History of graphic design

Design principles have been around for thousands of years, with early examples in cave paintings, Ancient Chinese woodblock prints, and Egyptian hieroglyphics. During the Middle Ages, graphic design developed to preserve sacred texts, with scribes using detailed layouts and advanced lettering. In Islamic culture, calligraphy became a unifying visual art form, appreciated for its creativity. The invention of the printing press advanced graphic design, which gained significant prominence during the Western Industrial Revolution and the rise of consumer culture and advertising in the 1800s.{{Cite web |last=EDDY |date=2024-08-14 |title=The Evolution of Graphic Design: A Journey Through Decades |url=https://www.rmcad.edu/blog/the-evolution-of-graphic-design-a-journey-through-decades/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=RMCAD |language=en-US}} During the Industrial Revolution (1760-1840), technologies like lithography improved manufacturing efficiency. Lithography involved transferring inked designs onto paper from stone or metal surfaces, leading to chromolithography, which added color to the process. In response to industrialization, the Wiener Werkstätte, founded in 1903 by Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann, and Fritz Waerndorfer, promoted handcrafted design and personal expression. Their modernist style, featuring clean lines and geometric shapes, greatly influenced 20th-century design. The rise of digital tools revolutionized graphic design, especially with the launch of Apple’s Macintosh in 1984, which encouraged users to become creators with its simple interface. In the 1990s, Photoshop became popular for graphic editing, making professional design accessible to all, along with basic programs like Microsoft Paint. Digital advancements allowed for effects like transparency, scaling, and intricate montages. A notable example is a 1998 U.S. postage stamp, where designers blended images of Frederick Law Olmsted’s portrait, Central Park, and botanical illustrations to honor the landscape architect’s legacy.{{Cite web |date=2024-12-08 |title=The History of Graphic Design from Ancient Times to Today: A Timeline |url=https://penji.co/the-history-of-graphic-design/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=Unlimited Graphic Design Service |language=en-US}}By the 2000s, the advent of portable devices expanded design into web design, UX/UI, and interactive design. As technology continues to advance, graphic design remains dynamic, focusing increasingly on personalized and interactive user experiences.{{Cite web |last=Design |first=Schweb |date=2021-06-03 |title=The Evolution of Graphic Design |url=https://schwebdesign.com/blog/the-evolution-of-graphic-design |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=Schweb Design |language=en-US}}

Graphic design, with its roots in early visual communication, dates back to prehistoric times, where symbolic and geometric designs were created in caves, such as those in Blombos Cave around 70,000 BCE and the Chauvet Cave around 30,000 BCE. In ancient civilizations, such as Egypt and China, early forms of writing, including hieroglyphs and Chinese calligraphy, laid the foundation for graphic arts. The invention of paper in China around 100 AD, along with advancements in pottery and textiles, allowed for the spread of design techniques across cultures. By the 15th century, the printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg{{Citation |title=Johannes Gutenberg |date=2025-04-21 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Gutenberg |access-date=2025-05-13 |language=en}}, revolutionized the mass production of printed materials, making literature more accessible and influencing the development of early logos and heraldry. The 19th and 20th centuries saw the rise of significant design movements like Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Bauhaus, alongside the creation of iconic logos, such as Coca-Cola’s, which shaped modern branding. The digital age, beginning in the 1970s with the development of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and digital design tools, transformed graphic design further. By the 1990s, tools like Adobe Photoshop and the widespread use of 3D modeling significantly impacted advertising, media, and web design. The 2000s saw the rise of interactive design and augmented reality (AR), integrating digital experiences into everyday life. Today, graphic design continues to evolve, driven by technological advancements and the growing importance of user experience (UX) and interactive design, influencing industries ranging from marketing and entertainment to branding and digital media.{{Cite web |title=Sutori |url=https://www.sutori.com/en/story/history-of-visual-communication--6vH8i7aff7tTY7fKVALQhYxd |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=www.sutori.com |language=en}}

Graphic design has deep historical roots, beginning with prehistoric rock art around 70,000 BCE in Africa, followed by cave paintings in France and Spain, which laid the groundwork for early visual communication. Ancient Egypt further advanced the field with hieroglyphs around 4000-3000 BCE, influencing calligraphy in China. By 100 AD, the invention of paper in China facilitated the spread of design across cultures, including the development of polychrome pottery in South America and illuminated manuscripts like the Book of Kells. In the 15th century, Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionized the dissemination of printed materials, leading to the rise of heraldry, logos, and religious texts as forms of graphic design. The 19th and 20th centuries saw significant developments, with the introduction of chromolithography, the establishment of influential design movements like Art Nouveau and Bauhaus, and the rise of iconic branding such as Coca-Cola’s logo. The digital era began in the 1970s with the development of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and design tools, which were further advanced in the 1980s with the creation of Apple’s typography and Pixar’s early animated films. By the 1990s, digital tools like Adobe’s Creative Suite and 3D modeling became central to design, leading to the widespread use of CGI in advertising and media.{{Cite web |last=Englehardt |first=Natasha |date=2016-09-19 |title=From Hieroglyphs to Digital Design: The Complete History of Design |url=https://platt.edu/blog/hieroglyphs-digital-design-complete-history-design/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=Platt College San Diego |language=en-US}}

Image:LantingXu.jpg|The Lantingji Xu, Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion, is the most famous work of Chinese calligrapher Wang Xizhi, created in the year 353.{{efn|"This calligraphy describes a gathering of 42 poets including Xie An and Sun Chuo at the Orchid Pavilion near Shaoxing, Zhejiang, during the Spring Purification Festival to compose poems and enjoy the wine. The poets had agreed to participate in a drinking contest: wine cups were floated down a small winding creek as the men sat along its banks; whenever a cup stopped, the man closest to the cup was required to drink it and write a poem. In the end, twenty-six of the participants composed thirty-seven poems."{{cite book|first=Richard Kurt |last=Kraus |title=Brushes with Power |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California Press |date=1991|page=27}} }}

Image:Scribe's exercise tablet 1.jpg|Scribe's exercise tablet with hieratic text on wood, related to Dynasty XVIII, reign of Amenhotep I, c. 1514-1493 BC. Text is an excerpt from The Instructions of Amenemhat II (Dynasty XII), and reads: "Be on your guard against all who are subordinate to you ... Trust no brother, know no friend, make no intimates."

Image:Title epilogue written by Wen Zhengming in Ni Zan's portrait by Qiu Ying.jpg|A Chinese traditional title epilogue written by Wen Zhengming in Ni Zan's portrait by Qiu Ying (1470–1559).

Image:Egypt dauingevekten.jpg|The Papyrus of Ani is a version of the Book of the Dead for the Scribe Ani. This vignette (the small scene that illustrates the text) is about not letting Ani's heart create opposition against him in god's domain.{{multiref | {{cite book|first=R. O. |last=Faulkner |title=The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead (revised edition by C. A. R. Andrews) |publisher=The British Museum Press |date=1985 |location=London}} | {{cite book|first1= R. B. |last1=Parkinson |first2= S. |last2=Quirke |title=Papyrus|series=Egyptian Bookshelf |publisher=The British Museum Press |location= London |date=1995}} | {{cite book|first1=S. |last1=Quirke |first2=A. J. |last2=Spencer|series=Egyptian Bookshelf |title=Papyrus |isbn=9780714109794 |date=August 2007 |publisher=British Museum Press}} }}

Medieval religious illuminated manuscripts combine text and images. Among these books are the Gospel books of Insular art, created in the monasteries of the British Isles. The graphics in these books reflect the influence of the Animal style associated with the "barbarian" peoples of Northern Europe, with much use of interlace and geometric decoration.

Image:LindisfarneFol27rIncipitMatt.jpg|A page from Lindisfarne Gospels, c. 710

Image:Meister der Ada-Gruppe 001.jpg|The Ada Gospels are one of a group of manuscripts, known to modern scholars as the Ada School. Its illuminations include an elaborate initial page for the Gospel of Matthew and portraits of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Late 8th century.

