History of Graphic Design Compiled by Lydia Howard
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3 1. An example of Cuneiform. Cuneiform was made by taking a small wedge and writing into clay. 2. An example of Egyptian Demotic script. 3. The Rosetta Stone which contains Latin, and two forms of Egyptian script. 197-96 BC Writing develops with the rise of organized societies. Agrarian cultures have already existed for quite some time, but now that many people are congregating in a relatively small area, there is a need for defined “property� and a way to manage how much one has. Cuneiform develops this way. This early writing is pictographic, meaning the words are visually similar to the thing they describe. Hieroglyphics originate from a similar place. However, hieroglyphics are also used in religious ceremonies and religious objects. This departs from the business and property origins. The specialization of writing is given to the priest class and other major business players. This is potentially the first instances of class separation due to education.
Early Writing Systems
4 4. Liver of Piacenza. An Etruscan artifact with Etruscan script on it. 5. An example of Latin script from the Colosseum written in 5th century AD.
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6. A diagram explaining part of a letter. Note the pointed ends of the letters. These are Serifs and an essential part of Latin script.
We have the rise of the Western world. Greek literature, art, music, politics take the world by storm and set the foundation for the Roman empire who later steals all of the Greek’s works. The Etruscans were in many ways more progressive and liberal than the Greeks, but were crushed by military defeats and were forgotten history for a long time. They also acted as a stepping stone between the Greeks and Romans. Rome becomes a political and military powerhouse and writing is a symbol of how advanced and dignified they are. Consistent writing unites the empire under a common language. Rome spreads its empire throughout much of Europe and this leads to Latin becoming the way every languages in the western world is written.
Alphabet
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1 China develops independently to the rest of the world, but language originates similarly to hieroglyphics where symbols are used to represent words and ideas, pictographs. Early writing is carved into bone and later more paper like substances are used until the development of a type of paper. However this paper doesn’t catch on immediately and is subservient to silk and bamboo. Ink makes it way to the forefront of Chinese writing (though inscription did exist and was still very important). This differs from other pictograph-type languages which involved engraving for a long time. China also invents a printing press, a good 400+ before Gutenberg. This press also is built in a “Lazy-Susan” type table where the printer could sit and rotate the table to reach the character needed.
Asian Influence
3 1. Woodblock print. Hiroshige: No. 26 Mochizuki 2. “Lazy-Susan” styled Chinese printing press. 1300 B.C. 3. Section from The Diamond Sutra. Considered the worlds first printed book . 868 AD
4 We have the Spread of Christianity throughout Europe by Rome and the establishment of monasteries. These monasteries create thousands of books. Repetition of lettering and writing leads to ascenders and descenders being created, as well as spacing between words. While the mainland of Europe deals with barbarians and migration, the Celtic monks develop (isolated) their own style of illuminating books. The books are very beautiful and set later guidelines for manuscripts. However, the Vikings invade and the Celtic schools are scattered. Later in the 800s, Charlemagne institutes a standard of Caroline minuscule. Illuminated manuscripts become more and more illustrated until the 16th century when type became the norm.
5 4. Illustration from The Book of Hours of Gian Galeazzo Visconti. 5. The Chi-Ro page from The Book of Kells, one of the most famous illuminated manuscripts. 794-806
Illustrated Manuscripts
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3 At this point in time, there is already an established unification of the European continent under the feudal system. Multiple monarchies exist in dozens of places and much of central Europe is part of the Holy Roman Empire which is based out the Germanic nations. Around the turn of the century (1400s) the Black plaque comes to a close and with somewhere between 30-60% of the population dead in some places, there was more land and room to spread out. The poverty level declines in the way that food is more available and a need for craft-persons is high. The feudal system’s abandonment begins and this time period sparks what is called “The Renaissance”. However the Renaissance doesn’t really take off until 1450 with the Gutenberg’s press. Classical Greek and Roman ideas in Art and Philosophy gain popularity as well as the cementing of Eurocentrism. New world exploration takes on in the 1500s and by the 1600s, global colonialism is the standard. Global trade routes to the east are common as is trade with the Americas.
