Jordan's unique geographical position results in its experts choosing self development, which include graphic design. Experts are also involved with developments taking place in neighbouring countries and the web was extremely useful in putting interested parties in these two fields in touch with one another and sharing possible development tools. The development of Graphic Design is also assisted by annual exhibitions and specialised conferences held both in Jordan and beyond your Arab world.
The academic and professional specialists for the basis in developing graphic design through the forming of local learning institutions. In these institutions academics, programmers and graphical design teachers can meet with professional designers and discuss the way business is continue and requirements of the labour market.
Practical training is considered the foundation of Graphic Design, upon which the academic skill of the student and his creativity are built. Employed in a design office is known as to be the most important and effective tool in measuring the amount of academic learning. In addition, it gives an indication of the effectiveness of teachers in producing a generation of students with the capacity of dealing with the academic ethos and engaging with certain requirements of the profession. This training provides the students with opportunities to polish and develop their skills by working along side established practitioners. Today's graphic design tools rely on it for producing visualisations of scientific developments. This visualisation requires an understanding of the scientific theory and the visualisation tools available, which in turn relies on the expertise of graphic artists.
In this paper I'll focus on the profession of graphic design and its own development by discussing its early development. I'll review the positive and negative aspects of that development and how they related to changes in the market and how big is the market and labour force. I am going to also discuss the academic concepts, and the necessity for graduate graphic artists.
In this paper I draw from my experience of working in Jordan since 1987 at the MIDAS Establishment and my roles in student training at Yarmouk University and the SYSTEMS University, which I have been mounted on since 1999. This paper addresses many questions and aims to explore the mechanics of enhancing graphic design in the academic and professional sectors.
The historic and technical initial stages of graphic design in Jordan
Graphic design developed alongside the printing and information technology industries. Printing was taken to Jordan in the 1940s by people who had learnt the trade far away. Jordan's printing evolution was much like that of other countries. Printing started using wooden moulds, then zinc clich�s and letterpress, along with other printing tools, symbols and shapes. It had been the printing technology that restricted the scope for producing new designs. The number of items printed was limited by newspapers, cards and stationary. Printing started mainly in black and white, and was then developed to make photo made clich�s by which the printers were able to print completely colour. Typolography, or raised printing was the primary method and is still used today. Offset printing enhanced the standard of production, providing improvements in colour and picture reproduction. Round the same time the role of the graphic designer originated, relating to the preparation of makettes and film montage and plates to be equipped for printing (prepress); this relied on the professionalism of the film montage technician for the preparation of backgrounds for the pictures and words. Prepress was considered the main process in the production of the final printed article. This process was completed at the prepress service centre that was limited to a single institution until 1987. This centre had the ability and technology to perform a range of techniques where an artistic touch was required.
In the late sixties, design pioneers weren't graphic artists, but had learnt the technologies of collage and calligraphy. These were able to imitate designs from abroad and in some instances reproduced them. Their work initially ranged from greetings cards, business cards, social stationary, letterheads and envelopes, then progressed to brochures and folders. The task was mainly limited to newspaper advertising which relied predominantly on the offset printing method. We shouldn't forget the air brush technology that provided designers with the use of graded colours, achieving three dimensional effects for a few designs, although the amount of people using this was limited.
From 1980-87 design was performed by specialists in Plastic Arts and Architecture, plus the first graduates of the college of arts at Yarmuok University and similar institutions. By the end of the eighties, the computer Linotype was used as a publishing tool by newspapers to get ready text for layout and paste it on the required pages next to advertising. Some publishing houses have graphic design offices which also acquired these systems to guarantee the production of books and magazines to a similar quality. Linotype was also used to prepare the design of brochures and advertising materials that cannot be hand drawn. As time passes Linotype was also useful for the preparation of other material by this method, including greeting cards, posters and advertisements.
