1、UUNITNIT 2 W2 WHATHAT ISIS G GRAPHICRAPHIC D DESIGNESIGNSuppose you want to announce or sell something, amuse or persuade someone, explain a complicated system or demonstrate a process. In other words, you have a message you want to communicate. How do you “send” it ？ You could tell people one by on
2、e or broadcast by radio or loudspeaker. Thats verbal communication. But if you use any visual medium at allif you make a poster; type a letter; create a business logo, a magazine ad, or an album cover; even make a computer printout-you are using a form of visual communication called graphic design.G
3、raphic designers work with drawn, painted, photographed, or computer-generated images (pictures), but they also design the letterforms that make up various typefaces found in movie credits and TV ads; in books, magazines, and menus; and even on computer screens. Designers create,choose, and organize
4、 these elements-typography, images, and the so-called “white space” around them-to communicate a message. Graphic design is a part of your daily life. From humble things like gum wrappers to huge things like billboards to the T-shirt youre wearing, graphic design informs,persuades, organizes, stimul
5、ates, locates, identifies, attracts attention and provides pleasure.Graphic design is a creative process that combines art and technologyto communicate ideas. The designer works with a variety of communicationtools in order to convey a message from a client to a particular audience.The main tools ar
6、e image and typography.I IMAGEMAGE- -BASEDBASED DESIGNDESIGNDesigners develop images to represent the ideas their clients want tocommunicate. Images can be incredibly powerful and compelling toolsof communication, conveying not only information but also moods andemotions. People respond to images in
7、stinctively based on their personalities,associations, and previous experience. For example, you know thata chili pepper is hot, and this knowledge in combination with the imagecreates a visual pun.In the case of image-based design, the images must carry the entiremessage; there are few if any words
8、 to help. These images may be photographic,painted, drawn, or graphically rendered in many different ways.Image-based design is employed when the designer determines that, in aparticular case, a picture is indeed worth a thousand words.T TYPEYPE- -BASEDBASED DESIGNDESIGNIn some cases, designers rely
9、 on words to convey a message, butthey use words differently from the ways writers do. To designers, whatthe words look like is as important as their meaning. The visual forms,whether typography (communication designed by means of the printedword) or handmade lettering, perform many communication fu
10、nctions.They can arrest your attention on a poster, identify the product nameon a package or a truck, and present running text as the typography ina book does. Designers are experts at presenting information in a visualform in print or on film, packaging, or signs.When you look at an “ordinary” prin
11、ted page of running text,what is involved in designing such a seemingly simple page ？ Thinkabout what you would do if you were asked to redesign the page. Wouldyou change the typeface or type size ？ Would you divide the text intotwo narrower columns ？ What about the margins and the spacing betweenth
12、e paragraphs and lines ？ Would you indent the paragraphs orbegin them with decorative lettering ？ What other kinds of treatmentmight you give the page number ？ Would you change the boldface terms, perhaps using italic or underlining ？ What other changes mightyou consider, and how would they affect t
13、he way the reader reacts to thecontent ？ Designers evaluate the message and the audience for typebaseddesign in order to make these kinds of decisions.I IMAGEMAGE ANDAND TYPETYPEDesigners often combine images and typography to communicate a clientsmessage to an audience. They explore the creative po
14、ssibilities presentedby words (typography) and images (photography, illustration, and fine art).It is up to the designer not only to find or create appropriate letterforms andimages but also to establish the best balance between them.Designers are the link between the client and the audience. On the
15、one hand, a client is often too close to the message to understand variousways in which it can be presented. The audience, on the other hand,is often too broad to have any direct impact on how a communicationis presented. Whats more, it is usually difficult to make the audience apart of the creative
16、 process. Unlike client and audience, graphic designerslearn how to construct a message and how to present it successfully. Theywork with the client to understand the content and the purpose of themessage. They often collaborate with market researchers and other specialiststo understand the nature o
17、f the audience. Once a design conceptis chosen, the designers work with illustrators and photographers as wellas with typesetters and printers or other production specialists to createthe final design product.E EXERCISESXERCISESI. Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions.1Whats
18、the difference between verbal communication and visual communication ？2What are the main communication tools for designers to work with ？3When does a designer use image-based design ？4Do designers use words the same as the ways writers do ？ Why ？5What do designers need to understand before a design
19、concept is chosen ？II. Translate the following sentences into Chinese.1From humble things like gum wrappers to huge things like billboards to the T-shirt youre wearing, graphic design informs, persuades, organizes, stimulates, locates, identifies, attracts attention and provides pleasure.2Images can
20、 be incredibly powerful and compelling tools of communication, conveying not only information but also moods and emotions.3On the one hand, a client is often too close to the message to understand various ways in which it can be presented.V VOCABULARYOCABULARYgraphic adj形象的；图形的medium n方法；媒介poster n海
21、报；招贴computer-generated adj电脑生成的letterform n字形typeface n字体element n元素；成分typography n字体排版billboard n户外广告牌stimulate v刺激；激励；激发identify v确定；识别client n客户；委托人audience n受众instinctively adv本能地association n关联；联想package n包装column n栏；专栏；列margin n页边距indent v缩进；缩排decorative adj装饰性的boldface n黑体字；粗体字italic n斜体字illustration n插画typesetter n排字工人graphic design 平面设计；图形设计verbal communication 语言交流visual communication 视觉传达movie credits 电影字幕running text （报刊的）行文（有别于标题、插图等）visual pun 视觉双关fine art 美术market researcher 市场研究员design concept 设计理念production specialist 制作专员
