Graphics

Graphic and Graphical redirect here. For the

community in the United States, see Graphic, Arkansas.
For the Victorian newspaper, see The Graphic. For
graphic or graphical sequences, see Degree (graph
theory)#Degree sequence.
Not to be confused with Graph or Information graphics.

ing of records for accounting and inventory purposes.

Records from Egypt predate these and papyrus was used
by the Egyptians as a material on which to plan the building of pyramids; they also used slabs of limestone and
wood. From 600250 BC, the Greeks played a major
role in geometry. They used graphics to represent their
mathematical theories such as the Circle Theorem and
Graphics (from Greek graphikos, 'something the Pythagorean theorem.
written' e.g. autograph) are visual images or designs on In art, graphics is often used to distinguish work in a
some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or monotone and made up of lines, as opposed to painting.
stone to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage it includes: neeke, pictorial representation of
data, as in computer-aided design and manufacture, in
1.1 Drawing
typesetting and the graphic arts, and in educational and
Neeke recreational software. Images that are generated
Main articles: Drawing and Technical drawing
by a computer are called computer graphics.
Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs,
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, yer, poster, web site, or book without any
other element. Clarity or eective communication may
be the objective, association with other cultural elements
may be sought, or merely, the creation of a distinctive
style.

Drawing generally involves making marks on a surface by

applying pressure from a tool, or moving a tool across a
surface. In which a tool is always used as if there were no
tools it would be art. Graphical drawing is an instrumental
guided drawing.

1.2 Printmaking
Main article: Printmaking

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.

Woodblock printing, including images is rst seen in

China after paper was invented (about A.D. 105). In the
West the main techniques have been woodcut, engraving
and etching, but there are many others.

1.2.1 Etching

History

Main article: History of graphic design

Main article: Etching

The earliest graphics known to anthropologists studying prehistoric periods are cave paintings and markings
on boulders, bone, ivory, and antlers, which were created during the Upper Palaeolithic period from 40,000
10,000 B.C. or earlier. Many of these were found to
record astronomical, seasonal, and chronological details.
Some of the earliest graphics and drawings known to the
modern world, from almost 6,000 years ago, are that of
engraved stone tablets and ceramic cylinder seals, marking the beginning of the historic periods and the keep-

Etching is an intaglio method of printmaking in which the

image is incised into the surface of a metal plate using an
acid. The acid eats the metal, leaving behind roughened
areas, or, if the surface exposed to the acid is very thin,
burning a line into the plate. The use of the process in
printmaking is believed to have been invented by Daniel
Hopfer (c. 14701536) of Augsburg, Germany, who decorated armour in this way.
Etching is also used in the manufacturing of printed circuit boards and semiconductor devices.
1

1 HISTORY

1.3

Line Art

Main article: Line art

linking brands to the ideas of human expression, individuality and creativity

making a reader laugh or smile

Line art is a rather non-specic term sometimes used for

for fun (to make laugh) funny
any image that consists of distinct straight and curved
lines placed against a (usually plain) background, without
gradations in shade (darkness) or hue (color) to represent 1.5 Graphs
two-dimensional or three-dimensional objects. Line art
is usually monochromatic, although lines may be of dif- A graph or chart is a type of information graphic that repferent colors.
resents tabular, numeric data. Charts are often used to
make it easier to understand large quantities of data and
the relationships between dierent parts of the data.

1.4

Illustration

Main article: Illustration

An illustration is a visual representation such as a

1.6 Diagrams
Main article: Diagrams
A diagram is a simplied and structured visual representation of concepts, ideas, constructions, relations, statistical data, etc., used to visualize and clarify the topic.

1.7 Symbols
Main article: Symbols
A symbol, in its basic sense, is a representation of a
concept or quantity; i.e., an idea, object, concept, quality,
etc. In more psychological and philosophical terms,
all concepts are symbolic in nature, and representations
for these concepts are simply token artifacts that are
allegorical to (but do not directly codify) a symbolic
An illustration of a character from a story; also, an illustration meaning, or symbolism.
of illustrations

drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that

stresses subject more than form. The aim of an illustration is to elucidate or decorate a story, poem or piece of
textual information (such as a newspaper article), traditionally by providing a visual representation of something
described in the text. The editorial cartoon, also known as
a political cartoon, is an illustration containing a political
or social message.