The look and printing sectors found the computer to be an effective way of improving productivity. In 1988 with the arrival of the initial design computer by Apple Macintosh, the numbers of workers in the field increased and performance progressed in the pre-printing stages such as film making and separation. However, the expense of computers meant that there use was still limited. The production of personal computers by competitors of Apple Macintosh in addition to the ease with which film could be processed through its programs, created an enormous increase in the amount of professionals interested in graphic design. This became evident by the growth in the number of agencies, design offices, publishing houses and service centres.
Personal computers affected the technical and artistic aspects of production. Some production centres were able to develop their skill base and by recruiting experienced designers and developing them by organising classes. These highly trained individuals achieved high standards of work within and outside Jordan and could actually compete with others in the Arab regions and captured a share of the markets, producing many publications. Jordanian specialists became serious competitors against other Arab countries which had previously monopolised the fields of design and printing. Jordan is rolling out in order that it can meet up with the demand for design and printing within the country. Jordan has become a magnet for many publishing houses in the Arab region. Many production and publishing organisations could actually catch up to the levels of the most recent technology. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that they'll develop further, using modern production tools, which will ensure you can find enough local specialists who is able to continue to produce work of the best quality.
The pace of technological development made it essential for the academic institutions to provide the Jordanian market with the skilled workers who can work to the high standards required. These institutions have to continually adapt to the advancing technology and also support the academics within their quest to improve the artistic, scientific and technological aspects of production and publishing. Relationships must be strengthened by co-operation between business leaders and academic institutions in order to provide the mutual advantage of improve standards, with the best aim of keeping up with both local and international developments.
The easiest way to judge the standard of design and printing in a country is through the newspapers, magazines and books published. Television also provides a showcase for visual communication through locally produced advertisements. The speed of printing development has made impositions on graphical design and the designers themselves. Designers need to continuously update their training to help keep abreast of new technology. This enables them to be at the forefront of improving quality and creativity in all aspects of production.
The advantages and disadvantages of sectors allied with graphical design
When discussing the organisations involved in design and production in Jordan you can easily become overwhelmed by the variety and abundance of them. These organisations saturate the market. One of the known reasons for the amount of organisations is the variety of production formats, all of which has its own structure. Computerisation has result in many operators being made unemployed.
Production sources could be divided into;
- Design
- Commercial printing
- Publishing houses
- Pre-press services centres
- Computer software training centres
These are the organisations where people often look for graphic designers, although most of them don't have academically trained staff who specialise in graphic design. Many of the people who own these organisations have chosen to specialise. Some of them specialised as the profession does not need a large capital outlay, others specialised because they had a knowledge of the tools used. Most appear to have specialised because this gives them with status within their community.
Although there are many organisations working in graphical design, the workers and owners in these establishments often lack awareness of the professional graphical design concepts as they have not studied the subject comprehensive. Occupations for graduates only started to develop after 2000 when some organisations recognised the need for such skilled workers and academic institutions could actually produce professionals of this standard. The impression of graphic design graduates has changed so companies are no longer choosing graduates who studied abroad. Design establishments have noticed the high quality of products which trained graduates can produce with their competence and skills, and their capability to use the full selection of design and printing equipment. Without this properly structured training program, experience have been gained through hap-hazard face to face training.
Among the weaknesses of those producing the designs is that they are not always confident about how exactly to use the latest techniques. They often times ask advice and prefer to work within their comfort zones, failing woefully to produce designs that could demand significant amounts of time, effort or care. Graduates are much more comfortable with change and willing to develop new skills. Here are a few professionals, however, who've been invaluable in the development of graphic design by training others and developing their very own technical and professional skills. These folks also have monitored the pace of development in the fields of printing and graphic design.
Lots of the professionals have established themselves thorough the high quality of the work they produce. This is not possible without a capable, aware and educated body of co-workers, who have scientific knowledge and so are creative rather than imitating the work of others.
The increasing gap between academic designers and employers, or art directors and creative managers is frequently because of misunderstanding the role of graphic designers. In industry, the priority of some designers or agency owners is profitability regardless of the quality of the outcomes.
