History of Graphic Design for children and adults

You probably wonder why this design story is for children and adults? Well, because graphic design is for everyone and has its origins in this premise. If we go back to the Paleolithic era we would see how cavemen already communicated in the most natural way possible through paintings on rock walls.

There was no language as such, so no typesetting has been found from that era, but what do you think! representative figures of hunting scenes have bequeathed us. It is what today we know as "Cave Paintings".

Although cave painting could not be considered within the current definitions of graphic design, this type of artistic manifestation is part of its origin. Communicating through images is something we do from a young age, as it is the simplest and most natural way of making ourselves understood. When we are children we are beginning to discover the world and express ourselves. Ancient man was also discovering the world and finding the ways he had to communicate with his environment.

Thousands of years had to pass until a formal language was known, by codes rather than representations (Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs are part of that transition) Could we tell who made hieroglyphs or carved the stones, graphic designer? It is a question that could generate controversy, but it would be fair to give the title of "first designers" to those who carried out a graphic activity with the intention of transmitting the information.

With the invention of writing, the graphic language acquired new resources to communicate. For the Middle Ages, religious books had colourful graphic ornaments accompanied by text, in order to make the message much more visual and eye-catching.

The images enriched the collective imagination, giving rise to artistic creation by inspiration or reference. With the arrival of the printing press in 1440, the publication of books and images became popular, thus creating a new industry around the graphic that gave birth to new professions, including that of the technician in charge of the layout of the content using the machine. and its tools, and the profession of the person in charge of carrying out the printing.

Starting in the 18th century and with the industrial era, the demand for visual content aimed at promoting mass products required specialists trained in colour and form to generate images aimed at a very specific audience. It is from that moment that the image of the first graphic designers is emerging, although not as we know them today.

Hope this doesn't bore you. I'm Rose, the visual adventurer and welcome to my blog.