Image:KellsDecoratedInitial.jpg|A graphic decoration in the Book of Kells, c. 800

Image:BookOfDurrowBeginMarkGospel.jpg|Opening page of Book of Durrow, 7th century

In Islamic countries, calligraphy was a sacred aspect of the holy book of Islam, the Quran. Muslim scribes used black ink and golden paper to write and draw, using an angled alphabet called the Kufic script. Such writings appeared in the 8th century and reached their apex in the 10th century. Later, decorations of the margins of pages, displaying a variety of graphic techniques, were added in order to beautify the book. In the 12th century, the Naskh alphabet was invented; it featured curves instead of the angled lines of the Kufic script. Other styles, such as Mohaghegh, Rayhani, Thuluth, Reghaa, and Toghii, appeared later on.{{multiref | {{cite book|author-link=Marc Drogin|last=Drogin |first=Marc|title=Medieval Calligraphy: Its History and Technique |location=New York|publisher=Dover Publications |date= 1980}} | {{cite book| last=Miner|first=Dorothy E. (compiler) |title=2000 Years of Calligraphy:, an Exhibition Organized [1965] by the Baltimore Museum of Art, et al. |location=New Jersey |publisher= Rowman & Littlefield |date=1972}} }}

File:Folio from a Qur’an, sura 91,14-15; sura 92,1-5 (F1929.70).jpg|A page from a Persian Qur'an in the 11th century.

Image:AndalusQuran.JPG|Graphic art in an Egyptian Quran of the 9th or 10th century.

Image:Large Koran.jpg|An Iranian Quran of the 15th century found in Uzbekistan.

Image:Abbasid Koran folio from Egypt.jpg|A Quran featuring the Kufic alphabet of the 12th century.

Image:Schedel register.jpg|It has been suggested that calligraphy adds a mystical dimension to a text. Such mysticism appears to be consistent with the feeling that a religious text tries to convey. Many religious texts therefore have appeared in calligraphic editions, in order to evoke a spiritual feeling in the reader.{{Citation needed|date=September 2014}}

Image:2a Zhao Mengfu Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains (central part)Handscroll, ink and colors on paper, 28.4 x 93.2 cm National Palace Museum, Taipei.jpg|The art of calligraphy in China goes back to 2000 BCE. Chinese calligraphy was used to communicate the philosophical ideas of Confucius and the Hundred Schools of Thought (諸子百家; zhūzǐ bǎijiā")[http://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/#larousse/12214/11/calligraphie "Calligrpahie"] Larousse {{in lang|fr}}

Image:Taigado gafu0.jpg|Calligraphy entered Japan from China in the 3rd century BCE, during its states wars. The Japanese used calligraphy to write their haiku on decorative banners.

It is believed that playing cards were invented in China.{{efn|The Kuei t'ien lu, a book of anecdotes written in the 11th century by the historian Ouyang Xiu, has been cited as placing the invention of playing cards in the middle of the Tang dynasty (618-906). However, these early references appear to refer to domino cards.{{cite web|url=http://trionfi.com/0/p/90/ |title=Playing Cards before 1370?|publisher=Autorbis.net|work=Tarot and its History: Trionfi}} }} Chinese playing cards, as we understand the term today, date from at least 1294, when Yen Sengzhu and Zheng Pig-Dog were apparently caught gambling in Enzhou (in modern Shandong Province).{{cite book|first=John |last=Berry |at=Introduction|title=The World of Playing Cards (catalogue)|publisher=Guildhall Library |location=London|date=1995|quote= Exhibition, 'The World of Playing Cards', at the Guildhall Library, London ( Sept. 1995–Mar. 1996).}} Cards entered Europe from the Islamic empire.{{cite book|first=Kathleen |last=Wowk |title=Playing Cards of the World |publisher=Lutterworth Press |date=January 1, 1983 |isbn=978-0-7188-2408-2}} The earliest authentic references to playing cards in Europe date from 1377.{{cite book|first=Catherine Perry |last=Hargrave |title=A History of Playing Cards and a Bibliography of Cards and Gaming|publisher=Dover Publications |edition= Unabridged |date=January 11, 2001 |isbn=978-0-486-41236-8}} Europe changed the Islamic symbols, such as scimitars and cups, into graphical representations of kings, queens, knights and jesters. Different European countries adopted different suit systems. For instance, some Italian, Spanish and German decks of cards even today do not have queens.{{cite book|first=Henry Rene |last=D'Allemagne |title=Antique Playing Cards: A Pictorial History |publisher=Dover Publications |date=October 24, 1996 |isbn=978-0-486-29265-6}}{{cite book|first1=Tom |last1=Dawson |first2= Judy |last2=Dawson |title=The Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards |publisher=U.S. Games Systems |date=December 2000 |isbn=978-1-57281-299-4}} During the 15th century, German printers introduced a woodblock printing technique to produce playing cards. Lower production costs enabled the printed playing cards' quick exportation throughout Europe. The substitution of woodblock printing and hand coloring with copper-plate engraving during the 16th century was the next significant innovation in the manufacture of playing cards. The mass printing of playing cards was revolutionized by the introduction of color lithography in the early 19th century.{{cite web|url=http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Playing-Cards.html |title=Playing Cards |publisher=Madehow.com |access-date=2019-09-18}}

Image:Card designs from the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt c. 1500.jpg|These are card designs from the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt. c. 1500. According to a passage in Ibn Taghri Birdi's History of Egypt, 1382-1469 A.D., the future sultan al-Malik al-Mu'ayyad won a large sum of money in a game of cards.{{cite book|translator-last=Yusef |translator-first=William Popper|first=Abu L-Mahasin |last=ibn Taghri Birdi |title= History of Egypt, 1382-1469 A.D. |publisher=University of California Press |date=1954| asin=B000KJB70S}} In the Islamic empire playing cards the suits were coins, cups, swords, and polo sticks.

Image:Ober of Acorns and Unter of leaves from a Nurnberger pack.gif|Germans introduced woodblock printing

Image:Esculaap.svg|Many medical organizations use the rod of Asclepius as their logo, since it symbolizes the healing arts. This kind of sign is called a pictogram The main advantage of a pictogram is that one does not need to be able to read or to understand a particular language in order to be able to understand the information it conveys.{{efn|According to Greek mythology, Asclepius was said to have learned the art of healing from the centaur Chiron. He is customarily represented as a surgeon on the ship Argo. Asclepius was so skilled in the medical arts that he was reputed to have brought patients back from the dead. For this, he was punished and placed in the heavens as the constellation Ophiuchus (meaning "serpent-bearer").}}

Image:Sweden road sign E20-1.svg|This is the Swedish traffic sign for no parking zone. The red circle with a diagonal line crossing it coveys the idea of "not allowed," and is called an ideogram.

A rebus (Latin: "by things") is a kind of word puzzle which uses pictures to represent words or parts of words, such as "T,4,2" instead of "tea for two". In 1977, the New York State Department of Commerce recruited Milton Glaser, a productive graphic designer, to work on a marketing campaign for New York State. Glaser created the rebus-style icon I Love New York{{Cite magazine |title=An Interview with Milton Glaser |last=Kidd |first=Chip |magazine=The Believer |date=1 September 2003 |url= https://believermag.com/an-interview-with-milton-glaser/}} which became a major success and has continued to be sold for years. Rebus has played an important role in the creation of alphabets.

Heraldry is the practice of designing and displaying coats of arms and heraldic badges, and is common among many nations. For example, the Romans used an eagle in their coat of arms, the French used the fleur-de-lis, and the Persians used the sign of their god, Ahura Mazda. Historically, heraldry has been variously described as "the shorthand of history"{{cite book|author-link=Arthur Charles Fox-Davies|last=Fox-Davies|first=Arthur Charles| title=A Complete Guide to Heraldry |publisher=Thomas Nelson |date=1925}} and "the floral border in the garden of history."{{cite book|author-link1=Iain Moncreiffe|first1=Iain |last1=Moncreiffe|author-link2=Don Pottinger|last2=Pottinger|first2=Don| title=Simple Heraldry |publisher=Thomas Nelson|date=1953}} It comes from the Germanic compound *harja-waldaz, "army commander".Appendix I. koro-. The origins of heraldry lie in the need to distinguish participants in combat when their faces were hidden by iron and steel helmets.{{cite book|author-link=John Brooke-Little|first=John |last=Brooke-Little |title=An Heraldic Alphabet |publisher=Macdonald |location=London |date=1973|page=2}} Eventually a formal system of rules developed into ever more complex forms of heraldry.{{cite web|work=Encarta |url= http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761565530/Heraldry.html|title=Heraldry|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091030220515/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761565530/Heraldry.html |archive-date=Oct 30, 2009}}

Image:Charles V Arms-imperial.svg|This is the imperial coat of arms of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. From the time of Otto the Great onward, the various German princes elected one of their peers as King of the Germans, after which he would be crowned emperor by the Pope. The last emperor to be crowned by the pope was Charles V; all emperors after him were technically emperors-elect but were universally referred to as Emperor.

