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Jan 1, 1454
Printing Press Released - World Event
Created by Johaness Gutenberg the Printing Press allowed for mass production on all printed products for the first time. Using pre-cast letters (rather than individually carved ones) the screw-style press made (relatively) short work of any project being made (The Gutenberg, n.d.). Books, images, and flyers could now be made at a staggering pace compared to times past (Elizabeth, 2014) *Date provided is approximate -
Jan 1, 1454
Typography - Artistic Development
With the creation of the Printing Press came the birth of Typography - a new artform. Terms like "Leading", "Justification", & "Kerning" are used the same today as they were back when we printed one page at a time ("10 Typography", 2013). While every graphic designer must learn typography it has become such an art that there are those that study the ways of block printing, engraving, etc to be the best typographers to advance the field even further (Popular Printing, n.d.). -
Chromolithography - World Event
Chromolithography enters the world. Think of the "Printing Press for artwork" though it's a technique, not a device. Known as the "Democracy of Art" this process allowed the "common man" to witness and own great works of art for the first time at quality virtually indistinguishable from the original to the untrained eye (Gaffney, 2006). Chromolithography also allowed the first posters to be made, a great leap forward for Graphic Design (World Events, n.d.). *Day and month are approximate. -
'The Priester Match' poster - Art
The first time a design had taken an 'oversimplified' approach, deviating from the traditional ornate and 'wordy' designs of the time (Heller, n.d). This poster brought designer Lucian Bernhard into the design fold and started a new, simple 'design without words' revolution (Clifford, 2014). *Date provided is an approximation of the creation of this design. -
Coca-Cola Design - Art
Arguably the most recognizable logo in America, Coca-Cola has become an American tradition. From it's iconic red background and white script there are few logos that surpass it's timelessness. Not only has a lot of work been put in to the image but tremendous effort has been put into the bottle design, making it recognizable to someone searching for it in a chest of ice, in the dark (Design Icon, 2005). *Date represents bottle patent - exact day are unknown but month and year are correct. -
World's Fair - World Event
For 13 years the "World's Fair" was held in various locations across the United States. Here, people flocked to discuss and see everything that was coming in the world of design and technology. Architecture, paintings, drawings, and more inspired creatives of all kinds for generations to come (Designing Tomorrow, 2011). *Date is approximate given the range of 1930 - 1943. -
Album Cover Art Created - Art
Before 1938, records had plain labels and nothing to distinguish them from any other record other than the sound they produced. Alex Steinweiss changed all this and changed the music and design industries bringing them together like never before for the first time in history (Vora, 2010). *Date is an approximation of when this event took place. -
Milton Glaser - Artist
Considered the most internationally renowned designer in the last 50 years his works are instantly recognizable to those in the industry. Trained in the classical fine arts he understands all aspects of design and how to be exceptionally versatile. Though his work is vast he is best known for his "I (heart) NY." Among his many awards lies the 'National Medal of Arts' presented by Pres. Obama in 2009. *Date provided is an approximation of when he won the 'AIGA Medal' -
I ♥ NY - Art
Perhaps one of the most recognizable logos of all time, Milton Glaser has shown that simplistic design can surpass continents (Carney, 2014). This design has been reprinted (both to represent different states and redesigned following the World Trade Center attack of September 11th (Heller, 2002)) showing that a design can indeed become timeless. *Date provided is an approximation of when it was created. -
Apple Graphics Tablet - Artistic Development
The digital equivalent to paper and pencil these devices give full control to digital artists providing them pen (stylus) and paper (tablet) to work with. They are now able to control pressure, opacity, brush size, and much more with the flick of the wrist (as well as fluidity of the stroke) (Raggo, 2013). Originally designed for the Apple II these devices have evolved rapidly and are now a mainstay for any graphic designer (The First Apple, 2009). -
Saul Bass - Artist
Considered the "Father of Design" to many, Saul received the AIGA medal in 1981 for many of his iconic contributions to the field of Graphic Design. Saul is best known for pushing the boundaries of design not only with print media but also motion graphics with many film opening sequences and credits. Some of his works include the iconic logos for AT&T, Quaker, Girl Scouts, Minolta, & countless others (Brown, n.d.). *Date shown is an approximate date he received the AIGA Medal -
Desktop Publishing - Artistic Development
Apple changes the game forever by creating the first practical, mass market interface usable by designers known as the "Lisa" (Apple Lisa, n.d.). This model was the first computer to come with a mouse, paving the way for change that hadn't been seen previously in the industry (Bowen, 2011). -
Adobe Illustrator - Artistic Development
Adobe Illustrator was and is THE program used by designers to create virtually all sketches, drawings, and final products (Dill, 2010). Programs were used for vector graphics (the preferred format) but they required coding knowledge that took away from the tactile and artistic feel of the art (Dunno, 2014). Illustrator is one of the most impressive and influential changes to hit the industry since the computer and helped a new field develop - Digital Design (Dill, 2010). -
Ladislav Sutnar - Artist
Sutnar designed the "Catalog Design Progress" which helps break up information for easier reading (Sinson, 2015). For instance, few people are aware that the American area code design "(###)" was designed by him to make it easier to read than a straight list of numbers (Heller, n.d.). *Date provided is an approximation of when he received the AIGA Medal (20 years after his death in 1976). -
Paula Sher - Artist
Considered the "most influential woman in design" (Carney, 2014), Paula has had a great impact on the design community with for various reasons, probably the largest being her typography skills and ideas. In the 70's and 80's she laid the groundwork for mass change eventually leading design to a new symbology (AIGA, n.d.). *Date provided is an approximation of when she won the AIGA Medal -
John Maeda - Artist
Considered the "leader to a new generation of designers." (Holly, n.d.) Maeda has been greatly influential in the realm of digital design but is a proponent of art in any form. Among his many awards he has been counted as one of the most important people of the 21st Century (Holly, n.d.). *Date provided is an approximation of when he received the AIGA medal. -
David Carson - Artist
Using his "typographic expressionism" (a term coined by Paul Matthaeus (Remson, 2002)) he has become a figurehead when it comes to knowing what needs to be done and coming up with "wild and creative solutions to solve problems." His approach to design is simple, leave some to the imagination and allow the viewer to desire the product. *Date provided is an approximation of when he received the AIGA medal.
