The true purpose of graphic design is to communicate. A design can be beautiful to look at, but if it doesn’t send the right message it’s not accomplishing anything. When you look back at the history of graphic design, especially advertisements, you’ll notice the designs largely reflect what was going on in the world at the time.
The design styles are different, because the viewers’ needs were different. You couldn’t, for instance, take the neon geometric patterns of the 80s and use them to instill a sense of patriotism in people after World War II.
Taking a look at some of the iconic designs through the decades, it’s easy to see how much graphic design has evolved as the world around us changed. Here are some designs that stand out to me (for better or worse) from each decade.