Graphic Design 101 : The History of Graphic Design

One thing I definitely did not want my students to believe is that graphic design originated with the computer. At the risk of boring a classroom full of middle students, I took them through a much condensed history of graphic design, showing how mankind has been communicating through the combination of text and image for a very long time. Having less than one hour to cover thousands of years, I kept a narrow focus on how graphic design has evolved over the years, mainly due to advances in technology. I skipped over talking about specific periods in design history relating to style. Here's an overview.

I was always fascinated by the history of ancient Egypt. I remember studying it extensively in sixth grade. My teacher even assigned each student with a role of one of the gods and ordered our desks in ranking order. Now I'm even more fascinated by their famous cave and tomb paintings. They understood many of the basic designs elements that we still use today. In the sample below, notice how they used repetition to create movement, scale to show dominance, a harmonious color palette and a grid structured layout that achieves an overall balanced design.

Copyright: scorpionka / 123RF Stock Photo

​It really is true that there is nothing new under the sun. Though technology has opened up many new and innovative ways of expressing ourselves, humans always been creative in using the tools available to them to express their stories and ideas. Additionally many elements of "good design" have carried through the years, though styles have changed. In the coming lessons, we will look at some of these key elements of well-crafted design.