1.8 Maps
Main article: Maps

A map is a simplied depiction of a space, a navigational

aid which highlights relations between objects within
that space. Usually, a map is a two-dimensional, geometrically accurate representation of a three-dimensional
Illustrations can be used to display a wide range of subject space.
matter and serve a variety of functions, such as:
One of the rst 'modern' maps was made by
Waldseemller.
giving faces to characters in a story
displaying a number of examples of an item de- 1.9 Photography
scribed in an academic textbook (e.g. A Typology)
Main article: Photography
visualising step-wise sets of instructions in a technical manual
One dierence between photography and other forms of
communicating subtle thematic tone in a narrative
graphics is that a photographer, in principle, just records

1.11

Computer graphics

a single moment in reality, with seemingly no interpretation. However, a photographer can choose the eld of
view and angle, and may also use other techniques, such
as various lenses to distort the view or lters to change the
colors. In recent times, digital photography has opened
the way to an innite number of fast, but strong, manipulations. Even in the early days of photography, there
was controversy over photographs of enacted scenes that
were presented as 'real life' (especially in war photography, where it can be very dicult to record the original
events). Shifting the viewers eyes ever so slightly with
simple pinpricks in the negative could have a dramatic
eect.

3
There are two types of computer graphics: raster graphics, where each pixel is separately dened (as in a digital photograph), and vector graphics, where mathematical formulas are used to draw lines and shapes, which
are then interpreted at the viewers end to produce the
graphic. Using vectors results in innitely sharp graphics
and often smaller les, but, when complex,like vectors
take time to render and may have larger le sizes than a
raster equivalent.

In 1950, the rst computer-driven display was attached to

MITs Whirlwind I computer to generate simple pictures.
This was followed by MIT's TX-0 and TX-2, interactive
computing which increased interest in computer graphics
The choice of the eld of view can have a strong eect, during the late 1950s. In 1962, Ivan Sutherland invented
eectively 'censoring out' other parts of the scene, ac- Sketchpad, an innovative program that inuenced altercomplished by cropping them out or simply not including native forms of interaction with computers.
them in the photograph. This even touches on the philo- In the mid-1960s, large computer graphics research
sophical question of what reality is. The human brain pro- projects were begun at MIT, General Motors, Bell Labs,
cesses information based on previous experience, making and Lockheed Corporation. Douglas T. Ross of MIT deus see what we want to see or what we were taught to see. veloped an advanced compiler language for graphics proPhotography does the same, although the photographer gramming. S.A.Coons, also at MIT, and J. C. Ferguson
interprets the scene for their viewer.
at Boeing, began work in sculptured surfaces. GM de-

1.10 Engineering drawings

veloped their DAC-1 system, and other companies, such

as Douglas, Lockheed, and McDonnell, also made signicant developments. In 1968, ray tracing was rst described by Arthur Appel of the IBM Research Center,
Yorktown Heights, N.Y.[1]
During the late 1970s, personal computers became more
powerful, capable of drawing both basic and complex
shapes and designs. In the 1980s, artists and graphic designers began to see the personal computer, particularly
the Commodore Amiga and Macintosh, as a serious design tool, one that could save time and draw more accurately than other methods. 3D computer graphics became possible in the late 1980s with the powerful SGI
computers, which were later used to create some of the
rst fully computer-generated short lms at Pixar. The
Macintosh remains one of the most popular tools for computer graphics in graphic design studios and businesses.

Image of a part represented in First Angle Projection

Main article: Engineering drawings

An engineering drawing is a type of drawing and is technical in nature, used to fully and clearly dene requirements for engineered items. It is usually created in accordance with standardized conventions for layout, nomenclature, interpretation, appearance (such as typefaces and
line styles), size, etc.

