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Graphics and Visual Design Fundamentals

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Graphics and Visual Design Fundamentals Intro to Graphic Design Brief History of Graphic Design
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Brief History of Graphic Design

Chaman 19th March 2020
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Graphic design is so much everywhere, every magazine, every billboard, every hoarding, every print signage that we see are part of our modern world. It is really very hard for us to ignore the fact that Design is not present everywhere, it’s about everywhere and is an important part of the world. It was present even in the ancient times, from Ajanta Cave Designs to Kamasutra paintings, all though it’s been a long journey from stone tools to digital tablets. In short, the history of graphic design is a story that spans the entirety of human existence and it has the power to inspire to reform even modern graphic designers.

Before starting anything, it’s good for any profession that you know when, how and why it all started. So join us as we trace the roots of design from pre-industrial history into the modern industry we know today. Who wonders, who knows, you must be leaving your own piece of art in history! Every designer in the modern world will be creating a history for future upcoming designers. For example, Paul Rand, one of the greatest designer created history in Brands and Communication Design. Johny Vino is creating history when it comes to most Humanized Centered Interaction Design (he is sort of humanizing the design, makes it more intuitive and real life, when it comes to digital products).

Before the printing press

Graphic design proper really began after the invention of the printing press in 1440, but the roots of visual communication stretch all the way back to caveman times.

Cave paintings ~38,000 BCE

Cave-paintings-38000-BCE
It seems like humans have always had an inherent drive towards art, evidenced by the early cave paintings dating back to prehistoric times.

Sumerian written language – 3300 – 3000 BCE

Sumerian written language – 3300 – 3000 BCE
The Sumerians created one of the first written languages, most likely as a means of recording trader inventories to ensure couriers didn’t steal anything on deliveries. These earliest languages were logographic—icons represented entire words instead of phonetic sounds.

Advancements in Chinese printing 200 CE – 1040 CE

Advancements in Chinese printing 200 CE – 1040 CE
China holds most of the records for printing discoveries, including non-papyrus paper making, woodblock printing, and movable type.

Medieval calligraphy – 700s

Medieval calligraphy – 700s
In the Middle Ages, typography started to take off as humanity started expanding its aesthetic horizons into the letters and words themselves.

European heraldry – ~1100

European heraldry – ~1100
Technically, the world’s first logo is the coat of arms, used as a symbol to represent family houses or territories.

Storefront signage – 1389

Storefront signage – 1389
In the 14th century, beer and ale were viable if not preferable alternatives for drinking water at a time when most water sources were polluted. King Richard II of England made a law that ale houses must have signs out front so the public could find them easier.

The birth of Graphic Design: Printing Press in Industrial World

With the advent of the printing press, humans were able to recreate text, art, and design. The ancestors of modern companies also on the rise soon took notice of how such visuals could affect shopping behaviors and increase profits, thus the modern graphic design was born.

The invention of the Gutenberg press – 1439

Invention of the Gutenberg press – 1439
Johannes Gutenberg brought moveable type to Europe in 1439, introducing mass communication to Western culture and forever changing civilization.

First logos – late 1400s

First logos – late 1400s
It was the printing industry that first used logos, although they were limited to just marks on their own documents. It wasn’t just a branding device, but also a means to show off your printing skill.

First print advertisements – 1620s

First print advertisements – 1620s
The printing press gave way to the “coranto,” the precursor to the newspaper. And in the early 1600s, these corantos featured the first printed advertisements.

Chromolithography – 1837

Chromolithography – 1837
Technological advancements continued to fuel the progression of graphic design, such as the ability to print in color, or chromolithography.

Graphic design when really began: the modern era

Graphic design as we know it today really started developing in the modern era, roughly the late 1800s. With printing now a common tech and competition fueling innovation, artists and designers were pushed to explore new styles and techniques, which quickly trickled into advertising, branding and visual communication.

The Wiener Werkstätte (first graphic design agency) – 1903

The Wiener Werkstätte (first graphic design agency) – 1903
With more and more companies recognizing the benefit of graphic design, it was just a matter of time before the first graphic design agency emerged.

Staatliches Bauhaus founded – 1919

Staatliches Bauhaus founded – 1919
Furthering what the Wiener Werkstätte started, the Staatliches Bauhaus, or just simply “Bauhaus,” first opened its doors in Weimar, Germany in 1919.

The term “Graphic Design” appears for the first time – 1922

In his article “New Kind of Printing Calls for New Design” (printed in the Boston Evening Transcript, August 29, 1922), book designer William Addison Dwiggins first used the term “graphic design” to describe exactly what his role was in structuring and managing the visuals in book design. From day one, designers were struggling to explain to non-designers what, exactly, they did.

Paul Rand publishes Thoughts on Design – 1947

Paul Rand publishes Thoughts on Design – 1947
With one foot in modernism and the other in post-modernism, legendary designer Paul Rand helped lead graphic design into its current form.

A glimpse into the digital era

From the 1950s onward, the world began its approach to the digital era we’re currently enjoying. The mass-adoption of home computers and the invention of the printing press resulted in a new age for mass communication and granting access to modern art styles and digital software for new methods of creating art. Adobe Photoshop – first released in 1990—even on its own changed the face of graphic design.

A glimpse into the digital era
Simultaneously, the nature of branding also evolved to meet the changing times. We partially have MTV to thank for this – they brought a fresh new take on logo usage, particularly in constantly changing theirs while retaining recognizable characteristics.

The history of graphic design is ongoing

That pretty much brings us up to date with graphic design, but one area still remains a mystery: what is the future of graphic design? The progression of visual communication from cave paintings to digital software can serve as great inspiration, but what’s next? AR, VR, or something else? Graphic Design emerges to become one of the most artistic communication model and problem solver for businesses to make profits and stand out from the crowd and raise their own voice. Are you utilizing the power of Graphic Design? If not till yet, then you must start doing some utilization of the same to enhance your brand’s communication channel.

Source: Wikipedia and 99designs