Day Eleven: After Class

Today's topic in class was the Victorian Era/Style.

Amanda presented the style of the Victorian Era to the class and we learned some pretty interesting facts. Queen Victoria preferred the name Victoria since she was given the name Alexandria Victoria. The Victorian Era consisted of artwork filling pages and taking up all the space. These posters/labels/pages included images and text. The images consisted of beauty, sentiment, religious/moral beliefs, children, flowers, young women, and puppies—so innocent-looking. The text was used in a variety of ways, for different type faces, sizes, and colors were used, with some even curving. There were two different styles of the Victorian artwork, where one type was very decorative and floral, and the other was very simple and straight to the point. The more complex designs were out of style quickly because the text became too hard to read, although it was beautiful, creative and unique. The simpler text was more useful, for illiterate people had an easier time learning to read. This easy-to-read style was used in “The Punch”, the British newspaper. Three cultures influenced this era, and the cultures include: Spain, Chinese, and Islam. Some labels/advertisements/designs are created today, which resemble the Victorian style. Some are: Campbell’s Soup, Diesel, Levi, and Budweiser.

I thought the most useful thing I learned today was seeing how a letterpress works. I thought it was so amazing. I was so fascinated with the two videos we were shown because it gave me a better idea of how large, strong and sufficient the machines were. Also, I have a better idea of how much work and effort had to be put into the process of designing and producing specific demanded materials. It would be absolutely amazing to produce artwork with those machines. It would not bother me if it took longer to complete a project; it'd be so worth it to be able to such a wonderful and interesting tool. It looked so exciting working in a shop that produced materials with hand-made prints. That's one of my new dream jobs.

Also, during Amanda's presentation, she passed out an old book from the early 1900s of, from what I can remember, great Victorian artists. The pages were printed with impressed letterforms it was so amazing seeing how each page looked so fragile and ancient. The pages we bound unevenly and I noticed that different, smoother paper was used for the images. I love looking at old books, so seeing that this one was created with an old printing method made the book even more interesting/fascinating/wonderful/beautiful.

During the Arts and Crafts movement, we there people who accepted both the Victorian style/beliefs and the Arts and Crafts style/beliefs at the same time? or did they choose one or the other?
Will the art in the cave completely be destroyed? or is there a way people can preserve them?

Chapter 10: The Arts and Crafts Movement and Its Heritage

The Arts and Crafts Movement was a time of the beginning of book design renaissance. Books were seen as limited-edition art objects and they ended up influencing commercial production. Many societies searched for/started democratic artistic communities. This movement began in England during the late 1800s in reaction to social, moral, and artistic confusion of the Industrial Revolution. William Morris was the leader of the movement as he desired truth, purpose and the nature of materials/production to be found. He also longed for workers and designers to both incorporate their expressions through the art they created. John Ruskin was a writer and an artist, like Morris. The reason why he was inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement was for the reason of designs lacking aesthetic concern during the Victorian Era. There was a separation between society and art. Beauty was valuable in his eyes; it was not meant to be mass-produced and seen as cheap. Because of the Industrial Revolution, workers lived harsh lives. Ruskin felt sympathy for them and desired better housing, elderly retirement and an education system. William Morris grew up in England and was influenced by the mansions and beautiful ancient churches and countryside he saw around him. Morris was a writer as he enjoyed poetry, fiction and philosophy. Later on, he became a painter before marrying a beautiful model and moving into Red House. Red House was designed for them; it was L-shaped and Morris designed the interior because he loathed the Victorian designs. In 1861, Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Company was established; they designed furniture, cabinets, wallpaper, and carpets, among many other products. Morris was inspired by medieval and botanical art, which he carried out within his designs. Arts and crafts sounded like a good idea because it was a way for workers to incorporate their artistic abilities and care into the objects they made. The thought of manufactured goods sounded tacky and yucky. Morris became a part of many societies as he also showed sympathy for people as Ruskin had. He wanted to help preserve ancient buildings in order to hold onto the heritage of the architecture, and he wanted to put a stop to false, misleading advertisements.

The most interesting thing I learned from this chapter was what the Arts and Crafts Movement was and why it came about. When I first heard of the movement, I had no idea what it stood for. After learning that it was brought forth because of the lack of artistic aesthetics in products and the separation between art and society, I understood the movement and why it was important. People found art to be an important aspect in life; it was not meant to be abused, and beautiful objects should have been seen as valuable simply because they were beautiful. I believe that art is a way of expression and that it should be treated special. I do not believe that Victorian art was tacky, though. This topic seems controversial and interesting. I want to learn more about it.

Why was the Red House created as an L-shape?
What made Morris choose painting over other areas of art?

Day Ten: After Class

The topic of this class was chapter nine, Graphic Design and the Industrial Revolution.

