A Brief History Of Graphic Design

The history of graphic design goes back to drawings on cave walls and decorations on pottery. Graphic designers have been jazzing up stuff to sell or laying out pages for writing as long as words have been written down and merchandise has been advertised. However, the formal history of graphic design-meaning the term "graphic design" and the profession that has since ensued-came about in the early 20th century. The professional label "graphic designer" gained popularity in both book design and general print design at the same time, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly who coined the term.

Innovations In Typography: In the 1920s, graphic designers began claiming various fonts, logos, stamps and typography techniques as their own signature styles. Jan Tschichold recorded several of the commonly used fonts in his book New Typography in 1928. Many of the typography techniques developed in the 1920s caught on, forming the foundation for general font typography even today.

The Rise Of Mass Media: As the 1900s progressed, graphic design gained new popularity as all kinds of advertising, packaging and print became widely available. As demand for advertising, books, movies, magazines and newspapers increased, the position as a graphic designer became more popular in print shops, corporations and the entertainment world. Print shops needed graphic designers for everything from marketing materials to newspapers to books. Film makers needed graphic designers for cinema and later television. Everyday corporations needed graphic designers for brochures, newsletters, advertisements, logos and signs.

Graphic Design Schools: Graphic design firms sprang up in response to the increased demand for artistic layout of ads and print materials. The first graphic design school, Bauhaus, was founded in 1919 in Germany, and was quickly followed by graphic design schools around the world. In the 1950s, logos became the big deal, as branding through a logo gained popularity. This is when still-popular logos were established, such as the IBM logo still used today.

Computers: In the 1960s, computers entered the graphic design world, but it wasn't until the 1980s that computers became the standard for graphic designers. Today's graphic designers couldn't imagine working without a computer.