The Movable Printing Press still influences modern designs today

In this image, we look at a technological advancement during industrialization: the movable printing press. Johannes Gutenberg, a German inventor and printer, created this printing press, which used individual metal or wooden characters that could be rearranged to form text. This printer was more efficient than other printers in the past because it saved printers time, not having to carve out blocks of text, and made it easier to fix mistakes. During industrialization, this advancement impacted design and technologies by allowing for a faster, more standardized way of printing, allowing more people access to printing and printed materials.

This movable printing press and the other technological improvements during industrialization are essential to graphic design history, and we still see the effects of it in our generation today. One example is using various typefaces in a single body of work, which we still practice today. We use unique fonts created during this time in our modern applications, such as Illustrator and Photoshop. Another example where we see the influence of the press today is more personalized printing. This includes business cards, advertisements, invitations, etc., which became more popular when printing became more manageable. The movable printing press will be forever crucial in the history of design, and we are still seeing the result of graphic designers using movable-type principles in their work.