technology

 a replica of Gutenberg's press

Style choices are not under the control of designers. they are related to the ways technology develops in a broader cultural sphere.

what's style?

Alfred Stevens, La parisienne Japonaise (1872)

 for example, japonisme, which explodes in France by 1864, then comes to America 20 years later.

the graphic design profession

Some ideas...

To understand graphic design, we have to look at:

1- the profession (how many of you are aware of John Baskerville or Mathew Carter or Zuzana Licko?).
2- technology (as technology advances, we need to understand its place and value).
3- style (what's your syntax? what makes your design yours?).
4- Cultural traditions (graphic design is a product of our age, we have to understand it).