As we only got through half of this chapter, many highlights were covered. First of all, the demand of books and other materials lead to the Industrial Revolution (1760-1840). Also, the printing press was a useful invention creation--leading to the Industrial Revolution. During this time, society and the economy went through many changes. James Watt introduced the steam engine, which produced an enormous amount of useful energy, causing many factories to be built. New fonts were created; they became decorative, bold, contrasting, and abstract. Fat faces were fonts that looked fat; they were bold and had heavy strokes. The Egyptian font was created by the inspiration of the Egyptian culture, although the characters did not come close to resembling hieroglyphics. These letterforms had slightly bracketed serifs and had contrasting thin and thick strokes. The San-serif font was a lot like the Egyptian font, except serifs were not present. They also looked gothic because they were very dense and black. Wood type was found to be useful since it was not expensive, weight less and was much easier to work with than metal. Posters were in demand once wood-typing was used. There was a growth of newspapers and magazines. On the posters, there were varieties of fonts faces and font sizes used in order to create a specific emphasis. Printing soon became easier as the printing press was introduced and developed over time. Soon enough, the Linotype was invented by Mergenthaler, and letters were printed at a much faster speed. This allowed newspapers to print and arrive to society at a rapid speed. Because of the invention of photography, like events could be recorded and used for documentation. The camera obscura was the first device used to copy life; it had been used since the 4th century B.C. A box with a lense bouced reflections of what was wanted to be captured. The reflected image was then ready to be traced. Joseph Niepce created the first photograph, which was a heliogravure. Daguerre created Daguerreotype prints and worked with Niepce. His images were one of a kind and his process of photography dominated at the time. Talbot was another man who contributed to the developement of photography. He created copies from negatives and published a book filled with original photographs entitled, The Pencil of Nature. He created photogenic drawings by holding objects in light. Many processes were used and improved in order to get clearer photographs. The Kodak, a camera costing $25 in 1888, was available for anyone to document their own lives. Many important people imacted photography and graphic design, like David Octavius Hill and Julia Margaret Cameron. Cameron was interesting, and she is one of my favorite photographers, because she put a lof of thought and dedication into what she photographed. She wanted to capture the soul of the person along with their physical being. Her photos definitely contained meaning. Photography was soon used to record history; the American Civil War was documented by many people, including Mathew Brady. He actually spent time staging the battlefields by moving dead bodies and objects. Many of his war photos look staged, which I think is interesting. I believe that I would have done the same thing in order to convey a specific meaning to others. Muybridge was a man who set up 24 cameras with quick shutter speeds as a horse ran past; motion photos were taken in order to try and prove whether horses actually lift up all four of their feet while galloping. Based off of one of the photos, they do. This was when motion photography was introduced, capturing movement in space and time, bringing forth new ideas.

The most useful thing I learned today was that the Egyptian type was not created to resemble or relate with Egyptian writing. This font was actually created because it was a cool font to use at the time; it was inspired by the culture of the Egyptians.

Why did Mathew Brady call his photography wagon/s the "Whatsit"?

Chapter Nine: Graphic Design and the Industrial Revolution

This chapter was very interesting. So much was covered as the Industrial Revolution began to take place and so many interesting changes occurred. The Industrial Revolution occurred between the years 1760 and 1840; this was a time of social and economical change. James Watt perfected the steam engine and energy was rapidly produced, leading to factories and division of labor. The cities grew rapidly, and people moved to urban areas in search of factory work. These people were given bunches of hours with very little pay; it was quite depressing as they also had to live filthy in unsanitary tenements. Natural resources were being used because there was a demand for materials. As the output of products increased, the prices decreased, bringing forth an even greater demand. New inventions were introduced, which impacted graphic design. New fonts were created; they were more expressive and interesting to look at (enlarged, contrasting, abstract). Antiques, Tuscan-style, and San-serfis were different types of fonts produced by different people. The wood-type poster was introduced; wood-type texts were created and used instead of metal—expensive, hard to work with. Posters were in demand for circuses, railroads and stores. Different styles and sizes of texts were used for these large posters. Soon enough, the printing presses were developing over time as they became more efficient and much faster. Paper was then made by a steam press, and seams were not needed for creating large sheets. With the four-cylinder steam press, 4,000 pieces of paper could be printed—on front and back— per hour with 2,400 impressions made. Books, newspapers and magazines were soon created at a rapid speed as the costs were lowered. The newspapers were given to the people hours earlier than usual and more pages of information were printed. Photography was invented by people who spent time figuring out the process and necessary materials needed for development of images. This changed society in the way that history could be recorded. War images were viewed by the public; it became very depressing and not as exciting to see. The development of photography improved as the shutter speeds were quicker and the proper chemicals were used to develop clearer photographs. Motion photography was interesting as live, moving objects were captured in space and time. During the Victorian Era, people had a very optimistic view on life. An interesting saying they used was, “God’s in heaven, all’s right with the world”. Strong moral and religious beliefs were important during this time, and their designs were impacted by Islamic designs. Chromolithography was a new process where color was added to images. Lithography involved writing on stones with an oil based crayon, pencil, or pen, as water and then ink were poured over the rock. An image was then created as the oil marks were not darkened. This coloring process took a lot of time because it was done by hand. During the Victorian Era, color, images and text were all used simultaneously. Childrens' books and labels for products were created; advertisements were also produced in a more influential way.

The most interesting part of this chapter that I enjoyed reading was when photography was invented and how it impacted society. I enjoy photography, so I think it’s interesting learning about its starting point. The process seemed very dangerous with the use of chemicals – especially mercury—to develop the images. I loved how only two people were captured in Daguerre’s daguerreotype of the town. The process was so slow that the people were photographed while standing/sitting still. It reminds me of a ghost town with no one else around. I also enjoyed reading about the Victorian Era and how they thought optimistically. The saying, “God’s in heaven, all’s right with the world”, is kind of funny; the people must have really had positive outlooks on life.

