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38,000 BCE
Cave Paintings
The first means of visual communication that we know of are some cave paintings found in Lascaux, Southern France. These paintings depict images such as animals, handprints and weapons. -
1040
Woodblock Press
The first movable-type printing press was invented by the Ancient Chinese around the year 1040. This early means of printing involved woodblock stamps with different characters carved on each, that could be interchanged to produce different results. -
1450
Gutenberg Press
A German man called Johannes Gutenberg invented the Gutenberg Press; a new and improved version of the Chinese woodblock printing press that used metal blocks instead of wood. The Gutenberg Press allowed for much cheaper and more efficient means of mass producing printed goods, which made them far more available to the public. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution is a time period during which mass production of goods was greatly improved. This includes the production of printed goods, and during this time the printing press evolved to where it could print in color, and the first Sans-Serif font was created too. -
Vienna Workshop
The first Graphic Design agency, known as both the Vienna Workshop and Wiener Werkstätte, was formed in 1903 by a painter, an architect, and a patron. They are considered some of the first people to inspire many of the modern styles and trends of graphic design. -
Swiss Style
Also known as the International Typographic Style, the Swiss Style is a commonly used way of designing things that favors an asymmetrical design, negative space, and the Sans-Serif font. The Swiss Style was first developed in Russia, Germany, and the Netherlands in the 1920s. -
Digital Revolution
As computers became cheap enough for most families to have one in their home, the way graphic design is used was changed forever. Key innovations such as Adobe Photoshop, released in 1990, revolutionized graphic design, and gave it an additional purpose as something used in web design.