Digital Craftsmanship — A Conceptual Framework for Computers, Malleable Digital Media and the Potential for Graphic Design as a Craft Practice.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In 1996, Malcolm McCullogh surveyed potential conditions for a ‘practiced digital hand’, where the computer and its associated processes could be directly related to the hand, craft and craft output. Since 1996, the graphic design industry has seen substantial developments and yet at a fundamental level, the creation, execution and production of graphic design have yet to fully embrace some of McCullough’s thoughts and conditions. The computer continues to reside in an uncomfortable position within the design industry both perceptually and somatically. The continued progression of graphic design as an intellectual practice has relegated the computer and the production of design to the hands of younger professionals with an emphasis on speed and efficiency. This in turn has often created pervasive design that requires less investment of time, skills and approach. A recurrent result of this is ubiquitous graphic design — design with no owner, distinguishable character and with little to differentiate between the work done by seasoned practitioners versus first time amateurs. This has negatively affected the perceived value of graphic design and relegated it in some contexts to pure execution with less appropriate compensation and insufficient time allotted for project development. Part of the issue exists in the industry and academia’s continued positioning of the computer and its operation as mere tools, secondary or tertiary to theory, conceptual rigor and intellect. This paper discusses recent research done in an antithetical concept best described as ‘digital craftsmanship’ — a condition where both craft and tacit knowledge are congruous with the digital design processes of the computer. The concept of ‘digital craftsmanship’ examines some of the existing conditions of the industry and where and how craft knowledge and digital processes can intersect in beneficial and meaningful ways for graphic design moving forward. This inquiry has potential implications for value, compensation and future working conditions within the graphic design industry today. Further research could also involve the application of digital craftsmanship to design education environments and other areas of practice.

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