Full Description
The bestselling graphic design reference, restructured by themes to represent motivations for visual communication over time
Graphic designers must have a thorough understanding of the field's rich history in order to inspire and inform their work. Meggs' History of Graphic Design is the industry's original reference, serving as an essential resource for a generation of professionals, scholars, and students. With over 1,400 high-quality images throughout, this visually stunning text guides you through artistic innovators, breakthrough tools and technologies, and significant artifacts that have pushed the boundaries of graphic design throughout its history. The initial publication of this book was heralded as a landmark, and author Philip B. Meggs is credited with significantly shaping the academic field of graphic design.
This new edition foregrounds cultural and social context and elevates diverse voices that are pivotal contributors to the history of graphic design. This seventh edition also covers:
Artifacts, methods, designers, and events from pre-history to the twenty-first century
Technological advancements in media and design, from the earliest technologies to recent developments
A timeline for studying graphic history from multiple viewpoints and culturally diverse approaches
Updated ancillary materials, including an instructor's manual with discussion questions and a guide for transitioning from the previous edition
You can't master a field without knowing its history. Meggs' History of Graphic Design presents a diverse, visually spectacular history of graphic design for students and professionals. The updates to this edition solidify its continuing legacy as a must-have in any contemporary graphic design library.
Contents
Preface to the Seventh Edition x
Preface to the First Edition xii
Acknowledgments xiv
Chapter 1: Timeline 2
Pre-History and the Origins of Writing | 75,000 bce-500 bce 2
Writing, Paper, and Printing | 500 bce- 1450 3
Renaissance Design and Modern Typography | 1450-1800 5
The Industrial Revolution | 1800-1899 7
Graphic Design in the Modern Era | 1900-1950 10
The Rise of Design Culture and Media | 1950-2000 14
Digital Design Comes of Age | 2000-Present 19
Chapter 2: Overview of Graphic Design History 22
Chapter 3: Writing 34
Prehistoric visual communications 36
Early writing in Mesopotamia 36
Egyptian hieroglyphs 39
Cretan pictographs 43
The North Semitic (Phoenician) alphabet 45
The Aramaic alphabet and its descendants 45
The Greek alphabet 50
The Latin alphabet 50
Early writing in Mesoamerica 54
Chinese scripts 55
Chinese script styles 58
The Korean alphabet 60
African writing systems 64
Cherokee syllabary 65
Chapter 4: Exalting 68
The Book of the Dead in Egypt 70
Palm leaf manuscripts in South and Southeast Asia 72
Illuminated manuscripts in Europe 73
Judaic manuscripts 88
Islamic manuscripts 88
Ethiopian manuscripts 89
Chapter 5: Inventing 94
Origin and early evolution of printing in China 96
Movable type is invented 98
Movable type comes to Europe 99
Innovating the printing press 103
Mechanization of typesetting 104
Printing images 105
Lithography simplifies and expands printing 108
Printing in color 108
Victorian typeface designs 109
Mavericks of composition and form 112
Dada and Surrealism—making new truths 112
Reimagining photography 114
Russian avant-garde—inventing by combination 114
Experimenting as practice 115
A universally understood language 118
Typographic invention in the Netherlands 118
Graphic design expressionism 119
Phototypography 120
Calligraphic abstraction 121
Figurative typography 121
Experiments in graphic space 122
Graphic design tactility 126
Digital design revolution 127
Spatial elasticity of layout, typography, and imagery 129
The digital-type foundry 133
Digital image manipulation and composition 135
Chapter 6: Persuading 136
Early printing and the Christian church 138
The Industrial Revolution and the rise of commercial culture 142
Innovations in typography for advertising 142
Wood type and the letterpress poster 146
Advertising cards, packaging, and posters 147
The rise of American editorial design and advertising agencies 148
The advertising poster in Europe 149
Posters in Eastern Europe and Russia 153
The Bauhaus influence on advertising 156
Independent voices in the Netherlands 157
