Graphic design is not merely known for its creative element, but also acclaimed for its trait of being an attractive and enjoyable field. Undoubtedly, when we talk about the graphic design world, there are lots of fun facts to be heard. While some stories are heard more often, some still remain unknown to many people. While running a casual research on the history and origins of graphic design, reading about the famous graphic designers and their lives, I found that right from the genesis, graphic design has been one complicated field.
Here are 15 of the most interesting graphic design facts I’ve come across recently:
| 1. Amazingly the first recognized visual communication supported with pictograms and symbols was found between 15,000 – 10,000 BC, in the Lascaux caves in southern France |
| 2. Claude Garamond, the publisher and legendary type designer after whom Garamond font was named died of poverty at age 81. |
3. Peretz Rosenbaum was the brainchild behind the IBM logo, the old UPS logo, and many other corporate identities? Don’t be surprised…Peretz Rosenbaum is just the birthname of Paul Rand.
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4. The famous “Uncle Sam” recruitment poster “I Want YOU for the U.S. Army”, designed by James Montgomery Flagg, was actually an inspirational version of the British poster by Alfred Leete.
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5. The “Michelin man” appearing in the Michelin logo design is originally named “Monsieur Bibendum”. He also featured as the hero in the Oscar winning movie, “Logorama”.
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6. The first website of the internet was “http://info.cern.ch/” launched in 1992 by Tim Berners-Lee. It is still active.
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| 7. Georgia typeface designed by Matthew Carter, was named after a tabloid headline reading “Alien heads found in Georgia.” |
| 8. Remember the famous NBA logo? I’m afraid it’s not Michael Jordon you see in the depiction. Jerry West is the player depicted in the logo design. |
| 9. The boy silhouetted in the logo design of Hollywood studio Dreamworks SKG is William, the son of Robert Hunt (the illustrator hired for the design). |
| 10. The typeface Avant Garde was created by Herb Lubalin out of necessity, due to the incompatibility of the letterforms in the title of Avant Garde magazine. |
11. The Designers Republic (now defunct) was appointed to design the entire in-game artwork, cover and guide for “The Wipeout” video game series.
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| 12. The Coca-Cola logo design was not made from a typeface but was originally prepared using a handwriting style, now known as Spencerian Script. |
| 13. The Great Seal of the United States was designed in the 1770’s by Charles Thomson (former secretary of congress) |
| 14. The font “Sans-serif” had several names in the past. Some of which are Egyptian, Antique, Grotesque, Doric, Heiti, Lineale, and Simplices. |
| 15. John Callcott Horsley designed the first Christmas card in 1843. But it was originally commissioned as the world’s first commercial Christmas card by Sir Henry Cole. |
