Field Journal 1

Field Journal: Module 1

My First Impressions

October 1, 2012

Well, where do I begin? At first, I found Megg’s History of Graphic Design to be a little overwhelming, but at the same time thought provoking. There were so many different art styles for me to wrap my head around. Simply put, I found that each picture had a common theme to them, which was to grab the attention of the viewer and to communicate something.

From the early petroglyphics, which told the story of life, to the WWII era propaganda, depicting Hitler, death. I can’t read German but it still conveys a very dark message. I also have noticed that the pictures in here are well proportioned and aesthetically pleasing the eye, even though you may or may not agree with the message at all.

This book shows many examples of symbolism and how powerful it is as a tool in graphic design to easily elicit emotion or to quickly relay something to its audience.
 I personally like the Japanese flag because its so simple and easily recognizable. The symbol of the rising sun is so powerful, that just a glance would be enough to know it represents Japan or something Japanese. The same is true for the American flag. You feel a sense of comfort, allegiance and pride. In this book It also shows logos and how powerful they can be. For instance, the book showed the General Electric and CBS Logos. But the two most powerful logos I can thing of have to be the Nike “swoosh” and the Apple logo.

In all, this book represents the of graphic design through time. Giving great examples of political, cultural, religious and popular trends with all the common purpose to relay a message or to communicate. It will be a great reference for me in the future.


Kevin Young