Overview

The bestselling graphic design reference, restructured by themes to represent motivations for visual communication over time Graphic designers must have a thorough understanding of the field’s rich history in order to inspire and inform their work. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design is the industry’s original reference, serving as an essential resource for a generation of professionals, scholars, and students. With over 1,400 high-quality images throughout, this visually stunning text guides you through artistic innovators, breakthrough tools and technologies, and significant artifacts that have pushed the boundaries of graphic design throughout its history. The initial publication of this book was heralded as a landmark, and author Philip B. Meggs is credited with significantly shaping the academic field of graphic design. This new edition foregrounds cultural and social context and elevates diverse voices that are pivotal contributors to the history of graphic design. This seventh edition also covers: Artifacts, methods, designers, and events from pre-history to the twenty-first century Technological advancements in media and design, from the earliest technologies to recent developments A timeline for studying graphic history from multiple viewpoints and culturally diverse approaches Updated ancillary materials, including an instructor’s manual with discussion questions and a guide for transitioning from the previous edition You can’t master a field without knowing its history. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design presents a diverse, visually spectacular history of graphic design for students and professionals. The updates to this edition solidify its continuing legacy as a must-have in any contemporary graphic design library.

Full Product Details

Author:   Philip B. Meggs (Virginia Commonwealth University; Syracuse University; National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland) ,  Alston W. Purvis (Boston University College of Fine Arts, MA) ,  Sandra Maxa (Maryland Institute College of Art) ,  Mark Sanders (Maryland Institute College of Art)
Publisher:   John Wiley & Sons Inc
Imprint:   John Wiley & Sons Inc
Edition:   7th edition
Dimensions:   Width: 22.10cm , Height: 3.30cm , Length: 27.90cm
Weight:   1.905kg
ISBN:  

9781119743293

ISBN 10:   111974329
Pages:   528
Publication Date:   04 December 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Out of stock  

