Graphic Design at the Beginning of Modernity

The Arrival of Printing in Europe

  • Woodblock Printing:
    • Originated in China around 200 AD.
    • Text and images carved on wood, inked, and transferred to paper/fabric.
    • Enabled replication of texts and images, democratizing information.
  • Movable Type:
    • Invented by Bi Sheng in China around 1040 using porcelain.
    • Individual, reusable characters reduced printing time and cost.
  • Gutenberg's Printing Press:
    • Johannes Gutenberg introduced movable type to Europe in 1439.
    • Revolutionized information spread and consumption.
    • Replaced wood with metal type, creating the European version of movable type.
    • Applied replica casting.
  • Early Logos and Signage:
    • The printing industry first used logos (limited to marks on documents).
    • In 1389, King Richard III mandated outdoor signs for taverns and ale houses.
  • Spread of Printing:
    • Introduced to Italy in 1465.
    • German printers in Valencia, Spain (1473) and Barcelona (1475).
    • Printers in Lisbon, Portugal by 1495.
    • Caxton set up a printing press in England in 1476.

Graphic Design in the Renaissance

  • Renaissance Overview:
    • A period of European cultural, artistic, political, and economic rebirth (14th-17th century).
    • Promoted rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature, and art.
  • Innovators:
    • Printers like Johannes de Spira, Nicolas Jenson, Laurentius de Rubeis, and Pere Miguel became known.
  • Copperplate Engraving:
    • Popular in the 1700s for polished graphics and high-quality printed books.
  • Censorship:
    • Authorities worried over censorship during the Renaissance.
    • Pope Alexander VI threatened excommunication for illegally reproduced religious texts in 1501.
  • Early Newspapers:
    • Strasbourg's Relation, the world's first government-sponsored newspaper, was published and widely circulated by 1605.