Unit 30 Digital Graphics

D1: Developments in hardware and software

Roksana Rzezniczak

Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................ P.2

Mobile phone timeline ........................................................................................................... P.2

Mobile phone .......................................................................................................................... P.3

Large flat panel screens .......................................................................................................P.3-4

Tablet computers .................................................................................................................... P.4

3D printers ............................................................................................................................. P.5

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... P.6

References .............................................................................................................................. P.6

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Introduction
In this report, I will be evaluating the impact of the significant changes in hardware and
software on the design and creation of digital graphics. Throughout the years, there have
been many changes in technology and it seems to be developing rapidly. Technology now is
more important than ever and people use it on a daily basis, whether its for work or leisure
purposes. The role of a graphic designer is to design a range of products for businesses.
They meet with customers, discuss the product, and draw it out, select colour, materials and
so on. The role of IT in graphic production is to speed up the process of it (8). IT allows
graphic designers to edit their work easily and quicker. For instance, computer-aided design
helps graphic designers to easily design products, and computer-aided manufacturing helps
them to standardise and automate the making of the product (8).

Mobile phone timeline

1946- USA developed the very first mobile car radio telephone service. There were not
many customers and the service covered only a small area.
1973- First phone call made using a Dyna TAC phone.
1980s- First hand portable mobile phones were created. The first generation of mobile
phones were referred to as brick phones. Only phone calls could be made using a mobile at
the time. In 1989, the first flip phone was introduced.
1990s- Much smaller and lighter mobiles were developed, with fewer keys and improved
battery life. Especially Nokia 3210 was very popular at the time. Apart from phone calls, the
mobile could be used for texting and playing game, e.g. snake. The first hand-size mobile
telephone was Motorola International 3200, created in 1992. The first mobile phone with a
WAP browser was Nokia 7110 in 1999.
2000s- Bigger phones started gaining popularity again. Mobile users were able to begin
taking pictures with their phones. The Sharp J-SH04 was the first phone to offer a camera.
In 2001, the first phone with a full colour display was created: The Mitsubishi Trium Eclipse.
Smartphones were developed, including iPhone in 2007. The first smartphone was
introduced in 2002, but until 2007 when iPhone came out, smartphones didnt come with a
speaker or a microphone. A headset was needed for them to work.
Present- Mobile phones are not only used for making phone calls and texting, but also for
browsing the web, playing games, setting alarms, taking pictures, making notes etc. People
have gotten so used to their mobile phones that they cant go a day without them.

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Mobile phones
A mobile phone is an electronic telecommunication device that connects to a wireless
communications network via radio or satellite transmission (9). About 30 years ago when
first ever mobiles came out, they were used for texting and calling only. The first ever
mobile phone to come out was called the brick, simply because it looked like one. Then
there was a shift to tiny 100-200g devices, like Nokia 3210 (7). Very few people were able to
access the web via their phone simply because this feature wasnt available on their phone,
or if it was then it was very expensive to use. Similarly, people were more likely to take
pictures using a digital camera rather than using their mobile because the quality of pictures
taken with a mobile wasnt so great. 2007 was when the very first iPhone came out.
Nowadays, mobile phones take a really important part in lives of many people. There are
some who use their mobile phones for business/work purposes and some who do so for
socializing and leisure. Smartphones have replaced traditional cameras, calendars and mp3
players. In regards to graphics, mobile phones can be used for taking pictures. For example,
many people who own an iPhone prefer taking pictures with their phone rather than a
normal digital camera because iPhones take very good quality pictures and you can edit
these on your phone too. It is also much easier to carry a mobile phone with you than a
digital camera, depending on the size. Moreover, most mobiles let you zoom in and out
whilst taking a picture just as you would normally be able to on a digital camera.
Additionally, you can make albums on your mobile and then store these on your phone or
transfer them onto another piece of
hardware, for example a laptop or a USB
via a USB cable. Most mobile phones
today have memory cards of 16GB-64GB.
Using Bluetooth you can also send and
receive files wirelessly, as long as the
other device has their Bluetooth turned
(7)
on too.

