Meggs' History of Graphic Design is the industry's unparalleled, award-winning reference. With over 1,400 high-quality images throughout, this visually stunning text guides you through a saga of artistic innovators, breakthrough technologies, and groundbreaking developments that define the graphic design field. The initial publication of this book was heralded as a publishing landmark, and author Philip B. Meggs is credited with significantly shaping the academic field of graphic design.

Meggs presents compelling, comprehensive information enclosed in an exquisite visual format. The text includes classic topics such as the invention of writing and alphabets, the origins of printing and typography, and the advent of postmodern design. This new sixth edition has also been updated to provide:

You can't master a field without knowing the history.Meggs' History of Graphic Design presents an all-inclusive, visually spectacular arrangement of graphic design knowledge for students and professionals. Learn the milestones, developments, and pioneers of the trade so that you can shape the future.

The late Philip B. Meggs is an inductee into the Art Directors Hall of Fame and received its Educator's Award for lifetime achievement. A former contributing editor toPrint magazine, he authored more than a dozen books and 150 articles and papers on design and typography.

Alston W. Purvis is Professor of Visual Arts at the Boston University College of Fine Arts where he serves as Chair of the Department of Graphic Design. He is author and co-author of numerous books on graphic design history.

Preface to the First Edition viii

Acknowledgments ix

Part I The Prologue to Graphic Design 1
The visual message from prehistory through the medieval era

1 The Invention of Writing 5

2 Alphabets 21

3 The Asian Contribution 35

4 Illuminated Manuscripts 49

Part II A Graphic Renaissance 69
The origins of European typography and design for printing

5 Printing Comes to Europe 73

6 The German Illustrated Book 85

7 Renaissance Graphic Design 103

8 An Epoch of Typographic Genius 129

Part III The Bridge to the Twentieth Century 147
The Industrial Revolution: The impact of industrial technology upon visual communications

9 Graphic Design and the Industrial Revolution 151

10 The Arts and Crafts Movement and Its Heritage 187

11 Art Nouveau 209

12 The Genesis of Twentieth-Century Design 245

Part IV The Modernist Era 265
Graphic design in the first half of the twentieth century

13 The Influence of Modern Art 269

14 Pictorial Modernism 291

15 A New Language of Form 316

16 The Bauhaus and the New Typography 345

17 The Modern Movement in America 371

Part V The Age of Information 391
Graphic design in the global village

18 The International Typographic Style 397

19 The New York School 415

20 Corporate Identity and Visual Systems 439

21 The Conceptual Image 465

22 Postmodern Design 491

23 National Visions within a Global Dialogue 513

24 The Digital Revolutionand Beyond 571

Epilogue 621

Bibliography 623

Image Credits 657

Index 663