Graphic design of Ukraine: from the “artistry” of the 1960s to the aesthetics of today

The article examines the aesthetic features of Ukrainian graphic design from the 60s of the 20th century to modern times. The task of the article is to characterize the changes that have taken place in the attitude towards the aesthetic component of domestic graphic design during its development since the 60s of the 20th century to the present; identify the factors that influenced this process. The research methodology combines the techniques of comparative and comparativehistorical analysis, which are based on historical and systemic approaches. The materials of the article show that the “artistry” of applied graphics of the 60s was determined by its conceptual proximity to artistic fields and attitude to it as to one of the areas of creative activity. This determined the borrowing of compositional and project-artistic tools characteristic of easel graphics, in particular, plot compositions and a wide use of printmaking tools, as well as the education of the artistic tastes of the population as the main goal of design activity. In contrast to the 60s of the 20th century, in modern graphic design, the choice of means and techniques is determined not by their availability, not by technical capabilities and limitations of reproduction, but by the expediency of using appropriate tools and technology for the most effective disclosure of the designer’s creative idea in accordance with existing utilitarian and aesthetic requirements. Modern graphic designers proceed from a systematic approach to the design of functional objects aimed at visualizing information, giving it a visually attractive form. The author concludes that over 60 years of its development, domestic graphic design has evolved from the “artistry” of the 1960s to the “aesthetics” of the beginning of the 21st century. Modern graphic design confirms one of the main laws of dialectics, in particular, the fact that the process of historical development goes along a spiral, which at each new turn seems to return to the old one, but at a higher level. The actualization of art and man-made means of graphic design today resemble the times of the 1960s, but the aesthetics of today is fundamentally different from the “artistry” of the second half of the 20th century, because it is not a manifestation of inertia and technical limitations, but a conscious choice of the designer, aimed at achieving greater individuality, uniqueness, satisfying the aesthetic needs of a demanding consumer.