Early visual language systems were pictographic and pictographic systems were complex, unwieldy, and challenging to master. A minority of individuals were literate. Scribes, priests, the elite had access to knowledge and were able to acquire great power. The invention of the alphabet was a quantum leap for human communications nad thought. It made reading, writing, and critical thought more accessible to humanity. [[cuneiform was challenging to master]] [[The effect of alphabets]] Citations Meggs, P. B., & Purvis, A. W. (2016). Meggs' history of graphic Design, 6th edition. In _[[Meggs' History of Graphic Design]]_ (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.