Was the Egyptian typeface influenced by Egypt? The font doesn’t seem Egyptian-like to me.
How long did it take to make each poster before the printing presses were created?
Why was Brady’s photography wagon called the “Whatsit”?
Why were people so optimistic during the Victorian Era?

Day Eight: After Class

For this class we spent time in the pottery room and reviewed for Monday's test. It was nice to be able to choose a type of object we wanted to create. It was a creative and interesting way to learn. I made a relief-form of the letter "A". I like how most of the class periods are hand-based or group-based. I believe that the different teaching methods should always be used in all classes.

Before moving on to further chapters, how will writing help bring forth the Industrial Revolution?

Week Three: Image

This week's image is a design comprised of Transitional font. Baskerville is the font style used; the word Baskerville is vertically written alongside the great, big T. I found this image online along with other similar designs, but for Old Style and Modern text (As you can see, there are tabs along the right side of the composition vertically listing the other styles, including Egyptian). I believe that its function is to show the viewers what transitional style text looked like as opposed to the Old and Modern text. This text is called transitional because, obviously, it is the text that was developed after Old Style as it was being evolved to Modern text. I think the design is beautiful. I love the color. The negative and positive space is used very well, so it gives the composition a sort of balanced and polished look. I like the use of cropping; it definitely makes the design more appealing. The letters for the word transitional are creatively placed in playful positions. The letters make up four lines—the four synonyms of the word. Along with this, because the letters are a much lighter color green than the rest of the image, it helps them to boldy stand out with the large T. The T and the letters balance each other out. Because of the big T taking up a side of the composition, and its green hue being lighter than the background color, it is bold and looks energetic. It kind of reminds me of elementary school because the design looks playful and fun. I do not think the composition would look playful if the words were placed in the traditional, orderly position. I think the artwork is successful simply because it is eye-catching. Not much color is used, but because of the variety of text sizes and the use of space, the design is interesting. After searching through different designs with the use of different fonts we have covered this week, none really grabbed my attention. It was the boldness of this design that really pulled me in. It is very simple, yet it is comprised of interesting design elements. I tend to be drawn to the bold, simple designs; complex, detailed images don’t really excite me. This image relates with what we have been taking about in class because it is a text style that we covered in chapter eight. The text is not much different from Modern or Old Style text because it developed right in between both of them. The characters have a lightness and elegance to them; there is not a major difference between the thicks and thins of the letters.

Day Seven: After Class

Today in class, we talked about chapter eight, An Epoch of Typographic Genius.

First, we went over any questions from blogs. It was useful because I was reminded what crible was. After questions and answers, we talked some more on chapter seven before moving to chapter eight. We talked about what Renaissance Man meant again –someone who studied/took part in different areas—and from today’s society, Bill Gates is a Renaissance Man. The Renaissance began in Florence/Venice, Italy, then moved to Germany, which then moved on to France. Garamond text was the first universally used letterforms. Claude Garamond eliminated the use of Gothic/blackletter text from all over Europe—excluding Germany. Moving on to chapter eight, there were many highlights covered. The Imprimerie Royale was a royal printing office, which had new letters created. Only royalties were allowed to use their text; death was a consequence. A specific grid was used, containing 2,304 tiny squares. The Roman du Roi was a new typeface invented with thin and thick strokes. It ended up not being very successful because the text shrunk after being printed (losing the tiny, preciseness). The Rococo Era was a time when designs were asymmetrical, filled with pastel colors, and made up of organic/floral forms. Pierre Simon Fournier le Jeune was a man who created a font family with italics and a variety of weights and widths. He also came up with font sizes. Around this time, war broke out, there was religious persecution, harsh censorship, and governmental control. William Caslon created fonts that were "friendly to the eye" and made bracketed serifs. Benjamin Franklin introduced Calson text to America. John Baskerville used woven paper and figured out how to make ink that had a good consistency. Rene Descartes and William Playfair introduced interesting grids and charts by using analytic geometry. Giambattista Bodoni created hairline serifs and used thicks and thinks in the letters. He was a great designer of graphics. The Didots were intelligent and were influenced by Bodoni; Bodoni was also influenced by the Didots. Fonts were soon measured by dots in the Didot system. William Blake was a man who had dreams of connecting letters and pictures throughout his designs. 

The most essential thing I learned today was the different between Old Style, Tranitional and Modern text. I took the online quiz and realized that I had no clue how to tell the difference between them. So now I know that the Old Style text looked sort of hand-written and the O's were thicker at a slant. Caslon font fell under Old Style text. Transitional text came after Old Style, and it did not show a major difference between thicks and thins of the characters. Its look was in between Old Style and Modern text. Baskerville belonged to this category. Modern type was machine-like with O's having thicker sides at the top and bottom (symmetrical if vertically cut in half). Bodoni and Didot fall under this category. Another thing I learned today was what crible was. I found out that it was the intricate dots among the decorations surrounding the text.

How was the woven paper made? Was it expensive to buy/produce? How long did it take to make it?
What was the reason for Germany not eliminating Gothic text?

