Maggie's Graphic Arts Blog: The Prologue of Graphic Design

The Prologue of Graphic Design: The Invention of Writing

Maggie Merkin

ARTH 230-01

T. Long

So far in this class we have studied the origins of Graphic Design as both an art form and way of communication. We have touched upon topics such as early pictures drawn upon cave walls, early printmaking, and signage (pictures used for early stores as well as modern uses today). That being said, one of the questions that have come up in our studies is, “what is graphic art and design?”

One answer can relate back to the earliest human civilizations (Early Homo Sapiens, Mesopotamia, and Egypt), as they are where graphic design begins; graphic design is a combined form of art and writing, used to describe, problem solve, and visually communicate with individuals, no matter their origin(s). Early Homo sapiens began mark making and picture drawing (graphic counterparts to the spoken word) from the early Paleolithic to the Neolithic time periods (as ways to communicate survival, utilitarian and ritualistic purposes). Writing and visible language had its earliest origins in these markings and drawings, as there is a close connection between simple pictures and the marking of writing. The ancient Mesopotamians created one of the earliest village societies (or city-states), and thus developed the need to begin writing. Because the temple economy had an increasing need for record keeping (to keep track of laws, taxes, etc.), the earliest form of writing and techniques of writing were invented- scribes wrote on tablets, monuments, and other items. Ancient Egyptians were able to communicate through both pictures and symbols (hieroglyphs) on illustrated manuscripts, monuments, and personal items, and had an extraordinary sense of design, decoration, and texture. These were combined and used to designate ideas, phonograms denoting sounds, and determinatives identifying categories. These early forms of symbols and pictures thus paved the way for common symbols and pictures that are used today in modern society.

Detail from the Papyrus of Hunefer, c. 1370 BCE