History of graphic design facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Graphics are visual designs you see on surfaces like walls, paper, computer screens, or stone. This includes everything from signs, charts, and logos to drawings and geometric patterns.

Graphic design is the art of mixing text and pictures. It's used in art, ads, books, and websites. The main goal of graphics is to share information, create a brand, or make people feel a certain way.

The Story of Graphics

Graphics have been around for a very long time! Early humans made amazing drawings of animals in caves. For example, in Chauvet Cave in France, there are drawings from about 30,000 BC. Similar art is found in the Lascaux cave, also in France, from around 14,000 BC.

Rock art by ancient hunters in Bhimbetka, India, is even older than 7000 BC. And Aboriginal rock art in Kakadu National Park, Australia, shows how widespread this ancient art form was. These early drawings, along with the invention of writing (around 3000–4000 BC), are the very beginning of graphic art.

Cave and Rock Art

Horses drawn in Chauvet cave.
A horse drawing in Lascaux cave.
A rock drawing in Bhimbetka, India.
Aboriginal Rock Art at Ubirr Art Site, Kakadu National Park, Australia.

The Start of Writing

The Lantingji Xu, a famous work by Chinese calligrapher Wang Xizhi from 353 AD.
A scribe's practice tablet with ancient Egyptian writing (hieratic text) on wood, around 1500 BC.
A scene from the Papyrus of Ani, an ancient Egyptian "Book of the Dead."
A traditional Chinese writing (epilogue) by Wen Zhengming.

Calligraphy and Book Graphics

Religious books often used a lot of graphics. For example, Bibles made in monasteries in Ireland, Scotland, and England were beautifully decorated. These books featured swirling patterns and small figures. This style came from old graphic traditions in the British Isles. From the 6th century onwards, these designs were used to decorate important gospel books.

A page from the Lindisfarne Bible, 7th or 8th century.
A graphic design from the Lichfield gospel, 8th century.
A graphic design from the Book of Kells, 6th–9th century.

Calligraphy in this German document suggests its importance.
Calligraphy adds a special feeling to religious texts.
The art of calligraphy in China began around 2000 BC.
Calligraphy came to Japan from China around the 3rd century BC. Japanese artists used it to write haiku poems.

Graphics in the Quran

In Islamic countries, beautiful graphic designs are found in their holy book, the Quran. The first Qurans were written in an angled style called Kufi, popular from the 8th to 10th centuries. Later, decorations were added to the margins and pages to make the book even more beautiful. In the 12th century, a new curvy style called Naskh was invented, and other styles followed.

A page from an 11th-century Persian Quran.
Graphic art in an Egyptian Quran from the 9th–10th century.
A 15th-century Iranian Quran found in Uzbekistan.
A Quran written in the Kufi alphabet, from the 12th century.

Graphics and Miniatures

This small painting of Mary and baby Jesus is from the Parc Abbey Bible, 12th century.
In this Iranian miniature, text and design mix beautifully to tell a story clearly.
This 16th-century miniature by Reza Abbasi shows simple, balanced design.
This 18th-century miniature shows how Iranian graphic designers influenced Indian art.

Graphic Designs in Asia

An 18th-century wood print by Japanese artist Toshusai Sharaku. Japanese wood prints influenced modern poster design.
A 13th-century work by Chinese painter Ma Lin. The important person is larger, and the trees form an X shape to highlight him.
A Chinese wall painting from the 7th century. The soldiers' boots and hats create parallel lines connected by their rifles.
This Vietnamese wood print from Dong Ho village is a beautiful graphic design.

Decorative Graphics on Pottery

For thousands of years, graphic design has been used to decorate pottery and ceramics.

This Greek vase from 550 BC shows a wrestling match. Names are written in an ancient alphabet.
Pottery from the Halaf farming society (6500–5500 BC) in Mesopotamia and Syria. It's considered some of the finest ancient pottery.

The Start of Modern Graphic Design

William Morris was a big influence on modern graphics in the late 1800s. His Kelmscott Press made many beautiful graphic designs. This created a market for collecting such art. Morris and artists like Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti formed the Pre-Raphaelites group. Their ideas greatly shaped modern graphic design.

'Peacock and Dragon' fabric design by William Morris (1878).
The Morris 'Tulip and Willow' design (1873). The strong blue and hint of orange create a balanced look.
The first page of The Nature of Gothic by John Ruskin, published by Morris's Kelmscott Press. It brought back the Gothic style in graphic design.
A book of poetry by Omar Khayyam, with calligraphy and design by Morris, and paintings by Edward Burne-Jones.

Mondrian's Simple Art Revolution

The Dutch painter Piet Mondrian started a new style called minimalism in painting around 1920-1921. He used simple geometric shapes and only three basic colors: blue, yellow, and red, along with black and white. This opened up new possibilities for graphic designers.

Mondrian showed that by just moving these colors around and changing the size of squares, you could create very different moods and feelings. For graphic designers who want to send a clear message without extra distractions, his minimalist experiments were a great inspiration.

A Mondrian-like work.

Communicating with Pictures

This Spanish sign means No dogs here. It's a pictogram and an ideogram, using a picture to show an idea. You don't need to read to understand it.
A rebus is a puzzle that uses pictures to stand for words, like "T,4,2" for "tea for two." This rebus says: "I love coffee." Rebuses helped in creating alphabets.
This is the heraldic sign of the Bourbons of Spain. Heraldic signs were made with strict rules and traditions.