Image:Blason Albert de Mecklembourg (selon Gelre).svg|This is the coat of arm of Albert of Sweden. He was the king of Sweden from 1364, and in 1384 he inherited the ducal title of Mecklenburg and united the two countries in a personal union.

Image:Gion Mamori.svg|Like Western heraldry, Japanese mons were initially held only by aristocratic families, and were gradually adapted by commoners. Japanese traditional formal attire generally displays the mon of the wearer. Commoners without mon often used that of their patron or the organization they belonged to. This the coat of arms of Gion Mamori of Japan.

Image:Yorkshire rose.svg|This is the White Rose of York, a white heraldic rose, which is the symbol of the House of York. Traditionally the origins of the emblem are said to go back to Edmund of Langley in the 14th century, the first Duke of York and the founder of the House of York as a Cadet branch of the then-ruling House of Plantagenet.{{cite web|url=http://www.yorkshirehistory.com/yorkshirerose.htm|publisher=YorkshireHistory.com|title=The White Rose of Yorkshire|access-date=2008-03-21 }} The actual symbolism behind the rose has religious connotations as it represents the Virgin Mary, who was often called the Mystical Rose of Heaven.{{Cite CE1913|wstitle=Liturgical Colours}}

A trademark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, company, or other entity to identify its products or services and to distinguish them from those of other producers. A trademark is a type of intellectual property, and typically a name, word, phrase, logo, symbol, design, image, or a combination of these elements.{{cite book|title=The Random House Unabridged Dictionary|publisher=Random House, Inc. |date=2006}}

Image:Coca-Cola logo.svg|This graphic design of the Coca-Cola logo is the work of Frank Mason Robinson, who created it in 1885.{{efn|There is no proof as to who originally hand-wrote it, but Master Penman Louis Madarasz (1859-1910) was said to have told one of his students that the work was his. When the work was created, Madarasz had a mail-order business and could easily have done it, and the writing style is similar to his. In the book An Elegant Hand, by William E. Henning, it states that Robinson, who was the bookkeeper of the firm, originated the name "Coca-Cola" and specified that it be written in Spencerian script.{{cite book|title=An Elegant Hand: The Golden Age of American Penmanship and Calligraphy |date=2002|first=William E. |last=Henning|publisher=Oak Knoll Press|isbn=978-1584560678}} In a 1914 court case, Robinson testified that he was "practically the originator" and that "some engraver here by the name of Frank Ridge was brought into it."{{cn|date=April 2024}}}} This old Logotype has been around for more than a century, which could be regarded as a measure of its success. A successful logotype will create a sense of loyalty among the clientele.{{cite news|title=Minority Report: The Cola Clash of Civilisations |first=Jerome |last=Taylor|work=The Independent |date=10 July 2008}}

Image:Googlelogo.png|Google is a young high-tech company, and its logotype, created by Ruth Kedar, reminds us of Mondrian minimalism. Kedar has emphasized the playfulness of her design, and its simplicity that conveys an illusion of non-design. According to her, "The colors evoke memories of child play, but deftly stray from the color wheel strictures so as to hint to the inherent element of serendipity creeping into any search results page.... The texture and shading of each letter is done in an unobtrusive way, resulting in lifting it from the page while giving it both weight and lightness."{{cite magazine|url=http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/01/the-brains-behi.html |first=Sonia |last=Zjawinski|department=CULTURE|date=Jan 16, 2008 |title=The Brains Behind Google's Primary Logo|magazine=Wired }}

"Rebranding" means staying relevant as competition heats up and sales start to stagnate. In such circumstances, companies often seek to breathe new life into the brand through rebranding. The idea behind it is that the assumptions made when the brand was established may no longer hold true.{{cite book|first=Kunal |last=Gaurav |title=Rebranding: Concepts, Cases And Applications |publisher=Icfai University Press |date=28 August 2008 |isbn=978-81-314-1496-5}}

Image:Olympic flag.svg|This flag of the Olympic Games, designed by Pierre de Coubertin, reminds the viewer of the minimalism of Mondrian. According to Coubertin, "This design is symbolic; it represents the five continents of the world, united by Olympism, while the six colours are those that appear on all the national flags of the world at the present time."{{cite web|url=http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/symbols/flag/index.shtml|title=The Olympic Flag - the official website of the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games|access-date=2008-08-29|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828204340/http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/symbols/flag/index.shtml|archive-date=2008-08-28}}

The logo of the Socialist Party (France). The rose symbol represents: community (the flower's petals), socialism (its red color), taking care of those who are less able to compete (the fragility), the struggle (the thorns), cultural life (beauty). Historically, the red rose became the party's emblem during the 1970s. The fist symbol was a sign of resistance. Although the Mitterrand Socialists turned the fist into a graphic holding a rose.{{cite book|title=Looking Closer 5: Critical Writings on Graphic Design |editor-first1=Michael |editor-last1=Bierut |editor-first2= William |editor-last2=Drenttel |editor-first3=Steven |editor-last3=Heller |publisher= Allworth Communications, Inc.|date= 2007 |isbn=978-1-58115-471-9}}

Known worldwide for its panda logo, the Switzerland-based World Wildlife Fund (WWF) participates in international efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats.{{multiref | {{cite web|url=http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4770 |work=Charity Navigator |title=World Wildlife Fund}} | {{cite book|last1=McKinney |first1= Michael L. |first2=Robert M. |last2=Schoch |title= Environmental Science: Systems and Solutions|edition=Third| chapter=Environmental Organizations |publisher= Jones and Bartlett Publishers|chapter-url=http://environment.jbpub.com/mckinney/environmental_organizations.cfm?openid=173#173 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061021192439/http://environment.jbpub.com/mckinney/environmental_organizations.cfm?openid=173#173|archive-date=2006-10-21}} | {{cite web|url=http://people.howstuffworks.com/world-wildlife-fund.htm |last=Parnes |first=Robin Brett |title=How the World Wildlife Fund Works |work=How Stuff Works|date=3 December 2007 }} | {{cite web|url=http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/who_we_are/history/index.cfm |work=WWF-The Conservation Organization |title= A History of WWF: The Sixties}} }}

Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, is best known for its humanitarian projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic disease. Its logo using a minimalist approach creates its visual impact.{{cite book|last=Bortolotti |first= D |date=2004 |title=Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Doctors Without Borders |publisher=Firefly Books |isbn=1-55297-865-6}}

In 1921, Otto Neurath (1882–1945), an Austrian social scientist, introduced graphic design in order to facilitate the understanding of various social and economic trends through the creative use of statistical charts. In 1924, Neurath advocated the establishment of the Museum of Economy and Society, an institution for public education and social information. In May 1925, the Museum's first graphical display was opened to the public. The attempt of the exhibition was to make complicated social and economic trends easy to grasp through the use of intuitive and interesting charts. This style of presentation at the time was called the "Viennese method," but now it is known as ISOTYPE charts (International System of TYpographic Picture Education).{{cite web|url=http://www.stroom.nl/paginas/pagina.php?pa_id=6422177 |title=Stroom Den Haag |publisher=Stroom.nl |access-date=2019-09-18}}

Neurath was an enthusiast of sociology. After obtaining his PhD he worked on planning the war economy of the Austro-Hungarian empire. However, by 1919 he was engaged in the planning for a wholly new economic system of the chaotic and short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic. He proposed the abolition of money, but before this could be implemented, the republic was bloodily overthrown by Weimar's Social Democrats. Neurath escaped to Vienna, where he became an activist for the self-help squatters' movement. In the 1920s he joined the Vienna Circle of Logical Positivists, who attempted to establish a scientific foundation for philosophy; and at the same time he pioneered the graphic methods that became Isotype and were shown in the Museum of Society and Economy. He fled Vienna after the collapse of its social democratic city government in 1934. Neurath's final years were spent in Britain, as postwar planner for the Midlands town of Bilston.{{cite book|first=Nader |last=Vossoughian |title= Otto Neurath: "The Language of the Global Polis" |publisher=NAi Publishers|date=July 1, 2008 |isbn=978-90-5662-350-0}}

As Ellen Lupton argues: Neurath suggested:

{{blockquote|...two central rules for generating the vocabulary of international pictures: reduction, for determining the style of individual signs; and consistency, for giving a group of signs the appearance of a coherent system". Reduction means finding the simplest expression of an object. For instance, silhouette is a basic technique for reduction. It emulates the shadow of the image without any human intervention. Thus, it is a natural cast rather than a cultural interpretation. The sign as geometric representation of reality is both a rhetorical connotation and a practical technique for many symbol designers. Martin Krampen suggested "simplified realism;" he urged designers to "start from silhouette photographs of objects... and then by subtraction... obtain silhouette pictographs."{{cite book|first=Ellen |last=Lupton |title=Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students (Design Briefs) |publisher=Princeton Architectural Press |edition=First |date=September 9, 2004 |isbn=978-1-56898-448-3}} }}

Gerd Arntz (1900–1988) was born in a German family of traders and manufacturers. He was a socio-political activist in Düsseldorf, where he joined a movement that aimed to turn Germany into a radical-socialist state form. As a revolutionary artist, Arntz was connected to the Cologne-based "progressive artists group" (Gruppe progressiver Künstler Köln) and depicted the life of workers and the class struggle in abstracted figures on woodcuts. Published in leftist magazines, his work was noticed by Otto Neurath who for his "Vienna method of visual statistics" needed a designer of pictograms that could summarize a subject at a glance. Neurath invited the young artists to come to Vienna in 1928, and work on further developing his ISOTYPE. Arntz designed around 4,000 different pictograms and abstracted illustrations for this system.{{cite web |url=http://www.gerdarntz.org/home |title=(1900-1988) |publisher=Gerd Arntz |access-date=2019-09-18 |archive-date=2009-04-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415142053/http://www.gerdarntz.org/home |url-status=dead }}

Neurath's motto was "words divide, images unite". Many of his designs, together with those of his protégé Gerd Arntz, were the forebears of pictograms we now encounter everywhere, such as the man and woman on toilet doors. As Marina Vishmidt suggests: "Neurath's pictograms owe much to the Modernist belief that reality may be modified by being codified – standardised, easy-to-grasp templates as a revolution in human affairs.{{cite web|first=Marina |last=Vishmidt |url=http://www.metamute.org/en/The-Dutch-Are-Weeping-in-Four-Universal-Pictorial-Languages-At-Least |title=The Dutch Are Weeping in Four Universal Pictorial Languages At Least | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309180208/http://www.metamute.org/en/The-Dutch-Are-Weeping-in-Four-Universal-Pictorial-Languages-At-Least |archive-date=2009-03-09 |date=2 May 2007|work=Mute}}

The logos and pictograms for the Olympic Games change every four years and the sponsoring city develops its own logos. Pictograms first appeared at the Olympics in London in 1948. They came into wide use since they simultaneously communicate a message to a large number of people who speak different languages. In the absence of such signs in venues such as the Olympic village there would be a need for many written signs in different languages (for example, for rowing: Roning، Κωπηλασία، Aviron, قایق رانی، and ボート競技, which not only would be costly but also may confuse the viewers).

Symbols for individual sports, developed by Masasa Katzoumie and Yoshiro Yamashita for the Tokyo 1964 Olympics.{{Cite web |url=http://www.designobserver.com/archives/entry.html?id=191 |title=Michael Bierut, The Graphic Design Olympics |access-date=2009-02-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709015731/http://designobserver.com/archives/entry.html?id=191 |archive-date=2011-07-09 |url-status=dead }}

Pictograms from the Mexico City 1968 Summer Olympics. A group of Olympic identity program designers collaborated on the creation of these symbols, which were employed to designate the events and installations for both the sports program and the Cultural Olympiad.{{cite news|title=Official Report 1968 |volume=2| page= 307|date=1969|publisher= Organizing Committee of the Games of the XIX Olympiad, MEXICO 68}}

Inspired by the pictograms of Gerd Arntz, Otl Aicher, design director for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, in the words of Michael Bierut, "developed a set of pictograms of such breathtaking elegance and clarity that they would never be topped. Aicher (1922-1991), founder of the Ulm design school and consultant to Braun and Lufthansa, was the quintessential German designer: precise, cool and logical".{{cite web|url=http://olympic-museum.de/index.html#pictograms |publisher=Juergen Wagner|location=Germany|title=Olympic Games Museum

}}

Olympic Games pictograms of the Barcelona 1992 Olympics were influenced by Aicher's work. However, the geometric shapes were abandoned in favor of the characteristic line of the emblem created by Josep. M. Trias and its stylized simplification of the human body in three parts.{{cite news|title=Official Report 1992 |volume= III| page=326|date= 1992|publisher= COOB'92 |location=Barcelona}}

Twenty-four sport pictograms and a series of sport illustrations for the 2010 Winter Olympics were created by Dutch illustrator Irene Jacobs of I'm JAC Design.

Image:An astronomical chart of the sky drawn by Nicholas Copernicus in 1543.jpg|Astronomical charts have a long history. For instance, an engraving of an ancient Egyptian diagram of the heavens from the Temple of Dendara, depicts the sky on the date of the founding of the temple in 54 BC. The above chart is an astronomical map of the sky drawn by Nicholas Copernicus in 1543 that replaced an earlier chart by Cellarius showing an Earth-centred universe.{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/world/heavens.html |title=Heavens World |work=Treasures of the Library of Congress: Beginnings|date=29 July 2010 }}

Image:Scene-render.svg|In this graphic chart the position of two planets in relation to a viewer, and their position as they appear to a specific viewer is shown. These types of charts are used in various textbooks to describe various scientific phenomena. They are also used by manufacturers in operation manuals to help the buyers become familiar with the workings of a gadget.{{cite journal|title=The role of graphics in training documents: toward an explanatory theory of how they communicate |last=Winn |first=W. |journal= IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication|volume =32 |issue=4 |date=December 1989 |pages=300–309 |doi=10.1109/47.44544}}

Image:3Variable_BubbleChart.svg|This is a bubble chart, which can show the relationship between three variables. These charts facilitate the understanding of social, economic, medical, and other scientific relationships.

Statistics are becoming increasingly more important in modern society. Various types of computer software can easily transform large sets of data into charts, graphs, and statistics of various types, to provide us with succinct information to make decisions.{{Cite web |url=http://freelanceswitch.com/working/statistics-part-2-how-to-properly-use-statistic-charts-in-life-and-business/ |title=Charlie Pabst, Statistics: Part 2, How To Properly Use Statistic Charts In Life And Business |access-date=2009-02-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116163335/http://freelanceswitch.com/working/statistics-part-2-how-to-properly-use-statistic-charts-in-life-and-business/ |archive-date=2009-01-16 |url-status=dead }}

Image:Muybridge race horse animated.gif|Computer animation creates the illusion of motion by viewing a succession of computer-generated still images. In the past, animation was produced by filming painted sequences on plastic or paper cels. The above animation was created from photos by Eadweard Muybridge in 1887. Computer animation can be used to produce special effects for educational purposes, such as the study of planetary motions, particle collisions, or fluid dynamics.{{cite web|work=Encarta |url=http://ca.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554797/eadweard_muybridge.html |title=Eadweard Muybridge | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050417005220/http://ca.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554797/Eadweard_Muybridge.html |archive-date=2005-04-17}}

Image:Archimedes-screw one-screw-threads with-ball 3D-view animated small.gif|Dynamic graphics are used to facilitate understanding of concepts in science, engineering, medicine, education, and business. Computer graphics facilitate the production of images that range in complexity from simple line drawings to three-dimensional reconstructions of data. The evolution of a phenomenon through time and its interactions with other elements can be shown through animation.{{cite web|work=Encarta |url=http://ca.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568805/Computer_Animation.html |title=Computer Animation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060528194204/http://ca.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568805/Computer_Animation.html |archive-date=May 28, 2006}}

File:Camera focal length distance house animation.gif|In this 3-D dynamic design a house is studied from various angles. These types of animations can be very useful in the study of various objects. They can also be used to study the evolution of a process through time.{{cite book|title=The Art of 3-D: Computer Animation and Imaging|edition= 2nd|first=Isaac Victor |last=Kerlow |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |date=May 11, 2000 |isbn=978-0-471-36004-9}}

Image:5-cell.gif|The art of dynamic design is still in its infancy. With the availability of sophisticated computer graphics techniques, the horizon has been expanded enormously for graphic designers.

