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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Ideas from the History of Graphic Design by California Institute of the Arts

4.7
stars
2,455 ratings

About the Course

This condensed survey course focuses on four key periods or themes from the history of design in the West. Together we’ll trace the emergence of design as a recognized practice, why things look the way they do, and how designers approached specific design problems in their work. Students will develop an understanding of where the wide variety of today’s design practice comes from. By participating in this survey of the works of innovative groups and individuals, we outline the process by which graphic design moved from a purely instrumental practice, to becoming a demanding creative and hybridized field. Each week, a short quiz will test your knowledge of concepts, and a short reflective assignment will give you the opportunity to analyze the questions designers ask themselves today. This is an essential course for emerging designers entering the field, or for students interested in learning more about visual culture and analysis. No previous experience is required. A note about this course: This course is taught from the perspective of contemporary design, to connect ideas that helped formulate design practice from the 1850s through the 1960s to the ways that designers think today. The relationship of words and pictures in graphic design is looked at through the ever-changing social and cultural contexts, technologies, aesthetics, and politics of their eras. The definition and practice of graphic design includes all public visual communications, which is a global practice. It was the evolution of mass production and communication in the West that specifically redefined graphic design as a professional practice and is this course’s particular narrative. We hope students will consider how to connect the themes and ideas offered in this course to your own culture....

Top reviews

TR

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I enjoyed this course--it gives a useful and broad overview of Graphic Design, discussing artists in historical contexts as well as unpacking some of the philosophies that informed their work.

AN

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This course gave me a lot of important information about the birth and rise of the Graphic Design as a stand alone profession. It was a great opportunity to fulfil my knowledge.

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501 - 519 of 519 Reviews for Ideas from the History of Graphic Design

By Samantha F

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Apr 5, 2019

This course provided a solid foundation in graphic design - though limited to a Western history. Today it seems as though Bauhaus-influenced minimalism is an all-encompassing design approach. As a new designer, it would have been beneficial to understand alternative or reactionary approaches (maximalism is a new design buzzword, for example) and traditions from outside the USA/Western Europe schools of design - especially as these are difficult things to research independently.

By Sami L

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Dec 6, 2016

The course being concentrated exclusively on the design ideas of United States, it's quite literally "some ideas from the history of graphic design". Some of the choices for the contents of the course were, from the continental point of view, rather odd, though that did not make them any less interesting. As a summary: the course was interesting enough to be passed through.

By Bhavna S

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May 22, 2017

I found this course very interesting and intensive. There is so much history to understand, interpret and re-contextualise as a designer.

By Luis H

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Jul 3, 2016

A nice introductory course.

However, I found the latter half of the course too skewed towards the USA.

By Riya A

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Jun 28, 2021

I found this course boring because there was so much history and so many things have to be remembered.

By Bikas

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May 19, 2023

well i learn a lots new thing in this course and thank you for teaching me .

By Dmitrii P

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Apr 9, 2017

Week 4 - too much of materials, and test questions does not match the text

By arshla j

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Sep 24, 2016

Informative and sometimes fascinating.

By Gary D G

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Jun 7, 2020

To many videos and reading

By Erick A R A d l S

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Feb 24, 2018

The course is very light.

By Tarun V M

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May 1, 2020

purty gud

By Tamara S

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Mar 25, 2024

hard to follow. Often the main points were not made or clearly highlighted. Very western-centered history. Either adjust content or note that this is focused on American and European history rather than global/general history

By Mohammad M

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Sep 8, 2022

It was a good course, but it fell short of my expectations, I didn't expect that we wouldn't just study biographies or the history of graphic design.

By Shahmeer A

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Apr 24, 2022

This course is worst about ideas from the history of graphic design and in the history of graphic designing courses. The videos were so long and boring I had to skip them and I just completed this because I wanted to complete the specialization but this course is the worse of all courses

By Liudmila V

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Jun 27, 2016

This course is about nothing, it is poor illustrated and uninformative. The lecturer's manner is anno

By Shivani K

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Feb 16, 2024

A little boring. The learner loses track as its not very engaging and holding the learner

By Ahmed M

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Mar 18, 2022

struck with peer reviews

By Sarah E M

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Jul 14, 2020

I don't recommend at all

By Kathleen D

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Sep 11, 2016

This course is