Logos and Trademarks

A trademark (shown with ™ or ®) is a special sign or symbol. Companies use it to identify their products or services and show they are different from others. A trademark can be a name, word, phrase, logo, symbol, or a design. It's a type of intellectual property.

The Coca-Cola logotype was designed by Frank Mason Robinson in 1885. It has been around for over a century, building customer loyalty.
The Google logo was created by Ruth Kedar. Its simple design and colors remind people of child's play, giving it a light and weighty feel.

Signs of Culture and Peace

The flag of the Olympic Games, designed by Pierre de Coubertin. The linked rings represent the five continents, and the six colors come from national flags.
This peace sign for the Middle East uses "Salaam" (green) and "Shalom" (blue). These words mean "peace" in Arabic and Hebrew.
The UNESCO flag uses simple Greek design principles. This suggests education, science, and culture.
The flag of Zuid-Holland uses color and a simple design to create a pleasing effect.

Information Signs: Isotype and the Viennese Method

In 1921, Otto Neurath, an Austrian social scientist, started using graphic design to help people understand social and economic data. By 1925, the Museum of Economy and Society used these graphics for the public. This style was called the Viennese method, but now it's known as Isotype charts.

A typical Isotype chart showing social statistics.
Pages from Basic by Isotype by Otto Neurath, 1937. It used graphics for Basic English words.
Isotype signs, like this rowing symbol, help people who speak different languages understand messages.
An Isotype fire hazard symbol.

Dynamic Designs and Computer Animation

This animation was made from photos taken by Eadweard Muybridge in 1887.
Computer graphics help create images from simple drawings to 3D models of data.
A cube seen from different angles. This is useful for studying objects.
Computer graphic design is still growing. Modern techniques have opened up many new possibilities for designers.

Placards and Posters

Placards and posters have existed since ancient times. The Greek axons and Roman Albums were like early posters, with decorations and announcements. In ancient Greece, names of athletes and game schedules were written on columns that spun around. Romans used white walls in their markets where sellers advertised their products and added designs to attract customers.

The invention of printing in 1440, and especially the lithographic process invented by Alois Senefelder in 1798, made it easier to create posters. Before this, handmade posters were mainly for government announcements. William Caxton, who started a printing company in England in 1477, made the first printed poster. By 1870, advertising posters became very common.

Art Nouveau Posters and Art's Influence

The English artist Aubrey Beardsley created very decorative posters with flowing lines and tall figures.
Alphonse Mucha designed posters with elegant young women surrounded by decorative flowers, using soft pastel colors.
Graphic design influenced paintings by Art Nouveau artists like Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh and her brother Frances Macdonald.
The works of Gustav Klimt show how graphic design influenced painting, like in his "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer."

Posters After World War II

After World War II, new color printing and computers changed posters a lot. People can now create colorful posters on their laptops and print them cheaply. However, very fancy printing is still expensive, often used by governments or big companies.

With the internet, posters are less important for sharing information. But some artists still use special printing methods to create art prints. This has made the difference between painting and printmaking much smaller.

This political poster about Ulster is a low-cost, effective design using only a few basic colors.
A magazine cover from a poster by Guity Novin. The artist uses only two colors (orange and green) on a yellow background.

Graphic Design in Modern Life

Today, graphic design is everywhere in modern life. It has especially influenced modern architecture.

Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty (1970) on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. He used black basalt and earth to make a 1,500-foot-long design.
This chair is a 3D graphic design by Gerrit Rietveld. Today, graphics influence the design of many household items and kitchen tools.
The Steigenberger Hotel, El Gouna, Egypt. Its 3D geometric shape and single color scheme create a memorable look.

Images for kids

The Ada Gospels are a group of manuscripts from the late 8th century. They include detailed initial pages and portraits of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
The opening page of the Book of Durrow, 7th century.
A page from an 11th-century Persian Qur'an.
Card designs from the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, around 1500. Islamic playing cards used suits like coins, cups, swords, and polo sticks.
Germans introduced printing with wooden blocks.
An astronomical map of the sky drawn by Nicolaus Copernicus in 1543. It replaced an earlier chart that showed an Earth-centered universe.
In this 3D dynamic design, a house is studied from various angles. These animations are useful for studying objects or how processes change over time.
Aristotle printed by Aldus Manutius, 1495-98.
A page from Francesco Colonna's Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, printed by Aldus Manutius.
The printer's device of William Caxton, 1478.
A woodcut from William Caxton's second edition of the Canterbury Tales, printed in 1483.
Theodor de Bry (1528–1598) was an engraver, goldsmith, and editor.
Albrecht Dürer, "St Jerome in his study" (1514). Dürer was a German painter and printmaker.
"Ecce Homo," an engraving from the 15th century by Martin Schongauer. He was an important German printmaker before Dürer.
Matthäus Merian, "View of Frankfurt," between 1612 and 1619. Merian was a famous Swiss engraver.
An advertising flyer from 1806 for a traditional medicine called Kinseitan, displayed in the Edo Tokyo Museum.
A 19th-century advertising poster for the hydrotherapy baths of Bagnoles de l'Orne, France.
A playbill for Perham's Opera Vocalists, 1856.
A German poster by Fritz Rehm for Laferme Cigarettes (published 1896-1900).
A circus poster from 1899, featuring "The world famed Hanlon Troupe."
"Drink Coca-Cola 5¢," an 1890s advertising poster.
A Pierce-Arrow auto ad from Life magazine, 1919.
This poster was published by the London Underground Electric Railway Company Ltd in 1924.
The official soccer poster for the World Cup in Uruguay, 1930.

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