Tidalworks - History of the logo design business

The Business of Logo Design - History of the Logo Design Business

“One can imagine the force of the impact which this first artistic experience had on primitive humans, whose innocent eyes were unaccustomed to visual forms outside nature itself.” (The Artchive)

The history of the the logo design business is a fasinating subject, its roots planted tens of thousands of years ago. From the beginning of time, art has moved mankind in a mystical way that cannot be quantified, and it remains to do so to this date. And with thousands of years of history seperating modern business logo design and the early cave paintings, it is hardly a stretch to say that the same unmistakable mystical quality still moves us today.

The Beginnings

Amazingly, the history of artwork and symbology dates back more than 34,000 years - an age when Neandrethals and Cro-Magnon man roamed the earth. Created during the Upper Palaeolithic period, these marvelous, ingenious paintings give us a glimse into the lives of our early ancestors.

In the history of art, these paintings belong to Magdalenian art system, the first in human history - a system employed throughout Europe from 18,000 - 10,000 BC. The vast majority of the artwork consisted of hunters, animals, claws, hand markings and geometric figures and signs.

Early designs were fingerpaintings in soft clay and egravings using flint or stone picks. Various types of rocks were originally used to add color and depth. Even these relatively simple materials could produce beautiful artwork. However, the artists of the caves of Lascaux, France were nothing short of remarkable.

Pestles and Mortars were used to mix colors, creating hundreds of combinations. Shells of barnacles were used as paint containers. Cave water, animal and vegatable oils were used to bind and mix the paint. Stencils, blow pipes, and primitive crayons were used - creating nothing short of a prehistoric art studio. (or a modern day logo design business)

An Early Horse

Estimated Origin: 15,000 - 10,000 BC. Discovered in the caves of Lascaux, France in 1940.

The artwork in these caves were made to last, the work of professionals. Large galleries of artwork were created, containing hundreds of paintings by different artists at different times. And, they were not created to decorate homes - these galleries were often hidden within the deapest and darkest parts of the cave. .

Prehistoric man would have had to crawl though the maze of tunnels, lit by the light of a torch or oil lamp, while carrying the paints that had been prepared.

Group Dance

Estimated Origin: 18,000 - 10,000 BC. Prehistoric rock paintings of Bhimabeteka, India..

Everything suggests the creation of these galleries was a team effort, led by professional artists. Helpers would mix paints, secure scaffolding, and hold the torches to light the way. These immense galleries were obviously extremely difficult and expensive to produce - so why did early man go out of their way to create this artwork?

The answer is, no one really knows.

“Why did early man seek out these caves, to add their paintings to the many others that had been painted in the caves before them? And why such dark secret, hidden places? It might have been one of Cro-Magnon man’s recreational activities. It might have had something to do with their religion or rites of manhood... It’s a fascinating mystery.” (The Life and Times of Early Man)

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The Business of Logo Design - History of the Logo Design Business

The Beginnings

Modern History of Art and the Logo Design Business