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Less Reality: More MeaningQuantifying imagery for the visual communicator.

StuartMedley, EdithCowan University

Typography as a dening term has become

interchangeable with graphic design, thanks

largely to the International Typographic Style

o the Swiss. While ont choice and application

are seen as o paramount importance, image

choicevirtually hal o the communication

design equationis neglected in the theory and

in practice is let to the instinct o the designer.

A silhouette or

graphic impactt

the major unc

detection.

A grey-scale image isonly slightly

removedrom realismbutimmediately

suggests relationships betweenthe ele-

ments thata colour photograph

does not.

The colour photographisour closest

analogue tovisible reality.Photographs

are very goodatshowingus specifc

people andthings,butthey are pressed

intoservice by designers or other tasks

towhichthey are lesssuited.

Photography:ArnoldNewman

Swiss modernism as the benchmark o

20th century graphic design theory has an

ill-inormed reliance on realism through

photography: the inormational richness

and depth o the photographic image is at

odds with the imperative or the generic, the

symbolic (Lupton and Miller, 1999, p.133)

In 2000, 77% o awarded Australian graphic

designs contained photographic imagery

compared to 32% with illustrated imagery,

and 9% whose content was type only.

This refects a long trend that may just be

changing. In 2008, 53% contained photo-

graphic imagery compared to 30% with

illustrated imagery and 16% type only.

The Swisstypographersprescribed photo-

graphy as the way topresentimages in

graphic design.

Design:JosephMller-Brockmann

The problemospecifcity has

beenknownsince photographys

inception.Photography works

bestwhenshowing usa real

person,place or thing.

Photography:ArnoldNewman

Psychology, art history and education are all ahead o graphic design with regard to quantiying t