What happened between 1900 to 1920
Before 1900, there were many binding and printing methods invented. But, graphic design was not very clarified at that time. After 1900, people cared about what was shown on paper and graphic design became more important. There were many artists in the different field started to creating some influential graphic works.
Book Cover
Books have a long history in China. The earliest surviving books date to the Tang dynasty, and by the tenth-century Chinese printing was already a flourishing trade. Traditional Chinese book covers were usually string-bound with a plain cloth cover. Decoration consisted primarily of a title inscription by a calligrapher. By the beginning of the twentieth century, however, Western style books with glued or stapled bindings were common in China. The change to Western book formats was an important step in the development of book design.
The great boom in Chinese publishing in the early decades of the 20th century was due in part to a general increase in literacy, but also to a growing middle class in search of leisure pursuits. In response to the demand, publishing houses began to employ full-time designers. Advertising and book design was no longer done primarily by classically-trained painters and illustrators. Now, graphic artists began to explore the creative potential of book design as the field began to be recognized in its own right. Book covers exhibited great stylistic diversity during this period of experimentation.
Decoration on traditional Chinese book covers, if any, was usually unrelated to the story. An important change in the twentieth century was that covers began to be thought of as an integral part of the book. Designs were conceived to complement content.