Grafikdesign: Visuelle Überzeugungsarbeit zwischen digitaler Perfektion und dem Charme des Handgemachten

Graphic design arranges texts, images, forms and white spaces in diverse media – books, posters, flyers, signposts, advertisements, business cards, websites etc. – in an act of persuasion to win over beholders and users. According to the spe- cific medium and context, ‚persuasion‘ in graphic design can entail: an attractive design so as to give pleasure to the eye of the beholders or intensify their desire to buy; a clear, lucid design to help beholders to orient themselves; or even breaking design principles in order to surprise or create excitement. In order to do justice to the chosen medium, graphic designers must have a precise knowledge of the viewing habits of the public, of current trends and of established design standards so that they might employ them appropriately or implement them creatively throughout the whole design process, from the first sketch to the final realization. Digitization brought about a fundamental change in the mediality and production process of graphic design. Almost all procedural steps shifted to the computer – until at the turn of the millen- nium a new need for authenticity and individualism began to make itself felt that has found expression in the diverse rhetorics of handmade design.