History of Graphic Design

The dawn of the 20th century brought with it an era of inspirational evolution of human expression, and from this innovation the term 'graphic designer' emerged as a by- product. From the ancient caves of Lascaux in 13,000 B.C. to the present day billboards of NYC, these elements of creative art are all significant milestones in the history of graphic design and its related contemporaries.

The history of graphic design can be traced back from the birth of graphic images on the walls of Lascaux in 13,000 BC with the beginning of written language. These were perhaps the two biggest landmarks in the history of graphic design, which further led to the production of graphic designing on a broader level.

By 650 B.C. the ancient Greeks started using large diameter punches to imprint images and designs onto coins and tokens. This episode in the history of graphic design led to the discovery of moveable types or typefaces used to print books. Around 1040, Chinese inventor Bi Sheng invented moveable types with Chinese text on it. When used with ink, these typefaces could easily print monographic images of the texts into many copies without much labor. However, it was only around 1450 that the history of graphic Graphic design witnessed the greatest phase of progression, when a German inventor Johannes Gutenberg introduced moveable types in Europe that made the books widely available. The history of graphic design then did not see any significant development until the Arts and Crafts movement in the late 19th century. By then, chapters in the history of graphic design evolved into different forms of mass communication including typography, image development and page layout.

Though the history of graphic design cannot be ignored in today's fast paced age of globalization and consumer advertising, its roots have definitely been forgotten.


Article written by Jeff Allen. graphic design seattle - seattle graphic design