Once and for all: Dwiggins did not invent the term ‘graphic design’.

“He [Dwiggins] was also a writer and design critic who was the first to use the term ‘graphic design,’ uniting various applied arts under one professional umbrella.”—Print editorial team

This statement accompanies an announcement of a second printing of Bruce Kennett’s biography of W.A. Dwiggins, originally published in 2018. That book was full of errors, among them the claim that Dwiggins coined the term “graphic design”. I have debunked that claim several times before on this website: 1 January 2023, 30 December 2022, 7 January 2018, 8 June 2014, and 4 June 2014.

California School of Arts & Crafts, pp. 14–15. Courtesy of Special Collections, San Francisco Public Library. Note the class in Graphic Design and Lettering taught by Professor Meyer.

To insist that Dwiggins was not the first person to use the term graphic design in no way denigrates Dwiggins or his accomplishments. His work continues to fascinate me and his thoughts about design, typography, advertising, and other topics are still worth reading. There is no need to puff up the reputation of a man whose work and writings stand on their own with a claim that holds no water.