Meggs' History of Graphic Design

Meggs' History of Graphic Design is the industry's unparalleled, award-winning reference. With over 1,400 high-quality images throughout, this visually stunning text guides you through a saga of artistic innovators, breakthrough technologies, and groundbreaking developments that define the graphic design field. The initial publication of this book was heralded as a publishing landmark, and author Philip B. Meggs is credited with significantly shaping the academic field of graphic design.

Meggs presents compelling, comprehensive information enclosed in an exquisite visual format. The text includes classic topics such as the invention of writing and alphabets, the origins of printing and typography, and the advent of postmodern design. This new sixth edition has also been updated to provide:

• The latest key developments in web, multimedia, and interactive design
• Expanded coverage of design in Asia and the Middle East
• Emerging design trends and technologies
• Timelines framed in a broader historical context to help you better understand the evolution of contemporary graphic design
• Extensive ancillary materials including an instructor's manual, expanded image identification banks, flashcards, and quizzes

You can't master a field without knowing the history. Meggs' History of Graphic Design presents an all-inclusive, visually spectacular arrangement of graphic design knowledge for students and professionals. Learn the milestones, developments, and pioneers of the trade so that you can shape the future.

Preface to the First Edition viii

Acknowledgments ix

Part I The Prologue to Graphic Design 1
The visual message from prehistory through the medieval era

1 The Invention of Writing 5

2 Alphabets 21

3 The Asian Contribution 35

4 Illuminated Manuscripts 49

Part II A Graphic Renaissance 69
The origins of European typography and design for printing

5 Printing Comes to Europe 73

6 The German Illustrated Book 85

7 Renaissance Graphic Design 103

8 An Epoch of Typographic Genius 129

Part III The Bridge to the Twentieth Century 147
The Industrial Revolution: The impact of industrial technology upon visual communications

9 Graphic Design and the Industrial Revolution 151

10 The Arts and Crafts Movement and Its Heritage 187

11 Art Nouveau 209

12 The Genesis of Twentieth-Century Design 245

Part IV The Modernist Era 265
Graphic design in the first half of the twentieth century

13 The Influence of Modern Art 269

14 Pictorial Modernism 291

15 A New Language of Form 316

16 The Bauhaus and the New Typography 345

17 The Modern Movement in America 371

Part V The Age of Information 391
Graphic design in the global village

18 The International Typographic Style 397

19 The New York School 415

20 Corporate Identity and Visual Systems 439

21 The Conceptual Image 465

22 Postmodern Design 491

23 National Visions within a Global Dialogue 513

24 The Digital Revolution—and Beyond 571

Epilogue 621

Bibliography 623

Image Credits 657

Index 663

The late Philip B. Meggs is an inductee into the Art Directors Hall of Fame and received its Educator's Award for lifetime achievement. A former contributing editor to Print magazine, he authored more than a dozen books and 150 articles and papers on design and typography.

Alston W. Purvis is Professor of Visual Arts at the Boston University College of Fine Arts where he serves as Chair of the Department of Graphic Design. He is author and co-author of numerous books on graphic design history.

Meggs' History of Graphic Design pioneered the coupling of the words "graphic design" and "history" by developing an original narrative tracing the progression of a field originating with the development of writing and heading into the digital age. That was in 1983, and now this Sixth Edition continues the gold-standard tradition of authoritative coverage for designers in the digital age.

This unrivaled, comprehensive, and award-winning reference tool on graphic design systematically reveals the complete story of visual innovators, groundbreaking technologies, and major developments leading up to the current state of the field. Updated and expanded, this robust new edition immortalizes the cutting-edge accomplishments of designers working in the digital twenty-first century and includes more than 100 brand-new illustrations to inform and inspire designers at every level of experience. More than a showcase of artwork, this inspiring reference gives you an intimate look at how industry-moving designers:

• Took advantage of the growth and increased quality of design education to rise up and find new ways of applying time-honored design theories and methods to solve new visual challenges
• Extended their profession with self-initiated fine-arts experimentation that brought a distinctive voice to the global dialogue in a era of explosive change
• Broadened their creative palette with digital technologies that offered unprecedented ways to manipulate color, form, space, and imagery and then share the expression with the world through film, television, and the Internet

Like its predecessors, Meggs' History of Graphic Design, Sixth Edition will quickly establish itself as a most-consulted volume on the bookshelves of professionals, students, and anyone who works with or loves graphic design.

The bestselling graphic design reference—updated for the digital age

Meggs' History of Graphic Design presents an all-inclusive, visually spectacular account of the people, events, and signal creations that have shaped the field of graphic design. This brilliantly imagined new Sixth Edition gives historical context to the latest trends and technologies overtaking the graphic design landscape, including developments in web, multimedia, and interactive design.

Packed with a wealth of material for inspiration and emulation, including more than 1,500 eye-catching images, this new edition unfolds as a who's-who of luminaries in the field—from the early pioneers to the latest visionaries. See the evolution of graphic design from cave paintings, to the development of typography, to the emergence of American modernism, and beyond, as this visually engaging edition provides:

The first step to mastering a profession is becoming intimately familiar with its past, and Meggs' History of Graphic Design, Sixth Edition puts it all there for you to enjoy.