I think we are seeing a trend whereby graphic designers who had been calling themselves “designers” for the last few years are now becoming proud of being “graphic designers” again, and are finding a new appreciation for the graphic design traditions that, during the internet boom, they were patronizingly told over and over again “were SOOO print”. The re-emergence of grid systems, increased consciousness of typography (and techniques to go beyond the fonts included with browsers), the widespread adoption of CSS, have all largely been pioneered by people whose appreciation of the “graphic” part has been core to their professional
identity.
It’s a trend I hope continues.