The initial problem is that some of the art directors or creative managers have no idea of the importance of their position, and frequently the employer is equally ignorant of the. Job titles are often arbitrary so artistic or creative managers frequently lack experience and expertise.
There is an lack of a common language between academic designers and managers or employers. This often frustrates designers, creating insecurity and hindering creativity. Such an environment can be an attempt to reduce a designers` status and restricts him from engaging in the creative thinking he'd have been taught and university.
Adequacy of the professional reality
Graphic designers are distinguished from other fields when you are one of the creative professions; they work with information technology and visual communication. In addition, it involves dealing with the business world, in which credibility and ability are essential to achieve the creative work. read more and talent are crucial for this.
A graphic designer isn't just an artist but also a technician who is able to use software and ways to tackle the project in hand. His approach should go beyond communication with the audience, to effective promotion and display. His aim is to produce clarity and he will be able to do this from the info using the techniques available to him. The goal is to connect the data and to carry out this must understand the development and design of the program that may be used. He has to understand all the innovations and methods of designing texts.
The look sector requires professionals to have the experience in order to select and classify information, and to create links between related elements. However, this won't be enough if they cannot interpret this and transform it into definite forms. It is also vital that you understand the vocabularies of with language, sound and music because they are the main tools of communication. Put into this, the designer must understand how to utilize the specialised design software to write texts, prepare drawings, animated cartoons and websites. The designer should know about design, timing, transformation, rhythm and visual presentation.
The potential of the look sector ought to be realised by understanding of the required theories and techniques to improve communication with the audience, enrich the look proposals and understand the reflective facet of the design process, studies and research.
There is much variation in the qualifications of staff within the design sector. You should differentiate between your craftsman and the academic designer. The graphic designer is really a complete cultural and intellectual entity that's noted in the sensational theory, linguistic theory, visual eloquence and the cultural history of art, literature, science, technology, industry and humanity. They can not isolate themselves from developments in theories of communication, information development, and from management and criticism. Moreover to improve the added value of the final product, all methods and tools used in production and publication should be understood. They must understand the stages before the design, plus they must understand the printing process and its own implications on the look.
The market is crowded with lots of people working in graphical design. As a result of wide use of graphical design in many fields of work, the widespread use of computers and availability of basic software packages there is a role for folks using graphic design without any prior knowledge. The expression of graphic design is still not adequately understood by some employers in industrial and commercial firms and organisations that require graphic design services.
I do not doubt the potential of the vocational sector but it is the reality of graphical design. It must be remembered that well qualified people now occupy high status positions in the Jordanian market, showing its expertise and its ability to demonstrate the highest levels of graphic design.
The size of the market and people employed in graphic design
There are now more than five hundred establishments employed in graphic design. There are many who not classify themselves as an agency, centre or office, as they have found their own market niche. Therefore these classifications can't be meaningfully applied in Jordan.
The sector is large compared to the market. The establishment of new graphic design organisations peaked in 1999. Since that time, some have declined while others have expanded. Some have stagnated or changed management, while others have merged.
A quick consider the design sector will show that 85% of those working in the field could be classified as;
- Computer science graduates
- Architecture graduates
- Interior design graduates
- Graduates in 'Computers and the Fine Arts' from community colleges
- Fine arts graduates (both graphic design specialists and non-specialists)
- Graduates of design courses run by computer centres
- Unemployed people who are interested in computers
University educated graphic design graduates fulfil a significant role because;
- Universities produce Graphic Designers with another outlook to those mentioned previously.
- Organisations run by people who understand graphic design will undoubtedly be better in a position to develop designers skills and adjust to the future
I'm concerned for students who study graphic design at university but do not try to improve his rate of innovation and creativity in order to improve. This will affect whether he could be employable.
Academically and scientifically talented students could have few problems because good employers need students who are able to form ideas quickly, use appropriate design programs for his ideas and in a position to produce those. Other organisations are not ideal for the academic designer. They are the push-pull level of the graphic design sector which reflects the degrees of knowing of the concepts and functions of graphical design.