Rise of Printing in Europe
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1. An artist’s rendering of Gutenberg in his workshop. Gutenberg is responsible for the first western printing press with usable movable type. 2. A page from Gutenberg’s bible. During this time, the illustrations are still done by hand. 1450-55 3. The Declaration of Independence as a type of Broadside or poster. These broadsides were hung on buildings so the public could read and know the news. 4. This piece features a copperplate engraving. It is a way to make illustrations and reproduce those illustrations. 1762 5. Albrecht Durer was one of the greatest print makers to have ever lived. His engravings and woodcuts are detailed and very precise. 1515 6. A type specimen from the Aldine Press. 7. A type specimen from Tory. 8. A type specimen of Garamond 9. A newspaper 10. There were several key design centers in Europe: Nuremberg , Germany; Venice,Italy; Paris, France; Basel, Switzerland; and Lyons, France
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Renaissance Graphic Design
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Having risen to the peak of decadence over the past two hundred years, monarchies and states (countries) all over Europe begin to have revolutions, fractioning wars and total national upheaval. The big three, England, France, and Spain all experience conflicts in their own countries. A few decades into the 1700s begins the time period known as, “The Enlightenment”. Scientific and Academic innovations help propel in the industrial revolution of the 1800s. There is a once again, renewed interest in classical philosophy, though this time dozens of new approaches spring up and are published. The 1800s mark an industrial revolution, railroads are introduced, cameras are invented as well. Colonization takes a big hit with the loss of the United States, but ties with Eastern colonies are strengthened. All over the world, slavery begins a slow decline with the United States finally following the rest of Europe in 1865. The concept of “Manifest Destiny” takes hold in the United States and people begin to move westward.
Typography in the 18th Century
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6 4 1. A sample of Romain du Roi. The Louis XIV of France commissioned this type and made it the official typeface of the French government in 1702. 2. A sample of a Rococo typeface. The swirling script is characteristic of the style 18th century 3. A sample from the book Manual Typographique by Fournier le Jeune. His type work is based on the idea of standardization and the inch 4. A sample of typeface by William Caslon. 5. A sample of the typeface Baskerville 6. A information graphic by William Playfair 7. A sample of the typeface Bodoni 8. A sample of typeface by Didot
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This time period is called the Age of Enlightenment. During these years we have the American Revolution and the French Revolution. In England, an industrial revolution occurs with the creation of factories and steam powered engines. Textile manufacturing led the forefront of the English industrial revolution. Spinning cotton into clothe was the most popular technique and product with much cotton being shipped from the colonies. Steam engines and Iron were the other leaders in industry. These steam engines took the place of manual labor and could do the work of 40 men per hour. Iron makers switched from charcoal to coke which allowed iron to mass produced much more cheaply. The invention of the factory allowed multitudes of unskilled laborers to find work and created a huge influx of goods that had been available to only the upper classes until that time. We also see the creation of the middle class during this time. Typography develops rapidly with improvements to the printing press and a whole new series of type styles emerge. Photography and Lithography come about during this time period as well.
Industrial Revolution
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10 9 1. An early steam engine. 1850s 2. A Linotype machine. 1884 3. An example of Fat Face type. The letters are very thick. 4. An example of a slab serif typeface. The letters have flat, slab-like serifs rather than rounded or angled serifs. 5. An example of a 3D typeface
6. A poster containing a reverse typeface. All but the letter forms print, leaving them white. 7. An example of Tuscan type. 8. One of the earliest examples of a Sans Serif typeface created by William Caslon. No more than this single line was ever found. 9. An example of a lithograph by Toulouse-Lautrec 10. An early photograph. 1837
And Typographic Explosion
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1830-1900
For Britain this is a time of relative peace and growth. Having shaken off the United States, they quietly relinquish control of Canada in the latter half of the century. There is a mass exodus of immigrants during the Irish potato famine and British population doubles. Industry is king still and advancements in photography become internationally popular. France has just gotten over Napoleon, goes through several revolutions, gets into a war with Prussia, and eventually comes into peace with its 3rd republic. The United States has its civil war during this time which is documented by photo. Reconstruction comes afterwards. The United States grows in population and is an immigration destination. The United States has its own industrial revolution and the expanse to which certain commodities and transportation become available to the middle class. Great Exhibition of 1851 It was the first in a series of world’s fairs that highlighted culture and technology being developed around the “world�. Era of Pictorial Magazine Harper and Brothers Magazine is the largest printing and publishing firm in the world by mid 1800s
1. A Victorian era chromolithograph. Chromolithography was very popular in the Victorian era. Advertisements and packaging were chromolithographs. 1880
The Victorian Era
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3 1860-1910 The Arts and Crafts Movement is primarily centered in England and the British Isles. This movement finds its roots in a protest again industrial England and the loss of artisans and craftsmen. In a context for the world, the arts and crafts movement finds itself situated after the American Civil war and just before WW1. This time period is one of expanse and growth. As well as colonization for the British Empire, in the prelude to WW1 Britain takes control of most of the colonies (of other nations) throughout the world. In Russia we see the fall of the Tsar and the institution of communism. In middle Europe, the unification of Prussia and subsequent prelude to WW1.
