A History Of Graphic Design Throughout The AgesThis history of graphic design goes back millennia. It is as old as the hills, and for millennia has been used by humans in all nations to communicate messages.
From ancient cave art in Lascaux dating back 14,000 years to early American rock art dating for many thousands of years, graphic design is as old as time.
Graphic design started with sketches of human hands in ancient caves, pictures of humans hunting deer to our pictures on Instagram today. Graphic design has been with us since the beginning of time.
A history of graphic design can be seen in almost all cultures around the world much is high quality graphic design.
Graphic design varied in it’s types, from architecture, paintings, drawings, sculptures all based around the creative application of human experience and imagination.
Some of the areas that design can be found would be in the following areas:
A history of graphic design can be seen in our communication. Many ancient civilizations have used pictures and symbols as part of their language.
From the ancient Egyptians through to Asian civilizations pictorial images have been used to communicate messages from one to another.
North America Indians used pictures in order to communicate and pass on information to each other and to record information for passing on to future generations.
A history of graphic design can be seen in art.
Looking back as far as prehistoric times when ancient man would draw pictures of the animals around them as cave art; these images (from what we know) were used as a memory or even pleasure.
Showing the animals that they hunted and kept these pictures give an interesting record of the variety of animals during those times. Design and skill was used not just in the paint and chalk that was used, but also the tools to shape images into the walls.
Ancient man applied skill right down to the very texture and surface of the walls of the cave used to add definition and depth to their creations.
We still have Roman artwork showing images of men and woman, food, animals and every day life.
A history of graphic design can be seen in the great paintings.
We all know of the great painters such as Da Vinci, Van Gogh and Monet, who using design and artwork were able to create great masterpieces of art that can be enjoyed by millions for centuries.
Some of our great masters include the Mona Lisa and many of Rembrandt’s paintings.
A history of graphic design can be found in advertising both historical and current.
Like graphic design itself, advertising has existed for centuries.
From the very earliest street markets you can bet that leaflets were produced on papyrus paper, or banners showcasing pictures of vegetables for sale.
Many famous wartime adverts were used during WWII during the Blitz and the times of food rationing.
Since the very earliest packaging was invented, design and artwork was incorporated into it, and this has always been used in the selling process.
Packaging design has indeed changed and adapted as time has ticked on – but design has always been a central component to packaging.
Pears soap comes to mind from the war time period and Quality Street from the present day.
A history of graphic design can be found in historic flooring.
The Romans and Greeks were renowned for their colourful murals which served both a practical purpose of flooring, but also a decorative and attractive design.
Many flooring murals are still visible today a thousand years after they were first created, an inspiring thought considering the designer died so long ago but we have his or her legacy.
For centuries, all cultures have used design and artwork in their buildings. From the design of the architecture and shape of the buildings to the decorative artwork and inlays.
London boasts many examples of graphic design in it’s historic architecture.
As we can see, graphic design has been with us from the very earliest human settlements and certainly it is likely that it will remain with us. Humans by their very nature are creative beings and as such will use design and artwork both in communication and in recreation.
These days in our digital world we see graphic design all around us. Even emojis on our smartphones are a form of digital graphic design.
Social media is a great platform for graphic design. Consider the images of Santa and his reindeer we forward to each other at Christmas on Facebook. Even our Christmas cards and valentines day cards use graphic design.
Choosing a marketing company to handle your graphic design can be a challenge, as there are so many in the UK to choose from.
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