A Brief History of Graphic Design
Written by: Peter Goulding | September 17, 2009
Being completely honest, this is the only the second post I’ve ever written anywhere online, so please be gentle. Although I read blogs regularly, I’ve never felt the need to blog myself, that is of course until Justin opened my eyes to whole social media/blogging thing. Where once I was lost, now I’m found.
As I mentioned, I visit a lot of different blogs sites and although the information is mostly top drawer, my personal experience has always been that most blogs contain random posts sometimes with little order or structure. So in an effort to bring some structure to my posts, over the coming weeks and months, I will start our journey at the beginning and work my way forward.
The Big Bang!!!!
We now know that within moments of the big bang which created our universe, roughly fifteen billion years ago, the building blocks of design were also created. These being color, shape, size, texture, direction, tone and line.
Roughly 14.75 billion years later these building blocks began to be used in very primitive ways by the first humans on this planet, no macs, no sketch pads and no internet, just sticks and some home made paint. Hats off to our cave men ancestors, it can’t have been easy to design or illustrate something. Their stories were told and passed from generation to generation by these prehistoric cave paintings. Although extremely primitive, these cave paintings were probably the very first examples of visual communication. Being the local cave man designer might have been a pretty fatal career, I can’t imagine the alpha male taking to kindly to a miss-interrupted brief. And so began man’s search for ways to give visual form to ideas and concepts, to store knowledge, to communicate through signs and symbols, and to bring order and clarity to information.
Darius The Great Designer
Around 5000 BC, the world’s first great empire was ruled by a clever and dynamic leader called “Darius The Great”. The Persian empire spanned twenty nations, from the Mediterranean in the west to the Indian Ocean in the east. Darius faced the impossible task of communicating with millions of people across a vast empire with many different languages.
After much hair pulling and random executions, he had a brain wave, his inspired solution can probably be seen as the first appearance of an international brand or logo. He depicted himself as an Archer and had this image engraved on coins and etched in rock right across his empire. The Archer was an image familiar to everyone across this enormous kingdom, it was symbolic of military prowess, wisdom and leadership, and a good archer was believed to posses great balance and control. This was the identity he wished his people to associate with him. His ingenious idea sowed the seeds for the branding we interact with today.
Addison Dwiggins
The term “Graphic Design” seems to have been invented by one Addison Dwiggins, an unusual name to say the lest, around 1922, to describe his profession as an individual who brought structure, order and visual form to printed communications. Where once producing designs and printing had been one of the same, the demands of a growing market led two separate disciplines. The result was the birth of the graphic designer and the profession as we know it. Little did Addy realize it would turn into a multi million euro industry before the end of the century.
World War II
The power of graphic design and its influence was quickly recognized in pre-World War II Germany, by Adolf Hitler. Although he was completely crackers and hell bent on destroying the world, he understood that image and word combined, was an extremely effective cocktail. Germany and her people were seduced by Hitler’s powerful vision of Nazi Germany which he communicated through mass publicity design. The Swastika became Germany’s brand, its identity during this period and although the original meaning of the symbol means “well being” it is now associated with a very dark period of the 20th Century.
Design In Digital
In the late 20th century, the introduction of computers and new technologies revolutionized graphic design. Many manual processes such as typesetting have been completely done away with. Just picturing how the profession used to be, with all that manuel work, seems like something from the dark ages. Imagine the time involved in typesetting, you’d want pretty patient clients.
The introduction of desktop publishing software brought the means of production into the studio and greatly increased the speed at which work could be produced. Pixels have become an alternative to print, the mouse and wacom tablet have become an alternative to pen and paper. It was once said that the pen was mightier than the sword, would it be true to say; that the mouse has become mightier than the pen? Color has become more alive and vibrant through improved printing processes and monitor displays. The internet provides instant inspiration and information at our finger tips, online communities of designers can share ideas, educate and connect. We live in a digital world that moves a such as speed, if you stop to blink, your yesterdays news. We´re overloaded with so much information, and at such a fast pace, that keeping up to date with what´s going on seems like a full time job in its self. I’m sure I’m not alone in this belief.
Today
The profession of graphic design has gone from being an ¨S¨ to an ¨XXXXXXXL¨and now encompasses many creative disciplines and the boundaries between these disciplines seem to becoming increasingly more blurred. This is probably due mainly to the internet, access to a global economy and this new digital world. I see more and more employers looking for designers with print and web skills, although designing for the web is a completely different medium to designing something that will be printed and requires a different approach and understanding. That is not to say an experienced designer can’t do both but the relevance of that statement would be in the word “experienced”.
Some of the design work being produced today is mind blowing, inspiring and engaging. I find myself saying more and more ¨how the f#ck did they do that” and please excuse my language but I’m just being honest. The industry is bubbling with talent and creativity is exploding on our monitors, TV’s, billboards and magazines. Being designers allows us to explore and develop a very healthy and positive part of being human, our creativity. The tools and technologies at our disposal have enhanced and energized our ability to be creative. We live and work in interesting and exciting times…
Sources: A Century Of Graphic Design – Jeremy Aynsley, Graphic Design for the 21st Century – Charlotte and Peter Fiell
Topics: Graphic Design | View Comments
Posted on 17 September 2009 by Peter Goulding
Peter is a multi-disciplined graphic designer, specializing in branding, editorial design and layout, user interface design, advertising and typography. He currently operates as Creative Director of a Media and Design company based in Southern Spain. If you were to ask Peter for some good design advice, more than likely he would repeat over and over again ¨Good design is in the small details¨. You can connect with Peter on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.
Peter Goulding has written 10 articles for Cloud Mixer
September 17th, 2009 at 15:39
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