The best way to predict your future is to create it.

— Abraham Lincoln

What do you think Eskilson is suggesting is the relationship between major world events and design? Give examples.

Eskilson suggests that design has had a catalysing effect on many major world events. This is primarily due to revolutionary advancements made in the field of design such as the ability to mass produce the written word (Gutenberg press, rotary steam press) and pictures (lithography, photography). The latter of which helped secure Abraham Lincoln the US presidency in 1861 as wide-spread reprints of a photograph taken by Mathew Brady at the Cooper Union hall in New York one year before which ‘painted’ Lincoln as a sophisticated leader whom the nation could trust.

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What do you think is the legacy of the rise of new communications?

The rise of new communications began with the introduction of printing presses and lithography’ which allowed news as well as other forms of information to be communicated via posters placed on public walls known as ‘urban hoardings’. This form of publicised information has since evolved as it was commercialised into newspapers and magazines which allowed such information to be purchased giving information a monetary value of sorts. However now in the new age of the internet, newspaper and magazine companies have opted to put their articles online and receive their revenue via ads.

What are some examples of changes in design aesthetics and functions?

The idea of aesthetically pleasing typographical layouts was soon employed as it allowed posters to look sharper and allow room for pictorials. Despite being a time when the average level of literacy was on the rise, pictorials allowed anyone to receive information. This style is quite similar to the “Form follows function” philosophy which was at the core of Modernism around a century later.