1.11 Computer graphics

Main article: Computer graphics

Modern computer systems, dating from the 1980s and

onwards, often use a graphical user interface (GUI) to
present data and information with symbols, icons and pictures, rather than text. Graphics are one of the ve key
elements of multimedia technology.
3D graphics became more popular in the 1990s in
gaming, multimedia and animation. In 1996, Quake,
one of the rst fully 3D games, was released. In 1995,
Toy Story, the rst full-length computer-generated animation lm, was released in cinemas. Since then, computer graphics have become more accurate and detailed,
due to more advanced computers and better 3D modeling
software applications, such as Maya, 3D Studio Max, and
Cinema 4D.
Another use of computer graphics is screensavers, originally intended to preventing the layout of much-used
GUIs from 'burning into' the computer screen. They have

USES

since evolved into true pieces of art, their practical pur- 2.1 Business
pose obsolete; modern screens are not susceptible to such
burn in artifacts.
Graphics are commonly used in business and economics
to create nancial charts and tables. The term Business
Graphics came into use in the late 1970s, when personal
1.12 Web graphics
computers became capable of drawing graphs and charts
instead of using a tabular format. Business Graphics can
be used to highlight changes over a period of time.

2.2 Advertising
Advertising is one of the most protable uses of graphics; artists often do advertising work or take advertising
In the 1990s, Internet speeds increased, and Internet potential into account when creating art, to increase the
browsers capable of viewing images were released, the chances of selling the artwork.
rst being Mosaic. Websites began to use the GIF format to display small graphics, such as banners, advertisements and navigation buttons, on web pages. Modern web 2.3 Political
browsers can now display JPEG, PNG and increasingly,
SVG images in addition to GIFs on web pages. SVG, The use of graphics for overtly political purposes
and to some extent VML, support in some modern web cartoons, grati, poster art, ag design, etc.is a cenbrowsers have made it possible to display vector graphics turies old practice which thrives today in every part of
that are clear at any size. Plugins expand the web browser the world. The Northern Irish murals are one such exfunctions to display animated, interactive and 3-D graph- ample. A more recent example is Shepard Fairey's 2008
ics contained within le formats such as SWF and X3D. U.S. Presidential election Barack Obama Hope poster.
It was rst published on the web, but soon found its way
Modern web graphics can be made with software such as
onto streets throughout the United States.[2]
Adobe Photoshop, the GIMP, or Corel Paint Shop Pro.
Users of Microsoft Windows have MS Paint, which many
nd to be lacking in features. This is because MS Paint
2.4 Education
is a drawing package and not a graphics package.
Signature art used on web forums

Numerous platforms and websites have been created to

cater to web graphics artists and to host their communities. A growing number of people use create internet forum signaturesgenerally appearing after a users
postand other digital artwork, such as photo manipulations and large graphics. With computer games developers creating their own communities around their products, many more websites are being developed to oer
graphics for the fans and to enable them to show their appreciation of such games in their own gaming proles.

Uses

Graphics are visual elements often used to point readers and viewers to particular information. They are also
used to supplement text in an eort to aid readers in their
understanding of a particular concept or make the concept more clear or interesting. Popular magazines, such
as TIME, Wired and Newsweek, usually contain graphic
material in abundance to attract readers, unlike the majority of scholarly journals. In computing, they are used
to create a graphical interface for the user; and graphics
are one of the ve key elements of multimedia technology. Graphics are among the primary ways of advertising
the sale of goods or services.

Graphics are heavily used in textbooks, especially those

concerning subjects such as geography, science, and
mathematics, in order to illustrate theories and concepts,
such as the human anatomy. Diagrams are also used to
label photographs and pictures.
Educational animation is an important emerging eld of
graphics. Animated graphics have obvious advantages
over static graphics when explaining subject matter that
changes over time.
The Oxford Illustrated Dictionary uses graphics and technical illustrations to make reading material more interesting and easier to understand. In an encyclopedia, graphics
are used to illustrate concepts and show examples of the
particular topic being discussed.
In order for a graphic to function eectively as an educational aid, the learner must be able to interpret it successfully. This interpretative capacity is one aspect of
graphicacy.

2.5 Film and animation

Computer graphics are often used in the majority of new
feature lms, especially those with a large budget. Films
that heavily use computer graphics include The Lord of

5
the Rings lm trilogy, the Harry Potter lms, Spider-Man
and War of the Worlds.

