Timeline of Visual Communication Design

Beringia Land Bridge

30,000 BCE

The sea level was falling, a land bridge that was formed between Siberia and Alaska, which humans walked across to get to the continent of America,

Cave Paintings

25,000 BCE

One of the earliest visual communication media were cave paintings. They made between 35,559 and 15, 204 BCE. One example of this is a cave painting found in the Altamira Cave in Spain, which depicts a bison. Image:
Bison, Altamira Cave, c. between 35,559 and 15, 204 BCE, made on the wall with red, yellow, brown and black pigment.

Ancient Mesopotamia Writing

3500 BCE

Visual communication can also be expressed through pictures to mean words or how people communicated, this was the case in one of the early writing systems in Mesopotamia. There writing was changed many times, but one of the early writing systems had text-based on pictures. These pictures were means of communication back then by using pictures. It was eventually replaced by cuneiform, which was wedge-shaped writing. Image: Early Mesopotamian writing, c. 3500 BC, Created on wet clay

Hieroglyphics

3200 BCE

Another type of ancient writing system that was visual communication were the hieroglyphics from Egyptians. These were again made by symbols that were influenced by nature or through daily life back then. They first had about 800 signs, but as the years went on, the number of signs increased. They are meant to be read by vertically, horizontally and from right to left and left to right. Image: Hieroglyphics, c. around 3200 BC, created on walls by inscribing it.

King Tut was Born

1341 BCE

In Ancient Egypt, King Tut was born in 13412 B.C. King Tut became king at the age of 9 and would rein for 17 years til his death at age 19. He was one of the famously known Egyptian kings in Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Rome Was Founded

753 BCE

Ancient Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars, the god of war, according to legend in 753 B.C. Rome as a monarchy would end at 509 B.C.

Fall of Anicent Egypt

627 BCE

As civil war erupted into Egypt between each other, they became weak and open from empires attacking them. Many other factors contributed to the downfall of Ancient Egypt, but ultimately Assyrians invaded and weakened the empire to its demise.

First Letter Ever Written

500 BCE

A form of visual communication was the start of communicating on paper to people around the world. The first letter was ever written in history that was handwritten was around 500 BC. The letter was by Persian Queen Atossa. The stamped letters came into play by Great Britain in 1840. Letters were very important for communication around the world until phones would replace this media. Image: Letter by a black Civil War soldier, December 1864, ink on paper.

The Oldest Map Ever Created

500 BCE

A visual communication form that has roots a long time ago and it still has relevance today are maps. One of the earliest maps that are known today is a Babylon map called Imago Mundi. The map shows just a little of what the Babylonians thought it was back then. Today, maps communicate symbols or what a country looks like to communicate where the person needs to go. Maps can be found on paper or on smartphones. Image: Imago Mundi from Babylonia, 500 BCE, created on a clay tablet.

The Great Wall of China was Built

220 BCE

The first emperor of unified China, Qin Shi Huang, ordered to build fortifications between states around 220 B.C. It took a lot of people to build the Great Wall of China.

Julius Caesar Was Murdered

44 BCE

Julius Cassar, dictator of the Roman Empire was assassinated by his senators who didn't like him. They stabbed him to death in the senate hall. This occurred on March 15, 44 B.C.

Volcano Destorys Pompeii

79

Mount Vesuvius, a volcano near the Bay of Naples in Italy, erupted in 79 A.D. destroying the ancient Roman city of Pompeii as the city was buried. It killed about 2 thousand people.

The First Bible Ever Written, Recorded in History

330

The first-ever written bible that is found in history is found between 325 and 360 CE. It is unknown where it was written, either Rome or Egypt. It is made from the parchment of animal hides.

