Information Design in the Primitive World

Early humans created the first examples of "information design" in the form of cave paintings and rock carvings. The cave paintings of Lascaux, France, discovered in 1940, were created during the time period between 15,000-13,000 B.C., and are considered one of the earliest evidence of paintings used as a method to communicate. The 2002 discovery of "geometric patterns carved on pieces of ochre rock" in the Blombos Caves of South Africa, revealed even earlier evidence of the "development of cognitive abilities" expressed in early attempts to communicate. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2006). These rock carvings were created between 80-100,000 years ago, much earlier than the Lascaux cave paintings. These examples are often included in art history or design courses, and are often interpreted as art rather than being associated with communication methods. However, these early drawings and carvings were precisely that - attempts to communicate - and probably not motivated by a need for "artistic" expression. These rock carvings and cave paintings are considered some of the "oldest surviving examples of public communication." (Hartley, 2000).

Why did these early humans need to record their experiences? One possible reason was to track the passage of the changing seasons for hunting or weather conditions, important issues to these early cultures. (Hartley, 2000).•