, how to combine it all in a design management?

Because design is inseparable from the organization's management and contextual products, as well as three integration which plays a key role in interface design, organizational and market:

• * Aligning design strategy with the company and or brand strategy
• * Managing the quality and consistency of design results in different design disciplines (design class).
• * New ways of improving the user experience and differentiation from competitors.

Conclusion

Thus, the statement that a design is a creative activity where management elements can not be applied, is COMPLETELY WRONG. Precisely design must be managed effectively due to the existence of the tasks which more complex, such as planning, opening and development of new market share. It all can be managed successfully with good management.