Chapter Eight: An Epoch of Typographic Genius

Chapter eight was entitled, An Epoch of Typographic Genius. The Rococo Era was comprised of French art and architecture. Asymmetrical designs were used, along with light-colored pastels, ivory white, and gold. Pierre Simon Fournier le Jeune was the strongest designer of graphics. He published the first table of proportions for text, and he used fonts of interesting characteristics. Some of his fonts were decorative, along with having a variety of heights and widths. He published two volumes of Manual of Typography, called Type, Its Cutting and Founding, and Type Specimen. During this time, he made the greatest impact on graphic design. Engraving became very popular during this era; business cards, labels, billheads, letterheads, and announcements were created through this method. George Bickham was known as the famous penman. He engraved text and illustrations, giving them a hand-made-look quality. John Pine was one of the best engravers, for he was asked to engrave seals for the king of England. William Caslon was also a great engraver; he was known for having genius engraving skills. He created Arabic font and the Caslon Old Style with italics. During this time, Benjamin Franklin introduced Caslon fonts to America and the font was used on the original Declaration of Independence. Caslon fonts were liked because they were comfortable to look at, legible and rhythmic. John Baskerville created characters of light, elegance and thin/thick strokes. The ink he developed was made up of boiled linseed oil and lampblack. Hot-pressed woven paper was the substrate for the ink. People soon became jealous of his work because his books were brilliant, contrasting, bold, and simple. Interestingly, complaints would be made of having headaches after seeing the books. Rene Descartes was a man who brought forth a grid system of vertical and horizontal lines with Cartesian points. He developed analytical geometry and named his creation the Cartesian grid. William Playfair created the line and bar charts so that complex information could be presented. He integrated Cartesian coordinates and analytical geometry into his work. Playfair also introduced the “divided circle”— today’s pie chart. Louis Rene Luce created narrow, condensed types with sharp serifs. His borders were engraved. In order to do this, he had to print on his pages twice—first printing the type, secondly engraving the border. Giambattista Bodini was another important man; he created modern type. The letterforms were geometric and had hairline serifs. In order to give the text a smaller look, he gave them a smaller height and longer ascenders/descenders. His layouts were simple, with a lot of space in the margins and in between the letters. Francois Didot established a printing/bookselling business in Paris and he had a son named Francois-Ambroise Didot. He introduced the text that was measured by points (ten-point, twelve-point font, ect.) that we use today. His two sons were Peirre (created more mechanical/precise margins than Bodoni) and Firmin (invented stereotyping). Bodoni and the Didots all influenced each other. They all desired geometric, contrasting texts. Although the Didots had better scholarship, Bodoni had greater designing/printing skills. As changes continuously took place in the world, visual communications continued to change. The Industrial Revolution was soon to come.

I thought it was very interesting learning about how point sizes were starting to be used for fonts, and when graphs were first being used to organize and read important information. The Didot system (pied de roi) was introduced by the Didots. Text could be measured by points and be called “ten-point”, “twelve-point” font, etc. This system was quickly adopted by Germany and England. William Playfair published a book, Commerical and Political Atlas, which introduced the line and bar graphs. It is interesting learning about these new creations because they are still conveniently used today. I enjoyed this entire chapter. I thought it was interesting how text was evolving and seeming more and more like the fonts we use today. So many people were involved with this ongoing process. I would have never known that. The history of writing is more complex than I would have ever thought.

How was the woven paper made? Was it expensive to use at that time?

Day Six: After Class

The topic for this class was the discussion of chapter six, The German Illustrated Book, and chapter seven, Renaissance Graphic Design. 

First we had a review over the questions that people had from past blogs. It was helpful to find out more on the chops and reliefs. I understood how they were both different, but the online quiz confused the heck out of me on a relief question. It was helpful going over this in class. A question of mine was answered on what the illustrations were used for. They were not only created for decoration, but as a way to help bring people to the church. With the word diminuendo, it was related with dominos in the way that they continue to change as it goes on. The size of the initials grew larger with the newer texts. But because it was difficult to integrate the rest of the text with the large letters, there was a decrease in text as it was written. Guttenberg was also touched on; its important to remember him as being a person who perfected the ink and made a sturdy printing press along with making movable type. Printing began in Germany. An incunabula was a word used for books printed from typography. It meant "cradle" or "baby linen". Albrecht Durer printed multiple editions of the Apocalypse by making them more graphic. He created a "through-the-looking-grid" device for drawing. Durer improved Roman Capitals. Martin Luther was a Catholic monk who inspired many of the created graphics that depicted Jesus' life. The Renaissance ["rebirth"] began Venice, Italy. During this time, many different subjects were being studied and there was a birth of new thought and design. Erhald Ratdolt was a man we talked about. He completed the first title page, created a page with different character types, and helped people to understand geometry. His Calendarium was a book comprised of 60 diagrams of lunar and solar eclipses. This made the suspicious become more predictable. Aldus Manitus was another man we talked about. He was a humanist and a scholar. He published a prototype of a pocket book, and also made a famous Aldine press logo, which was an image of an anchor with a dolphin kind of wrapping around it. Manitus introduced Cancelleresca script -- a slanted style. which was a quicker and informal way to write. Geoffroy Tory was a very busy man. He seemed to be great at everything. He was a professor, scholar, translator, author, poet, illustrator, designer, calligrapher, and engraver. He basically came up with the written French language. Tory was called "Printer to the King" by King Francis I. 

