Brief history of Graphic Design - info found from UX Collective

  • 38,000 BCE

    The first evidence of communication through pictures

    The first evidence of communication through pictures
    It all had to start somewhere. Graphic design is generally a useful but artistic way of conveying information or function of some kind. The first evidence of something like this were cave paintings, back in 38,000 BCE.
  • 3000 BCE

    Written language -or something similar- appears

    Written language -or something similar- appears
    Later, we find the Sumerians had something that seems more sophisticated; a written language, using pictographs, pictures that represent things.
  • 1040

    Behold, printing!

    Behold, printing!
    Bi Sheng of China invents the first kind of printing press, first developed using silk, then paper. This was what inspired the printing press you might see in a museum.
  • Wiener Werkstätte

    Wiener Werkstätte
    In 1903, the painter Koloman Moser, the architect Josef Hoffmann, and the patron Ftriz Waerndorfer created the agency that inspired many different kinds of people to start thinking about graphic design and its importance.
  • Swiss Design (The International Typography Style)

    Swiss Design (The International Typography Style)
    This is a type of graphic design that was present in Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, and later Switzerland. It uses aspects quite similar to ones we use for design today, with grids and clean colored aesthetics to be interesting and pleasing to the eye.
  • Photoshop, Microsoft, computers, oh my!

    Photoshop, Microsoft, computers, oh my!
    This is where computers came into the picture. Using things like Microsoft Paint, and Photoshop was a huge jump forward to making designs.
  • It just keeps going

    It just keeps going
    Partly because of the advancements in technology, graphic design has been more and more prevalent as time goes on. Brand logos, ads, book covers, you name it, use some sort of graphic design, and it will continue to evolve!