The market is with the capacity of absorbing all graduates. That is dependent on the development of visual communication methods through graphical design. Such development requires the current presence of skilled workers capable of meeting the requirements of the market. This places incentives for educational organisations that deal with design to plan to suit the graphical design market.
The academic reality of graphical design
The emergence of academic institutions that specialised in the arts started at the Yarmouk University where in fact the first arts and music department was established in 1980. This became a faculty in 2001, teaching drama, design (industrial, interior and graphic), plastic arts and music. The university awards bachelor degrees. It were only available in 2001 at the height of the computer revolution within the look sector in Jordan. In1991 teaching graphic design started as an independent specialisation within the Arts Department at the SYSTEMS University. This was followed by the Ahiya Amman University, the Petra University, Philadelphia University, AlZaytouneh University, the University of Jordan, and later the Israh University.
Apart from universities, at that time when graphic design became popular and a profitable profession, community colleges started teaching graphic design. These included the Al-Quds College, Granada College, Middle University College and Princess Alya College.
The task of the universities that award bachelor degrees is similar to colleges that grant two year diplomas, because both produce students with a certificate in graphical design. But in reality where creativity and technical skills are concerned we find differences. The differences come in the course curricula, you need to include understanding the production process, product identity, knowledge of software and design innovation.
There's confusion between graphical design and graphic art. These differences affect the student, particularly if he enters employment. He is judged by both his creativity and innovation in producing new ideas and his capability to use technology which now involves the computer, the primary graphic design tool.
The reason behind these differences becomes clear when we look at the number of workers available in the market and where they graduated from. During the time that the largest amount of graduates were being produced, the highest quality graduates were made by well-known institutions and we were holding recruited by the most successful companies.
A distinction is rolling out between technicians and designers. It is because some academic institutions focus on technology and the practical aspects of design software, whilst others developing the opportunity to use knowledge and know how to connect ideas to the psychological and social context you need to include qualitative studies of theories and design curricula.
The reasons for this are;
- The lack of specialised academic experts in graphic design and the indegent quality of some of the teachers.
- The absence of appropriate study plans for creating graphic designers
- The absence of a system defining the role of universities and colleges in teaching graphic design
- The absence of entry examinations to graphic design courses, unlike courses in the art specialisations
- The absence links to the outside world, other than through books.
- Some universities and colleges don't realize the concept of graphic design in an industrial context.
- The lack of official government support for finding a way to set up a core curriculum for university courses.
I've taught in the art departments of several universities and have assessed many graduation projects. These gave me the chance to discover more regarding graphic design teaching, the standards of students, and showed the need for appropriate study plans. There exists Additional hints of competitiveness which may improve educational standards and there is an arbitrary use of teaching methods. Objectives could be clear, but often mistake in not using the appropriate teaching methodology results in them not being achieved.
To be read more to develop and improve, the graphical design sector needs skilled and competent workers. The workers will not be able to react to the changes in technology unless they will have a formal academic training. In order to achieve this advancement it is important that graduate students are employed as graphical design specialists.
Conclusion
There exists a requirement in the Jordanian arena for the academic and professional sectors to examine their experiences and identify their strengths and weaknesses. That is used by them to create a strategy with the capacity of giving graphic design the respected position it deserves.
There is a requirement of government intervention to supply arena where specialists in graphic design may discuss a lot of the concepts that help them make company owners and managers alert to how to make the best use of graphic designers.
Along with teaching graphic design, universities and community colleges must support the markets needs for designers and artisans within the brand new specialisations which should be introduced to be able to reduce unemployment.You will find a need for a specialist body in graphical design to provide support to designers, co-ordinate educational and technical preparation and for making contacts with the exterior world. You should hold workshops and symposiums that improve the competence of teaching staff, designers and students; these should be held with the help of international institutions which are respected in this field.
It is also vital that you hold national and international competitions to encourage creativity and innovation. This can develop a competitive atmosphere in which graphical design can flourish.
Finally, you should create a national identity in graphic design, that may cement its position in the international arena.
The State Of GRAPHICAL DESIGN In Jordan
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