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Lesson 1: The History of Graphic Design in a Nutshell
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Do you remember the cave drawings you learned about in elementary school? Believe it or not, those
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prehistoric doodles are an ancient form of graphic design. Cave drawings began the art of human beings
using images to convey information.
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Lesson 1
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The Moment of Truth Page 1 of 6
Why Are You Here?
Few sentences in the English language can strike as much fear in
your heart as, "Design a flyer for the upcoming trade show; your
I'm assuming you're taking
deadline is tomorrow." The first thing to do after retreating to your
this course to learn how to
office or cube is take a few deep breaths. Next, pick up pen and
arrange images and text in
paper and face the realization that you don't know where to begin.
an appealing manner. As
simple as that sounds, it can
be quite difficult to creatively
Graphic designers the world over face this daunting challenge
place images and text so that
every day. Design may be their life's passion, but even the experts
they draw and keep a
have to start somewhere. Fitting images and text on a page is a lot
viewer's attention.
like putting together a puzzle. It can be frustrating, tiresome, and
time-consuming -- but ultimately rewarding and even exhilarating.
I love the arts -- especially
the graphic arts because
Of course, not everyone who is given a design assignment is a
they tie form and function
graphic designer. Not everyone has gone to school to study the art
together so perfectly. I have
of placing images and setting type. Not everyone relishes critiquing
a special affinity for objects
billboards and advertisements.
that are beautiful and
functional. I've worked as a
On the other hand, everyone has had to create a document that is
professional graphic artist
composed and well-proportioned at one time or another -- if only a
and illustrator, and I love to
resume or flyer for a yard sale. Teachers often need to create
share and teach.
posters, administrative assistants are asked to publish newsletters,
and small business owners find themselves wearing both the
The Internet has given us an
entrepreneur and advertising executive hats. Many times, these
incredible opportunity for
jobs are too "simple" to take to a professional graphic artist, or
learning and sharing. The
more likely, there's no room in the budget for a pro.
Message Boards are here for
lesson and art discussions.
This course will introduce you to the process a graphic artist goes
Please take the time to meet
through when creating a design. This first lesson will briefly cover
your fellow students and to
the history of graphic design. History is important in that it can give
constructively critique one
you inspiration on which to base concepts (Lesson 2) and it can
another's work. It really helps
keep you from reinventing the wheel.
to further your own
knowledge of art and design.
What's in Store Page 2 of 6
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In this course, you're going to learn the basics of graphic design: the tools that will allow you to
become a successful amateur designer. They are listed here in the order we will cover them:
Concept: An idea your design is based upon. You can have a beautiful picture but good
design makes a person think about what is being said. The idea, or concept, is the catalyst.
Concept is covered in Lesson 2.
Images: Lesson 3 focuses on this element of design. If you can take pictures, draw or
paint, you can create your own images. But having these skills is not a prerequisite for a
graphic artist. I've always thought of design as putting together a puzzle. You're given
several pieces and it's your task to put them together in a visually compelling yet logical
way.
Typography: Usually when I mention typography to a nondesigner, a puzzled look crosses
her face and she says, "Isn't that map-making? " It's a plausible mistake; after all, there's
only one letter difference in the spelling. But Typography is the study of typefaces and
letterforms. Most people, understandably, think of type as Times New Roman, 12 point
because that is all they've been exposed to. But there's a whole world of extraordinary
typefaces that can add dimension to a design. Lesson 4 introduces you to this exciting
world.
Color: Lesson 5 delves into the world of color theory. I only scratch the surface of this vast
subject, but it's enough to get you started. You'll find out why colors look good together so
you can make informed decisions when using color. In addition, you'll learn the costs of
color in printing and how to get around the expenses by using monochromatic color
combinations and exciting usage of black, white, and gray (yes, they are colors too!).
Composition: You've heard about compositions in music and, if you've done any
gardening, composition of soil. Composition is what the music and the soil are made up of
and in what percentages. Composition is vital in good graphic design; it allows you to take
control of how and when the viewer sees your work. Lesson 6 lays out the rules of
composition.
A Little History Goes a Long Way Page 3 of 6
I say a little history because we have so little time to discuss it all. The Designer's Reference
Needless to say this is an overview that can give you a place to start
to do your own historic research.
In this lesson, I use A History of Graphic Design by Philip Meggs
as my source of information. Check out that book if you want the
big picture view.
Picture it . . . Lascaux France, 15,000 B.C. Your not-so-average
caveman decides he wants to communicate with other cavemen.
What's the big deal, you ask? Well, for the first time, this prehistoric
person decided to draw pictures to get a message across. This event
marks the beginning of the graphic design.
Philip Meggs, author of A History of Graphic Design explains that this
A History of Graphic
signifies "prehistoric people's lack of structure and sequence in
Design
recording their experiences. " The drawings have no order and the
images aren't the correct size in relation to one another.