Image:Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (logo).svg|In 1907, AEG (Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft) retained Peter Behrens (1868–1940), a German architect and designer, as artistic consultant. He designed the entire corporate identity (logotype, product design, publicity, etc.), and for that, he is considered the first industrial designer in history. He never became an employee of AEG but worked as an artistic consultant.{{cite book|first=Stanford |last=Anderson |title=Peter Behrens and a New Architecture for the Twentieth Century | page =252 |publisher=The MIT Press |date=2000}}

Image:IBM logo.svg|Paul Rand (1914–1996), an American graphic designer, is best known for his corporate [http://www.grafitive.com/ logo designs]. His career began with a part-time position creating stock images for a syndicate that supplied graphics to various newspapers and magazines.{{multiref|{{cite magazine|last=Heller |first=Steven|author-link=Steven Heller (design writer)| title=Thoughts on Rand |magazine=Print |date=May–June 1997|pages=106–109}} | {{cite magazine|last=Bierut |first=Michael |title=Tribute: Paul Rand 1914–1996 |magazine=I.D. |date=Jan–Feb 1997 |page=34}} | {{cite book|last=Rand |first=Paul|author-link=Paul Rand|title= Thoughts on Design |location=New York |publisher=Wittenborn |date=1947}} | {{cite news| last= Kroeger |first=Michael |title=Interview with Paul Rand |work=MK Graphic Design |orig-date= 8 February 1995|date=15 February 2006}} }} Between his class assignments and his work, Rand was able to amass a fairly large portfolio, largely influenced by the German advertising style Sachplakat (object poster) as well as the works of Gustav Jensen.{{Cite web|url=http://www.paul-rand.com/identity.shtml|title=Gallery of Paul Rand Works|access-date=2009-01-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201035224/http://www.paul-rand.com/identity.shtml|archive-date=2009-02-01|url-status=dead }}

Raymond Loewy (1893–1986) was one of the best-known industrial designers of the 20th century. Born in France, he spent most of his professional career in the United States. Among his many contributions were the Shell logo, the Greyhound bus, the S-1 locomotive, the Lucky Strike package, Coldspot refrigerators, and the Studebaker Avanti. Loewy was first approached by the Greyhound Corporation to redesign its logo. The company's logo looked like a "fat mongrel," he said. So, he created a slimmed-down version that is still used today.{{cite book|last=Setright |first=L. J. K. |chapter=Loewy: When styling became industrial design |editor-last=Northey |editor-first=Tom |title=World of Automobiles |location=London |publisher=Orbis |date=1974|volume =11}}

William Golden (1911–1959) is one of the pioneers of American graphic design. He was born in lower Manhattan, the youngest of twelve children. His only formal schooling was at the Vocational School for Boys, where he learned photoengraving and the basics of commercial design. In conjunction with the Didot typeface, Golden developed the famous CBS eye logo. It has been suggested that the eye was inspired by an article in Alexey Brodovitch's Portfolio about the subject of Shaker design.{{multiref | {{cite book|editor-last1=Golden |editor-first1=Cipe Pineles |editor-first2=Kurt |editor-last2=Weihs |editor-first3=Robert |editor-last3=Strunsky |title=The Visual Craft of William Golden |location=New York |publisher=George Braziller, Inc.|date= 1962}} | {{cite book| last1=Remington |first1=R. Roger |first2= Barbara J. |last2=Hodik |title=Nine Pioneers in American Graphic Design |date=8 July 1992 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, 1989 |isbn=0-262-68076-9}} }}

Placard and posters existed from the ancient times. Persian reliefs depicted important historical events; the Greek axons and the Roman albums, with their decorative designs and announcements, were quite similar to today's posters. In ancient Greece the name of athletes, and games schedules were written on columns that slowly turned on an axis. Romans markets had whitewashed walls on which sellers, money lenders, and slave traders wrote announcements and advertised their products; to attract the attention of customers they added attractive designs to their announcements.{{cite web|url=http://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/#larousse/1441/11/affiche |title=Larousse |publisher=Larousse.fr |access-date=2019-09-18}}

Around 1450, Johann Gutenberg's printing press made books widely available in Europe. The book design of Aldus Manutius developed the book structure that would become the foundation of Western publication design. With the development of the lithographic process, invented by a Czech named Alois Senefelder in 1798 in Austria, the creation of posters became feasible. Although handmade posters existed before, they were mainly used for government announcements. William Caxton, who in 1477 started a printing company in England, produced the first printed poster.{{cite web|work=Encarta |title=William Caxton |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028210534/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572424/William_Caxton.html |archive-date=Oct 28, 2009|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572424/William_Caxton.html }}

In 1870, the advertising poster emerged.{{efn|In the 19th and 20th centuries, artists like Jules Chéret, Daumier, Manet, Picasso, Ben Shahn, Norman Rockwell, Alexandre Steinlen, Alphonse Mucha, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made compelling posters advertising products entertainments and restaurants. Matt Morgan's circus advertisements (c. 1890) started the American poster, and this was followed by Edward Penfield, Will H. Bradley, Maxfield Parrish, Howard Chandler Christie, James Montgomery Flagg, Charles Dana Gibson, and Harrison Fisher.{{multiref | {{cite book|first=M. |last=Rickards |title=The Rise and Fall of the Poster |date=1971 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |isbn=978-0070526198}} | {{cite book|first=J. |last=Barnicoat |title=A Concise History of Posters: 1870–1970 |date=1972 | publisher= Harry N. Abrams, Inc.}} | {{cite book|first=Dawn |last=Ades |title=The 20th-Century Poster, Designs of the Avant-Garde |date=1984 | location =New York, New York |publisher=Abbeville Press Publishers|isbn= 0896594335}} | {{cite book|first=J. |last=Barnicoat |title=Posters: A Concise History |date=1985|series=World of Art | isbn=9780500201183|

publisher= Thames & Hudson}} }}}}

Image:Aldo Manuzio Aristotele.jpg|Aristotle printed by Aldus Manutius, 1495-98 (Libreria Antiquaria Pregliasco, Turin)

Image:Manutius.jpg|A page from Francesco Colonna's Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, printed by Aldus Manutius

Image:Caxton device.png|The printer's device of William Caxton, 1478.

Image:Canterbury Tales.png|A woodcut from William Caxton's second edition of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, printed in 1483.

Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat, surface, by cutting grooves into it. The process was developed in Germany in the 1430s from the engraving used by goldsmiths to decorate metalwork. Engravers use a hardened steel tool called a burin to cut the design into the surface, most traditionally a copper plate.{{cite web|url=http://expositions.bnf.fr/bosse/grand/214.htm|title= Abraham Bosse|year=1645|publisher=Bibliothèque nationale de France|access-date=2008-07-15}} Gravers come in a variety of shapes and sizes that yield different line types.

Image:Theodor de Bry.png|Theodor de Bry (1528 – 1598) was an engraver, goldsmith and editor. A self-portrait engraving by Theodorus de Bry, confirming his origins from Liège (in Latin, "Leodiensis"), a city at that time belonging neither to Flanders or Wallonia, or even to Belgium.

Image:Dürer-Hieronymus-im-Gehäus.jpg|Albrecht Dürer, St. Jerome in His Study (1514). Dürer was a German painter and printmaker.

Image:SchongauerEcceHomo.jpg|Ecce Homo, engraving, 15th century, by Martin Schongauer(c. 1448 – 1491). He was a German engraver and painter, and was the most important German printmaker before Dürer.

Image:Mk Frankfurt Merian Stadtansicht.jpg|Matthäus Merian, View of Frankfurt, between 1612 and 1619. Merian was a notable Swiss engraver.

Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal. This technique is believed to have been invented by Daniel Hopfer (c. 1470–1536) of Augsburg, Germany, who decorated armour in this way, and applied the method to printmaking. Etching soon came to challenge engraving as the most popular printmaking medium. Its great advantage was that, unlike engraving which requires special skill in metalworking, etching is relatively easy to learn for an artist trained in drawing.

Image:Kunz von der Rosen.jpg|Court jester of Emperor Maximilian I. Etching by Daniel Hopfer, (1493).

File:Gardener with a Basket on her Arm, from Hortulanae series MET MM10514.jpg|Gardener with Basket, c. 1612, Etching by Jacques Bellange. He was an artist and printmaker from Lorraine, now in France.(c. 1575 - 1616).

Image:Félicien_Rops_-_Pornokratès_-_1878_(2).jpg|Pornocrates (in etching and aquatint, 1896) by Félicien Rops, a Belgian artist and printmaker.

File:Europe a Prophecy, copy D, object 1 (Bentley 1, Erdman i, Keynes i) British Museum.jpg|William Blake's Ancient of Days, etching/watercolour, (1794).

