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.