News as art
Graphics treated as fine art:
I once attended a graphic design session at a magazine conference in Los Angeles in which the speaker showed a variety of magazine covers minus their banners. None of us in attendance knew for certain which magazines were being displayed, but we were encouraged to guess.
Some in the audience correctly identified some of the magazines, but failed at identifying others with similar designs. The reason: the designer had moved to a different company, but their designs still had similar elements at the next magazine.
I was impressed by the fact that the presenter took great care to display each magazine design as he identified the designer. He treated each design as if it were a piece of fine art worthy of display in a gallery.
Monuments to mankind’s ability to perfect visual articulation.
I have always been intrigued by the amazing artistic minds of graphic designers who convey the mood or theme of a magazine, newspaper, website, cover story, centerpiece or feature — with immediate visual communication and accuracy. To me, these designers are true artists and yes, some of their designs are worthy of display in art galleries or museums. Their pop culture designs are truly monuments to mankind’s ability to perfect visual articulation.
Indeed, my experience and research over the years confirms the importance of visual design in the media, whether it be digital communication or print. It has led to the conclusion that visual design can take digital media to new plateaus, leading to greater audience reach, and has resurrected many a print publication.
The man behind the '60 Minutes' designs
Last week CBS News paid homage to Bob Carujo, the man who has designed the TV “magazine” backdrops for “60 Minutes.”
Reporter Harry Reasoner described the show as a “magazine for television” back in 1968, and the term stuck, according to the CBS feature about Carujo.
Carujo, who is retiring after 35 years with “60 Minutes,” makes sketches on a note pad as he hears about the concept for each “60 Minutes” segment. The opening artwork for each segment is referred to as a book. Carujo has created approximately 3,000 books, according to CBS News.
To learn more about Bob Carujo, please click on this link: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-turns-news-into-art-60-minutes/
