Page 196 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

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GRAPHIC DESIGN

Shawon Akand

Graphic design is largely related to publicity and publication. It can be either the
publicity of a product or an organization, of a professional body or a commercial
enterprise, social welfare organization etc. Any information or message, disseminated
aesthetically among mass people for publicity with the help of visual language, falls
under the discipline of graphic design. Everything from television to newspaper and
magazine, from books to all kinds of publication, billboard, neon sign or signboard,
banner, festoon is related to graphic design. The invention of the print industry and its
subsequent development strengthened graphic design. A graphic designer can also
contribute greatly to the electronic media. Based on medium we can divide graphic
design in two categories. The first one is related to the publication or print industry
and the second depends on electronic or digital medium. But it does not mean that
graphic design did not exist before the invention of print industry or digital media. It fig. 4.1 Pala manuscript
was there in a different way. Let us now have a look at the early phase of graphic painting
design in Bangladesh.
Early Phase
In order to trace the roots of graphic design in the light
of publicity and publication of Bangladesh we have to
go back to the years before the birth of Christ. The
advocates of Buddhism and Jainism used to depict the
glory of their respective religions, praise of the
founders of their religions and used pictures for their
dissemination. In one sense, these are graphic designs.
Much later, we find the rural Patuas using drawings to
preach religious and moral teaching accompanied by
songs, which serve as important examples of painting
and graphic design if we consider their presentation,
design and decoration.
Even before the invention of the printing press (and
after that), the seals engraved with the national symbol
or the design of flags of different states are part of