The Invention of Writing – Pictographs

Pictographs – Humble Beginnings

Writing is considered the visual counterpart to speech, a vast array of marks, symbols, pictures and letters drawn upon virtually any surface – be it stone, wood or even substrate.
One could even call it a vessel of the unspoken word, thought and imagination.

The invention of writing gave people the chance to store vital information, knowledge, stories and experiences into physical manifestations which would be passed on to their descendants.

Source : Philip B. Meggs, Alston W.Purvis, 2012. Megg’s History of Graphic Design – Early human markings – the starting point of writing and graphic communication.
Found painted on rocks in the western United States.

As mentioned previously, pictographs are a method of speech through imagery, where one could take a quick glance and take heed of it’s warning or information. Wall paintings and it’s successors (such as Egyptian Hieroglyphics) ultimately became said symbols for spoken-language sounds, and through time, became increasingly abbreviated and were expressed in a minimum of lines, which by the late Paleolithic period, had finally started to take form as letters.

Source : Philip B. Meggs, Alston W.Purvis, 2012. Megg’s History of Graphic Design – Cuneiform tablets – Earliest form of document and record keeping.

 

Early Sumerian Pictographic Tablet
Source : Philip B. Meggs, Alston W.Purvis, 2012. Megg’s History of Graphic Design

 

 

Influence on Contemporary Design – Identity through Imagery

Besides Pictographs eventually evolving into the alphabet we know today, we still use single images and symbols to brand items, and give them an identity, which, is called Brand Identity. Several companies make use of a single image to portray their company logo. Take companies like Microsoft and their crown jewel , Windows, the revolutionary operating system that is still going strong to this very day, has birthed an identity. Blatantly using the word ‘windows’ as a company logo isn’t the wisest marketing strategy, it’s blank, void of character and easily forgettable. So, looking back into prehistoric pictographs, which were purposely used to express inner thoughts and unspoken words, comes into play. By carefully designing a pictograph logo that represents their product’s identity, they create a facade which enables anyone to recognize their company and it’s wares just by recognizing a simple image.

Microsoft’s current logo for Windows (2013)
Source : http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130826153357/logopedia/images/c/c7/Windows_logo_-_2012.png
[Accessed: 08/10/13]

Though Pictographs in modern times aren’t only used for brand and product identity, they’re also used to indicate warnings and give signals to people. The most common example of this would be road signs. Although some do in fact contain text to specify a specific action or warning, some are easily recognizable and memorable just by observing it’s shape and colour. Stop signs, although containing the word ‘STOP’ in bright white lettering, are easily recognized by their octagonal shape and stark red coloring.

Other examples include the wet floor sign, baggage claim in airports, and many more.

Pictographs used nowadays to warn, alert or guide people without the use of text.
Source: http://blog.scad.edu/tcarva20/files/2013/05/584px-National_Park_Service_sample_pictographs.svg_.png
Accessed: [9th October 2013]

 

Coming to a conclusion

One could say that although ancient pictographs did in fact later evolve into proper and well defined typography, it still exists to this very day, and it’s purpose has not changed since. It remains as a medium of communication, not through words but through visuals and the human ability to associate particular images to another.

References:
Philip B. Meggs, Alston W.Purvis, 2012. Megg’s History of Graphic Design