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\u2014and we’ve always communicated visually. In this respect, graphic design is, strictly speaking, almost as old as humanity itself\u2014even if the path from the first cave paintings to the digital tablet has been long and winding.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Cave paintings<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The written language of the Sumerians<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 it is believed that they did this primarily to conduct trade, record inventories, and prevent goods from getting lost en route.<\/p>\n
The earliest languages \u200b\u200bwere logographic. Instead of phonetic sounds, symbols represented entire words \u2013 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. <\/p>\n
Graphic design, typography and printing<\/p>\n
When it comes to printing\u2014that is, the reproduction of characters and scripts using printing processes\u2014the 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.<\/p>\n
Type design\u2014that is, typography\u2014experienced 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 graphic design as we know it today was born.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 thus, the first printed advertisements with images in mass-produced media emerged.<\/p>\n
In the mid-18th century, chromolithography was developed. It made it possible to use multiple colors in printing\u2014a true milestone for graphic design in the print industry!<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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 Werkst\u00e4tte, 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 \u2013 painters, architects, and the first graphic designers \u2013 although the term “graphic designer” wasn’t yet used. This term would only emerge later.<\/p>\n
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 Werkst\u00e4tte. 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2014for 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2014a new era of mass communication, new software, and new methods for creating art and design.<\/p>\n
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\u2014especially the World Wide Web\u2014opened up fresh new territory for graphic design, opening up space for new ideas, creativity, and entirely new products.<\/p>\n
Image credits\ufeff<\/span>: Europeana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Graphic design sounds like an invention of the 1980s. But in reality, graphic design is even older than you might think!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9267,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alle","category-grafikdesign"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n