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A History of Graphic
Design is recognized as a
seminal work; this Third
Edition surpasses in detail
and breadth the content,
design, and color
reproduction of previous
editions. It is required
reading for professionals,
students, and everyone
who works with or loves
the world of graphic
design. This
comprehensive reference
tool is an invaluable visual
survey that you will turn to
again and again.
We've a better and more extensive set of tools now, but in essence,
this lack of structure and sequence is really what sets the modern
graphic artist apart from the cave drawings.
There's evidence that the beginning of human civilization was in
Mesopotamia, which lies in a fertile area between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers (what's now modern day Iraq). The Mesopotamians
were skilled technologically and agriculturally. After a few millennia
(approximately 3000 B.C.), the Sumerians came to Mesopotamia and
brought with them a complex religious system. This presented a
major bookkeeping challenge: How were they going to keep track of
everything? You got it. They were going to write it down, and it's
thought that this is how writing was invented.
Move on to Egypt and you've hieroglyphics and the Rosetta Stone
(197 to 196 B.C.). The stone, the key to translating hieroglyphics,
was found by Napoleon in 1799 and is written in three languages:
Egyptian hieroglyphics, Egyptian demotic script, and Greek. Jean
Francois Champollion broke the code to the Rosetta Stone and
therefore hieroglyphics. And I always feel so good about myself when
I can decipher cryptogram puzzles in $2 magazines.
So up to this point, we've seen drawings on cave walls and
government documents etched in stone. Well, when did paper enter
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the picture? Obviously, it didn't always exist; otherwise, Napoleon
would have dug up the Rosetta Parchment.
We have the Chinese and a little plant called Papyrus to thank for this
awesome invention; otherwise, we'd all be stuck playing with Palm
pilots all day, and what fun is that?
The Chinese were a pretty ingenious people. Around 1800 B.C., they
created a pictographic language (Calligraphy) that wasn't based on
an alphabet. This picture-for-word exchange is called a logogram .
The Chinese differed from the Egyptians in that their written language
did not correspond to the spoken.
"There is no direct relationship between the spoken and written
Chinese languages. Both are independent systems for conveying
thought." (Philip Meggs, p. 20)
Several hundred years later they invented relief printing (for example,
woodblocks and rubber stamps) and moveable type (individual
characters cut out of wood). The invention of moveable type opened
all kinds of doors in the printing arena. Let's walk through one to
Germany in 1450.
Gutenberg (Not the One from Three Men and a Baby) Page 4 of 6
Johann Gutenberg is an icon of the Graphic Design world. Why? Gutenberg in Texas
He invented the printing press. Chinese gave us moveable type
and Gutenberg did what all great inventers do; he built on an
The University of Texas at
existing idea to create an even better product.
Austin's Ransom Center
holds a copy of the
Without the printing press, magazines, newspapers, books, and Gutenberg Bible on display
basically anything written would not be readily available without in its permanent collection.
extreme cost. If you think books and periodicals are expensive
now, just imagine what it would cost if monks had to transcribe your
From the Ransom Center's
monthly issue of Cosmo.
Web site, "The Gutenberg
Bible is the first surviving
During medieval times, monks sat day after day writing and
book printed from movable
rewriting religious documents to create illuminated manuscripts.
type on a printing press, the
invention of which is
attributed to Johann
According to Meggs, "The preservation of knowledge within the
Gutenberg. It was printed in
monastery included the making of illuminated manuscripts, which in
Mainz, Germany between
the strictest sense are handwritten books embellished with gold or
1450 and 1455. The Ransom
silver. However, the term has come to mean any handwritten book
Center holds one of five
that was decorated, illustrated, and produced during the medieval
complete copies in the
period."
United States."
Monks created their own parchment, vellum, and inks. They ground
How amazing is that?
their own minerals, such as lapis lazuli (blue), to create their own
color. They built books by hand and, as you can imagine, they were
very expensive in terms of money and manpower.
Gutenberg revolutionized the way information was produced. The
type was set on the press as were the images. An artist added any
illumination after the fact.
Trained as a goldsmith, Gutenberg perfected his skills at setting
metal type. He used his knowledge of metal combinations to create
type that could maintain size and shape throughout production,
receive an impression, and hold-up after repeated use.
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You know, sometimes I am so amazed at our forefathers. These
people were not only artistic, but also scientific. Today, we seem
very concerned with pigeonholing ourselves into one category or
another. My main purpose when teaching is to open doors for
people who may not think they're creative just because they're
good at math. The two do not have to be mutually exclusive!
Embrace your creativity; think of it as recess for the brain.