Chinese Calligraphy

353

Another type of writing that is considered visual communication is called calligraphy, which is the art of handwritten letters. A Chinese calligrapher, Wang Xizhi, made many works of Calligraphy. One of his famous pieces is called Lanting Xu, which was the preface for a collection of poems by poets. Calligraphy was made by hand and it showed art and the language that they spoke, so it had double-meanings. Image: Wang Xizhi, c. 353 AD, Lanting Xu, Ink on Paper

Petroglyphs

1300

Petroglyphs were rock carvings that can be considered pictographs that only the people who made them can understand. It's not supposed to be an alphabet or hieroglyphics, rather it has a spiritual context of the complex societies back then, which when these were made around and between 1300 and 1680s by Pueblos. This image depicts some sort of deer animal, which its meaning is unknown. Image: Deer, C. between 1300 and 1680s AD, made with a stone chisel and a stone hammer.

The Black Death plague starts to strike Europe and asia

1347

The Black Death was one of the worse epidemics of the bubonic plague. It started to spread in October of 1347 when 12 ships arrived in Europe from the Black Sea. The Black Death would kill 20 million people in Europe for the next 5 years.

Invention of the Printing Press

1440

An important advancement that was important for visual communication was the invention of the printing press. Now, Chinese monks made a printing press that was made on a wooden block back around 868 AD, but the printing press made in 1440 is the recognizable one. It was made by Johannes Gutenburg in Germany. This invention completely made books, newspapers, etc., more to people in quantity, rather than only a couple copies of a certain piece. Image: Replica of the Gutenburg printing press

Illuminated Manuscripts

1475

Illuminated manuscripts are handwritten text with handwritten images. In a way, it was the first book. Illuminated manuscripts first started to appear in Europe in the 6th century and gained popularity in the 15th century. They were used for churches and monasteries. They were used as visual guides for church services or to support daily devotions of monks, nuns, and laymen. Image: Illuminated ”Christ Kneeling in Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemene”, c. 1475, France, Loire Valley

Christopher Columbus Finds America

Oct 12, 1492

At this time, on October 12, 1492, Columbus and his crew finds what he thinks is India, but it is actually America. They landed on the Bahama Islands.

Michelangelo completes painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

1512

Michelangelo completes painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1512. He painted scenes from the Old Testament to Noah and Flood. He started painting in 1508, so it took him 4 years to make every scene on the ceiling of the chapel, which was located in the Vatican, Europe.

Art of Measurement with Compass and Ruler published for Typography

1525

Typography is a visual representation of printed letters, words and texts, also considered visual communication. A German master printmaker named Albrecht Durer published a book called Art of Measurement with Compass and Ruler. In this book, he made rules on how to make letters in certain shapes, such as how to make a capital letter geometrically. He made it where people can understand and made guidelines on how to create letters. Image: Albrecht Durer, EFGHIKL Type page 3, 1525.

Queen Elizabeth became Queen of England

1558

Queen Elizabeth the first became queen at the age of 25 in 1558 in England and ruled for 44 years. It was called England's Golden Age, as it was an era of peace and prosperity.

Jamestown was founded

May 13, 1607

The English arrived in America in 1607 and started a new settlement. On May 13, they picked Jamestown, Virginia, named for King James I at the time. Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in North America.

Advertising/ One of the First Ads Promoting America

1609

Advertisements are everywhere we go, whether its on TV or driving someplace. This is another way visual communication. One of the first advertisements in England was promoting a new life in America. People wanted to leave for many reasons- religious, economic and political. Advertising helped fuel these dreams for people who wanted a new life. Advertising is a simple visual communication tool as it has an image to communicate, as well as text. Image: English Ad Promoting America, 1609

First known Magazine and Where the term came from

1663

Magazines are a great visual communication medium as it communicates images about a person or subject. The first magazine that could be called a magazine was published in 1663 and it was from Germany called Erbauliche Monaths Unterredungen. Its intentions were only for academic audiences. The Arabs came up with the word magazine in 1773 meaning warehouse and meaning a book that had much useful information for travelers. Today, magazines are everywhere. Image: Life Magazine, Published in 1939

American Revolution Began

Apr 19, 1775

The American Revolution in America between the Colonies wanting freedom from Great Britain began at the Battle of Lexington.

