Field Note 1

When scanning the voluminous text of "Meggs History of Graphic Design", one is confronted with a travel through time which encompasses many familiar, and in my case nostalgic, images which I had never realized were connected to the art of graphic design.

Namely that of the artist Aubrey Beardsley, whose eccentric and eclectic illustrations always seemed just that, illustrative fine art. I had never equated his stunning renderings with the art of graphic design, but now see the correlation, and have had a certain awakening as to how pervasive graphic design is in covering such a broad spectrum of disciplines and genres.








I was also very impressed with another image from a similar time period, these beautiful and simplistic of line, monograms from the Vienna Secessionists, of the Art Nouveau period at the turn of the last century. The classic line and creative approach reminded me of the grace of the period, and also how graphic design can also seem like ancient primitive form and simultaneously still appear contemporary, and in the case of these designs, timeless.