Dooley.Ĭomics are one of the most complex forms of visual communication I’ve ever experienced as a university lecturer and practitioner in the field of design. Signals, Justin Randall writer, Ray Fawkes. artist, 30 Days of Night: Eben & Stella 30 Days of Night: Dust to ver artist, Silent Hill. Justin Randallartist/writer, Changing Ways. So, in essence, I’ve found them inextricably related and both part of the arsenal in the toolbox of communication and storytelling. The idea of creating hierarchy of meaning in the design, and the psychology of leading the readers’ eye through the presentation – how fast they should read it, what places they should pause, where their eye should begin and where it should end – these are techniques that I developed in graphic design while considering the nuances and character of type, while I was also learning this process in the contexts of panel layout and page design in the realm of sequential art. These are crystalline examples of the essence of graphic design and its meaning in my work: articulation with a clarity of idea, a communication, but with expression and evolving life, that bridges forms of written language with other visual vocabulary.

They imply meaning of one idea on their own, but they have a compound and evolving meaning when presented in a sequence. The panels of a comic, for me, have a relationship to Kanji characters and Chinese characters in that they are both images that can be expressive and pleasing to look at, but they are also a part of a kind of grammar. And as such, my education in graphic design has become an integral part of that creative process. I feel that when comics or other sequential art is at its best, the writing and the visual storytelling is indistinguishable one from the other.įor me, comics and graphic novels are a hybrid art form that creates its own unique graphic language, intertwining text and image like strands of DNA. And the imagery in turn tells the story as much as the written language does. Certainly the type is a part of the imagery. I apply this approach to my graphic novel work and my children’s books and my storytelling in general. This gave me a sensitivity to type that I had not previously fully considered, and it gave me a consideration for how type is integrated with other imagery.

I learned graphic design as a synthesis of type and image. Decision about returning again next year … hmm.īut despite all the Hollywood mega-marketing folderol, the convention continues to reap rich rewards for those of us whose primary – okay, sole – reason for being there is to discover and learn more about our beloved print-based medium.įor instance … on Saturday, when the SDCC dealers’ room was at its jam-packed worst, and hype sessions for upcoming screen entertainments were overstuffed, I could waltz right into a day’s worth of fascinating, fruitful, hour long panels topics ranged from Chip’s upcoming Captain Marvel book and the legacy of the legendary Will Eisner to new directions in cross-media and post-paper comics.Īnd … for all five days, when tens of thousands would queue up for hours and hours to catch glimpses of Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis, Angelina Jolie, and Helen Mirren – wait, Helen Mirren? – I could easily seek out an array of innovative artists, upcoming and established, and speak with them about the “graphic” in novels and in design.ĭavid Mackartist/writer, Kabuki Daredevil The Shy Creatures Philip K. Deep sighs from those of us who recall the 1970s at the El Cortez Hotel, when the convention was, in fact, all about comics, and the superstar speakers were readily available … check. Genre movie and TV promotions that continue to elbow visual literature out towards the peripheries … check. It’s been widely noted that in recent years, the “Comic” of the title is increasingly becoming a “Con”… or at least an outmoded brand name. But there were even more than was first obvious … it’s just that they were all called “comic book artists.” And below, you’ll hear a few of these creators discuss how and why their visual narratives are, in fact, graphic design.įirst, a bit about the actual event. Comics as graphic design … hmm.Īmong the 100,000-plus at last week’s San Diego Comic-Con, the place was plentiful with designers – Chip Kidd being the most famous – participating in panels and signings. Comics as art … Masters of American Comics 2005, check. Original art board panel: The Interview, Denis Kitchen and Will Eisner.Ĭomics as literature … Maus 1991, check.

Graphic design or sequential art