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2. A chair by Arthur Mackmurdo. Mackmurdo was a influential person to the Arts and crafts movement. 1881 3. Wallpaper design by William Morris. Part of the Arts and Crafts movement was an emphasis on ornamentation and beauty. 4. An excerpt from The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer illustrated by William Morris. Another aspect of the Arts and Crafts movement was looking back to illumination for inspiration. 1896 5. The cover for an issue of Hobby Horse by the Century Guild. This was the premiere magazine for the movement. 1884 6. A sample of Old Style typeface by Goudy.
Arts and Crafts Movement
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1890-1910 Japanisme has already reached its apex and in the 1880s it begins branching out into the common artist. From the influx of prints we get Art Nouveau. In Europe a triple alliance is formed between Germany, Austria-Hungry, and Italy to help each other in certain circumstances. Russia and France become allies through industrial and military trade. Tensions between Germany and Britain its colonies are at an all-time high. In essence, everyone spends the new century getting ready for war.
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In the world of painting we have the impressionists who’ve led the way of a new direct form of painting. The post-impressionists that follow interest printmakers. Poster makers and the post-impressionists mingle in each other’s circles.
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1. A Ukiyo-e print. The prints of Japan havplains of flat color and swirling lines. 1895 Mizuno Toshikata 2. A poster from Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Notice the use of line and flat color. 1893 3. A theater poster from Alphonse Mucha. 1894 4. A print from Aubrey Beardsley. Beardsley was a bit different from the rest of the Art Nouveau artists. He tended to stray towards more simplified, less ornamental designs. 1893-4
Art Nouveau
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5. A trademark made by Peter Behrens. Behrens was a German artist who had a big hand in advertising and branding. 6. A poster from Jules Cheret. Cheret is one of the earlier Art Nouveau artists, so his work is more referential of Victorian artists. 7. Another poster by Mucha. 8. Art Nouveau was also a part of object design. This vase is by Galle. 9. A Tropon food concentrate poster from Henri Van De Velde. His work was part of the late Art Nouveau movement. He went on to work in Art Deco and other typographic movements. 1899 10. A dragonfly corsage ornament.
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Modernism arises amid a continent torn in war. World war one comes and goes and leaves artists with a precious hope that the future will be better. The hope that humans are better than how they’ve previously been shown. People look to technology and the machine to help make life better. In the field of fine arts we have the Futurists who are very hopeful, the Dadaists who are very cynical, and the surrealists and expressionists who reaffirm that hope. In the 20s Europe is doing well. The United States is doing well, so Europe follows. Socialism gains popularity in Europe during this time. There is a general desire to throw off the ways of the past and embrace a more humanist future. The ornamentation which had been popular during the Art Nouveau movement becomes a symbol of the old world and newer more simplified designs become popular.
Modernism
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8 1. A painting by Picasso. Cubism, with its inventive way of looking at forms, strikes up a whole new series of art styles. 2. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings took cues from Art Nouveau, but rather than curvilinear art he took a rectilinear approach. 3. The modern art forms flooded into all different aspects of visual art. This still is from German Expressionist film “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”. 1920 4. Famous designers also experimented and worked in the fields of fine art. This painting is by Laszlo Maholy-Nagy, who was a member of the DeStijl movement in the Netherlands. 5. Pictorial Modernism is represented here in this Priester cigarette ad. The Plakastil movement in Germany emphasized simplification of form to convey meaning to a viewer. 1905
6. Earlier, at the tail end of Art Nouveau was The Glasgow Four who took symbolic imagery and stylized form and merged it together with the intricate decadence of Art Nouveau. 1895 7. The Anti-thesis to Art Nouveau was the Austrian Succession who valued rational functionalism and geometric formalism merged it with the ornament and accessory of the 19th century. 1902 8. We once again return to Peter Behrens, who valued the grid system to structure space and consistent visual identity. 1907-8
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1919-1933 The German economy is a mess during this time period. WWI completely ruined them. The German economy was flooding the market with bills and for quite a while inflation went way up. The countries which lost the war were under a great reorganization. The Nazi party also organizes itself during this time. They and other things help Germany get back on their feet, but threaten things they find as an obstacle to their goal. When the US has the Great Depression starting in 1929, lots of places in Europe suffer. Other countries in Europe form after the German and Austria-Hungary empires are dissolved. These new countries have a brief flirtation with Democracy, but many states in Europe fall into a totalitarianism by the 1930s Still there’s a feeling of organization equals peace. The work of the Bauhaus is an attempt at this. They like many other artists, scientists, and people, they are eventually run out by the Nazi party. 1. The School of Bauhaus at Dessau. The building was designed by fellow Bauhaus member Walter Gropius. 2. An ad for a Kandinsky showing by Hebert Bayer. 1926 3. Wassily Kandinsky seated next to one of his paintings. Kandisky, despite being a painter, was one of the prime members of the Bauhaus. 4. Laszlo Maholy-Nagy’s summation of the Bauhaus from 1919-1923 5. A painting from Piet Mondrian who was concerned with perfect form was actually a member of the DeStijl movement, but appreciated and worked with the Bauhaus.
