History of Graphic Information Design

Notes and further research from PowerPoint 

The first signs of graphic information design can be traced back to the 1500 and 1600s, where black and white engravings were produced. This were produced using a printing press which enabled many engravings to be shown to the masses. Oliver Byrne's geometry came about in 1847, he tried to get rid of illustrations of figures and began using colours to graphically represent.

Oliver Byrne's was a civil engineer, and he was worked with mathematics, geometry and engineering. His most famous for this book which is called Euclid's Elements, this was published by Pikering in 1847. It used coloured graphic explanations of each geometric principle. The book itself has become the subject of interest in recent years for its graphic conception and its style.

Maps are a great example of information design, the excellent early examples are Mappa Mundi which can be found in Hereford Cathedral. The mappa mundi is a unique piece of Britain's heritage, it records how 13th century scholars interpreted the world in spiritual as well as geographical terms. Mappa Mundi is drawn on a single sheet of vellum which is calf skin. The geographical material is contained within a circle measuring 52" in diameter and reflects the thinking of the medieval church with Jerusalem at the centre of the world.

This developed throughout the years and this brings me to visual systems such as Harry Beck who designed the London Underground in 1933. This map isn't too scale as it has no need to be because its all underground and the passengers only need to know when the next stop is. Harry Beck based the map on circuit diagrams, which he produced in this day to day job (electrician). He stripped the tube network down to the basics. And because of this he designed a clear and comprehensible chart that became essential guide throughout London and also a template for other countries.

The next area of graphic information design is road signage, which began in 1903. The motor car act had to provide warning signs, which were a combinations of circular and triangular signs. Prior to the 1930's many sign were still confusing until the re design during 1957 & 1967, this was produced by Jock Kinnier and Margaret Calvert. The government entrusted the development of the new system, they devised a rigorous signage system using carefully coordinated lettering, colours, shapes and symbols for Britain's new motorways in the late 1950's and for all the other roads in the 1960's. Their system was efficient and elegant, and it was one of the most ambitious information design projects ever undertaken in Britain. It is a role model for modern road signage in other countries and is still in use today.

Children's educational strip cartoons of the 20th century have educated and informed generations of children. Some of the best examples have been designed by Will Burtin, he was asked to create instructional for young adults in the US. army. His known for traversing several fields of design including information design, magazine design and exhibition design. He had a education in typesetting and he started his own design studio in Germany in 1927. By 1938 he had clients all over Europe, however he was forced to leave because his wife was Jewish. This is when he began designing manuals and instructional pamphlets for the US Army in 1924.

Isotype's came about during the 1930's, and was produced by a Austrian sociologist called Otto Neurath and his wife Marie. Isotype is the international system of typographic picture education, which was a new visual language. They are the essential foundation for our modern visual language dominated by pictograms in everything from bathroom signage to computer interfaces.