1000 Words

A picture is worth 1000 words. At first glance most people only see the most obvious aspects of an image. But if one takes a second, third, or fourth glance other aspects can come to light. And at times those aspects are more important than the first ones noticed.

The image posted is an example of graphic web design and how it’s being used to show where education can take a person. While on the Internet looking at blogs I found this image being used by Kanwar R D Singh to ask the question “What skills are needed achieve a person’s goal in life?” His blog can be seen at Windows Live Spaces.

What first come to the eye when looking at this image? The parrot? The bright colors? The young man’s attire? The pink cow? The young man’s attire was what I first saw, but it is most likely that every single person who looks at it will see something different the first time they look at it. How does this graphic design promote education? Personally, the different parts of the image show a number of different occupations that the young man could pursue. The jets to the upper left could be referring to the air force or to working in aerodynamics. The large pink cow and the cow with wings could be associated with careers dealing with agriculture and livestock. How ever the cow on the upper right with a red star could refer to international politics, like relations with the former Soviet Union. The number of colorful flower designs could be a reference to horticulture or landscape architecture. On another inspection of the image the numerous butterflies could represent pursuing a path in art.  While the exotic birds relate to working in the field of zoology or environmental science. The list goes on and on. A person could see how any number of careers could be visualized from this image.

As I said in my “A Helping Hand” post many graphic designs are used to promote products to be sold and that is how graphic web design came into real importance. Normally this image could be seen as a good choice for an advertisement, but Mr. Singh decided to change to how it would be used and how it would be seen, only by asking an unusual question.

Graphic design and graphic web design can be used in so many different ways. It doesn’t just have to used in advertising and in networking, but it can help people think in new ways that they hadn’t thought about before. You can suggest just about anything with just a simple image or a very complex one. And by simply choosing an ususal caption for a specific image the designer can change how the image/design will be looked and thought about. This is another amazing ability that graphic web designer have. They can suggest so subtly, that most people don’t realize it till later, a new perspective of something that wasn’t there before. 

Sources: Kanwar R D Singh Web Blog Personal Planning’s & Goals

A Helping Hand

I have always seen graphic web design as an art. An art that allows the designer to combine technology and art together into something amazingly beautiful. And like all art, it has the ability to transpire through out the world regardless of country, language, or even religion. It can bring together people who would normally never have anything to do with each other. So that goals may be met and battles won. Those battles may be against diseases, like HIV/AIDS, or other ailments of society, like poverty.

The Global Fund is an organization that works with partners like VH1, American Idol, and Stamp Out AIDS to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. (RED) is another organization that produces product from different companies that are “red” in color that when bought by people a donation is made to pay for medicine for HIV/AIDS victims. Companies like Motorola, American Express, Gap, Converse, Apple, Dell are just a few of the supporters that produce (RED) products. These organization are battleing diseases that are affecting the world at large and their sites are designed to gain support. They use anything from sympathetic photographs to creative designs that show the support of people that are from through out the world.

ONE is an American organization that fights against poverty, as well as diseases, that ravage the poor countries of the world. “The Campaign To Make Poverty History” is the tag line that is used to spread ONE’s mission. With over 150 partners that participate in spreading the word about poverty, hunger, and disease, ONE has made a mark on in the U.S. as well as on the world.

These are just three examples that I have found that show how graphic web design is helping people at large. True many sites are designed solely to sell products or for people just to enjoy networking, but when people take that chance to network and turn it into a way to change the world, graphic web design gains a new purpose. But then networking also has it’s own uses. Both (RED) and ONE have MySpace and Facebook pages as well as their own blogs[(RED);ONE]. Just as there are blogs to share information about graphic web design, there are blogs to record what is going on in the lives of those working so hard to do some good in the world.

 The Internet at one time was used only by the government. Then it became a tool for business and communication. After that it became a type of entertainment for the populations. And now it has become a tool to help change the world for the better.

Not Your Average Graphic Web Design Blog

Graphic Web Design blogs cover the Internet. Most of them are how to’s or have information on what programs to use. But never information about how to become a graphic web designer. The schools to consider, the courses to look into, or even the types of careers graphic and web designers pursue. They only talk about how you design a page or maybe a website but never how to turn that creative passion into a career that you can spend you life in and not just as a way to pay the bills at the end of the month.

My blog is special because not only will I discuss the present aspects of graphic web design, but the past and future ones as well. You will be able to see how graphic web design developed and where it is going. I’ll be finding out what schools have the courses that aspiring graphic web designers want and how to make a life long career out of this creative skill that we share. This blog will be unlike any other blog that has to do with graphic web design, it will be just as different from other blogs as one designers work is from another.

And why should anyone care about what a complete stranger has to say about graphic web design? Considering the fact that I am seriously thinking about pursuing a career in graphic and web design and the information that I’m searching for to make a final decision is the information that I will be posting. This blog isn’t about more how-to-tips or how to solve certain problems. That’s not why I’m here. I’m here, because I’m looking for information and I think that someone else might be too.