Bauhaus
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The 1900s see the development of thousands of new technologies and machines. Color photography is invented in 1907. Movies and later talking movies make their appearance. The Model-T is made and cars become commercially available objects. Print and printers follow these advancements and advertising uses the typefaces made.
The New Typography
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1. Futura by Paul Renner. 1927-20 2. Times New Roman by Stanley Morison. 1932 3. Gill Sans by Eric Gill. 1928-30 4. Isotypes by Gerd Arntz and Otto Neurath. 1930 5. Kabel Light by Rudolph Koch. 1928 6. “The New Typography” by Jan Tschilchold. 1928
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1930-50s America faces an economic depression in the early 30s. People across the country were out of work. Inflation was insane. To help combat the lack of jobs, President Roosevelt enacted a plan called “The New Deal” which created projects and jobs. The Works Progress Administration was a section of The New Deal, and from it many artists and craftspersons received jobs. Progressively throughout the 40s and later 50s America’s economy does very well and the arts flourish.
1. Herbert Matter, 1934 ad for Swiss Tourism 2. A.M. Cassandre for Harper’s Bazaar. 1937 3. Lester Beall, Poster for The Rural Electrification Administration 1937 4. Alexy Brodovitch for Harper’s Bazaar
American Modernism
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1950s This time period is the 50s. By this point much of Europe has picked itself back up from the War, though now many countries are members of the Soviet Union. The USSR and US have a distinct feeling of distrust and hatred for each other. Other parts of Europe are flourishing, such as Switzerland who stayed neutral during the war and was all the better for it.
4 1. Helvetica or Neue Haas Grotesk by Miedinger and Hofmann. 1957. 2. Giselle poster by Armin Hofmann, 1959. 3. Palatino, Melior, and Optima by Herman Zapf. 1950, 52, 58 4. Posters from M端ller-Brockman. 1953-60 5. Univers by Adrian Fruitger, 1954
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International Typographic Style
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3 The film industry makes some of it’s classics during this twenty year time period. Art for posters is really monotonous and bland. Saul Bass and contemporaries help spice up the movie industry. Towards the 50s, we see a modernization of advertising. Ads are cleaned up and the production organized. This time period is very diverse as it is composed of the great depression, WW2, and the beginnings of the cold war.
The New York School
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1. Poster by Paul Rand. 1990 2. Magazine cover design by Doyle Dane Bernbach. 1967 3. Anti-war poster by Herb Lubalin. 1968 4. Series of Logos by Paul Rand. Various years 5. The Man with the Golden Arm poster by Saul Bass. 1955
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1 1977-2000 The later 70s to 2000 were a time of considerable peace for the United States. The same was true for most of Europe. Many small conflicts were fought with the Middle East over this time period, most wars only lasting a few years. Terrorism sees its rise throughout Europe and Asia, as well as a few incidents in the United States. In the 90s, the Soviet Union formally dissolves. The Age of technology has begun with the advent of the personal computer. Later introduced are different software and even the Internet. Punk, grunge, hair rock, metal, and a whole slew of music genres appear and influence a series of generations.
Post Modern
1. Poster for the film “Helvetica� by David Carson. The font used is Franklin Gothic. 2006 2. Album cover for the Sex Pistols by Jamie Reid. 1977 3. Swatch watches poster by Paula Scher. 1986 4. Wet Magazine cover by April Greiman. 1979 5. AIGA Detroit by Stefan Sagmeister. 1999 6. The Night Gallery Poster by Art Chantry. 1991 7. The Face magazine by Neville Brody. 1984
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Post-Post Modern?
Are we even out of Post-Modern yet??? Or are we in just a later stage?