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Oct 1, 1439
Gutenburg Printing Press Launched
Johannes Gutenburg launched the printing press in Germany, 1439.
The printing press machine revolutionized the moveable type industry and changed literacy across the world.
The printing press can be directly correlated to the internet as they both are means of mass media distribution. -
Sep 1, 1489
Aldus Pius Manutius
Born1452 (Bassiano, Italy) - Died 1515 (Italy)
During the Renaissance period, Aldus was the founder of the modern publishing facility in Venice, Italy, 1489.
Aldus’ creative ideas for the publishing of works led him and his company to be the pioneers of the time. Success followed his efforts.
He also ran editorial decisions and decided which texts to be published. He managed the printing shop and marketed the books.
Aldus’ son succeeded him in the publishing business after his death in 1515. -
Jan 1, 1530
Claude Garamond
Born c. 1480 (Paris, France) - Died 1561 (Paris, France)
Garamond was a type founder, publisher, punch cutter, type designer.
1530 Garamond’s typeface first used in an edition of the book "Paraphrasis in Elegantiarum Libros Laurentii Vallae" by Erasmus.
1545 and on Garamond worked as a publisher. His first work that was published was "Pia et Religiosa Meditatio" by David Chambellan. It was published in the typeface of Garamond. -
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution in America made Consumerism the spotlight of graphic designers.
The graphic design industry exploded with revolution in the development of print media.
Europe’s new age influence over the dull American design was explored by many designers who’s work was reflected in new and fascinating ways.
New typefaces were created and sprawled over the booming media platform of newspapers.
Billboards were posted all over cities advertising enticing clothing trends. -
Otto Mergenthaler Invented the Linotype Machine
Born 1854 (Germany) - Died 1899 (Baltimore, MD)
Mergenthaler is commonly referred to as the “Second Gutenburg” due to his invention of the Linotype machine in 1883.
He moved to America in 1872 to Baltimore, MD to work in the printing press industry.
The Linotype machine revolutionized the printing press process by mechanizing the placement of type characters. By pressing a key on a keyboard, letters would align, lead would pour into a mold and create a page of raised letters. -
Mehemed Fehmy Agha
Agha is known as the first Art Director of magazine print. “The visual articulation of a magazine was not to be an act after editorial fact, but an integral function of the editorial process” (Agha).
In 1929 Agha was recruited to work for Vogue magazine and due to his intriguing eye for design, he adopted the title of Dr. Agha.
He pioneered the unusual use of photographs across magazine covers and artist use of word placement. He utilized bright colors and political themes. -
The Great Depression-Starting 1929
From the stock-market crash in 1929, the economy of the US would encounter hardships beyond measure.
The unstable financial market lead to closure of the factories that, in the 1800’s drove the Industrial Revolution. Suddenly the slave labor conditions in the remaining open factories were being fought over for a mere paycheck.
The printing presses, graphic designer’s studios, artists-alike were no exception to the hardships. -
Vanity Fair Cover 1933
By Art Director MF Agha for the Vanity Fair Magazine cover, July 1933.
The significance of this cover is the political message delivered by the imagery. The President of the US, Franklin D. Roosevelt is contemplating issues of the world. As if to take the world’s problems upon himself to resolve. This cover made a grand statement to the public in 1933, when economic hardships were prevalent. The President is with the people. -
Lester Beall Designs
The eclectic use of primary colors while making bold statements won models such as these “Rural Electrification Administration” posters international recognition. During the 1940’s, Lester Beall’s designs centered around growth in the modern art type; Surrealism; Constructivism; and Dadaism. With World War 2 affecting the economy and the design field, posters presenting simple statements with clear agendas helped to reassure the unsettled public that the US is still prosperous. -
World War 2
The trans-European design movement flooded into the United States in the early 1900’s after the first World War. As the European market was struggling, America thrived. The limits of all design formats were pushed and the ideal image of the American evolved.
When the United States joined the second World War efforts around 1941, America already suffered an economic loss with the Great Depression starting 1929. Recovering slowly, the US turned its attention from design to war efforts. -
Harvard Mark 1 Created Howard Aiken
Aiken started development in 1937.
Theory was based on the idea of 4 calculators of increasing intelligence from the mostly mechanical Mark 1 to the electronic Mark 4.
In 1944 Aiken’s experiments, in collaboration with IBM produced the first fully functional computer-the Harvard Mark 1.
It was 50-feet-long, weighed 5 tons, and consisted of 750,000 separate mechanical parts.
The Harvard Mark 1 is the grandparent to our modern computer. -
Walter Herdeg
Born 1908 (Zurich) - Died 1995 (USA)
Best known for creating the international design magazine named “Graphis" in 1944.
Its style centered around the eclectic and the unusual.
The idea behind the magazine was to aid in European peace efforts and continuity of the European and International design worlds.
The magazine published 246 issues in its running time.
Herdeg was its publisher, editor, designer and arbiter of taste.
Herdeg won the AIGA medal in 1986. -
Alexey Brodovitch
Born 1898 (Russia) - Died 1971 (France)
Best known as art director and design pioneer for Harper’s Bazaar Magazine.
He brought from Europe to the USA his simple, expressionistic style in the medium of photography and advertising.
He mentored great young designers such as Hiro, R. Avedon, L. Gill. -
Douglas Engelbart Devlops the PC Mouse
Born 1925 (Oregon) - Died 2013
Engelbart developed the first “mouse” for the personal computer in 1968.
As an engineer, Engelbart sat starring at a room-sized computer and had an epiphany about how to streamline information processing systems. He envisioned the hand-held pc mouse.
Early versions had only 3 buttons although Englebart thought the user could manage 10. Collaborating with Steve Jobs 20 years later, Jobs narrowed the buttons to a single push style button. -
Steve Jobs Created Apple Computers
Born 1955 (California) - Died 2011 (Palo Alto)
Cofounded Apple Computers in 1976.
Jobs is credited with revolutionizing the early personal computer industry with “intuitive”, fully-functional, inexpensive and easily accessibly computers.
The corporation has dramatically changed the design industry
by interfacing “intuitive” software with the already streamlined hardware of the Apple computer. -
Aldus Pagemaker 1.0 Created
The US Aldus Corporation was founded in 1984 by Paul Brainerd.
Aldus was named after “Aldus Pius Manutius” (Teobaldo Mannucci) (1449–1515) who was the founder of the first modern publishing facility, The Aldine Press; and was known for standardizing many rules of punctuation.
Pagemaker 1.0, created in 1985, was the first “desktop publishing” program interfaced for the Mac. Brainerd coined the phrase “desktop publishing” by way of the this program.
This revolutionized the average consumer’s abi -
April Greiman Mural
This video image in oil paint, mural on wall by April Greiman is an example of graphic design at its best. This symbolic image of a rice bowl painted next to Korea Town in Vermont is a symbol of culture and unity in the city.
This piece, along with Greiman’s other works are a small look into the exciting future of graphic design. -
Milton Glaser's "I love NY" Campaign
This iconic image placed honorably on the backs of New York City taxi cabs, post office boxes, building walls and more is as much a symbol of New York as Lady Liberty. The simplistic styling, typeface and colors speak of the natural love for New York that many tourists and residents share. It is a creation of the designer Milton Glaser and is recognizable anywhere. In design, it is not necessarily the complex and shocking that stands out but sometimes the ordinary makes the best statement.