Table of Contents

Preface to the Seventh Edition x Preface to the First Edition xii Acknowledgments xiv Chapter 1: Timeline 2 Pre-History and the Origins of Writing | 75,000 bce–500 bce 2 Writing, Paper, and Printing | 500 bce–1450 3 Renaissance Design and Modern Typography | 1450–1800 5 The Industrial Revolution | 1800–1899 7 Graphic Design in the Modern Era | 1900–1950 10 The Rise of Design Culture and Media | 1950–2000 14 Digital Design Comes of Age | 2000–Present 19 Chapter 2: Overview of Graphic Design History 22 Chapter 3: Writing 34 Prehistoric visual communications 36 Early writing in Mesopotamia 36 Egyptian hieroglyphs 39 Cretan pictographs 43 The North Semitic (Phoenician) alphabet 45 The Aramaic alphabet and its descendants 45 The Greek alphabet 50 The Latin alphabet 50 Early writing in Mesoamerica 54 Chinese scripts 55 Chinese script styles 58 The Korean alphabet 60 African writing systems 64 Cherokee syllabary 65 Chapter 4: Exalting 68 The Book of the Dead in Egypt 70 Palm leaf manuscripts in South and Southeast Asia 72 Illuminated manuscripts in Europe 73 Judaic manuscripts 88 Islamic manuscripts 88 Ethiopian manuscripts 89 Chapter 5: Inventing 94 Origin and early evolution of printing in China 96 Movable type is invented 98 Movable type comes to Europe 99 Innovating the printing press 103 Mechanization of typesetting 104 Printing images 105 Lithography simplifies and expands printing 108 Printing in color 108 Victorian typeface designs 109 Mavericks of composition and form 112 Dada and Surrealism—making new truths 112 Reimagining photography 114 Russian avant-garde—inventing by combination 114 Experimenting as practice 115 A universally understood language 118 Typographic invention in the Netherlands 118 Graphic design expressionism 119 Phototypography 120 Calligraphic abstraction 121 Figurative typography 121 Experiments in graphic space 122 Graphic design tactility 126 Digital design revolution 127 Spatial elasticity of layout, typography, and imagery 129 The digital-type foundry 133 Digital image manipulation and composition 135 Chapter 6: Persuading 136 Early printing and the Christian church 138 The Industrial Revolution and the rise of commercial culture 142 Innovations in typography for advertising 142 Wood type and the letterpress poster 146 Advertising cards, packaging, and posters 147 The rise of American editorial design and advertising agencies 148 The advertising poster in Europe 149 Posters in Eastern Europe and Russia 153 The Bauhaus influence on advertising 156 Independent voices in the Netherlands 157 New approaches to photography in advertising 158 From illustration to modernism in American advertising 160 International Typographic Style in advertising 161 Advertising at mid-century 167 Postmodern design and advertising 174 Expanding brands and media 178 Chapter 7: Unifying 180 Early visual sign systems 182 Unifying early typography 182 Establishing book design systems 184 Standardization of typographic forms 188 Art Nouveau—unifying decoration, structure, and function 189 The decorative arts expand to publishing 194 Standardization of visual systems 200 Constructivism—visually programming the total object 205 Universal systems for art and design 207 The new typography; form from the functions of the text 209 International Typographic Style—a unity of design elements 212 The corporate identity program 215 Design systems for government 220 Design systems for the Olympic Games 224 Unity and variability through digital typefaces 228 Chapter 8: Representing 230 Prehistoric visual representation 232 Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greek visual representation 232 Chinese chops 233 Early marks for books and printers 234 Early business trademarks 234 Indigenous beadwork and symbols 235 Representation of Native culture and identity 238 Symbolic representation in advertising 239 Representation of Black culture and identity 241 Symbolizing the Bauhaus philosophy 244 Representation through clarity and order 244 Symbols and American modernism 245 Visual identity systems in America 246 Global identity and the Olympics 253 Representing with image 256 Currency and postage stamps 258 Postmodern design and representation 259 Branding and identity 262 Chapter 9: Explaining 264 Early illustrated books 266 The German illustrated book 269 The Renaissance—innovations in book design 273 Victorian children’s books 278 The rise of infographics 280 Pictographic histories 284 Informational graphics at mid-century 286 Information architecture 292 Visual storytelling 296 Chapter 10: Refining 298 The Italian Renaissance 300 “Scientific” typeface refinement 301 Rococo era 301 Caslon and Baskerville 302 Modern style fonts 306 Private presses communicate to the imagination 307 The Arts and Crafts movement 307 Cubism’s elemental forms 312 De Stijl—reducing the language of form 313 Constructivism’s geometric forms 314 Twentieth-century typeface design 318 New typography in the Netherlands 319 Tschichold returns to traditional typography 320 Refining form and communication in America 320 Phototypography expands options for designers 324 Bending graphic design traditions 326 New-wave typography 327 Retro and vernacular design 330 Expressive typography and design 331 Digital typeface design and historic sources 337 Chapter 11: Interpreting 340 Visualizing the unknown 342 Space as the essence of design 342 The Glasgow School—abstraction and symbolic drawing 343 The Vienna Secession—interpreting through symbols 344 Interpretive typography in Europe 348 Cubism 349 Interpretations of De Stijl 351 Expressionism 354 American books, magazines, and records at mid-century 355 CCA expresses ideas in advertisements 366 Posters and the conceptual image 366 The Polish poster 368 The conceptual studio 369 Album cover art expands 373 Experimentation with digital tools 374 Editorial design in the late twentieth century 375 Motion graphics and film titles 379 Contemporary poster design 384 Chapter 12: Criticizing 392 The Arts and Crafts movement 394 U.S. political cartoons 401 Futurism 402 Dada 406 Supermannerism 409 Postmodern design 412 First Things First manifestos 416 Critical practice in the Netherlands 417 Critical editorial design 418 Chapter 13: Mobilizing 422 World War I posters 424 Posters in Germany between the Wars 427 Russian Suprematism and Constructivism 427 Spanish Civil War posters 434 Posters and the Great Depression in America 435 Mobilizing resources for World War II 438 Antiwar posters 442 Mobilizing for racial equality 444 Cuban Revolution posters 448 Solidarity campaign in Poland 450 Feminism and design 450 Posters as environmental activism 454 Graphic design as political activism 454 Art and Design Movements and Styles 456 Bibliography: 7th edition 460 Bibliography: previous editions 464 Image Credits 492 Index 497 Colophon 510 About the Companion Website 511

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Author Information

Sandra Maxa (Baltimore, MD) is Director of the Graphic Design Master of Arts program at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) where she teaches design theory, process and typography. Her research investigates the connection between mapping, narrative and culture. She has also taught at Pratt Institute, Parsons The New School for Design, and Rutgers University - Newark. Mark Sanders (Baltimore, MD), has taught typography, systems, and interaction design with research focused on reinventing typographic and digital frameworks to address the expanding roles and mediums of design. He has taught at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Pratt Institute, Parsons The New School for Design, and Rutgers University - Newark. As partners at the multi-disciplinary studio Q Collective, Sandra and Mark produce work that reflects a deep interest in identity, interactivity, history and visual culture. Sandra and Mark are also co-authors of the 6th and 7th editions of Typographic Design: Form and Communication.

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