6 See also
Semiotics

Graphics education

The majority of schools, colleges and universities around

the world educate students on the subject of graphics and
art.
The subject is taught in a broad variety of ways, each
course teaching its own distinctive balance of craft skills
and intellectual response to the clients needs.
Some graphics courses prioritize traditional craft skills
drawing, printmaking and typographyover modern
craft skills. Other courses may place an emphasis on
teaching digital craft skills. Still other courses may downplay the crafts entirely, concentrating on training students
to generate novel intellectual responses that engage with
the brief. Despite these apparent dierences in training
and curriculum, the sta and students on any of these
courses will generally consider themselves to be graphic
designers.
The typical pedagogy of a graphic design (or graphic
communication, visual communication, graphic arts or
any number of synonymous course titles) will be broadly
based on the teaching models developed in the Bauhaus
school in Germany or Vkhutemas in Russia. The teaching model will tend to expose students to a variety of craft
skills (currently everything from drawing to motion capture), combined with an eort to engage the student with
the world of visual culture.

Famous graphic designers

Aldus Manutius designed the rst Italic type style which

is often used in desktop publishing and graphic design.
April Greiman is known for her inuential poster design. Paul Rand is well known as a design pioneer for
designing many popular corporate logos, including the
logo for IBM, NeXT and UPS. William Caslon, during
the mid-18th century, designed many typefaces, including ITC Founders Caslon, ITC Founders Caslon Ornaments, Caslon Graphique, ITC Caslon No. 224, Caslon
Old Face and Big Caslon.

Examples of graphics
Photograph
Drawing

Editorial cartoon

7 References
[1] Appel A. (1968). Some Techniques for Machine Rendering of Solids, AFIPS 1968 Spring Joint Computer Conference, Vol. 32, pp. 37-45
[2] Steven Heller and Seymour Chwast (2011). Graphic
Style: From Victorian to New Century. Abrams.

