History of Graphic Design

Sister Corita Kent (1918-1986). Committed graphic artist and Pop Art pioneer.

Escher is a “mathemagician” who created realistic yet physically impossible works, combining art and mathematics.

Anni Albers was one of the few Bauhaus women to achieve fame in her own lifetime. Her work dusted off and modernized tapestry.

The vinyl sleeves come to life with jazz. It is a whole graphic universe that makes the music heard, through the illustration or the photo.

Both a visual or life discipline, minimalism has become a questionable trend and consists in simplifying to keep only the essential.

John Heartfield is a German “photomontage technician”, politically engaged with his collages against Nazism and fascism.

L’usage ou l’absence d’ornementations symbolise pour l’homme “moderne” deux visions utopiques et différentes pour changer la société.

Herb Lubalin’s biography in pictures. In his 40-year career, Lubalin has revolutionized the landscape of American graphic design by composing images with text.

Episode #1. To understand modernism, we need to understand its relationship with modernity, and its meteoric rise at the end of the 19th century.

From the Nazis to the moon, Futura is probably the most used typeface in the world, and yet it’s not new!

Barbara Kruger denounces the over-consumption since the 70s. The Supreme brand has appropriated her graphic codes. But who is hijacking whom?

From consumer logos to social movements, Debbie Millman questions the meaning of design in society through her work.

An activist designer, W. Morris founded interior design and Arts & Crafts, improved the living conditions of workers and revalued craftsmanship.

Graphic designer Milton Glaser gave the 70s and 80s a cheerful and colourful face and New York a reason to love him. Among his most famous creations are the logo “I ❤ NY” and Bob Dylan’s psychedelic poster. Let’s go into the history of a very, very big name in American design.

Being a designer like Reza Abedini in a country such as Iran means juggling with an incredible artistic, visual and calligraphic heritage that is 3000 years old.

To grasp the genius of Iranian graphic design one must understand its incredible heritage in the arts, and the current upheavals. A short journey from ancient Persia to the most contemporary graphic design.

A short history of Times New Roman, the essential typeface designed in 1932 by Stanley Morison for The Times newspaper.

Wally Olins is the inventor of business and territorial branding and all the influence that comes with it. Discover his work and our exclusive interview.

In the 1950s, in the midst of the Cold War, Paul Rand transformed the use of graphic design and the face of American companies.

The Mistral ! This typeface which shares its name with a cold wind, but which breathes Provence, is without question the favorite typeface of bakers, butchers, craftsmen… Its name alone is enough to awaken an imaginary world as old-fashioned as it is modern!

Didot was for a long time the spearhead of French typography. Let’s discover how this bicentennial typeface managed to combine finesse and elegance to cross the centuries, and remain at the forefront of fashion!

Let’s discover Helvetica, a typeface that can’t be ignored! Its longevity, influence and neutrality mean we love it as much as it annoys us.

By designing UK’s road signs, Margaret Calvert’s discreet work helped to save hundreds of thousands of lives in the United Kingdom.

Nothing predicted the Comic Sans MS to become what it is today: a font hated by graphic designers and yet very popular with the general public. Discover its history… and its some qualities.

The Bauhaus Football Club, the story of the most beautiful design team in the world.
When the football world cup is a pretext to revise your classics…

Ever wondered how it is like to be a designer abroad? Here is an illustrated portrait of Turkish graphic design, through history and contemporary designers.

Every day, millions of french people see Étienne Robial’s work. In this article we decode, in plain language, a long career in graphic design, from Canal+ to Inrockuptibles.