The History of Graphic Design: 1890-1959

　　歷史有其發展進程，財富來又去，帝國興起又衰亡，不管社會、政治、科技，都有贏家與輸家。在這漫長的歲月流逝中，平面設計以它的形象與概念，簡潔地描繪出每個時代的精神，為時間留下紀錄。

　　《History of Graphic Design: Vol. 1, 1890-1959》這本書提供19世紀末至二戰後平面設計的詳細歷史紀錄：從海報設計開始，至其發展成為廣告、企業形象設計以及包裝、編輯設計的全部歷史軌跡。

　　依照時間順序排列，本書收錄全球各地超過2,500件創作，並詳細介紹了其中71件作品以及61位該領域大師，包括慕夏（Alphonse Mucha）的巧克力廣告、字體設計師約翰斯頓（Edward Johnston）為倫敦地下鐵設計的標誌與字體、蘇聯藝術家利西茨基（El Lissitzky）的建構主義繪畫、馬特（Herbert Matter）的蒙太奇式瑞士旅遊海報、平面設計師巴斯（Saul Bass）的電影海報，以及畫家卡桑德爾（A. M. Cassandre）的裝飾藝術海報。

　　憑藉著對該領域的豐富知識，作者Jens Müller標示出每一年的傑出創作，以及一系列設計理念里程碑。在本書的引言中，David Jury更詳細介紹了平面設計從早期的印刷、雕刻、平版印刷，直至其在十九世紀的創造性發展歷程。在書中，每一個十年都有一個簡潔的概論，並以驚人的視覺時間表開頭，為每個十年提供生動的描述。

　　隨著我們在二十世紀的持續進展，本書收藏的這些驚人作品，代表影響我們現今社會最重要的一些創意基礎，以及我們如今看待這個世界的方式，「是我們欣賞世界歷史的重要門戶」。

　　【文/博客來編譯】

History is a complex business. Fortunes boom and bust, empires wax and wane, and change--whether social, political, or technological--has its winners, its losers, its advocates, and its enemies. Through all the turbulent passage of time, graphic design--with its vivid, neat synthesis of image and idea--has distilled the spirit of each age.

This book is an in-depth history of graphic design from the end of the 19th century to the ’50s. It traces the evolution of this creative field from its beginning as poster design to its further development into advertising, corporate identity, packaging, and editorial design. Organized chronologically, the volume features over 2,500 seminal designs from all over the world, 71 of which are profiled in detail besides 61 leaders in the field, including Alphonse Mucha (chocolate advertisements), Edward Johnston (London Underground logo and typeface), El Lissitzky (constructivist graphics), Herbert Matter (photomontage travel posters from Switzerland), Saul Bass (animated opening titles), and A. M. Cassandre (art deco posters).

Author Jens Müller curates the standout designs for each year alongside a running sequence of design milestones. Meanwhile, in his introductory essay, David Jury situates graphic design from its point of origin in early printing, engraving, and lithography to striking creative developments in the 19th century. Each consecutive decade is then prefaced by a succinct overview as well as a visual timeline, offering a vivid display of the variety of graphic production in each decade as well as the global landscape which it at once described and defined.

As we move on from and reflect upon the 20th century, this first volume examines the foundations of what would influence some of the fastest-changing creative fields. Combined with Volume Two--which spans from the 1960s until today--the tomes offer the most comprehensive exploration of graphic design to date and a long-overdue recognition of its enormous contribution to economics, politics, social causes, the arts, media, and the way we see the world.