Graphic Design Throughout History

By Wakely
  • 1400

    First Logos

    First Logos
    The Printing industry was the first to use logos. But, all that they could do was put marks on their own documents. It was also a way of showing of printing skills. Depending on how your logo looked determined how everything else was printed.
  • 1439

    Invention of the Printing Press

    Invention of the Printing Press
    Once Johannes Gutenberg brought movable type to Europe, he created a mass type of communication and changed civilization. People no longer has to rely on books made by experts, making it more affordable. The Gutenberg press creating made commercial uses of design possible and led to the graphic design area we know today.
  • First Print Advertisments

    First Print Advertisments
    This is when the Printing Press introduced the "Coranto," which was pretty much an early version of the newspaper. In these Corantos, the first printed ads were displayed.
  • Chromolithography

    Chromolithography
    As technology continued to advance, people were now able to print in color (chromolithography). Brands could now use some characteristics we have today including color schemes and emotion.
  • The Wiener Werkstätte

    The Wiener Werkstätte
    The Wiener Werkstätte was the first graphic design agency. It was the first organization of visual arts, including painters, architects, and early graphic designers. As this group worked together, they had a great influence for setting design standards for the next generations.
  • Thoughts on Design

    Thoughts on Design
    Legendary designer Paul Rand helped make graphic design into what it is today. He posted his theories and idelogies in the seminal work, "Thoughts on Design".
  • Beggining the digital era

    Beggining the digital era
    The beggining of the digital era we are in now was from the 1950s forward.