In the second half of the 19th century, William Morris's Kelmscott Press produced many historicist graphic designs and created a collectors market for this kind of art. In Oxford he associated with artists like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Together they formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and their ideas influenced modern graphic design considerably.{{cite web|work=Encarta |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761563639/William_Morris.html |title=William Morris |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091030053301/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761563639/William_Morris.html |archive-date=Oct 30, 2009}}

Image:Morris Peacock and Dragon Fabric 1878 v2.jpg|This fabric design, called Peacock and Dragon, is the work of William Morris (1878) and is an example of decorative graphic design. Such designs were revived during the 1960s with the emergence of the hippie movement.

Image:Morris Tulip and Willow design 1873.jpg|This Morris Tulip and Willow design (1873) is another example of decorative graphics. By using a diagonal blue, with only some suggestion of orange, the artist tries to create a harmonious color scheme that could be used effectively in the design of a poster or other graphic design media.

Image:Kelmscott Press - The Nature of Gothic by John Ruskin (first page).jpg|This is the first page of The Nature of Gothic by John Ruskin, which was published by Morris' Kelmscott Press. The decorative design was the revival of the Gothic style in graphic design.

Image:Rubaiyat Morris Burne-Jones Manuscript.jpg|This book of poetry, called Rubaiyat, by the famous Persian poet Omar Khayyam, is an example of early modern graphic design cooperation. The graphic composition of calligraphy and its decorative design are by Morris and the painting is by Burne-Jones.

In 1917, Frederick H. Meyer, director and instructor at the California School of Arts and Crafts, taught a class entitled “Graphic Design and Lettering”.{{cite web|last=Shaw|first=Paul|author-link=Paul Shaw (design historian)|url=https://www.paulshawletterdesign.com/2020/05/the-definitive-dwiggins-no-81a-w-a-dwiggins-and-graphic-design-a-brief-rejoinder-to-steven-heller-and-bruce-kennett/ |title=W.A. Dwiggins and "graphic design": A brief rejoinder to Steven Heller and Bruce Kennett |publisher=www.paulshawletterdesign.com |access-date=2020-05-23}}

After the Second World War, with the emergence of new color printing technology and particularly the appearance of computers, the art of posters underwent a new revolutionary phase. People could now create color posters on their laptop computers and create color prints at a very low cost. Unfortunately, the high cost of sophisticated printing processes can only be afforded mostly by government entities and large corporations. With the emergence of the Internet, the role of posters in conveying information has greatly diminished. However, some artist still use chromolithography in order to create works of arts in the form of prints. In this regard, the difference between painting and print has been narrowed considerably.

The word "psychedelic" means "mind manifesting". Psychedelic art is art inspired by the psychedelic experience induced by drugs, and refers above all to the art movement of the counterculture of the 1960s. Psychedelic visual arts were a counterpart to psychedelic rock music. Concert posters, album covers, light shows, murals, comic books, underground newspapers, and more reflected revolutionary political, social, and spiritual sentiments inspired by psychedelic states of consciousness.{{cite book|last1=Masters |first1=Robert E. L. |last2= Houston |first2=Jean |title=Psychedelic Art |location=New York |date=1968 |publisher=A Balance House book—printed by Grove Press, Inc.}}

Although San Francisco remained the hub of psychedelic art into the early 1970s, the style also developed internationally. The English rock band Pink Floyd worked extensively with London-based designers Hipgnosis to create graphics to support the concepts in their albums like the cover of the soundtrack of the film More'. Life magazine's cover and lead article for the September 1, 1967, issue at the height of the Summer of Love focused on the explosion of psychedelic art on posters and the artists as leaders in the hippie counterculture community.

The 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine was a milestone in graphic design. Inspired by new trends in art, it sits alongside the dazzling Pop art styles of Andy Warhol, Martin Sharp, Alan Aldridge, and Peter Blake. Heinz Edelmann was hired by TVC as the art director for Yellow Submarine. Before making the film, TVC had produced The Beatles, a 39-episode TV series "produced" by Al Brodax and King Features. Despite the critical acclaim for his design work for the film, Edelman never worked on another animated feature.{{cite book|first1=Robert R. |last1=Hieronimus |first2= Laura |last2=Cortner |title=Inside the Yellow Submarine; The Making of the Beatles' Animated Classic |publisher=kp books |date=February 1, 2002 |isbn=978-0-87349-360-4}}

Peter Max's artwork was a part of the psychedelic movement in graphic design. His work was much imitated in commercial illustration in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1970, many of Max's products and posters were featured in the exhibition "The World of Peter Max" which opened at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco. Max appeared on the cover of Life magazine with an eight-page feature article, as well as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Ed Sullivan Show.

The distinctive aesthetics of Japanese graphic design have been admired over many decades, winning awards at prestigious international venues.{{cite web|url=http://www.czechdesign.cz/index.php?lang=2&status=c&clanek=1272 |title=Japanese Posters – Today |publisher=Czechdesign.cz |access-date=2019-09-18}}

The works of Japanese graphic designers are noted for their resourcefulness, powerful visual expression, and extraordinary technical quality of print.{{cite book|first=Richard S. |last=Thornton |chapter=Japanese Posters: The First 100 Years |series=Design Issues |volume= 6 |number=1 |title=Design in Asia and Australia |date=Autumn 1989|pages= 4–14|publisher=The MIT Press}}

The distinctive artistic language and typographic sophistication show particularly in Japanese poster-design. The Japanese poster is a compelling pictorial medium and an original work of art, reflecting in full the designer's creative talent.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

The poster "Revolution promotes production", created by He Shuxui, celebrates traditional ceramic painting techniques. A plaque in the background commemorates a group of ceramic workers as an outstanding productive unit, 1974.{{Cite web |url=http://www.1930shanghai.com/items/523896/item523896store.html#item |title=Chinese Political Poster Revolution promotes production |access-date=2009-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419002705/http://www.1930shanghai.com/items/523896/item523896store.html#item |archive-date=2010-04-19 |url-status=dead }}

A worker named Wang Qingcang created the poster, "The three countries of Indo Zhina (Lao, Cambodia, Vietnam) will win!". On the upper left side, it says "Enemies are getting sicker and sicker every day, and we are getting better and better every day." (The U.S. supported Indo Zhina (Indochina) governments while China supported their communist guerilla forces.) October 1964.{{Cite web |url=http://www.1930shanghai.com/items/346884/item346884store.html#item |title=Chinese poster - The three countries of "In du Zhi Na" |access-date=2009-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111073813/http://www.1930shanghai.com/items/346884/item346884store.html#item |archive-date=2007-11-11 |url-status=dead }}

The poster "Mao Zedong at Jinggang Mountain" depicts a young Mao Zedong sitting against the background of the Jinggang Mountains. The mountain symbolizes Mao's leadership and his vision to unite the oppressed masses to fight against the ruling class. Created by Liu Chunhua and Wang Hui, October 1969.{{Cite web |url=http://www.1930shanghai.com/items/523450/item523450store.html#item |title=Mao Ze Dong at Jing Gang Mountain Poster |access-date=2009-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419001902/http://www.1930shanghai.com/items/523450/item523450store.html#item |archive-date=2010-04-19 |url-status=dead }}

The poster, "Time is Money", features the famous Canadian doctor Norman Bethune (Dr. Bai Qiuen in Chinese), racing to rescue another patient. Bethune became an early proponent of universal health care, the success of which he observed during a visit to the Soviet Union. As a doctor in Montreal, Bethune frequently sought out the poor and gave them free medical care. As a thoracic surgeon, he traveled to Spain (1936–1937) and to China (1938–1939) to perform battlefield surgical operations on war casualties. Created by Zhang Xin Gua. Hebei People's Publishing House.{{Cite web |url=http://www.1930shanghai.com/items/522612/item522612store.html#item |title=Norman Bethune "Bai Qiu En" Poster - Time is Money |access-date=2009-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111073335/http://www.1930shanghai.com/items/522612/item522612store.html#item |archive-date=2007-11-11 |url-status=dead }}

Richard Avedon was an American photographer. Avedon capitalized on his early success in fashion photography and expanded into the realm of fine art. This is a solarised poster portraits of the Beatles, originally produced for 9 January 1967 edition of the American magazine Look.

