Is there a Canon of Graphic Design History?

Summary

5 books were chosen for the study to investigate whether a canon of graphic design exists or not. From this chosen books, they have found a canon of 8 designers: A. M. Cassandre, El Lissitzky, Herbert Matter, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Josef Muller-Brockmann, Henri de Touloue-Lautrec, and Piet Zwart. The commonality between these canon of designers was that they are all male, born before 1920, and native Europeans.

The Essay also addresses the problems of the canon. I also found that it’s problematic, because by having a canon, it leaves designer an impression that they don’t need to go any further in terms of their design practices, because the best is already known.

But at the same time, I also found the pros of having a canon as well. It says canon creates superstars, and by having superstars, it helps in gaining more recognition in the field of graphic design, and eventually, it can encourage people to build their practices.