**History and Evolution of Graphics**:
– Cave paintings and markings from the Upper Palaeolithic period
– Engraved stone tablets and ceramic cylinder seals from 6,000 years ago
– Egyptians using papyrus for planning pyramids
– Greeks using graphics for mathematical theories
– Graphics in art to distinguish from painting
– Woodblock printing in China after paper invention
– Techniques like woodcut, engraving, and etching in the West
– Etching as an intaglio method of printmaking
– Daniel Hopfer credited with inventing etching
– Historical development of computer graphics from the 1950s to 1990s
– Emergence of 3D computer graphics in video games and films
– Evolution from GIF to JPEG, PNG, and SVG formats in web graphics
**Types of Graphics**:
– Line Art: Image of distinct straight and curved lines
– Illustration: Visual representation emphasizing subject over form
– Engineering drawings: Define requirements for engineered items
– Computer graphics: Two types – raster graphics and vector graphics
– Web graphics: Evolution of formats and software tools for creation
**Applications of Graphics**:
– Visual elements to supplement text and aid understanding
– Key element in multimedia technology
– Common in advertising, marketing, popular magazines, and business presentations
– Essential in creating graphical user interfaces
– Widely used for financial charts, data visualization, economics, and business analytics
**Graphics in Education and Design**:
– Majority of schools, colleges, and universities teach graphic design and art
– Courses emphasize craft skills and response to client needs
– Traditional craft skills like drawing and typography
– Digital craft skills
– Noted graphic designers and their contributions
**References and External Links**:
– Notable authors and their works on graphics
– External links for further exploration and resources
Graphics (from Ancient Greek γραφικός (graphikós) 'pertaining to drawing, painting, writing, etc.') are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture, in typesetting and the graphic arts, and in educational and recreational software. Images that are generated by a computer are called computer graphics.
Examples are photographs, drawings, line art, mathematical graphs, line graphs, charts, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings, or other images. Graphics often combine text, illustration, and color. Graphic design may consist of the deliberate selection, creation, or arrangement of typography alone, as in a brochure, flyer, poster, web site, or book without any other element. The objective can be clarity or effective communication, association with other cultural elements, or merely the creation of a distinctive style.
Graphics can be functional or artistic. The latter can be a recorded version, such as a photograph, or an interpretation by a scientist to highlight essential features, or an artist, in which case the distinction with imaginary graphics may become blurred. It can also be used for architecture.
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɡɹæfɪks/
- Rhymes: -æfɪks
Noun
graphics (uncountable)
- The making of architectural or design drawings.
- The graphic arts.
- (computing) The pictorial representation and manipulation of data; the process by which a computer displays data.
- (computing) The art or visual representations displayed by a computer.