Graphic Design in the Middle Ages

An exhibition that reveals the ways that design influenced the making, reading, and interpretation of medieval books.

“Medieval artists and scribes were innovative graphic designers, creatively crafting manuscripts that enticed readers into closely engaging with both text and image,” says Timothy Potts, Maria Hummer-Tuttle and Robert Tuttle Director of the Getty Museum. “They pioneered many of the page designs that we take for granted today, making this exhibition of great interest to anyone wanting to understand the creative process of designing and making books by hand in medieval times.”

Experimental design was a core component in the creation of medieval books. The people who produced them, from the scribe who wrote out the text to the artist who painted the images, were some of the world’s first graphic designers. They planned both individual pages and whole books, devising unique strategies for each work. The manuscripts on view explore the many ways in which words and images were designed to work together on the page, not just to communicate the content of the text but also to challenge, surprise, and delight readers.

“We tend to think of ‘graphic design’ as a modern thing, something that happens in primarily digital spaces,” said Larisa Grollemond, one of the curators of the exhibition. “But not only do we see in the Middle Ages the seeds of many of the design strategies that we still think of as part of reading books today, but medieval books are also masterclasses in delivering complex information in interesting and visually sophisticated ways.”

The exhibition’s first section, Designing the Medieval Page highlights the design and mechanics of medieval page layout depending on many factors, including the appropriate balance between words and images and the requirements of genre and audience. Each part of a manuscript was carefully planned during the early stages of production. While separate areas were designated for text and images, many aspects of the visual design were aimed at helping readers navigate the text.

To complement the exhibition, Getty will host two free, bilingual, drop-in programs produced in partnership with Self Help Graphics & Art: "Artist-at-Work: Modern Calligraphy" and “Making Manuscripts: Family Workshop” on Sundays, August 27th, September 10th, October 1st and October 8th.

Tue - Fri & Sun 10am - 5:30pm
Sat 10am - 8pn
Mon CLOSED

J. Paul Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Drive

Los Angeles, CA