Thirty Centuries of Graphic Design. An Illustrated Survey

228 Pages·1987·42.672 MB·English

by  James Craig, Bruce Barton

JAMES CRAIG
BRUCE BARTON
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Also by James Craig
Designing with Type: A Basic Course in Typography
Production for the Graphic Designer
Phototypesetting: A Design Manual
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Graphic Design Career Guide
JAMES CRAIG
BRUCE BARTON
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WATSON-GUPTILL PUBLICATIONS
NEW YORK
— —
Dedicated to everyone who has ever
practiced the art of graphic design
regardless of what the profession was called
and to students and graphic designers who
wish to know more about their heritage.
First published in 1987 by
Watson-Guptill Publications
adivisionof Billboard Publications, Inc.
1515 Broadway. NewYork, NY10036
Libraryof Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Craig, James, 1930-
Thirty centuriesofgraphic design.
Bibliography p
Includes index
1 Book design—History. 2 Printing—History
3 Writing—History 4 Graphic arts—History
5 Visualcommunication—History I. Barton. Bruce.
1930- II Title
Z116A3C83 1987 686 87-21694
ISBN 0-8230-5355-5 (pbk)
Published mtheUnited Kmdom byPhaidon Press Ltd
,
Littiegate House, St Ebbe'sSt Oxford
.
Copy 'byJamesCraig and Bruce Barton
All rights reserved Nopartofthis publication may be
reproduced orused inanyformor byanymeans—graphic,
electronic, ormechanical, including photocopying,
recording, taping, orinformation storage and retrieval
systems—without written permission ofthe publisher
mUSA
Manufactured
First printing, 1987
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ' 92 91 90 89 88 87
CONTENTS
Preface 7
Introduction 9
30,000-5000 B.C. Prehistoric Period 10
5000-1000 B.C. The Ancient Near East 14
1000 B.C.-A.D. 500 Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans 26
500-1300 Middle Ages: Early, High, and Late 38
300-1400 Early Renaissance 48
1
1400-1500 Renaissance and Printing 54
1500-1600 High Renaissance and Mannerism 80
1600-1700 Age ofAbsolutism and Expansion 92
1700-1800 Age ofEnlightenment and Revolution 102
1800-1900 Age of Imperialism, Nationalism,
and Industrialization 112
900- 920 Peace, War, and Revolution 126
1 1
1920-1940 Between the Wars 138
1940-1960 World War II and the Atomic Age 170
960- 980 Age ofYouth, Change, and Space 192
1 1
1980- Terrorism and Star Wars 208
Selected Bibliography 215
Credits 216
Index 218
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PREFACE
This book was firstconceived in theearly Wewould alsolike toacknowledge those
1980s as asinglechapter inJames Craig's who took on the taskofreading the raw
GraphicDesign CareerGuide. Laterwe manuscript without theaid ofillustrations
decided to make ita rathershort book orcaptions and made many valuable
which would offerthe readerabrief suggestions: William Bevington,Jane
overview ofthe history ofgraphicdesign. Eldershaw,John Noneman,Jennifer Place,
Along the way, Thirty CenturiesofGraphic and Uri Shulevitz. A special thanks toour
Designgrew both in concept and content. editorsJuliaMoore, VictoriaCraven-Cohn,
We would like especially to thank two and Linda Epstein, and toourproduction
people whogavegenerously oftheir time manager, EllenGreene.
andexpertise: DeniseSchmandt-Besserat, Ourthanks, also, toall thegraphic
the University ofTexasat Austin, for designers who willingly proofread copy and
clarifying the Sumerian contribution toour sentsamplesoftheirwork to be included in
written language, andJanet Ing, the this book. And to the many friends and
Princeton University Library, forsharing colleagues whocontributed inways too
with us the most recent knowledgeon numerous to mention: Edward Greene,
Gutenberg and otherprinters ofincunabula. M.D., Alan Haley, Betsy Kelly, Eli Kince,
Anyonewho haseverdone researchcan Yasuo Kubota, GeorgeTscherny, Mr. and
appreciate thevalue ofindividuals whodo Mrs. Theodore Wagman, and the many
more than their jobsdemand. Among those whose names weshall remembertoolate
whodid this forus wereLisa Polenberg and and withembarrassmentafterthe bookhas
Bill Valerio, Art Resources; AnnemarieV. beenprinted.
N.W
Sandecki, Ayer; Diane Edkins and
Cindy Cathcart, CondeNast Publications;
PeterBlaney, Ph.D., scholar-in-residence,
and Anne Muchoney, the Folger
ShakespeareLibrary; HelgaHauser, the
Gutenberg Museum; EleanorGarvey, the
HoughtonLibrary at Harvard University;
Marcia K. Freeby, The InstituteofPaper
Chemistry; ElenaMillie, Ph.D., Clarke
Evans, Kathy Mange, and Betty White, the
LibraryofCongress; Thomas Grischkowsky
and Mikki Carpenter, TheMuseum of
ModernArt; Mary KayeFreedman, the
National Museum ofAmericanArt,
Smithsonian Institution; IraBartfield and
RitaM. Cacas, National GalleryofArt;
GaleLynch, D.D.B. Needham Worldwide;
LucilleWehner, TheNewberryLibrary;
Inge Dupontand DonnaMcCombs, the
Pierpont MorganLibrary; Margery B.
Griffith, The Playing Card Museum,
&
Cincinnati; Fay Barrows, Sudler
Hennessey, Inc.; Solomon H. Katz, Ph.D.,
the UniversityofPennsylvania; and Gilbert
Wintering, WinteringCommunications.
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