When was graphic design invented?

Graphic design is so deeply embedded in our modern world that it’s hard to imagine what the world would look like without it. Yet, in fact, a world without graphic design has never existed. Graphic design is a form of visual communication—and we’ve always communicated visually. In this respect, graphic design is, strictly speaking, almost as old as humanity itself—even if the path from the first cave paintings to the digital tablet has been long and winding.

It’s important for designers to understand their own place in this history. And to know where, why, and how this industry emerged. A look at past trends and developments is both interesting and inspiring. After all, styles often repeat themselves, and engaging with the past can lead to new, innovative ideas. Let’s take a brief look at the most important milestones in the development of graphic design.

Cave paintings

The existence of cave paintings from prehistoric times proves that humans must have always had a need to express themselves artistically, across all cultures. Today, we find very early depictions of animals, handprints, and hunting all over the world. Historians still disagree about what or with whom these paintings were intended to communicate, but it is undisputed that humans have shown a talent for communicating with images from the very beginning.

The written language of the Sumerians

Written words and typography are an inseparable part of graphic design. And an inseparable part of our language and communication. The first written language was developed by the Sumerians – it is believed that they did this primarily to conduct trade, record inventories, and prevent goods from getting lost en route.

The earliest languages ​​were logographic. Instead of phonetic sounds, symbols represented entire words – just as symbols and icons do today in graphic design. This fact seems to indicate that humans have a natural ability to use and interpret visual representations to communicate even complex ideas.

Graphic design, typography and printing

When it comes to printing—that is, the reproduction of characters and scripts using printing processes—the early Chinese were extremely creative. They invented, among other things, paper, woodcuts, and the first movable type. As early as 200 years before the turn of the millennium, the Chinese used wood reliefs to transfer complex designs onto silk, and later onto paper. And in 104 AD, the Chinese Bi Sheng invented the first porcelain printing press. That was a full 400 years before Gutenberg developed his groundbreaking printing press in Europe.

Type design—that is, typography—experienced a boom in the Middle Ages. Now, it was no longer just about conveying information using writing; it became an essential design tool in the production of printed media. Books acquired special value through the artistic design of their content. Typography became particularly important in the Islamic world, where pictorial representations were often prohibited. Typography, on the other hand, was a generally accepted form of artistic expression.

Graphic design in advertising

The first applications of graphic design in advertising and marketing can be found in the form of shop signs. These have existed since the 14th century. Many water sources, especially in urban areas, were polluted, which is why beer became a preferred alternative to drinking water. To facilitate access to this beverage, King Richard II of England passed a law requiring pubs serving beer or ale to display clearly visible signs outside so that people could find them more easily. These shop signs were not only the first to represent businesses but also the origin of a tradition that lives on to this day.

Graphic design in the Renaissance

In 1439, Johannes Gutenberg introduced the first movable type in Europe, capable of reproducing written information as often as desired, very quickly, and very easily. In doing so, he ushered in mass communication in the Western world. Books, information sheets, and scientific treatises became accessible to a wider audience. Because Gutenberg’s press could reproduce not only pure text, but also images, symbols, and other elements, it paved the way for the commercial use of design – graphic design as we know it today was born.

The printing industry was the first to use “logos” to identify its own documents and books, apart from royal coats of arms. These logos were not only used as “branding” but also served to showcase one’s skills, as the quality with which a logo was printed provided an indication of the quality of the printing company.

The printing press also enabled the birth of the “Coranto,” the forerunner of the later newspaper, in the 16th century. These not only contained current information but also highlighted products or services with sophisticated design elements – thus, the first printed advertisements with images in mass-produced media emerged.

Color in graphic design

In the mid-18th century, chromolithography was developed. It made it possible to use multiple colors in printing—a true milestone for graphic design in the print industry!

Companies were now able to establish many of the marketing principles we still know today and build emotional connections with viewers by using everyday scenes. Soon, thanks to the more detailed depiction enabled by chromolithography, attractive models, trendy fashion, and artistic depictions also found their way into advertising.

Modern graphic design

Graphic design, as we know it today, developed between the late 19th century and the end of World War II. This was when the first graphic designers learned to utilize technological advances and the associated possibilities for their creative goals. In the field of marketing and advertising, printing had become a widely used technology. Newspapers and magazines offered an ideal medium, and the increasing competition resulting from the Industrial Revolution provided the necessary motivation to utilize the possibilities of graphic design to promote goods, services, and brands.

Graphic design in the 20th century

More and more companies recognized the value of graphic design for corporate communications, and so the first graphic design agencies emerged around 1903. The first and most well-known was the Wiener Werkstätte, which had a major influence on the development of modern styles and a clear design language. A wide variety of artists worked together within it – painters, architects, and the first graphic designers – although the term “graphic designer” wasn’t yet used. This term would only emerge later.

The State Bauhaus opened in Weimar in 1919. Here, designers, architects, interior designers, and artists continued the ideas that had their roots in the Wiener Werkstätte. And they had an ambitious goal: They wanted to create an artistic ideal that perfectly united all existing art forms. In doing so, they created a clear, modernist, goal-oriented style that continues to influence today. The Bauhaus became synonymous with good design.

The term “graphic designer”

The term “graphic designer” originates from the designer William Addison Dwiggins. He was the first to use the term in the article “New Kind of Printing Calls for New Design,” which appeared in the Boston Evening Transcript on August 29, 1922. Dwiggins used the term “graphic designer” to describe the role he plays in structuring and handling the visual content of a book’s design. It seems that from a very early stage, graphic designers had difficulty describing to other people exactly what they were doing.

Graphic design is growing up

In 1947, legendary designer Paul Rand published his work “Thoughts on Design,” in which he presented his ideas, concepts, and theories on graphic design. This work would shape the further development of this industry and the entire future of graphic design.

In his book, Rand calls for a stricter, clearer design philosophy, a “functional-aesthetic perfection.” He wanted to achieve a balance between high aesthetic standards and effective communication—for example, in the development of a logo. Many of his works reflect this design philosophy and are still familiar to us today: Paul Rand designed the logos of IBM, UPS, the ABC television network, and logos for Ford, NEXT, and Yale University.

Graphic design in a digital world

The digital world as we know it today is a product of technological developments that began in the 1980s. While the first modern computers appeared shortly after World War II, they didn’t enter widespread use in private households until the 1980s. Home computers ushered in a technological advance comparable to the invention of the printing press—a new era of mass communication, new software, and new methods for creating art and design.

The first version of Adobe Photoshop was released in 1990. Digital image processing created entirely new forms of expression, combining elements of photography, illustration, and architecture. And the emergence of the internet—especially the World Wide Web—opened up fresh new territory for graphic design, opening up space for new ideas, creativity, and entirely new products.

Image credits: Europeana