Welcome to Art History 101. In today’s class, we’re going to talk about the history of design, from game-changing moments in design history to why design is so important to us today.
From prehistoric times to the 21st century, we’ve experienced a dramatic evolution of technology and design methodologies. And even though it might seem like graphic design is a relatively new field, it actually has roots as old as humankind.
Ready to take a deep dive into the history of design? Whether you’re an art history buff, a graphic design pro, or just looking to level up your design skills, here’s everything you need to know about the history of graphic design.
Why Is Design Important?
Design is so important because it’s an avenue for storytelling. It’s the creation of an experience and the result of things we hear, see, and feel.
Even the earliest designs told stories of religion, philosophy, science, and art. Primitive humans anthropomorphized nature and established imagery connections between various phenomena to create impactful, generation-defying stories—behavior we still exhibit today.
Graphic design takes design to a new dimension, telling stories using visual communication. Even if you don’t realize it, graphic design is so entangled in our modern world that it’s hard to imagine life without it. And in some ways, we’ve never lived without graphic design.
Visual communication stems back centuries, though it’s been a long journey from early cave paintings to modern-day brand logos. One of the most exciting things about the design history timeline is that it remains largely unwritten. Despite the deep roots of design, design continues to change rapidly—and we can expect to see incredibly innovative riffs in the future.
What Are the Origins of Design?
The history of design stretches all the way back to the beginning of humankind, with the earliest cave paintings dating back to 70,000 BC. Thanks to early forms of visual and written language, humans were able to tell stories long before the invention of printing.
- The earliest cave paintings: In different places all over the world, primitive people laid the foundations of design by painting animals on cave walls. Historians estimate that the earliest geometric designs, created by iron ore on the southern coast of Africa, stem back to 70,000 BC.
- Hieroglyphs and early calligraphy: Ancient Egypt paved the way for visual communication, with hieroglyphs shaping the origins of Chinese calligraphy. Hieroglyphs emerged sometime between 4,000 and 3,000 BC, while the earliest calligraphy began around 4,000 BC.
- The original alphabet: The original alphabet can be traced back to the Semitic people, who began creating the alphabet around 1700 BC. It was based on hieroglyphics but incorporated specific symbols that resemble modern letters. It was quickly adopted by the Canaanites, Hebrews, and Phoenicians.
- The beginnings of pottery art: In 100 AD, the Nazca culture in South America began producing polychrome pottery to express cultural ideas. Soon after, in 600 AD, porcelain was invented.
- The first religious art designs: Between 250 AD and 1450 AD, Byzantine art conveyed religious messages with calligraphy, stylized images, and signs. Believe it or not, early religious art has a lot in common with modern graphic design as we know it.
- The creation of illuminated manuscripts: Produced between 1100 AD and 1600 AD, illuminated manuscripts are handwritten books with painted decorations. The pages are made from animal skin, while the painted decorations typically include precious metals.
Where Did the Creation of Graphic Design Begin?
Graphic design took off after the invention of the printing press in 1440, but the roots of visual communication can be traced back to prehistoric times. From the history of logo design to the first infographics, here’s how graphic design emerged as a key form of communication.
- The first logo designs: The history of logo design can be traced back to Ancient Greece, where coins were monogrammed by rulers. Meanwhile, the modern logo can be traced back to the 13th century when potters, stonemasons, and goldsmiths started chiseling logos into their creations. The first trademarked logo was the Bass red triangle in 1976, featuring a red triangle with “Bass” text in script.
- The first illustrated book: In 1948, Albrecht Dürer published The Apocalypse, which featured illustrations created by woodcuts. Today, the term describes all illustrated books produced between the Roman Empire until the first printed books in 1450.
- The earliest infographics: Information design stretches back to analytic geometry, which was developed by René Descartes in 1637. Descartes drew two intersecting perpendicular lines, called the x- and y-axis.
- The beginnings of editorial design: In 1817, the Harpers launched their printing firm in New York. Their firm, Harper and Brothers, became the largest printing and publishing firm in the world, shaping modern publications such as Harper’s Bazaar.
- The art nouveau movement: Art nouveau, a transitional art style, was born in Paris in 1985. It dominated design for most of the century, influencing the design arts, architecture, and fashion.
- World War I posters: By World War I, printing technologies had become more advanced, making posters the preferred graphic design medium. As a result, governments turned to posters to raise funds and spread war propaganda.
What Defines Graphic Design in the Modern Era?
The history of graphic design timeline is still ongoing, with technological advancements and revolutionary design movements shaping the modern era of design.
As the history of graphic design has evolved, it’s become more sophisticated with the rise of specialized fields. While advertising was once considered the core of graphic design, the invention of photo editing software, the rise of the Internet, and new movements have led to interactive designs, UI, product design, and even online design communities.
- Bauhaus: Bauhaus was an art school known for its radical unity of arts, crafts, and technology following World War I. It combined ideas from art and design, leveraging machine production to create beautiful functional designs.
- George Lois: Lois, the bad boy of American mass communication, pushed concepts to the limits using simple approaches. His best-known work includes Esquire covers in collaboration with photographer Carl Fischer, which turned the magazine into a multimillion-dollar company.
- The shift to personal computers: When personal computers become commonplace in the modern home, graphic designers could take on most of the processes themselves. Apple’s Macintosh, Adobe’s typography programs, and Aldus’ PageMaker all paved the way for graphic design as we know it today.
- The World Wide Web: The Internet first emerged in the 1960s, when scientists in the United States established ARPAnet. Meanwhile, Tim Bernes-Leed developed the web in 1990 in Switzerland, opening the doors to countless new design disciplines.
- Graphic design pioneers: Some designers tended to shy away from digital advancements in their early stages, while others embraced the new age of graphic design. Paul Rand, Alex Trochut, and Morag Myerscough are some of the designers who helped shape the history of modern design.
- Photo editing software: Today, you don’t need years of graphic design experience to create museum-worthy masterpieces. Photo and video editing software like Picsart offers a simple user interface, easy-to-use editing tools, and open-source content collections so anyone can turn their creative vision into a reality. Whether you’re curating the perfect Insta feed, prepping your upcoming product launch, or partnering with your favorite brands, Picsart gives everyone a creative edge.
Empowering the Creator in Everyone
Picsart is the world’s largest digital creation platform. Its AI-powered tools give creators of all levels the ability to design, edit, draw and share photo and video content anywhere. It’s used by consumers, marketers and content creators for both personal and professional design, and is available to businesses via API partnerships and integrations. Picsart has collaborated with major artists and brands like Discord, PopSockets, Shopify, Taylor Swift and more. Download the app or visit picsart.com.
