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Finding trustworthy Information about Graphic Artists
- Books
Books are the best place to find trustworthy information about a graphic designer and examples of their work.
There are three online books which you have access to or you can request a physical book from the library.
Click the Books Online tab on the left.
- Graphis website
Graphis has been publishing books and journals on Graphic design since the 1944. Their website has a section of
masters artists who "set the standard of excellence in their professions." and another section of working artists who
have uploaded their portfolios. You can be sure you are seeing the work of a specific artist. Biographical information
for the "masters" should be easy to locate from Wikipedia or their websites. Biographical information for working artists
who are not "masters" might be more difficult to locate. There is a View Bio icon in their portfolios, but it usually just
gives contact information. Sometimes a webpage is given where you can find more information about the artist.
Click the Graphis Website tab on the left.
- Reputable image depositories.
If you are researching a particular artist, you can search for their works in several image depositories.
The pictures in these depositories have been vetted.
The drawback of this method is that usually only well know artists will be represented.
If you are off campus you will have to log into ArtStor through the Proxy Server. Login and password is your Pawprint.
Click the Image Repositories tab on the left.
- Artist's webpages
If you are researching a contemporary artist, you can try to locate their website.
- What you should avoid
Sometimes images are incorrectly attributed. This is especially true if Google or Bing pull the image from a popular
site like Pinterest. Trying to determine if an image is correctly attributed to an artist can take more time that it is worth.
It is easier to start by using books, either online and physical, or by using the Graphis website.
If you are determined to press on, the Journalism library has a guide on evaluating information with a section verifying images and video.