New approaches to photography in advertising 158
From illustration to modernism in American advertising 160
International Typographic Style in advertising 161
Advertising at mid-century 167
Postmodern design and advertising 174
Expanding brands and media 178
Chapter 7: Unifying 180
Early visual sign systems 182
Unifying early typography 182
Establishing book design systems 184
Standardization of typographic forms 188
Art Nouveau—unifying decoration, structure, and function 189
The decorative arts expand to publishing 194
Standardization of visual systems 200
Constructivism—visually programming the total object 205
Universal systems for art and design 207
The new typography; form from the functions of the text 209
International Typographic Style—a unity of design elements 212
The corporate identity program 215
Design systems for government 220
Design systems for the Olympic Games 224
Unity and variability through digital typefaces 228
Chapter 8: Representing 230
Prehistoric visual representation 232
Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greek visual representation 232
Chinese chops 233
Early marks for books and printers 234
Early business trademarks 234
Indigenous beadwork and symbols 235
Representation of Native culture and identity 238
Symbolic representation in advertising 239
Representation of Black culture and identity 241
Symbolizing the Bauhaus philosophy 244
Representation through clarity and order 244
Symbols and American modernism 245
Visual identity systems in America 246
Global identity and the Olympics 253
Representing with image 256
Currency and postage stamps 258
Postmodern design and representation 259
Branding and identity 262
Chapter 9: Explaining 264
Early illustrated books 266
The German illustrated book 269
The Renaissance—innovations in book design 273
Victorian children's books 278
The rise of infographics 280
Pictographic histories 284
Informational graphics at mid-century 286
Information architecture 292
Visual storytelling 296
Chapter 10: Refining 298
The Italian Renaissance 300
"Scientific" typeface refinement 301
Rococo era 301
Caslon and Baskerville 302
Modern style fonts 306
Private presses communicate to the imagination 307
The Arts and Crafts movement 307
Cubism's elemental forms 312
De Stijl—reducing the language of form 313
Constructivism's geometric forms 314
Twentieth-century typeface design 318
New typography in the Netherlands 319
Tschichold returns to traditional typography 320
Refining form and communication in America 320
Phototypography expands options for designers 324
Bending graphic design traditions 326
New-wave typography 327
Retro and vernacular design 330
Expressive typography and design 331
Digital typeface design and historic sources 337
Chapter 11: Interpreting 340
Visualizing the unknown 342
Space as the essence of design 342
The Glasgow School—abstraction and symbolic drawing 343
The Vienna Secession—interpreting through symbols 344
Interpretive typography in Europe 348
Cubism 349
Interpretations of De Stijl 351
Expressionism 354
American books, magazines, and records at mid-century 355
CCA expresses ideas in advertisements 366
Posters and the conceptual image 366
The Polish poster 368
The conceptual studio 369
Album cover art expands 373
Experimentation with digital tools 374
Editorial design in the late twentieth century 375
Motion graphics and film titles 379
Contemporary poster design 384
Chapter 12: Criticizing 392
The Arts and Crafts movement 394
U.S. political cartoons 401
Futurism 402
Dada 406
Supermannerism 409
Postmodern design 412
First Things First manifestos 416
Critical practice in the Netherlands 417
Critical editorial design 418
Chapter 13: Mobilizing 422
World War I posters 424
Posters in Germany between the Wars 427
Russian Suprematism and Constructivism 427
Spanish Civil War posters 434
Posters and the Great Depression in America 435
Mobilizing Resources for World War II 438
Antiwar posters 442
Mobilizing for racial equality 444
Cuban Revolution posters 448
Solidarity campaign in Poland 450
Feminism and design 450
Posters as environmental activism 454
Graphic design as political activism 454
Art and Design Movements and Styles 456
Bibliography: 7th edition 460
Bibliography: previous editions 464
Image Credits 492
Index 497
Colophon 510
About the Companion Website 511