The most useful thing I learned today was learning more on important people who contributed to graphic design. It is important for me to understand what each person did and why they were considered important people of history. I thought Geoffroy Troy was amazing because of all he was able to do. I would have loved to be like him. It makes me wonder how many people looked up to him. It was also useful going back over the different between a relief print and a chop print. Both are different even though they seem similar. I think I just got confused about their purposes after taking the online quiz. I'm more  informed about what they do now. 

What is a broadside again? Was it a newspaper? Is it a term that we have to know for the test?

Chapter 7: Renaissance Graphic Design

The word renaissance means “rebirth”. At this time, there was a transition from medieval times to modern times. Italian printers and scholars learned and used type design, page layout, ornaments, illustration, and book design, which started in Venice. Many important people were mentioned in the chapter. Johannes de Spira’s first book was Epistolae ad familiaires (Letter to Families); his first book printed with page numbers was called De civitate dei. Nicolas Jenson was a highly skilled cutter of dies, which was used for striking coin. He was history’s greatest typeface designers/punch cutters. He used space very well as he created extremely legible letterforms. He was the one who started to used trademarks. Erhald Ratdolt published Calendarium (Record Book), which comprised of 60 diagrams of lunar and solar eclipses. Cancelleresca was a specific script used at a slant; it was informal and quick. There soon became a demand for expert calligraphers for important state and business documents. Lodovico Arrghi was a master calligrapher who wrote out dozens of handwriting styles and taught littera cancellaresca script. Geoffroy Tory was an amazing person, for he was a professor, scholar, translator, author, poet, illustrator, designers, calligrapher, and engraver. I don’t know how he did that. I thought that was pretty amazing. He loved roman letterforms and trained craftsmen to eliminate the use of Gothic French typography. Oronce was also interesting. He was a math professor who integrated math and science with graphic design. His work was very precise and symmetrical. Paris, Nuremberg, and Venice developed into major graphic design centers.

The most interesting thing I learned in this chapter was when page numbers were first being used along with title pages and other important aspects of books. It was also interesting reading on the Calendarium book because I love learning about outer space. The sun and moon are so interesting, so when the book mentioned that there were mathematical diagrams of the eclipses, I was drawn in right away. The people at that time had a better understanding of what was outside of the world. There was less superstition and more predictability. It was very interesting learning about how Tory was able to be a teacher, scholar, translator, author, poet, illustrator, designers, calligrapher, and engraver!
Were there any other abilities/talents/jobs Tory had on top of what was mentioned in this section?

Day Five: After Class

In class, we went over chapter four and chapter five. I thought the class period was a lot of fun because we had a guest, whom knew much about the history of graphic design. We spoke on chapter four and went over how interesting it was when people thought the world would end. Even before the year 2000, people acted in strange ways. It's funny. We went over the different people who created and put together the manuscripts and looked over all of jobs of the people who created the illustrated books. It was funny how the illustrator of the image made himself more detailed in the face and more interesting to look at while he was working. It was fun hearing extra insight on pictures being displayed. Chapter five was interesting because I enjoyed the story of Gutenberg and how typography got started. With the four horsemen, dealing with revelations, our guest spoke on the meaning behind the image with the horses. There was a star visable on one horse, and a dark creature/person was near another. He also said that not all four horses were present in the image. He also mentioned in another image how Jesus was placed inside of an almond-shaped design, which was the inner shape of the circles overlapping of a venn diagram. In class, I realized that learning more about the images and artwork really helps me to have a better understanding of the history of graphic design during the different time frames.

The most useful thing I learned in class was meaning behind the image with the four horsemen because it may be true that not all four horses were drawn in that image. It was also useful hearing more about the Celtic designs -- intricate, carpet-like, detailed, colorful. It is nice to learn about the images more in depth because for some reason the images stick in my head and I am able to remember important facts from text. Thank God for art. Images make life much easier.

With the jobs listed A - H for the graphic art system, did the people ever switch positions because of boredom and repitition of their own job?

Image Two

The image that I found is a modern design created with Arabic calligraphy. I found it at a typography website. It is a black and white image that looks like a hot bowl of soup (or drink) with steam rising upward. The calligraphy makes up the steam and the contents inside of the bowl. I think the meaning of the design is to portray how gossip stirs and comes to a boil before spreading. There is a small caption on the side of the image saying, “For the first time in theaters, a comedy about gossip that will blow your mind”. The image seems to be placed on a poster for what looks like a movie or a play. Dates, times, and cast names are printed on the bottom right area of the page. I think that the design is a creative way of portraying gossip. I think it definitely gets its point across. But most importantly, since I’ve been learning about writing throughout the past week, seeing the calligraphy worked into the image makes it even more creative and interesting. I can see how positive and negative space is used well. The overall design is also very neat and crisp. I think the artwork has great quality within it because its meaning is successfully brought out when someone looks at it. Of course, the caption is what helps one to figure out that the image may symbolize gossip. Because of the image looking very simple—black and white, thick lines, not too detailed—I was attracted to it right away. My eye is drawn to work that is less detailed. I believe that the image relates with what we have discussed in class because, like I said earlier, Arabic calligraphy is integrated into a modern design. When I first saw the design, it reminded me of Chinese Calligraphy because they integrated painting and calligraphy. I think that the artist did a great job at working with the calligraphy, by making it represent the steam, because it is curvy and seems to be freely rising.