Photography Says Cheese Page 5 of 6
Let's fast forward to the early 1800s. A Frenchmen by the name of Joseph Niepce developed a
technique for actually taking a photograph. The process that Niepce went through to create what he
termed heliogravure (sun engraving) was truly astonishing. It fits the old adage "necessity is the
mother of invention" to a tee. You see, Niepce was a lithographer (a printing technique using wax
drawings on stone). His son was a talented draftsman who was drafted (no pun intended) into the
army, thereby forcing Niepce to come up with a way to transfer images without drawing. His son
seemed to have cornered the market on that talent.
Combine pewter, light-sensitive asphalt, lavender oil, and acid and you have a photograph. I don't
know about you, but this makes me really happy that I have a digital camera.
Niepce started a trend, and as usual, other brilliant minds built upon it. Louis Jacque Daguerre
created the daguerreotype, which used copper and iodine crystals. Maybe pewter plates were too
difficult to put in the back of your camera. I know we wouldn't see as many "dog in bluebonnets"
pictures around here if lugging pewter around was a prerequisite.
And another man, William Henry Fox Talbot of England was standing around one day, marveling at
a beautiful view, and he set about to find a way to make the images stick onto paper.
His experiments revolved around paper and silver chloride. One of his first images was created
without a camera. Instead he placed a leaf on paper and sandwiched it with glass. This exposure
was deemed a photogenic drawing.
Building on these successes, Sir John Herschel created a way to stop light from developing an
image. If you have any experience with darkroom wet photography, you know that you need to fix
an image to halt its light sensitivity. Herschel pioneered this technique and he deemed the invention
of Talbot as photography.
There you have a very brief and incomplete history of the photographic image. You can read a
more complete reconstruction in A History of Graphic Design.
Eras Worth Noting Page 6 of 6
In this section, I'm going to list and describe a few of the influential Plugging Away
design eras. It will be fast and furious but still a good starting point
for your own research:
I have high regard for the
book A History of Graphic
Arts and Crafts began as a protest of sorts to the Industrial Design. I wholeheartedly
Revolution. Mass production of goods, although recommend that you go to
inexpensive, has a tendency to leave an object without your local university or public
personality or the mark of the hand. No love goes into the library and check out the
production of the object. The Arts and Crafts movement book or buy it at a local
sought to bring beauty and skill back to production. William bookstore. It is a great
reference to have on hand.
Morris is the most recognized person of this era. He was an
exceptional pattern designer whose images graced
wallpaper, fabric, and other textiles. On top of this, he was
Other books that may be of
also an accomplished writer who published his first book of
interest are Design, Form,
poems at the age of 24.
and Chaos by Paul Rand
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Art Nouveau is a style that is often scoffed at, but it truly and Six Chapters in Design
helped to pave the way for more abstract thought in art. by Bass, Chermayeff,
Characterized by tendrils of vines and images of the female Glaser, Rand, Tanaka, and
form, Art Nouveau encompassed all areas of the visual arts Tomaszewski.
from graphic design, furniture design, and architecture.
Bieres de la Meuse by Alphonse Mucha is probably one of
If you're interested in poster
the most recognizable pieces from this era (usually seen in
art, especially political or
dorm rooms across the country).
propaganda posters, check
out the book Prop Art by
Gary Yanker. This is a
"Art Nouveau is the transitional style that evolved from the
favorite of mine that I found
historicism that dominated design for most of the 19th century. By
at my university library while
replacing historicism -- the almost servile use of past forms and
doing a paper on the Poster.
styles instead of the invention of new forms to express the present
It's currently out of print but
-- with innovation, Art Nouveau became the initial phase of the
you can find it through used
modern movement." (Meggs, p. 190)
booksellers on the Web.
Though Bauhaus is also the name of a favorite band from
For a source of chronological
my high school days, Bauhaus (pronounced BOW, as in a
information, check out the
curtsey, not hair-tie, HOUSE) was also a revolutionary style
New York Metropolitan
from the early 20th century. The Arts and Crafts movement
Museum of Art's timeline. Not
had turned its back on industrialism but the Bauhaus
decided to embrace it. The goal was to "breathe a soul into only does it give you
the dead product of the machine," according to Walter chronological perspective,
Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus school. This work has a but it also shows a map of
spare, geometric quality. There are no excesses or frills everything that was
and there is a large amount of type as graphic image. happening in the world at the
same time.
Moving On
In this lesson, you got a quick and dirty overview of the history of
graphic design. Although it may not seem pertinent to your goals, it
always helps to know how something became what it is. In the next
lesson, you'll find out how to develop your concept.
Though, before you go on to the next lesson, don't forget to tackle
the quiz and do the assignment. If you have any questions, post
them on the Message Board. Even if you don't have questions, it's
worth visiting the Message Board to see what your fellow students
are up to.
Next Steps
Pages
1. The Moment of Truth
2. What's in Store
3. A Little History Goes a Long Way
4. Gutenberg (Not the One from Three Men and a Baby)
5. Photography Says Cheese
6. Eras Worth Noting
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