This week, we explored a key turning point in the history of visual communication: Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the movable type printing press around 1440. His innovation replaced the slower, labor-intensive process of hand-copying manuscripts with a system using individual metal type pieces that could be reused and rearranged.
Before Gutenberg, we looked even further back—into prehistoric cave paintings as one of the earliest forms of visual communication. These early marks and symbols were a way for people to record, express, and communicate ideas visually, long before written language.
Drawing a connection from cave walls to printed books, we began to see how humans have always sought to share stories, knowledge, and meaning visually. Gutenberg’s press was a monumental leap in this ongoing journey—from markings made by hand to messages distributed by machine.
We focused on how Gutenberg’s movable type revolutionised not only the printing process but also society itself. It enabled faster production, greater distribution, and the standardisation of texts. Ideas that were once limited to religious or royal elites could now be read and interpreted by a much wider audience. This shift laid the foundation for mass literacy, education, and modern communication, showing how technology directly influences design and information-sharing practices.
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Today’s session helped me appreciate the deep history behind communication design. Seeing the contrast between cave paintings and Gutenberg’s press really highlighted how far we’ve come—and how each innovation builds on the ones before it. I was struck by how Gutenberg’s work wasn’t just about efficiency—it was about empowerment through access. It reminded me that design isn’t only aesthetic; it’s political, cultural, and deeply human. I'm beginning to understand how design history shapes the tools and platforms we rely on today.
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