Chapter Five: Printing Comes to Europe

In chapter five, typography was a new printing method which made advancement in civilization. Multiple prints could be made, literacy increased, and knowledge was being spread much more rapidly. According to Megg's History of Graphic Design, Typography is the term for printing with independent, movable, and reusable bits of metal or wood with raised letterforms. Before typography was even invented, it took about four or five months for a single book to be created. It was also costly and timely. There was a high demand for books since more universities were being built. Block printing was a new way to make prints. Some of these prints were hand-colored and stencils were used; prints could not be carried out on both sides of paper. Religious scripts and playing cards were created. Playing cards actually helped increase literacy among the people. They underwent logical deduction, symbols recognition, and sequencing. Learning with the cards was more important than having fun. Block books were made as blocks had images and text together. Death was occurring at this time as there was a bubonic plague spreading. 1/4 of Europe’s population was killed. The Ars Moriendi (the art of dying) was a book that prepared people for the final hour. This book was comprised of thirteen block print texts. The Biblia Paperum (book of the poor) was a book explaining the prophecies of the Old Testament and Christ’s life. Movable type was soon in demand because books were in demand. Guttenberg was an important person who developed the skills to create movable type. The Forty-Two-Line Bible was the first book he printed. When it came to typography, a letter style had to be chosen; the prints tried to best resemble great calligraphy. Guttenberg invented the type mold, which allowed 50,000 pieces of type to be used at once. A specific metal had to be used so that it would not condense or expand while being heated. Guttenberg ended up inventing new devices that helped improve movable type. With the medieval block printer, thin watery ink was used, which worked well with wood because of it being absorbable. A man by the last name of Fust sued Guttenberg for money he owed; Fust partnered with Peter Schoeffer to keep the printing going. They both published the first book with a watermark; then they published the first book with small text (Rationale Divinorum Officorium). De officiis was the first book printed which became a classic. Typographic printing became a catalyst for the modern world. Greece and Rome became interested in it. Copperplate engraving was a next creation where a smooth metal plate had a drawing scratched onto it. These were made into cards depicting birds, animals, and wild men. This type of engraving was done by the Master of the Playing Cards, who was highly artistic. It is thought that he may have already mastered copperplate engraving and was not searching for a new type of graphic technique. It is possible that Guttenberg was involved with copperplate engraving.

I found this entire chapter to be interesting. I especially enjoyed learning about Guttenberg and his ambition to create movable type. He seemed very creative and intelligent, along with the Master of the Playing Cards—who was also interesting because of his artistic ability. I thought it was incredibly depressing when Guttenberg was sued and had to hand over his print shop to other people. That kind of irritated me. I could just imagine how he felt.

Did the block book or typographic book come first?
What exactly were the watermarks used for at this time?
Was Guttenberg involved with copperplate engraving?

Day Four: After Class

The topic discussed during this class period was chapter three, The Asian Contribution. 

Today's class did not get into depth with chapter three and we were unable to cover chapter four. For the first half of class, we went over questions people had in the past, took practice quizzes, and briefly went over chapter three. Going over the questions from previous chapters, I thought it was interesting and it helped me to have a better idea about certain areas. I did not know how important it was for there to be jurors. Being shown the pictures of the voting ballots with a more in depth description/explanation, I had a better understanding of how they were used. Also, we were told that the Rosetta Stone was located in the center of the city so that people could see the laws. The different languages were carved for the people of different languages. We talked about the inventions of the Chinese (gunpowder, paper, printing, compass). The written forms, Chiaku-wen (bone-and-shell) and Chin-wen (bronze script), were talked on with photographs. It is important to understand the differences between the different scripts that were used. Paper was made and used because it was cheaper, stronger, and could absorb more ink. Ink rubbings were obtained by placing paper and ink over stones with carved inscriptions and rubbing them. 

The most useful thing I learned was how the voting ballots were used and that having jurors were very important. There was a specific system used with balls which ended up choosing the jurors. Also, we took more practice quizzes and was able to go back over what I was confused with. The Chinese names confused me the most. 

I still wonder why the illustrations were created in the illuminated manuscripts, since the book mentioned that they were not designed for decoration.

Chapter 4: Illuminated Scripts

A lot happened in this chapter. Illuminated manuscripts were books with a new look to them. They were dazzling and, obviously, illuminated. Gold was hammered into sheets of gold leaf. Special care and dedication was given toward the making of the books, since it was costly and timely. Christians, Jews and Muslims found these manuscripts to be meaningful. The Christian books were created in a scriptorium—a writing room. A scrittori edited the book and directed the illustrations. The copisti—said to have a tough job—was the production letterer, so this person would stand over the writing table and carefully spend time writing. There was a colophon at the end of the book that warned the readers not to touch the text. These manuscripts were small, with the ability to be taken to other regions to share knowledge/ideas (graphic forms, page layouts, illustrations, lettering, etc.) with others. Interestingly, manuscript schools were major innovators for graphic design. The use of parchment and codices opened the door for many possibilities during the classical style—illuminations being similar to Roman painting, but with text. Many manuscripts of the Romans and Greeks were lost. The earliest surviving manuscript was called Vatican Virgil, which was a volume of two major works. There was the Fall of Rome, which caused illiteracy and poverty, but books were still being made. Celtics created book designs with realistic-looking ribbons being woven. These carpet pages took up many full pages in their books. When Charlemagne was declared emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, he introduced the feudal system; landowners had power over the peasants. He also wanted to establish a school because writing was done poorly.

