About the 7th Edition

With the seventh edition, we have created a framework that invites readers to make new connections through chapters that articulate the motivations for creating visual communication. Throughout, we cite diverse voices and practices, situate the work of graphic designers today alongside cultural and social contexts of the past, and invite the reader’s participation and interpretation to construct a shared history. Each chapter has been re-examined and re-presented thematically and structured in a roughly chronological order.

We acknowledge our limitations in constructing this history, however. First and foremost, Meggs’ History of Graphic Design remains a history, not the history. It is not definitive, nor does it seek to be. Our goal is for multiplicity and comprehensiveness, yet we are limited by our particular knowledge. To add breadth to this new edition, we sought the perspectives of an advisory board of designers, historians, and educators who helped us to critically evaluate the sixth edition and suggested additions and edits that support diverse points of view, make new taxonomies bridging a wide variety of traditions and work, and promote a multilayered interpretation of how history relates to design topics, methods, and motives.

Notes on Structure

The seventh edition has been restructured from previous editions. Each chapter is presented as a mini-timeline describing the development, use, and evolution of a motivation. Although each chapter aims to present a single motive, the works of graphic design shown in the chapters naturally stem from multiple, overlapping motivations. We invite readers to question the ways these works have been categorized and consider what alternative themes they might represent.

To help orient readers to the structure of the book, we have included a timeline presenting graphic design movements, works, and designers chronologically within a broader cultural framework. The “Overview of Graphic Design History” is a synopsis of the development and practice of graphic design from prehistory to the present day. The “Art and Design Movements and Styles” provides definitions and the key characteristics of notable ideas from the history of graphic design.

Notes on Design

The design of Meggs’ History of Graphic Design, seventh edition, encourages both deep reading and browsing. Images and layout set the tempo, while shifts in scale promote focus. Small images appear on the pages where the works are referenced. Captions provide more detailed information and analysis. Large images reappear in spreads that serve as mini galleries, providing opportunities to observe detail, compare and contrast the works, and hopefully find new connections between them.