Oldest Graphic Design Found

Archaeologists have discovered 270 pieces of engraved ostrich eggshell, which date to around 60,000 years ago, from a site called Diepkloof in South Africa’s Western Cape province. Why is this important? According to Scientific American:

The fragments constitute what the researchers say is the “earliest evidence of a graphic tradition among prehistoric hunter-gatherer populations.” As such, the finds help to illuminate the emergence of symbolic representation—a hallmark of modern human behavior.

Brooklyn-based artist/designer Roy Stanfield had an interesting comment on this news item, “Funny this is framed as graph design instead of art.” Very true, I wonder why.  Hyperallergic