Graphic art

Can graphic design be seen as art? Well,yes and no. Since in the 19th century graphic design was separated from art,there tends to be a hierarchy between the two.

However in the 20th and 21st century these boundaries have been crossed and many graphic art forms have transcended to the realm of art. Piet Mondrian,an artist of great repute,was known as the father of graphic design for he inspired the grid

system on which modern-day advertising is based. Another pioneer was Henry Cole,who was the vanguard of design exaction in Britain. The question of who coined the term itself,is a matter of dispute.

While some historians site Richard Guyatt,a British designer as the first to use this terminology,others attribute it to William Addison Dwiggins. The field of graphic design has spread worldwide and it may include everything from the logo on an airplane to a T-shirt or a website. It could be the laying out of typography in a book or magazine to the branding jackets of consumer goods.

Graphic art stepped back into the gallery when Andy Warhol put up Campbell Soup cans and in India when Thukral & Tagra incorporated the principles of graphic design into their art works.

Demystify art,e-mail georgina.maddox@gmail.com