APPRAISAL OF GRAPHIC DESIGN, TRENDS AND CHALLENGES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Abstract

Great accomplishments from industry, military, research, and development laboratories as well as individual efforts have provided developments that today make the state of the art the most promising tool of the century. A technology that has brought us the dreams of DaVinci, Pollock,  Maholy-Nagy,  and  Duchamp,  appeals  to the senses because  for  the  first time  we  can create the great elegance of motion,  exactly as what  happens  in music. This paper is an appraisal of works and views of different scholars and the trends in graphics. It attempts to trace the history to current trends in graphics design. This paper mentioned current concerns and themes mentioned by graphic designers working in the industry today, which are: Blurring of boundaries between disciplines; the importance of content; the impact of advanced technology; the desire for emotional connections; the creative constraints imposed by commercial software; the distrust of commercialism; the increasing quantity, complexity, and acceleration of information; the need for simplification; and the necessity for ethical relevance. Design acts on the physical world and on the linked world of intangibles. Design addresses human needs and desires (sometimes focusing upon specific things, this may be tangible or intangible, sometimes focusing on abstract things such as experiences, purposes, and goals). We live in a world marked by ambiguous boundaries between artifacts, structures, systems, and processes. We work in a world of large-scale social, economic, and industrial frames. We design for a complex environment of ever-shifting needs, requirements, and constraints. We design for a world in which intangible content often exceeds the value of physical substance. This paper identifies that the challenges in graphic designs over the years is fostering the growth of designs in the 21^st century as it were. As mentioned, these challenges of designs are categorized as; Performance, Systemic Challenges, Contextual Challenges and Global Challenges. Graphic design in the 21^st century must be targeted at addressing the major societal issues facing the world, including the sustainable development goals specified by the United Nations.