History of Graphic Designing

Graphic design has become so integral to our daily lives that it is difficult to imagine our modern world without it. To put it succinctly, the history of graphic design is influenced by human history and has the potential to inspire and instruct current graphic designers. By knowing where, why, and how this industry developed, modern designers, can get a better understanding of their place in history. Possibly, studying the past can offer fresh perspectives for the future. So, come along with us as we look back at the beginnings of design from ancient times to today.

Before releasing of the printing press, there is:

Cave Paintings, Sumerian Writing, Chinese Printing, Medieval Calligraphy, and European Heraldry, were the beginnings of Graphic Design.

Cave Paintings:

Cave Painting

Cave Painting is part of Partial Art. It was discovered in an Indonesian cave and is more than 40,000 years old. 

The oldest is usually made with simple geometric shapes and hand stencils. However, in 2021, cave art depicting a pig discovered on an Indonesian island and dating back more than 45,500 years has been reported. 

According to a study conducted in 2018, the oldest piece of Iberian cave art is 64,000 years old. These three red non-figurative symbols, which are found in the caves of Maltravieso, Ardales, and La Pasiega, Spain, represent the appearance of modern humans in Europe by at least 20,000 years and must have been created by Neanderthals rather than modern humans.

In the Lubang Jeriji Saléh cave, a painting of an unknown bovine, one of the oldest known figurative paintings, was found. It was dated to be more than 40,000 years old (possibly even 52,000 years old). 

In France and Spain, nearly 350 caves containing prehistoric art have been discovered. Since methods like radiocarbon dating can produce misleading results if contaminated by other samples and caves and rocky overhangs, where parietal art is typically found, are typically littered with debris from multiple time periods, the age of the paintings was initially a contentious issue. However, subsequent technology has made it possible to date the paintings by sampling the pigment itself, torch marks on the walls, or carbonate deposits on top of the paintings. The subject matter can also provide an indication of the time period: For instance, the drawings in the Spanish cave known as Cueva de las Monedas depict reindeer from the previous ice age.

Bovine

Reindeer

A red hand stencil found in the Maltravieso cave in Cáceres, Spain, is the oldest known cave painting. It was made by a Neanderthal and has been dated using the uranium-thorium method to be older than 64,000 years. The depiction of several human figures hunting pigs in the caves of the Maros-Pangkep karst in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, has been dated to be over 43,900 years old, making it the oldest animal cave painting ever found. Prior to this, the oldest known figurative cave paintings were a bull depiction from Lubang Jeriji Saléh cave in East Kalimantan, Borneo, dated to 40,000 years, and a pig depiction from Timpuseng cave in Sulawesi, dated to 35,400 years.

Between 30,000 and 32,000 years ago, an artistic depiction of a group of rhinoceros was completed in the Chauvet Cave.

Sumerian Writing:

Sumerian Writing

The language of ancient Sumer is Sumerian. Since at least 3500 BC, it is one of the oldest languages that have been recorded. It is generally agreed that it is an isolated local language that originated in ancient Mesopotamia, also known as the Fertile Crescent, in the region that is now Iraq.

Modern Map of Sumer

Sumer 4500-1900 BC

In Akkadian-speaking Mesopotamian states like Assyria and Babylonia, Sumerians continued to be used as a sacred, official, literary, and scientific language until the first century AD. However, around 2000 BC (the precise date is debated), Akkadian, a Semitic language, gradually replaced Sumerian as the language spoken in the region. After that, it appears to have faded into obscurity until the 19th century, when Assyriologists began deciphering cuneiform inscriptions and digging up tablets left by its speakers.

Symbol of Ashur, Assyrian Ancient Nation

Akkadian Language

A different language is Sumerian. Numerous efforts have been made to connect it to various languages since its understanding. Due to their strange status as one of the oldest written languages, proposals for linguistic relations frequently have a nationalist background. These ideas don't get much support from linguists because they can't be proven. Many people once believed that Sumerian was an Indo-European language; However, most people stopped believing that over time.

Chinese Printing:

Chinese Printing

The Chinese figured out how to use blocks of wood and other materials to print on paper. The first type of printing that was used in China was "seals", which were impressions or stamps made on wood or other materials. Around 250 BCE, seals were engraved on personal letters, official documents, and artwork. Books were printed in China using large wooden blocks beginning in the 9th century. Soon, China began printing on a larger scale, and books were readily available throughout the country. Every Chinese city had a bookshop. Literacy increased as a result of this increase in the number of books.

From the rubbing of ink onto paper or cloth from inscriptions on stone tablets used in China during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-206 CE), printing developed in East Asia. One of China's "Four Great Inventions" that has spread throughout the world is printing.

Before the 8th century AD, a special type of printing called "Mechanical Woodblock printing" on paper was widespread in China during the Tang Dynasty. The use of woodblock printing spread throughout Asia, and the concept of printing reached Europe, where the "Mechanical Press" was invented by Johannes Gutenberg, a German publisher, & inventor who improved the design. 

