Understand the potential of digital media in contemporary art and design practice

Understand the potential of digital media in contemporary art and design practice

Computers in Art and Design

1. What is Adobe Illustrator?


2. Whats is a vector image and a raster image?


3. What is digital media?


4. Describe different software for 2D and 3D design?


5. Describe the Hardware used in the design industry?


6. How are computers used in the following design industries?

• Fashion
• Illustration
• CAD/CAM
• Magazines
• Graphic Design
• Comics
• Game Design
• Architecture and interior design

Digital media: backup eg storage, external, internal, devices; specialist hardware; 2D software eg image manipulation, drawing, painting, vector, raster graphics, typography, website design, printing, 3D software
eg CAD, CAM, 3D modelling, laser cutting; time-based software eg animation, interactive, multi-media authoring, audio, video.

Digitising: digital technology eg scanner, touch screen, graphics tablet, video camera, microphone, digital camera, keyboard; differences in digitising processes

Digital techniques: editing eg capturing, materials manipulation; ideas generation eg layering, compositing,downloading, recording


Outcomes: images eg paper, screen, audio, projector; pathway or specialism-driven digital techniques eg image manipulation, distortion, pattern making, layering, illustration, mixed media, page layout, drawing, typography; artefacts eg modelling, rotation, turning, milling, lathing, extruding, linking, rendering wireframe, surface textures; interactive eg multi-media, navigation, buttons, type, interactive elements, audio,moving image, cascading style sheets, basic scripting projection, installation; animation eg timelines, key frames, parameters, tweening, onion skinning, continuity, path of movement

Fashion Illustration 

is the art of communicating fashion ideas in a visual form that originates with illustration, drawing and painting and also known as Fashion sketching.

 It is used mainly by fashion designers to brainstorm their ideas into paper or computer, using digital softwares like adobe photoshop and illustrator, which helps them to communicate easily with their team. and fashion sketching plays a major role in designing to preview and visualize designer thoughts and make decisions before going to actual clothing to reduce any wastage. 

Apart from fashion designers, fashion illustrators get commissioned for reproduction in fashion magazines as one part of an editorial feature or for the purpose of advertising and promoting fashion makers, fashion boutiques and department stores.

Here are some examples below

Graphic design in advertising

The purpose if Graphic design is to create or alter images and text. Graphic designs are widely used in marketing purposes, or used in websites to attract viewers, customers or interests.

 Common uses of graphic design in advertisements include identity (logos and branding), publications (magazines, newspapers, and books) and product packaging. For example, a product might include a logo or other artwork, organised text and pure design elements such as shapes and colour which unify the piece.

Composition is one of the most important features of graphic design in advertising and helps the product or business as its publicity will rise and people will become knowledgeable about their existence. 

Whilst many tools are available to graphic designers, the most popular software is made by Adobe.

 Computers and software allow designers to take the ordinary and change it in into extraordinary.Various mediums can be used to create graphic designs.Today, graphic design techniques can involve electronic materials, digital images, as well as paint,pencil, ink and mixed mediums which allow artists to work with many more materials and develop new techniques.

This is very helpful as each graphic design is completely different and for each idea or design there is a perfect technique to create and make the artists vision
come alive.

Here are some examples below

Digital media in fine art:


The purpose of using Digital media in fine art is to give a more eye-catching as brighter, bolder and a more variety of colour is able to be used on the media.

 By using digital media it can also make the outcome of the work more defined and give it more structure and depth as you can edit and adapt sections or parts of the image to suit the final outcome; for example creating bolder and straighter lines using computers rather than a thin line created by a paint stroke.

 By using digital media in the art work it gives of a more abstract view and captures something not able to do completely my hand with raw materials. The main digital media used in fine art is photography, i think this is because a camera is able to capture not only an picture but the emotions, feelings and story that comes along with the image.

 Also layering and adding images together to create one art piece is common, they do this by digitally overlapping, changing colours and merging images and shapes together that would not necessarily share a natural habitat.

Here are some examples below

Artists to look at

Brian Despain
Kazuhiko Nakamura.
Linn Olofsdotter

Cecilia Carlstedt

Owen Davey

Isao Yajima, 

David Downtown

Digital media:   magazines, film videos, music videos, title sequences,

animation, illustration, computer games, architecture, CAD, CAM, fine art, comics, fashion, print, music, graphic design

Contemporary practice:  photographic work, fashion styling, fashion, textile design, 3D design, product design, digital fine art, film, graphic communication; digital work eg annotation, printout, sketches, photographs, photocopies, notes, presentation, discussion.

Interesting article to read

CONTEMPORARY ART IN DIGITAL MEDIA: LEARN TO BE CREATIVE

Art made with digital media or digital art has been the subject of lot of discussions and discourses lately. Digital art can be defined as the process wherein, creative art is produced using digital technology. In the modern world digital art is a part of the ‘new media art’.

Today, most of the art and science colleges offer courses in digital art involving an interdisciplinary research across the sciences, arts and humanities. This shows the mounting popularity of art in digital media in today’s world. There is huge demand for artists and designers who have the expertise to create art using digital technology. Therefore, a new team of creative talent is the need of the hour.

Sweeping impact of digital technology in art

Contemporary art cannot overlook the all-encompassing effects of digital technology. Digital media has played a very significant role in transforming the institution of art. Most of the art forms, such as painting, drawing and sculpture have found new medium and tools for its production. New terms such as net art, installation, and virtual reality have been introduced into the contemporary art scenario.

Artists are increasingly using advanced digital media, remote sensing technologies and internet media not only for the creation of art, but also for the preservation of art. Digitizing art is the new way of conserving valuable art pieces. The process of production of art and means of its display and consumption has undergone major changes. The social role of art is also redefined, thanks to art digitalization.

Though there are group of people who consider computer-based or digital art and contemporary art as two different art production practices; it is impossible to ignore the significance of the former. Contemporary art has already found a respectable place in the digital world. But the need for creativity should be emphasized in all dominions of art forms.

Need to be creative in digital art

There is a huge outcry among traditional artists regarding the authenticity of art created using digital technologies. They argue that creativity is lacking in most of the digital creations, and hence they cannot be treated as a genuine art form.

Artists with this point of view do not intend to despise art creations that are influenced by or are created as homage to former artists and their art creations. Be it art or science, any new creations are a continuation of earlier works. But the implication here is that anything new should add value to itself and should not be turn out to be copies of the original. Meaningful works of art is required and an art becomes meaningful and expressive when it is rich in creativity. A poor version of a classic art is doubtlessly despicable.

Irrespective of the medium of art, it is the aesthetic and artistic sense that has to be examined and appreciated. The propagators of traditional art should realize that art produced through digital technology is like any other art forms. The basic factor that makes the two art forms different is the tools that are used in the art creation process. While expressing an artist’s visualization, creativity or passion tools should not be given utmost importance. It is high time to realize computer as just a medium through which art is expressed.

It is not about computer-based art or non-computer based art; but the creativity in art has to be given proper attention and admiration. Contemporary art in digital media should encourage creative talents, not creators of poor renditions.