The most interesting thing I learned in this chapter was how manuscripts had gold hammered into the pages. I think it is so cool how the pages were illuminated and attractive. I can see why religious manuscripts were created with this look. The word is very important, so they wanted their books to look important and special.

Since the book mentioned that illustrations were not designed for decoration, what were they used for?

Chapter Three: The Asian Contribution

Chapter three described how China had an impact on graphic design. The Chinese invented fireworks, paper, printing, and the compass—all found to be very useful for the Europeans. In China, their visual language was not comprised of an alphabet; instead, different shaped lines were used within an imaginary square. These lines were easily deciphered and were depictions of parts of nature. They intended on using abstract designs to symbolize feelings, actions, colors, and sizes. These symbols were called logograms; they represented entire words. Different types of writing forms were used, including: Chiaku-wen (bone-and-shell)—earliest form, used to communicate with gods/ancestors; Chin-wen (bronze script)—inscribed on mirrors, instruments, coins, weapons; Hsiao Chuan (small-seal)—abstract curves and circles; Chen-Shu (regular style)—highest art form in China, painting/calligraphy. Calligraphy had a structure to it; it was comprised of bones, meat, blood, and muscle. Thick lines represented heaviness, sadness, anger, deepness, whereas thin lines stood for lightness and exuberance. Calligraphy could be lively and energetic or mellow and delicate. Paper was another invention of the Chinese people. Ts’ai was the god of papermakers, but there was debate whether he was the true inventor or not. Paper was stronger and absorbed the ink much better. Wrapping paper, toilet paper, napkins, and wallpaper could be created by gluing the sheets of paper together. Printing—a major breakthrough in history—was invented later on. Relief printing was the first type; negative space was cut away and the design was pressed on paper with ink. There eventually became a shortage of iron money, so paper money was created. Millions of notes were printed each year. Religious scripts were developed, and so were playing cards. Movable type was another contribution the Chine had. A “lazy susan” was a spinning table top with an assortment of character types. The compositor would sit and spin the top for certain characters.

The most interesting thing I learned about from this chapter was how many different inventions were made from paper. I did not expect toilet paper, napkins, wallpaper, and wrapping paper to be mentioned. The products all sound so modern. Also I found it interesting how calligraphy could express feeling by line thickness/thinness.

I would have assumed that abstract designs would be harder to decipher than realistic designs, like in hieroglyphics. The book mentioned that it was easier. How is that?

Day Three: After Class

Today's topic in class was Chapter Two, Alphabets.

We went over the entire chapter today, including the different types of alphabets, the use of parchment and codices, and why/how the alphabet had positive effects in the world. Actually, I don’t remember us covering the Aramaic alphabet today. But anyways, there are many ways that writing has benefited society. Some ways include: the ability to vote, the enforcement of laws from the Code of Hammurabi, the ability to spread information around the world. People were more familiar with public affairs. There are some reasons why the alphabet was good; a couple reasons include: literacy spread throughout society; history was recorded. In chapters one and two, substrates evolved and were found to be useful during certain points in time. In order, they are: clay (Mesopotamia), papyrus (Egypt), codex (a form, like a book, created with parchment), parchment (animal hides), vellum (baby calve hides), and paper (Chinese; used today). The Phiastos Disk was found on the island of Crete; interestingly, the disk was comprised of imprints and spirals. There has been controversy whether or not this disk is alphabet’s origin. Phoenicians used North Semitic writing (from the western Mediterranean region) and they wrote from right to left. This writing system was then used and improved by the Greeks. The characters had geometric structure. Boustrophedon—reading from right to left, then left to right—was the way the Greeks read. They eventually decided to read from left to right (our current reading style). The Latin alphabet was then used as the Romans took Greece captive. Serifs (small lines extending from the major strokes of the letterforms) were soon used; there is debate over the production of the serifs. Two writing forms were used—square and rustic capitals. The rustic capitals were more condensed, yet a bit thicker than the square capitals; this left room for more writing space. The Korean alphabet was created by using abstract depictions of the mouth and tongue saying the sounds of the consonants. The vowels were vertical and horizontal lines with dots. This alphabet was created because originally there existed two alphabets—one for speaking and one for writing. This alphabet made communication much easier.

The most useful thing I saw today was seeing more pictures of characters from the different alphabets. It was interesting seeing how similar the Phoenician, Greek and today's alphabet are. Also, going back to the hieroglyphics, I was reminded how animals/humans were drawn, which evolved into looking like today's letters. It was cool seeing what the letters stood for. Also, a question I had from earlier was answered. I wondered which substrate came after parchment. It turned out that the Chinese invented paper, which is what we still use today.