Large flat panel screens

The monitor screen allows the user to see graphics on the display in order to let the user see
what they are doing, e.g. playing games, browsing the web, editing phots etc. There has
been a shift from old cathode ray tube (CRT) screens to new liquid crystal display (LCD)
screens (1). CRT uses three electron guns to create an image (10). LCD uses pixels, a set of
tiny blocks of red, blue or green lights that can be switched on/off electronically using liquid
crystals (10). This creates a moving colour image. The LCD screens are flat panel and
therefore weight much less than the traditional CRT screens. LCD produce much better
quality display due to change from pixelated images to vector images and so are more
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useful in graphic design, because graphic artists require a good quality display in order to
create their work accurately and to their best standard (1). The latest inventions are Mac
screens with many features built in them to fit the user requirements. For instance, Mac
screens allow you to alter the screen brightness straight after you turn the computer system
on, whereas when using the old CRT screen you would be required to wait for the computer
to warm up before doing anything with the screen to change the dimness of it (1). The new
flat screen panels are also much more energy efficient, as they do not give away as much
heat as the old CRT screens do, due to the use of pixels instead of electric guns (10).

(2)

Tablet computers
A tablet is a wireless, portable computer (3). It is made up of similar hardware components
as a desktop computer or laptop. Its size can be compared to the size of a book, which is
why it can be carried around easily (3). The features of a tablet usually allow you to perform
the things which you would normally do on a normal standard computer, for example,
browsing the internet. Instead of a processor, a tablet has a microprocessor which instructs
it what to do. This saves space and energy as large processors increase heat generation.
Also, overheating can severely damage electronic devices. Unlike most computers, a tablet
comes with a touch screen display, meaning that you can control everything on the screen
by touching on it with your fingers or a stylus (special pen). There are also special keyboards
which you can purchase to attach to your tablet in order to use it for typing (3). Tablets
which come with a stylus are more useful in graphic design because they allow graphic
artists to draw images much more precisely, whereas with your fingers it would be much
harder to do. Another special feature of a tablet is that you can change its screen
orientation. This is thanks to a
special component, called a
gyroscope, which cannot be
found in a desktop computer.

(4)
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3D printers
A printer is an output device which allows you to print out a hard copy of a computer file.
There are many different types of printers. An example of a printer is the inkjet printer,
which creates a copy of your image using ink and a small nozzle. Over time, the price of
buying and maintaining a printer has decreased significantly. You can now get them for a
much cheaper price than before when they came out for the first time. A standard printer
costs about 30-40 (5). For graphic users, this is beneficial because they may require a
printer regularly in order to print out their work (5). Some printers even allow you to
connect via your wireless network, although these may be a little bit more expensive. The
other advantage of new printers over the old ones is that they print much quicker than the
old ones used to, without affecting graphic quality, which also benefits graphic artists
because their work stays the same quality throughout and it saves a lot of their time (5).
Moreover, most printers allow you to print directly from your camera instead of having to
switch your computer on. You
may also be able to scan, copy and
print in different colours using
most modern printers. The most
fascinating from of printing is 3D
printing. You can now print out a
digital file into a 3D printed
object. This is done by the additive
processes where an object is
created by laying down successive
layers of material (6).
(7)

(6)

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Conclusion
Throughout the years, technology has developed massively and there are now many
opportunities for graphic designers to create better quality products. During the 1980s,
graphic designers had to rely on a unique pre-printing process and the art was prepared by
them (8). Nowadays, designers use digital artwork and computer design programs with
computer software, such as Photoshop. Before, when the text needed changing, they had to
create new text on a phototypesetting machine that printed to photographic paper (8). They
would then cut the paper and stick it onto where the text needed changing (8). The current
advancements in IT allow designers to be more creative. Instead of doing everything
manually, they can create designs and do editing using a computer.

References
1. D1 http://levysict30.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/d1.html Date accessed: 26/04/2016
2. CRT monitor vs LCD monitor http://www.homefuninc.com/crt-monitor-vs-lcd-ledmonitor Date accessed: 26/04/2016
3. Tablet http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/t/tablet.htm Date accessed:
26/04/2016
4. Low-cost tablet buying advice http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/buyingadvice/tablets/low-cost-tablet-buying-advice-3368702/ Date accessed: 26/04/2016
5. Unit 30 https://shahbazsaeed.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/unit-30-task-5distinction/ Date accessed: 26/04/2016
6. What is 3D printing? http://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/ Date accessed:
26/04/2016
7. Mobile phones now and then https://blog.mysms.com/mobile-phones-now-andthen-a-little-history-lesson.html Date accessed: 27/04/2016
8. Graphic design production https://www.goupward.com/insights/branding/graphicdesign-production30-years-of-advancement.html Date accessed: 27/04/2016
9. Mobile phone http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/mobile_phone.html Date
accessed: 27/04/2016
10. LCDs http://www.explainthatstuff.com/lcdtv.html Date accessed: 27/04/2016

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