![]() Because texts in this period were produced and replicated by hand, a little artistry made the books more valuable and set certain scholars apart from others. In the Middle Ages, typography started to take off as humanity started expanding its aesthetic horizons into the letters and words themselves. In 1040, Bi Sheng invented the world’s first movable type printing press out of porcelain, more than 400 years before Gutenburg brought a similar technology to Europe. ![]() Advancements in Chinese printing 200 CE – 1040 CE A woodblock print of a Chinese play from the Yuan dynasty.Ĭhina holds most of the records for printing discoveries, including non-papyrus paper making, woodblock printing, and movable type-all of which occurred earlier than you might have guessed.Īs far back as 200 CE, China used wood reliefs to print and stamp designs on silk clothes, and later paper. And in the last few millennia, not much has changed: designers still rely on icons like hamburger menus or magnifying glasses to represent entire words and concepts in limited space. This suggests a natural ability of humans to use visual representation to communicate complex ideas, a cornerstone of modern graphic design. These earliest languages were logographic-icons represented entire words instead of phonetic sounds. As far as we know, 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. Via Wikipedia Sumerian written language – 3300 – 3000 BCE An ancient Sumerian tablet bearing sad news: a letter written to the king of Lagash informing him of his son’s death in battle.Īs you read this article, interpreting all these tiny, abstract marks of the Latin Alphabet into words and sentences, it’s easy to forget that alphabets are a man-made invention. Cueva de las Manos in Perito Moreno, Argentina. Historians debate the fine details as to who these were meant to communicate with (whether each other or their gods), but one thing that’s clear is, right from the start, humanity displayed a knack for communicating with visuals. Subjects vary from animals to hand imprints to events like hunting, and they’ve been found all over the world (Australia, Spain, Indonesia, France, Argentina, just to name a few). It seems like humans have always had an inherent drive towards art, evidenced by the early cave paintings dating back to prehistoric times. ![]() In this section, we’ll run down the events of early history that paved the way for graphic design centuries before the world was ready for it. 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. The history of graphic design is ongoingīefore the printing press: Prehistory to the Renaissance.The birth of graphic design: Renaissance and Industrial Era.Before the Printing Press: Prehistory to the Renaissance.With any luck, you might just leave your own footprint along the way! 3D caveman character by Emanuel Barros So join us as we trace the roots of design from pre-industrial history into the industry we know today. In more practical terms, stylistic trends are cyclical, and studying the past can inspire some innovative ideas in the present. ![]() In short, the history of graphic design is a story that spans the entirety of human existence and it has the power to inspire and inform even modern graphic designers.įor one thing, knowing where, why and how this industry came about helps designers understand their place alongside history. And in some ways, we never have: visual communication is about as old as our opposable thumbs, though it’s been a long journey from stone tools to digital tablets. Graphic design is so much a part of our modern world that it is hard to imagine living without it. ![]()
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