The "Barack Obama "Hope" poster" poster is an iconic image of Barack Obama designed by artist Shepard Fairey. The image became one of the most widely recognized symbols of Obama's campaign message, spawning many variations and imitations, including some commissioned by the Obama campaign. In January 2009, after Obama had won the election, Fairey's mixed-media stenciled portrait version of the image was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution for its National Portrait Gallery. (In October 2009, Fairey admitted that he had based the poster on an Associated Press photograph and had fabricated and destroyed evidence to hide the fact.){{cite news |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/arts/design/18fairey.html|title=Artist Admits Using Other Photo for 'Hope' Poster|work=The New York Times|date=October 17, 2009|access-date=November 5, 2009 | first=Liz | last=Robbins| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121114054518/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/arts/design/18fairey.html| archive-date=November 14, 2012| url-status= live}}

Image:Poster loveulster.gif|This political poster by Tiocfaidh Ár Lá about Ulster.

Image:PavlovskiyMAYAKOVSKIY.jpg|Andrew Pavlovsky poster of Poet MAYAKOVSKIY (2003). This poster is a graphic illustration of a true interest in Constructivism in Russia today. Constructivism was almost always in demand in Russia and it has since become one of Russia's principal trends. Some contemporary Russian artists and art historians have already suggested the new term "Additive Constructivism." It emphasizes the return to modernism, which starts to significantly push out the postmodern art practices. It's not a postmodern performance. The Constructivist color solution proves that so it is.

With the arrival of computer-aided graphic design an assortment of novel effects, digital techniques, and innovative styles have emerged in poster designs. With software such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, and Microsoft Paint, image editing has become very cheap and artists can easily experiment with a variety of color schemes, filters, and special effects. For instance, utilizing various filters of Photoshop, many artists have created "vectored" designs in posters where a photographic image is solarized, sharpened, rendered into watercolor or stained glass effects, or converted into bare lines with block colors. Other designs created soft or blurry styles, ripple or cascade effects, and other special filters.

Graphic design is used in advertising to announce a persuasive message by an identified sponsor, or the promotion by a firm of its products to existing and potential customers. Egyptians used papyrus to make sales messages and wall posters. Commercial messages and political campaign displays have been found in the ruins of Pompeii and Ancient Arabia. Lost-and-found advertising on papyrus was common in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Wall or rock painting for commercial advertising is another manifestation of an ancient advertising form, which is present to this day in many parts of Asia, Africa, and South America.{{multiref | {{cite book|last=Johnson |first=J. Douglas |title=Advertising Today |location=Chicago |publisher=Science Research Associates |date= 1978|isbn=0-574-19355-3}}| {{cite book|last=Klein |first=Naomi |author-link=Naomi Klein|date=2000 |title=No Logo|publisher=Harper-Collins |isbn=0-00-653040-0}} | {{cite book|last=Kleppner |first=Otto |title=Advertising Procedure |location=Englewood Cliffs, N.J. |publisher=Prentice-Hall |date= 1966}} | {{cite book|last= Wernick |first=Andrew |date=1991 |title=Promotional Culture: Advertising, Ideology and Symbolic Expression |series=Theory, Culture & Society |location=London |publisher=Sage Publications Ltd |isbn=0-8039-8390-5}} }}

Image:Edo period advertising in Japan.jpg|This advertising flier from 1806 is for a traditional medicine called Kinseitan. Displayed in the Edo-Tokyo Museum.

Image:Bagnoles de l'Orne XIXth century adv.jpg|This is a 19th-century advertising poster for the hydrotherapic baths of Bagnoles-de-l'Orne (France).

Image:Perham's Opera Vocalists.jpg|This is a playbill for Perham's Opera Vocalists, 1856.

Image:Miss-Annie-Oakley-peerless-wing-shot.jpg|This poster from the second half of the 1880s advertises Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, advertising "Miss Annie Oakley, the peerless lady wing-shot".

Image:Fritz Rehm-Cigaretten Laferme Dresden.jpg|This is a German poster by Fritz Rehm for Laferme Cigarettes (published 1896–1900)

Image:Trapeze artists 1899.jpg|Circus poster, 1899. "Forepaugh & Sells Brothers Shows Combined. The world-famed Hanlon Troupe in the most astonishing mid-air achievements ever accomplished."

Image:Cocacola-5cents-1900 edit1.jpg|"Drink Coca-Cola 5¢", an 1890s advertising poster showing a woman in fancy clothes (partially vaguely influenced by 16th- and 17th-century styles) drinking Coke.

In the early 20th century, Germany became the cradle of many of the avant-garde art movements, particularly posters. This created the "Plakatstil" or "Poster style" movement. This movement became very influential and had a considerable impact on the graphic design of posters. Posters in this style featured few but strong colours, a sharp, non-cluttered, minimal composition and bold, clear types.{{cite book|editor-first=Lucian |editor-last=Bernhard |title= Werbung und Design im Aufbruch des 20. Jahrhunderts, Plakate, Gebrauchsgrafik, Verpackungsdesign, Buchgestaltung, Schriftentwuerfe |quote=Concept by Hubert Riedel, texts by Hubert Riedel, Rene Grohnert, Karl Bernhard.|publisher=Institut fuer Auslandbeziehungen e.V. |date=1999|location= Linienstrasse 155, D-10115 Berlin}}

File:Hohlwein Karte 1913.JPG

Ludwig Hohlwein was born in Germany in 1874. He was trained and practiced as an architect until 1906 when he switched to poster design. Hohlwein's adaptations of photographic images was based on a deep and intuitive understanding of graphical principles. His creative use of color and architectural compositions dispels any suggestion that he used photos as a substitute for creative design.

Riquet Pralinen Tea c. 1920–1926. Hohlwein was born in the Rhine-Main region of Germany, though he and his work are associated with Munich and Bavaria in southern Germany. There were two schools of Gebrauchsgrafik in Germany at the time, North and South. Hohlwein's high tonal contrasts and a network of interlocking shapes made his work instantly recognizable.

Poster historian Alain Weill comments that,

{{blockquote|Hohlwein was the most prolific and brilliant German posterist of the 20th century.... Beginning with his first efforts, Hohlwein found his style with disconcerting facility. It would vary little for the next forty years. The drawing was perfect from the start, nothing seemed alien to him, and in any case, nothing posed a problem for him. His figures are full of touches of color and a play of light and shade that brings them out of their background and gives them substance.{{cite book|last=Weill |first=Alain|title=The Poster: a Worldwide Survey and History |publisher=G K Hall |date=1985 | isbn=978-0-8161-8746-1}} }}

Over the course of his career, which lasted well into the 1950s, Lucian Bernhard (1883–1972) became a prolific designer not only of innovative posters but of trademarks, packaging, type, textiles, furniture, and interior design.

Image:Pierce-ArrowColorAd.jpg|Pierce-Arrow auto ad, from advertisement in Life magazine, 1919

Image:Brightest London and Home By Underground.jpg|The London Underground Electric Railway Company Ltd. published this poster in 1924.

The internationally recognized artist Otl Aicher was a graphic designer, urban planner, photographer, and the mastermind behind the imagery for the 1972 Munich Olympics and the Rotis typeface. Growing up as a child in Nazi Germany, Aicher, along with his friends Hans and Sophie Scholl, organized the anti-Nazi political organization Die Weisse Rose (the White Rose). In 1943, the Scholls and Aicher were arrested by the Nazi party. While Aicher was released, the Scholls went to trial, where they were found guilty of treason and executed. After the war Aicher went on to help rebuild his ravaged city of Ulm and to found the influential international school of design, Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG).{{Cite web|url=https://www.metropolismag.com/cities/the-olympic-feats-of-otl-aicher/|title=The Olympic Feats of Otl Aicher|date=January 2, 2007}}

In Munich's original bid for the 1972 Olympics, one of the main promises was to create a synthesis between sport and art. Otl Aicher was appointed as the head of the committee's visual design group, and his mandate was to deploy art in a relatively new role of promoting this global public event. From the start, posters were high on the agenda of the organizing committee, and ideas were discussed as early as September 1967 to publish a series of art posters that would "relate artistic activity to the Olympic Games and engage the best artists to collaborate," and also to commission an internationally known artist for the official poster.{{cite news|last=POURET |first=Henri (FRA) |title=The Artistic Environment of the Olympic Athlete|work=OARe 1972|pages= 164–171}}

Otl Aicher created the official posters for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. As he pointed out in his essay "Entwurf der Moderne"{{cite news|first=Otl |last=Aicher |title=Entwurf der Moderne |work=ARCH+ |volume= 98 |date=1989}} ("Designing the Modern Era"), the German word entwerfen, meaning "to draft" or "design", also contains the verb werfen, meaning "to throw". But where? To whom? What? And with what intention? As Benjamin Secher writes:

{{blockquote|He devised an invigorating, almost Day-glo palette for the Olympics that was utterly free of red and black — banned for their association with the German flag. Athletes depicted in the official posters for each sport had their uniforms stripped of any national identifier, leaving the emphasis firmly on individual effort. Even the logo for the Games, a graphic of a radiant sun, hammered home the message of universality and, above all, optimism.{{cite news|first=Benjamin |last=Secher |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3663210/A-winning-way-with-symbols.html |title=A winning way with symbols |work=The Telegraph |date= 21 February 2007}} }}

Aicher developed a comprehensive system to articulate the games' character across a wide range of materials, from signage to printed pieces and even staff uniforms. As the introduction to his exhibition at states: "His works, including official posters and sporting event tickets, demonstrate the design tools Aicher used to join individual elements to the collective: structural grids, a bold and animating color palette, and ingenious pictograms. Aicher's orderly and pleasant design nimbly carried the weight of modern German history as it repositioned the nation's hospitality on the world stage".{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424073800/http://www.sfmoma.org/exhib_events/exhibitions/389|url=http://www.sfmoma.org/exhib_events/exhibitions/389|archive-date=Apr 24, 2012 |work=San Francisco Museum of Modern Art|title=OTL AICHER: München 1972 (February 06 - July 07, 2009)}}

A comic refers to a magazine or book of narrative artwork and, virtually always, dialog and descriptive prose. Despite the term, the subject matter in comics is not necessarily humorous; in fact, it is often serious and action-oriented. Due to the fact that graphic design constitutes the main foundation of comics, it plays a crucial role in conveying various narratives through its compositional devices, line drawings, and colouring scheme.{{cite book|first=Scott |last=McCloud|author-link=Scott McCloud|title=Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art |publisher=Harper Paperbacks |date=April 27, 1994|isbn=978-0-06-097625-5}}{{cite news|last=Lopes |first= Paul |title=Sequential Tarts: Gender Intervention in American Comic Book Culture|publisher=Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Montreal Convention Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada |date= August 11, 2006}}

Superman is widely considered to be an American cultural icon.{{sfn|Daniels | 1995| p= 11}}{{multiref | {{cite book |last=Holt |first=Douglas B. |year=2004 |title=How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding |publisher=Harvard Business School Press |location=Boston |page=1 |isbn=1-57851-774-5 }} | {{cite book |editor= Koehler, Derek J. |editor2=Harvey Nigel.| year=2004 | title=Blackwell Handbook of Judgment and Decision Making | publisher=Blackwell| page=519 | isbn=1-4051-0746-4 }} | {{cite book |last=Dinerstein |first=Joel |year=2003 |title=Swinging the machine: Modernity, technology, and African American culture between the wars |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781558493834 |url-access=registration |publisher=University of Massachusetts Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781558493834/page/81 81] |isbn=1-55849-383-2 }} }} Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932, the character first appeared in Action Comics in 1938. The character's appearance is distinctive and iconic: a red, blue, and yellow costume, complete with a cape and a stylized "S" shield on his chest.{{sfn|Daniels |1995|p= 18}}{{multiref | {{cite book |last2=Singer |first2=Bryan |last1=Wallace |first1=Daniel |title=The Art of Superman Returns |publisher=Chronicle Books |year=2006 |page=22 |isbn=0-8118-5344-6}} | {{cite news|url=http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife02_july21_2006 |title=Designing Man of Steel's costume |date=July 21, 2006 |work=Manila Standard |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604173133/http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife02_july21_2006 |archive-date=June 4, 2012 |url-status=dead }} }}

Selecting the old-fashioned comic book as subject matter, Roy Lichtenstein used the splash page of a romance story drawn by Tony Abruzzo and lettered by Ira Schnapp in Secret Hearts #83 (Nov. 1962), and slightly reworked the art and dialogue by re-lettering Schnapp's original word balloon. This precise composition, titled Drowning Girl, (1963), is now part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.{{multiref | {{cite book|first1=Janis |last1=Hendrickson |first2= Roy |last2=Lichtenstein |author-link2=Roy Lichtenstein |title=Roy Lichtenstein |publisher=Benedikt Taschen Verlag |date=June 1996 |isbn=978-3-8228-9633-4}} | {{cite book|first=Diane |last=Waldman |title=Roy Lichtenstein |publisher=Guggenheim Museum Pubns |date=November 1994 |isbn=978-0-8109-6875-2}} | {{cite book|first1=Elizabeth |last1=Brown|first2=Dave |last2=Hickey |title=Roy Lichtenstein: Prints 1956-1997 from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation |publisher=Marquand Books/Museum of Art/Washington State University |date= October 15, 2005|isbn=978-0-9755662-1-3}} | {{cite book|first=Susan Goldman |last=Rubin |title=Whaam! The Art and Life of Roy Lichtenstein |publisher=Abrams Books for Young Readers|edition=first |date=October 1, 2008 |isbn=978-0-8109-9492-8}} }}

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{{Main article|Web design}}

Graphic design is used to make a website understandable, memorable, and attractive to the end user as well to present its content in a user-friendly fashion.{{efn|According to the web designer Armin Vit, although, websites are a different breed of design project, the same principles of graphic design apply: "How do you render information in a manner that is understandable, memorable and pleasing to the end user?... Yet, when it comes to web design it's rare that all elements — functionality, clarity of information, and subjective beauty — come together to create a result that is widely admired, recognized or lauded in the same vein as anything resembling the likes of Saul Bass’ AT&T logo, or Susan Kare's icons for the original Mac OS".{{multiref | {{cite web|url=http://www.underconsideration.com/uc/founders/armin_vit.php |title=Armin Vit | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210104856/http://underconsideration.com/uc/founders/armin_vit.php |archive-date=2009-02-10|work=UnderConsideration.com}} | {{cite web|url=http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/archives/004033.html |title=Landmark Web sites, where Art Thou?|work=UnderConsideration.com}} | {{cite web|url=http://www.wordarc.com/ |title=WordArc |publisher=WordArc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306190441/http://www.wordarc.com/|archive-date=Mar 6, 2014}} }} Graphic design ties in closely to user interface design and user experience design for the web, since aesthetics can impact how well people are able to interact with web content. The web dates back to the early 1980s at CERN, a European high-energy physics research facility. Tim Berners-Lee,{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4132752.stm |title=Berners-Lee on the read/write web |work=BBC News | date=August 9, 2005 | access-date=January 5, 2010}} who did the initial development stage, was interested in the ability to link academic papers electronically and to utilize the Internet in order to correspond with people in other laboratories around the world. He is credited with the construction of the first website in August 1991.{{multiref | {{cite book|first=John |last=Naughton |author-link=John Naughton|title=A Brief History of the Future: The Origins of the Internet |location=Phoenix|publisher= Overlook |edition= 2nd Revised|date=5 October 2000 | isbn=978-0-7538-1093-4}} | {{cite book|first=Jakob |last=Nielsen |title=Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity |publisher=Peachpit Press |date=January 2000 | isbn=978-1-56205-810-4}} | {{cite book|first=Steve |last=Krug |title=Don't Make Me Think!: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability |publisher=New Riders |edition=2nd |date=8 September 2005 | isbn=978-0-321-34475-5}} }}

Today graphic design has penetrated into all aspects of modern life. In particular modern architecture has been influenced by graphics.{{cite book|title=A History of Modern Design: Graphics and Products Since the Industrial Revolution|first=David |last=Raizman |publisher=Laurence King Publishing |date=February 9, 2004 |isbn=978-1-85669-348-6}}

Image:Spiral-jetty-from-rozel-point.png|Robert Smithson's monumental graphic art earthwork Spiral Jetty (1970) is located on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Using black basalt rocks and earth from the site, the artist created an artistic composition in the translucent red water with a graphic design 1,500 feet long and 15 feet wide.

Image:El Gouna Steigenberger 01.jpg|In the architectural design of the Steigenberger Hotel in El Gouna, Egypt, the minimalist design with 3-D geometric composition, and monochromatic coloring scheme provides graphical compositions from various angles.

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• {{cite book|last = Daniels|first = Les|author-link = Les Daniels|title = DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes|publisher = Bulfinch Press|year = 1995|location= New York, New York|isbn = 0821220764}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of Graphic Design}}

Category:Graphic design

Graphic design