Chinese Contributions to Graphic Design

The Chinese writing system was developed 4000 years ago and is one of the oldest written languages. Throughout the years, the Chinese writing system has not changed very much but there are five distinct periods of Chinese writing.


The Chiaku wen (c. 1800-1200 BCE) was the earliest of Chinese symbols when the symbols were engraved into turtle shells and animal bones.  These were primarily used for divination, attempting to contact the dead to predict future events etc.

The Chin-wen (c. 1100-700 BCE) These Characters were inscribed on bronze vessels. Again, these were used for divination.

Hsiao chuan (c. 280-208) This style of writing unified the writing system of Imperial China under Emperor Shih Huang Ti

Li-shu (c. 206 BCE-220 CE) Clerical Style

Kai-shu (c. 200 CE - present) Regular Style

The invention of paper and printing revolutionized the western world through the democratization of knowledge. Knowledge is power, and until the printed book only the rich and powerful had access to knowledge but the printed page put power in the hands of the people. ironically these to inventions that so radically changed western culture, were both invented in China.


Paper (c. 105 CE) The invention of paper attributed to Ts'ai Lun

 "Chop" chinese signature blocks (c. 3rd century CE)

Block printing: Diamond Sutra (c. 868 CE)

Movable type: Pi Sheng (990 - 1051 CE)

Development of Written Language

Necessity is the mother of invention. As settlements grew larger and more complex, so did the need of inventories, records, marks of ownership, census records, etc. Memory alone was not sufficient so there was a need to develop a way to record transactions, keep an inventory of property, and laws and agreements that had been decided upon.  When life was simple, records could be simple. drawings of thing being traded or transferred with a simple numeric indicator so they know how many. As life got more complicated, more complex systems were developed to meet the needs of the task at hand.

 

Two examples of proto-cuneiform tablets. 

The top image is from the Kish tablet estimated at 3500 BCE

 

An example of early cuneiform.

 

An example of fully developed cuneiform

 

This chart is an example of how cuneiform evolved from pictographs.

 

Early Forms of Writing and Visual Communication

When I think of my own style of graphic design, first and foremost is communication. What ever the message, it has to be presented in a way that the reader will understand exactly what is necessary. Nothing should be taken for granted. The letter form should be appropriate for the message. What emotions do the colors evoke? Is the information presented in a clear logical way? does the layout invite you in? These are some of the things I consider. But in historical perspective, what did our earliest ancestors consider as the were creating their visual communications? Certainly the media has changed. Some of the earliest surviving visual communication was painstakingly painted on the irregular surfaces of the cave walls at Lascaux in southern France. Although the drawings themselves are well done and very graceful individually, there is no apparent conscious though for design. and as far as a clear message, we can only guess at the actual pupose of these drawings.

As our species progressed, and writing developed, it gave us the ability not only to preserve acquired knowledge, and keep records, but also to express unspoken thoughts and share abstract ideas. As the forms of writing matured mankind started to include illustrations not only to help guide the viewer  through the material, but also to make the information visually appealing. Some early examples of this include artifacts such as the Blau monument from ancient Sumeria, The Code of Hamurabi, and there are many good examples from Egypt on temple walls and papyrus scrolls. In my mind, this conscious blending of images with written text with the intent of conveying a message was the birth of graphic design.