Photography/Inventor of Photography

1816

Photography is a great form of visual communication that can convey so much emotion and what the artist is trying to say. The inventor of photography was by French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1816. He made a homemade camera and partially made a photograph on paper coated with silver chloride. Although it doesn't exist anymore, one that is closest is from 1826 to 1827, which was his window in Burgundy. Today, photographs are everywhere. Image: Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, first photo, 1827.

Logos

1885

Logos are a great way of visual communication. Logos have many purposes, one being to communicate what the company does or what it wants to promote/represent. Logos also make it where people can remember what they look. One example of this is the Coca-Cola logo. It was made by Frank Mason Robinson in 1885 and started the modern era of logos. Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable logos in the world. Logos are everywhere in our world. Image: Frank Mason Robinson, Coca Cola Logo, c 1885

World War 1 Began

1914

World War 1 began when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was shot in Bosnia in Europe.

Illustration of Uncle Sam

Jul 6, 1916

An illustration can communicate with a group of people to inform them about a certain subject. One example of this is the Illustration of Uncle Sam urging to join the U.S. army. The American illustrator named James Montgomery Flagg made this illustration for a magazine cover on July 6th, 1916 and was later used for recruiting for World War 1. Illustrations like this one are a good example of visual communication. Image: James M. Flagg, Uncle Sam Recruitment poster, c. 1916.

The First Film with Sound

1926

Films are a great form of visual communication that expresses stories through visuals. Films have been around a while but they haven't had sound. The first movie with sound was directed by Alan Crosland called Don Juan, which had music and sound effects, but no spoken dialogue. Next year, again by Alan Crosland, a movie that had music and sound effects called Jazz Singer had spoken dialogue this time. Films are ever-growing today in visual communication. Image: Poster of Don Juan, 1926

Invention of the Television

1927

A major invention that changed visual communication was the invention of television. A man named Philo Taylor Farnsworth made the first working television in 1927. He made the television by having horizontal lines resemble a picture. Although the television we know today does not resemble Farnsworth, he can be credited with the invention. Today, televisions are a great source of communicating visually through news or entertainment. Image: Early version of the television set.

World War 2 Began

1938

World War 2 began when Hitler invaded Poland, thus France and Britain declared war on Germany, starting World War 2

First Man on the Moon

Jul 20, 1969

On July 20. 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to step on the moon with his crew on the Apollo 11.

Invention of the Personal Computer

1975

Although there is a long history of the invention of the computer, where it was so big, it filled a whole room.. The first personal computer was made in 1975 by Ed Roberts, who also coined the term "personal computer" or short today by PC. It was called the Altair 8000, although it just had switches and a series of lights. Though, this was the first computer to be made where it was available to the public and how visual communication was made. Image: First computer created in 1975

Steve Jobs Founds Apple in His Garage

1976

Steve Jobs founded his company Apple, which would be become a huge company for computer products/ phones, in 1976 in his family's garage with his friend Wozniak in 1976 at the age of 21.

Berlin Wall was Torn Down

Nov 9, 1989

As the Cold War was ending, the Berlin Wall between East and West Berlin. It was announced that anyone could cross the border between the sides. So, people started tearing down the Berlin Wall with bulldozers and cranes, ending the war.

Web Design

1990

Another form of visual communication is web design. It has text on a webpage, as well as images to have on the pages. A man named Tim Berners-Lee created the first web browser called the WorldWideWeb. It only had text on the webpages, nothing else. Then Mosaic was released in 1993 and it made it where images could be added. After that, web design continued to be more developed. Web design is everywhere we go on the internet and it is a modern form of visual communication.

September 11th Twin Tower Attacks

Sep 11, 2001

On September 11th, two airplanes were flown into the Twin Towers in New York City. Almost 3,000 people were killed, as this was an act of terrorism.

Social Media/Creation of Twitter

2006

Social Media is now the new form of newspapers and a new visual communication type. There are many examples of social media, such as YouTube or Facebook, but one that a lot of people use is Twitter. It was made by Jack Dorsey and he made Twitter so that his friends could see what the person wrote at one time. So Twitter or at the time called Twttr, release on July 2006. Since then, Twitter is a great tool for people to see news around the world. Image: Logo of Twitter