HISTORICAL ASPECT OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE URBAN VISUAL INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT

The article analyses the nature of changes in the urban visual information environment in the context of historical development of European urban culture from ancient times to the present. The system of periodisation of its evolution is proposed on the basis of the revealed role of outdoor information objects in the system of urban visual communication. The dependence of the visual appearance of the urban environ-ment on information-technical achievements is investigated. The role of visual information objects as a sig-nificant city-forming factor is actualised. The typology of information objects is given and their role in the process of changing the image of the city at different stages of its development is considered.