The History of Graphic Design

History of Graphic Design

Thesis

Graphic design is an art that has undergone a lot of revolution in terms of both the historical context and the relevance and significance of art in various aspects of life. Graphic design has one of the longest histories, dating back to prehistoric and medieval era to the modern era of the modernists. It is therefore easy to conclude that graphic design is as old as humanity. many graphic designers have foreseen the this revolution , including legendary graphic designers such as Pablo Picasso, Brague Juan, Paul Rand and many others who have contributed greatly to the growth of the graphic design (Meggs & Purvis, 2006).

Currently, the world has experienced the curbinism style of graphic design that transformed the world in terms of development in key sectors including the transport sector and led to the advancements in technology in most sectors of the global economy. The paper will however focus specifically on the graphic designs of Paul Rand, by paying a close attention to his designs. The paper will provide an in-depth analysis of Paul Rand’s designs in terms of the context, communication strategies, and contribution of his to historical, cultural, and socio-political significance of his graphic design work.

Paul Rand

Paul Rand is arguably one of America’s most influential graphic designers to have ever existed. He lived between 1914 to 1996. He is best known for his designs of major corporate logos for some of the big companies including IBM, ABC, and Enron, among many more other companies. Most of his works drew a lot of inspiration from the Swiss style of design. Paul Rand was a big conformist of the modernist philosophy of graphic design and in fact drew a lot of inspiration from reno...

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...is spectacular designs for corporates and advertising companies. Through his art, he influenced the European and America’s graphic design and movements such as cubism and constructivism. He also influenced marketing outlooks of most companies by attaching a lot of significance to the role played by logos and adverts. He notes in his book thoughts on design that any art that separates artists from their products would eventually diminish the value of the products and that of the maker of the product (Rand, 1970).

References

Meggs, P. B., Purvis, A. W., & Meggs, P. B. (2006). Meggs' history of graphic design. Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley & Sons.

Rand, P. (1993). Design, form, and chaos. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Rand, P. (1985). Paul Rand, a designer's art. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Rand, P. (1970). Thoughts on design. London: Studio Vista.