subject: Print Design Evolution [print this page] In ancient China during the rule of the Tang dynasty (4th - 7th century A.D.), the first glimmers of print design were seen as wooden blocks that were cut into various shapes. These blocks were then used to print those shapes on textiles and later Buddhist texts too. The origins of print design were thereby established. In the later years (11th century), movable type became available and printing technology became more refined. This was the period of the Song dynasty's rule when books and scrolls became a part of popular Chinese culture.
The onus of first books published in Europe goes to Johann Gutenberg who introduced modern book printing methods. He was the first European to use movable printing type. He was also the inventor of the printing press. From then on, printing revolutionised the world with books, putting ideas and thoughts in the minds of the people who till now had little or no access to the written word. Print design was coming into its own.
At this point, it is probably a good idea to mention that Claud Garamond's typeface was the first to integrate roman letters with italics. Garamond remains a popular font till date.
As publishers started publishing journals and books, their pride in their work led them to create distinctive trademarks to differentiate among themselves. These trademarks were the forefathers of the contemporary logos that organisations use as of today. By the 17th century well known authors were being published and became popular cultural figures. William Shakespeare is probably the most famous of them all. The Declaration of Independence is perhaps the most monumental piece of American history that was printed in the 18th century using European typefaces. Benjamin Franklin is credited with this work.
Giambattista Bodoni revolutionised print design when he introduced the Bodon' font in 1798 the foremost of the modern typefaces. He used mathematical and geometric forms to create the typeface which heralded the dawn of the machine age. As the industrial era grew strength by strength, so did manufacturers and their products which needed to be advertised. The earliest print advertising came in the form of handbills, flyers, and posters which required bolder, fatter fonts.
In the 20th century, William Addison Dwiggins, calligrapher, book designer, illustrator, and commercial artist, introduced the term Graphic Design in his essay titled New Kind of Printing calls for New Design. Print design was now an official function in newspapers, advertising agencies, book publishers, typesetters, and other enterprises dealing with the print media.
Today, print design is ubiquitously used on road signs, packaging, corporate identity, presentations, textbooks and journals, newspapers, advertisements, posters, billboards, shopping bags, comic books, DVD covers, t-shirts, and more.
