As the mosaic involves, as parallel fields, the small scale of each tile and the large scale of the image, so my generative approach works simultaneously on the small and the large scale. I would like to take advantage of the fact that we are in Ravenna, the capital of the mosaic, to make some considerations on my approach to generative art. Thanks to FontShop Canada for contributing the font to the cause. I once overheard the comment that “Typography is a container for language.” On that note, I’m pleased that this Journal can introduce the font Cartier Book by Canadian typographic designer Rod McDonald as a “container” with a distinctly Canadian voice. Many “Thanks!” are in order: to Mary Ann Maruska and Ulrich Wodicka as the Journal’s founding editors to Brian Donnelly for writing and compiling core content re: Carl Dair for this issue (yes, several years ago) to Matt Warburton for persistently hounding the various GDC Chapters for histories of their formation, as well as for a remarkable interview with Friedrich Peter to Cynthia Hoffos and her colleagues at Concepts 3 for editing and checking histories to David Berman for contributing the benchmark GDC Code of Ethics to Susan McWatt for investment of tireless talent in designing this issue to Dale Simonson for the cover design to my colleagues at Circle for all their help to Domtar for donating the paper and, significantly, to the individual authors and article contributors (who are credited alongside their submissions) without whom a journal cannot come to be. It’s my hope, however, that these pages will in some small way spur on further record keeping, writing and sharing of information regarding our budding young profession (I also hope that the next issue will hit the press before another half decade elapses…). Regarding history, I’ll be the first to admit that the records, reminiscences, and reports compiled in this issue are a mere beginning. Born the love child of mother Art and father Industry, graphic design is at last beginning to assert itself – reaching beyond its servitude to Marketing, grasping the role that it plays in shaping culture, and taking responsibility for its global impact in an age of information and ideas. The graphic design profession itself is in its infancy, trailing its cousins architecture and engineering, for example, by many generations. Vast distances between cities, significant regional differences, a seeming mistrust of things ‘National,’ and typical characteristics of a frontier nation conspire to make broad communication and collective processes a challenge. Canada is a massive land, covering nearly 10 million km2 and with a sparse human population of less than 32 million. This issue’s focus is the history of Canadian graphic design, an admittedly difficult topic to obtain an overview of. A journal is a record – of information, of formally shared opinions, of words and wisdom – sometimes anecdotal, sometimes proverbial and sometimes historical. This Journal’s primary goals include: to provide a forum to encourage dialogue regarding graphic design to promote excellence in design and to help record the history and development of the graphic design profession in Canada. Ergo, some of the content of this issue has “matured” in oak cabinets for a period of time, so please savour with that in mind. As 2002 begins more than five years have passed… though in spite of what pessimists might say, late is better than never. The Journal began in 1993 and the last issue prior to this one saw the light of day in 1996. If you are reading this, then this fifth issue of GDC’s Graphic Design Journal has finally materialized. A problem with optimists is that they rarely find occasion to be pleasantly surprised.
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