Printing Influence On Graphic Design

Graphic design styles are greatly influenced by the past. Production methods such as silkscreen printing have been revisited and adapted many times since being created. This technique was popularized almost a century ago and since then, has been explored by both designers and artists. Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein both began screen-printing in the 1960s and heavily influenced the popularity of the printing method in both art and design. It has a unique style that also influences modern graphic design. Because designers reflect on the works of earlier artists and designers for inspiration, the influence of screen-printing can still be seen in many places today.
Origination and Early American Screen-Printing Simple silk screen methods were …show more content…
The technology was perfected in the 1960s by a man named Michael Vasilantone. The machine he created was called the rotary multicolor garment screen-printing machine and is now the most popular method of screen-printing. T-shirt printing is so popular that it accounts for over half the screen-printing industry in the nation. While t-shirt printing takes the majority of the marketplace, there are still many designers producing design pieces via screen-printing (A Brief History Of Screen …show more content…
One designer that stands out for his screen-printed work is Dan Stiles. A designer in Portland, Oregon, Stiles is known for his poster art. He has worked for many famous bands creating poster art, was featured in major publications and received numerous awards for his work. His poster for the Arctic Monkeys features an illustrated, colorful popsicle with a very realistic, black bee sitting on top (fig. 3). The juxtaposition of illustration and realistic imagery is a unique approach. The same technique can be seen in many of his other works such as the poster he designed for the Tapes N Tapes. The poster consists of a patterned arrow and uses a flat color splash resting underneath realistic looking shoes (fig. 4). It can be speculated that he was inspired to use photographic imagery as well as illustrative elements because of the work of Andy Warhol. Warhol often used photographic images but made them unrealistic in some way, often by manipulating color. A lot of Stiles’ work has the same inspiration and aesthetic, but he gives it a modern spin. He also sells t-shirts on his website that feature his illustrations. With that particular product taking up so much of the screen print market, it is wise for him to offer that option