Late 20th century to now

Notes 

• Graphics and music were closely related and they started to inspire each other.
• Led Zeplins album covers were really iconic (quite abstract)
• Storm Thorgoson was famous for creating the most iconic album covers. 
• You can see how morals throughout the world have changed by looking at album covers. (Some albums show naked babies this would be seen as wrong now)
• Music and film also inspired each other visually. Elp, Gieger created their album cover and it is inspired by the Alien film. 
• The music industry was very important in graphics and illustration. 
• Black sabbath were the first metal band their albums showed horror imagery.
• the Sex pistols represented Britain's economy going down the drain.
• Punk was created because young people wanted to rebel and create music on a budget (DIY)
• These punk bands aim was to shock the establishment.
• The punk movement became a parody of its self. (the great rock n roll swindle) 
• Buzzcocks were a punk band that created their own DIY album covers and DIY music.
• all of the punk movement was happening in the poor towns in Britain Don Mc Cullin photographed the every day like of the lower class Britain.
• Strong graphics and illustration started being used for government campaigns (Satchi and Satchi, 1979, labour isn't working) 
• in the 1980's The face (famous magazine) started it showed a lot of fashion photography and strong graphics. 
• Neville Brody worked by cutting and pasting images down on paper.
• in 1984 Martin Parr started using colour in photography pervious to this even though colour photography was invented people usually still used black and white. 

Film

• 70's A Clock work orange was withdrawn by the producer because of the violence shown in the film
• Jaws was the first block buster film. 
• Franchise was created and merch started to be made for films.
• Alien was created and the sci fi genre began. 

Digital

• 1984 the desk top computer with a graphic interface was created
• Luxor junior was the first animation using cgi in 1986
• Toy story was then made.
• 1991 Terminator 2 was the first film to use cgi animation with live action this was also the first use of a PC for cgi effects.
• the matrix uses a lot of cgi throughout the film.
• A scanner darkly 2007- uses retroscope (drawing on top of the film) to create a comic book effect.
• 1984 apple created desk top computers marketed for home use
• Kraftwerk was a bnd that made digital music the ablum showed advances in digital technology.
• Computer games were created  pong and space invaders were the first games. 
• Computers allowed designers to be more free with design.
• Typography started to be used more and tyrpography was even specially created for certain things. 
• Trick Typography was now possible. 
• The internet was then created by Tim Barners Lee 
• Google was created and it has became so bit that it owns most things throughout the internet.
• Everything changed because of the internet it was a huge revolution.
• Copyright began because artists work would be seen online and get stolen by other artists. Copyright protected them and showed that they created that piece of work. 
• there is lots of pros and cons of digital technology. 
• Because of technology people are able to do more things so one person could do everything for example photographers can make films and do graphic design. Its harder to do art because everyone can now do it.

Research task

Research the work of Graphic designers in contemporary music graphic design and or lifestyle magazines and branding

Pop punk started at the beginning of the 1970's it mainly came from the rebellion of young people as the music that was being produced at the time had heavy production values, which made it impossible for them to do.  Because of this the teens started to create DIY music with low production values, along with this came DIY album covers. These album covers were made by graphic designers that would find images and letters and paste them down to create a collage style image. One Iconic graphic designer of this style was Jamie Reid. He is most well known for creating the graphics for the Sex Pistols albums for example the god save the queen album (figure 1)

'The importance of visual imagery to punk can be demonstrated by examining the work of Jamie Reid, who became art director for The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. Reid had met Malcolm McLaren at Croydon Art College in 1968. Their common art background meant that when Malcolm McLaren asked him to work with the Sex Pistols in 1976 there was a feeling that the graphics, packaging and imagery surrounding the group could be of vital importance. Both were interested in, amongst other things, the ideas of the Situationists and Malcolm McLuhan.[1]'

(figure 1) Jamie Reid, sex pistols 'God save the Queen' Graphic

It could be said that Storm Thorgerson is one of the most iconic graphic designers that created album covers as he created so many highly recognisable album covers for example Pink Floyd's album cover for the division bell (figure 2.) His work often used photography as computer technology was not around at the time the art work was created. His work is often mistaken for hard drawn/painted art because of the quality that they give. He also used clever theories and optics for some of his designs for example in (figure 2) he used the famous vase illusion to create the image.

The concept of two heads making one is based on a drawing known as the "vase illusion", where two silhouettes of faces in profile constitute the edges of a white vase. The viewer sees either the faces or the vase but not both.[2] 

(figure 2) Storm Thorgerson, Pink Floyd's album cover for the division, 1994

[1]Huxley David and Sabin Roger, Punk Rock: So What?, Routledge, 1999, p.85
[2] Thorgerson, S. and Powell, A. (1999) 100 Best Album Covers. London: Dorling Kindersley Ltd