According to Shen Kuo's, "Dream Pool Essays of 1088", the Chinese craftsman "Bei Sheng" invented an early form of "Movable" type made of clay and pieces of wood that were used to write "Chinese characters". 

During the "Goryeo period in the 13th century", the movable metal type was used in Korea. From 1239 to 1240, the first movable types were made in Korea. In 2009, a 2nd discovery was made, & the type was dated to 1377.

Woodblock Printing

Mechanical Press

Bei Sheng

Movable Type

Medival Calligraphy:

The art of hand-drawing beautiful symbols is called calligraphy. It was said that Medieval calligraphy was one of the most expensive and beautiful ways to decorate writing in the Middle Ages.

Since the Romans first adopted Greek writing and their alphabet in the 1st century, it was even regarded as art. The Romans created their first letters with sharpened quills and broad nibs, and this art flourished until the 15th century.

Medieval Calligraphy

The predominant characteristic of medieval calligraphy, also known as Western calligraphy, was the use of Latin Script. The Latin alphabet is said to have been used on some painted walls and stone writings in Rome in 600 BC.

Other calligraphic styles used in the 1st & 2nd centuries developed alongside medieval calligraphy in Europe.

Monks in the church and monasteries eventually adopted and modified these writing styles. Uncial lettering, which was widely used to copy Bible verses and text, was one of the writing styles developed. The Romans maintained these calligraphic practices throughout the Dark Ages.

The majority of today's font faces and styles are the results of calligraphy. Authentic calligraphers in the medieval era created the fonts and techniques that are now used in modern writing. These were the inspiration for the fonts and styles.

The calligraphy style known as "Square Capitals" dates back to the early Roman Empire & remained in use until around the 6th century. 

Several abbreviations were indicated by dots between the words in this type of script, which was distinguished by distinct letters formed by straight lines.

Square Capitals

The design of Roman rustic capitals is Robust & Dynamic. They are useful for formal documents like announcements, titles, and other legal documents. It is the alternative to grand, stone-chiseled square capitals.

The Gutenberg press, a printing device developed in the 15th century, led to the decline of medieval calligraphy. However, aesthetics and a number of other philosophies of art and craftsmanship helped to revive it in the 19th century. 

Calligraphy is still regarded as a significant component of the writing art to this day

 

European Heraldry:

"Heraldry" encompasses the study of armorial bearings, also known as the armory, as well as related fields like vexology and the study of event, rank, and genealogy. The armory, which deals with the creation and transmission of heraldic achievement, is the sub-field of harpers that receives the most attention.

Due to their perceived beauty and spectacle, Heraldic designs were able to gradually abandon battlefield weapons during the seventeenth century.

Hyghalmen Roll was made in the late 15th century by the Germans

The coat of arms, which is used as a symbol to represent family homes or territories, was technically the first logo ever created. Scholars hypothesize that the practice spread during the Crusades, when soldiers from different nations and houses mixed together to make it easier to distinguish them, especially on armor and battle flags.

The goal of a house's coat of arms, like that of logos, was to represent the people's values, characteristics, and fashions. Later, these symbols were used for more practical things like making wax seals to show authenticity.

Beer and ale were viable, if not better, alternatives to drinking water in the 14th century when the majority of water sources were polluted. England's King Richard II enacted a law requiring ale houses to post signs outside to make it easier for customers to find them.

These were not only the first signs that actually represented businesses rather than houses, but they also established a lovely tradition that continues to this day.

The birth of Graphic Design in the 1400s: (Renaissance & Industrial Era)

Humanity was able to reproduce text, art, and design on a large scale at a low cost when the printing press was invented in Europe. The ancestors of modern businesses, which are also on the rise, quickly realized how these visuals could influence consumer purchasing decisions and boost profits, resulting in the development of a modern graphic design.

Gutenberg Press:

In 1439, Johannes Gutenberg introduced movable type to Europe, revolutionizing civilization and Western culture with mass communication. The Gutenberg press made it possible for people to read books without having to wait for long, scholarly copies. This made literature (and literacy) more accessible to the general public and more affordable. The Gutenberg press opened the door to more commercial applications of design, ushering in the modern era of graphic design.

First Logo:(1400)

Logo design can be traced back to ancient Greece, where kings used coins as monograms. However, people have used a wide variety of symbols to convey identity and social status since the beginning of society. The ancient Egyptians used this method of identification.

The current logo's historical ancestors are the Renaissance and the 13th century. Potters, masons, and goldsmiths first started putting logos on their work as a way to show ownership.

Over time, society evolved and became industrialized. By the 19th century, there were over 700 lithographic printers operating solely in the United States. At that time, rather than the artist, printing companies were given credit for the art of printing.

The most important part of logo designing is still the basic strength of symbols. The alphabet, among other signs and symbols used in human literary and visual language for centuries, gives meaning to logos. An apple, for example, is a powerful symbol that logo designers have used for centuries. Most Western viewers associate the image of apples with food, the "forbidden fruit" in the Garden of Eden, Snow White, Apple computers, etc.

