Johann Gutenberg, the German printer who was the first in Europe to print using movable type and the first to use a press (1400-1468), made actually the books widely available.

The books produced by the press and other books before 1500 (books published before 1500 A.D. are called Incunabula) became the reference for the design of the later books. Graphic design before 1500 A.D. is called Old Style or Humanist and lasted until Renaissance.

Graphic design acknowledged a significant change after the 19th century when a firm separation between fine and applied arts was made.

Another influent person in the development of graphic design was William Morris (1834 - 1896), a poet and novelist, best remembered today though for his graphic design work. He founded the Kelmscott Press that produced books of great stylistic refinement and also he founded William Morris Co. that produced fabrics, tapestries and household objects - some of the most significant of the graphic design products of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Morris 's life-long interest in the Middle Ages is clearly reflected in his design work and by the association with great artists such as Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

He founded the Press in 1891 and the work is characterized by its decadence and by its obsession with historical styles, work that directly influenced Art Nouveau and is indirectly responsible for developments in early twentieth century graphic design in general.

He emphasized type design (he created his own typefaces, Golden, Troy and Chaucer), illustration and decoration (Morris designed all the Kelmscott borders and initials) and hand production.

Fifty-three books were published at this press, including a few which had been in process at the time of Morris 's death.