8 External links
Free graphics download
A Historical Timeline of Computer Graphics and
Animation

9 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1

Text

Graphics Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics?oldid=648919288 Contributors: Zundark, Edward, Ubiquity, Paul Barlow, Kku,
Ixfd64, Ahoerstemeier, Ronz, Andres, Bevo, Fvw, Secretlondon, Maheshkale, Robbot, Fredrik, Lowellian, Bkell, Adam78, Dbenbenn,
Wolfkeeper, Bnn, Curps, Rpyle731, Macrakis, Wmahan, OverlordQ, CALR, Discospinster, Rich Farmbrough, Pak21, Pixel8, Dbachmann, Mani1, ESkog, Kbh3rd, Closeapple, Violetriga, Brian0918, CanisRufus, El C, RoyBoy, EmilJ, Thunderbrand, Bobo192, Remuel, John Vandenberg, Cmdrjameson, Mdd, Jumbuck, Alansohn, Uucp, Clubmarx, Versageek, Bruce89, Ron Ritzman, MickWest,
Joriki, Tabletop, Mandarax, Sparkit, Jp3z, BD2412, Dpv, Josh Parris, Search4Lancer, Ash211, Sjakkalle, Rjwilmsi, Seidenstud,
, Magu2k, JoshuacUK, Mo-Al, Vegaswikian, DirkvdM, Yamamoto Ichiro, Sapient, FayssalF, Robertos Consuelos Garcias,
Gurch, Srleer, Imnotminkus, JM.Beaubourg, Antilived, YurikBot, Borgx, Charles Gaudette, Adam1213, RussBot, Bhny, Hydrargyrum,
Stephenb, Debroglie, CambridgeBayWeather, Yrithinnd, Thane, NawlinWiki, Nahallac Silverwinds, Harrisale, Nsmith 84, Matticus78,
Stevenwmccrary58, Scope creep, Deville, Zzuuzz, Open2universe, Closedmouth, Merishi, GraemeL, JLaTondre, Curpsbot-unicodify,
Meegs, DVD R W, Veinor, PassiveSoul, SmackBot, YellowMonkey, Olieviya, Prodego, KnowledgeOfSelf, Brossow, Commander Keane
bot, Gilliam, Ohnoitsjamie, Hmains, Lindosland, MalafayaBot, SchftyThree, CSWarren, Kungming2, RogueMomen, JonHarder, T-borg,
Dreadstar, HarisM, Mwtoews, Bdiscoe, Jna runn, Spiritia, SashatoBot, Ozhiker, Nextgfx, NewTestLeper79, MilborneOne, 16@r, Davemon, Jose77, Hu12, Sonic3KMaster, GDallimore, FairuseBot, Tawkerbot2, Linuxerist, Zarex, Jamoche, Heltec, NickW557, GargoyleMT,
WeggeBot, INVERTED, Whereizben, Kanags, Gogo Dodo, Mohamed wagih, Alanbly, Ravila, Dougweller, Tikiman1488, Ebyabe, Omicronpersei8, Thijs!bot, Epbr123, Mbell, Leedeth, Mojo Hand, Jojan, Bobblehead, Mr pand, AlefZet, AntiVandalBot, Seaphoto, Vendettax,
Carewolf, JAnDbot, Fetchcomms, PhilKnight, Youngt191, Bongwarrior, VoABot II, Sanoj1234, Tedickey, WODUP, Catgut, Allstarecho,
Cpl Syx, ArmadilloFromHell, JaGa, Patstuart, Oicumayberight, SuicidalSpider, Asifsra, Speck-Made, R'n'B, CommonsDelinker, LittleOldMe old, EdBever, Euku, Nigholith, Qatter, Elkost, Johnbod, Ncmvocalist, 8r1ck, Jeepday, Compact disk, AntiSpamBot, WaWa12,
Belovedfreak, Antony-22, Jorfer, Leileilol, Tanaats, KylieTastic, Bonadea, Useight, Tkgd2007, The Behnam, 28bytes, VolkovBot, Davidwr,
Rei-bot, Artaxerex, Jorophose, Sim thinks, Tamer of hope, Prasath amd, Agent Oddball, Gurpreetsohal, Koosie, SieBot, Ivan tambuk, Harpyionycteris, Smsarmad, Calabraxthis, Toddst1, Radon210, Visbon, The Evil Spartan, Paolo.dL, Dhateld, Wombatcat, LOLHAXXOR, Letystuplert, ImageRemovalBot, Linforest, Martarius, ClueBot, GorillaWarfare, The Thing That Should Not Be, Blanchardb,
Slavart, Diagramma Della Verita, Jusdafax, ZillurRehman, Zpally, M888, Ukhalid100, Grendwx, La Pianista, DanielPharos, GeeAlice,
SoxBot III, Hollyrmin, XLinkBot, Ost316, Little Mountain 5, WikHead, Nicecheese556, Addbot, NjardarBot, MrOllie, SamatBot, Tide
rolls, Lightbot, OlEnglish, , Luckas-bot, Yobot, Bunnyhop11, KamikazeBot, Daniel 1992, AnomieBOT, DemocraticLuntz, Galoubet, Flewis, Hunnjazal, Xqbot, Buzzbomber, DYLASORUS, SuperG2daMAX, J04n, Winterwater, Joxemai, Fbrazill, Amazingcodes,
Boxplot, Pinethicket, I dream of horses, Jamesyboyuk, Suusion of Yellow, Jgobu1, Kdshields, LibertyDodzo, Jeweldesign, EmausBot,
Fandraltastic, Upendersingh, RA0808, Edslov, Wikipelli, Inhakito, Akkkpo, Aavindraa, Lidingo11, Makecat, Samurai meatwad, Jsginther,
Bobbob1029, CatahoulaMICRO, , Senator2029, ClueBot NG, Jack Greenmaven, Vacation9, Harihar Sharan12, Mattlwil, Harlaxvonburo, , BG19bot, Stopingingthebull, Snaevar-bot, MusikAnimal, AvocatoBot, Mark Arsten, YouMum1999, RscprinterBot,
Motleyglue, Klilidiplomus, Marmitechocolate, Telfordbuck, Yardimsever, Hayden.saucedo, Hsuyarhob, Johnswag721, Lakeboy1, Chowdhary747, 568909876543tgyh, Html1.ta.ta84 and Anonymous: 300

9.2

Images

File:Commons-logo.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original

artist: ?
File:First_angle_projection.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/First_angle_projection.svg License: CC
BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Emok
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File:Orangesig.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7b/Orangesig.jpg License: Cc-by-sa-3.0 Contributors: ? Original
artist: ?
File:Question_book-new.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Question_book-new.svg License: Cc-by-sa-3.0
Contributors:
Created from scratch in Adobe Illustrator. Based on Image:Question book.png created by User:Equazcion Original artist:
Tkgd2007
File:Wiktionary-logo-en.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Wiktionary-logo-en.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Vector version of Image:Wiktionary-logo-en.png. Original artist: Vectorized by Fvasconcellos (talk contribs), based
on original logo tossed together by Brion Vibber

9.3

Content license

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