VALDOSTA STATE MAGAZINE 7 Valdosta State University’s Department of Art and Design is exploring what happens when longstanding, even ancient, art forms fuse with modern technology and how digital methods of art can be informed by technology dating back hundreds, even thousands, of years. The collision of old and new technologies across a large swath of creative processes — from graphic design and digital animation to figure drawing and printmaking to ceramics and metalsmithing —is providing art students with increased opportunities for innovation and artistic depth. In Evelyn Davis-Walker’s beginning graphic design course, students are not allowed to touch a computer for the first four weeks of the class. Instead, they learn the anatomy of a letter with help from a machine that revolutionized the printing industry centuries ago — the letterpress. The letterpress, invented in the 1400s and widely used until the mid-1900s, involves rolling ink onto prearranged blocks of wood, metal, or rubber letters and then pressing that type onto paper. The process of setting the type and prepping the letterpress so that it prints just right on the paper is a detailed, tedious process that requires much concentration. “Within the graphic design curriculum, typography is the foundation of good visual communication,” said Davis-Walker, professor of art. “If you’re using the wrong type or do not know how to set type well, it doesn’t matter how great your graphics are. The communication tends to not translate. I want to ensure students understand how to communicate with letterforms.” Davis-Walker also wants her students to understand how images and messages were created before computers and gain insight into the evolution of the art form they are studying.