Design in the 80’s - Digital Revolution

How the computer changed the industry.

Until the late 20th century, the graphic design discipline had been based on hand crafted processes.
In the 70’s graphic designers used rubber cement, kneadable erasers, x-acto knives, proportion wheels, border tape and illustration boards to create advertisments, brochures, logos and other products.
Over the course of the 1980’s and early 90’s, rapid advances in digital computer hardware and software radically altered the graphic design industry. This started a revolution in graphic design by drastically changing the process. Software for Apple’s 1984 Macintosh computer, such as MacPaint had a revolutionary interface. Tool icons controlled be mouse or graphic tablet enabled designers and artists to use computer graphic in an intuitive manner. Programs from Adobe Systems enabled pages of type and images to be assembled into designs on screen.
When desktop publishing was born, many aspects of traditional graphic design had now become obsolete. This change in tools also brought along a change in daily tasks of a designer.

A day in the life of a 70’s designer.

As a graphic designer in the 70’s you would start out by sketching your ideas in accordance with the client’s directions. Then you would create a mock up showing what the finished product would look like, complete with dimensions, colours and professional appearance. The goal was to make this mock up look as much like the finished product as possible so that the clients could verify whether it matched the idea and message they were looking for the project.
Once the designer received the clients approval, they moved forward with the project by preparing the illustration board. Crop marks would be drawn to keep track of the margins and then mapping out the final draft begins. Using rubber cement or wax, the designer would paste on paper or photography plates as place holders for the designs images. Then the designer would have to calculate how big the type and leading needed to be. Text specifications would then be sent to the typesetter and the project would go to the printers.

Computers and In-House Production.

Computers greatly simplified the process, because more of the work could be completed in-house. Computer programs included different fonts, font sizes and leading option, eliminating the need for a for a typesetter. Rapid advances in onscreen software also allowed the designer the ability to stretch, scale and bend elements. Type and images could be layered together.
The process became simpler because the designer could begin working on the final project immediately. The flexibility of the computer programs made it easily to make changes. All these changes streamlined the process and made it more economical. Computers allowed one person to do all of the tasks that used to require a n entire team of designers.