Semiotics discusses human communication in terms of signs and symbols, which is the study of signs and symbols and the use or interpretation of those signs and symbols. Words, images, tastes, and even smells are examples of signs.

Things that, unless we invest in them, have no intrinsic value. We assign meaning to a variety of signs and symbols to understand and negotiate the world around us.

In the West images of snakes are associated with evil. On the other hand, a snake is just a snake without our Western cultural and mythological associations, many of which are rooted in the Bible.

The meaning of a logo is frequently a baffling idea, and experts may disagree on whether a logo is a masterpiece or an abomination. Logography's subjective nature of meaning is a component of its beauty and wonder.

In the Victorian era, there was a lot of interest in giving credit for craftsmanship and a lot of mass production, which led to the first exclusive logos. Bass Brewery's logo was trademarked for the first time in 1876. The "Bass" text was written in a sweeping cursive style similar to Coca-Cola's instantly recognizable scrawl, and it was a red triangle.

In Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "Theory of Colors," color psychology also made its debut in the 1800s. In it, red was described as evoking a sense of gravity and dignity.

First Print Advertisement:(1620s)

The first English newspaper was The Corinthian, published in 1620. Instead of stand-alone publications based on German & Dutch models from the 1st decade of the 17th century, Corantos provided a flowing "current" of news, some of which were widely read in England. The first English-language Corinth was published in Amsterdam on December 2, 1620, with the headline "New news out of Italy not yet arrived."

The topic was the recent Battle of the White Mountains outside of Prague on November 8, 1620, which had driven Elizabeth of Bohemia, King James I's daughter, into exile.

The interest of Protestant readers in the fortunes of their coreligionists on the continent during the 30 Years War contributed to the success of early English Corinthians, as did the opening of a new market for regular handwritten reports by scribes.

One of the earliest print advertisement

Chromolithography:(1837s)

The ability to print in color and chromolithography are two examples of technological advancements that have continued to propel the development of graphic design. 

Although chromolithography was primarily used to recreate paintings for use in home decor, it also opened up new opportunities for advertising.

A lot of the modern-day marketing techniques, like distinctive color schemes and the creation of emotional connections through slice-of-life scenes, were now available to brands. 

In the past, images were stilted due to the technology of the time (see the ink blot coranto image in the preceding section) and placed an emphasis on basic clarity rather than expressing complex emotions. However, chromolithography made it possible to achieve a certain level of realism, enabling advertisements to make use of appealing models, current fashions, and artistic color use.

Graphic Designing in the Modern Age:

From the 1800s to the end of World War II, graphic design started to grow. The modern era was about learning how to use technological advancements for more artistic purposes, on the other hand, the 19th century was more about new capabilities and technological advancement. 

Artists and designers were forced to discover new styles and techniques because of that printing became a common technology, which quickly spread to advertising and branding.

Here we discuss modern-age graphic designing and how this is different from the past.

The Wiener Werkstättem: (First Graphic Design Agency-1903)

It was only a matter of time before the first graphic design agency emerged as more and more businesses recognized the value of graphic design. The Wiener Werkstätte, a business and design collective from Austria, is the recipient of this distinction.

The Wiener Werkstätte, which simply translates to "Vienna workshop," was the first group of visual artists, including painters, architects, and early graphic designers. It set the standard for all other collaborative agencies to follow in terms of organization.

 Werkstätte monogram-rose logo- the Galerie Miethke 

Innovation in design, like cubism, was perhaps its most significant legacy. Additionally, as a group of professional artists working together, they had a significant impact on the development of design guidelines for future generations of artists, particularly those born after World War I, when global cultural attitudes were shifting. The popular Bauhaus and Art Deco styles that followed were influenced by Wiener Werkstätte's work.

"Graphic Design" term appears for the first time in 1922

For the first time in history, the term Graphic Design appears. "William Addison Dwiggins " who was American Book Designer, use this term in his article that was published in August 1922. 

William Addison Dwiggins

The transfer of the world into the digital era we are currently experiencing began in the 1950s. The use of home computers is technological development,  it started a new era of mass communication and provided access to digital software for art creation.

Today main Digital software that is used in the field of Graphic Designing is Adobe Photoshop. This software really gets critical importance because of the building of Graphic designing standing on it. Apart from this, there is also other software that is very important, the top one being Coral Draw which is important for designing. This modern Digital software has changed the face of Graphic design. 

Even by itself, Adobe Photoshop, which debuted in 1990, revolutionized graphic design. By combining elements of photography, illustration, and computer-generated imagery (CGI), photo manipulation created a brand-new sub-field of graphic design that would have pleased the Gesamtkunstwerk artists.

At the same time, branding's nature changed to keep up with the times. We partially owe this to MTV because they introduced a novel approach to the use of logos, particularly in that they constantly changed theirs while maintaining recognizable characteristics.

Here are some examples of modern-age graphic designs:

Advancement in Graphic Design

 

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