Graphic design is the art of creating print media, video and web graphics in the electronic or traditional media. Graphic design is the inherent grandchild to art history. Without the imagery of the masters behind the designer, they are nothing more than a typist with glue in their hands. Design starts back in the prehistoric era and continues through its digital grandchild of graphic design today.
B.C.
In the ancient and prehistoric worlds, graphic design was shown by way of pictographs and symbols. Hieroglyphics is another form of ancient design.
Second Through 15th Centuries
Paper was discovered in China by Ts'ai Lun, and Pi Sheng invented movable type in 1045 so designs and words could be placed and printed in specific creative order. The 15th century brought the first illustrated book by Albrecht Pfister, with Roman type being reinvented by Nicolas Jenson in 1470.
16th Through 18th Centuries
The first foundry for type was opened in1530 by Claude Garamond as he sold fonts to printers. In 1722, Caslon Old Style was founded, and the font was later used in the Declaration of Independence.
19th Century
The first cast-iron printing press was invented by Lord Stanhope in 1800, allowing for larger paper sizes and less labor. William Morris of design fame opened his first art decorating firm in 1861, while in 1880, the first halftone screen was founded, allowing design to blossom on many levels.
1900 to 1935
Bauhaus School of Modern Design was opened in 1919 and is the foundation of all graphic design in the current era. Stanley Morrison invented the New Times Roman font in 1932 for "The Times" of London.
Mid-20th to Early 21st Centuries
"Print" magazine was produced in 1940, and more fonts were discovered throughout the rest of the century. In 1984, Apple released the Mac, allowing for the introduction of bitmap graphics. To this day, graphic designers prefer the performance and software capabilities of a Mac over PC. Design software was introduced in 1985 by Aldus and Adobe, and desktop publishing came about in 1990.