How long did it take to make parchment? Is it still used at all today?

Chapter Two: Alphabets

I enjoyed reading chapter 2, which was titled Alphabets. The alphabet was the next invention of writing, and was the next big step toward communication. Symbols and characters were used to represent specific sounds used while speaking. The Phiastos Disk was discovered and seen as significant because it may, but may not have, been the origin of the alphabet. This disk was comprised of engraved spirals and pictographs—similar to the alphabet characters. Different alphabets were formed in the past. The North Semitic alphabet was one of them, and it was used by the Canaanites, Hittites, and Phoenicians. The oldest scripts were found in Phoenicia and they also were the best engineered. They wrote from right to left. There was also the Aramaic alphabet, which was also written from right to left. It is one of the most used alphabets today, and the Muslim religion had spread because of it. The Greek alphabet was very important and became a communication tool. They first wrote from right to left, then wrote every line in the opposite direction, called Boustrophedon. Finally, the writing direction evolved from left to right, which is what we use today. This alphabet had more structure and harmony than the Phoenician alphabet, and it was the origin of alphabets used today. The Latin alphabet used serifs, which may have been created from chisels or intentionally carved from drawings. Parchment was an important material created. It could be written on both sides, unlike papyrus, and it helped the people save money and space. Parchment could soon be used like a modern day book by a format called codex. It was easier to read by turning the pages than by unrolling/rolling them. The Korean alphabet was also created. The characters were taken by the Chinese and altered so that the consonants were written as abstract characters of the mouth pronouncing the sounds. The vowels were horizontal and vertical lines with dots representing humans, heaven, and earth. Altogether, alphabets were different and spread around the world. Public affairs and information were known easier. People could become more involved with what was going on around the world. The priests and scribes were no longer treated special, as they were in Mesopotamia and Egypt, because everyone was able to read and write if they wanted. The priests’ power began to decrease.

I found the Korean alphabet to be the most interesting. It’s so cool how they used abstract forms of pronunciations of the mouth saying the 14 consonants they used. I also enjoyed learning how they used vertical and horizontal lines with dots for the vowels. I think it would be fun to learn their alphabet, although I do not know how similar/different it is to today’s Korean alphabet. I also thought it was interesting learning about the production of parchment. I can see how much more useful it would have been to substitute it in the place of papyrus.

Which other kinds of writing sheets were used/created after parchment and before present-day paper?
Did the Korean alphabet change much after it had been created?

Week One: Image

This image is an outline of a face profile with the brain consisting of mini sections of simple pictures. All of the pictures relate with one-another in the way that they are all sources of energy. Shell is trying to let people know that they are creative in the way that they will try to think of ways to provide humans with fuel since there have been climate changes and population increases. I found this shell advertisement in a Newsweek magazine. The reason why I chose this art design is because it was one of the first ones that grabbed my attention while thinking of pictographs and symbols. I think the artwork overall is very clean and bold. The color layered over the light brown background really catches the eye of viewers, which is important a message is being conveyed. I notice that my eye keeps moving among the pictures because of the way that they are orderly and grouped in a circular position, and because of the arrows sending me in specific directions. The colors (purple, green, brown, blue) give off a sense of heaviness because they are cool and dark. The contrast between the bold hues and light background also helps the pictographs to stand out. This artwork relates with what we have discussed and read in class because it deals with communication through elementary pictures. Text has clearly been typed alongside each picture, and if they were removed I might have a harder time trying to figure out what one or two of the pictures stood for. This reminds me of when writing was first invented; in class, we were shown some petroglyphs and many of the meanings were hard to make out. There are also arrows—symbolizing a specific direction—in the design, so they are helpful when it comes to communication. Overall, I believe the design communicates well with its viewers because simple pictographs and text are used. The composition consists of a human head with the pictographs being arranged in the place of a brain. A viewer may perceive the artwork as being a display of innovative ideas to use natural resources in the world today.

Day Two: After Class

Today, in class, we talked about Chapter One—The Invention of Writing.

There was much to take in just while going over this topic. One highlight to remember is where the first writing occurred. Supposedly, people in southern Africa began writing on cave walls about 200,000 years ago. This was most likely done for survival purposes, and this was the beginning of visual communication. Another important highlight is to understand how writing evolved over time. Writing began as simple figures and geometric signs, which became simplified as people found easier ways to communicate what they saw or thought. Cuneiform and Hieroglyphics were a couple of developed writing styles. This writing continued to evolve throughout time in order to improve visible communication. As writing evolved, more information could be recorded. A third highlight is how Mesopotamia was the beginning of civilization. Writing was used to help order the society by labeling and record-keeping, among other ways. A fourth highlight is that as society became more structured, laws were written in order to keep everyone in line. The Code of Hammurabi was a large stone with carved commandments and consequences. A fifth highlight is to understand the sudden ability of identification and showing ownership. There were cattle brands and cylinder seals created for trademarks. The cylinder seals were also used for security purposes. A sixth highlight is the hieroglyphics of the Egyptian culture. This was a picture-writing system, and it was sacred because it was religious and magical. No one would understand the meaning of their writing if it wasn’t for the Rosetta Stone, which helped decipher the pictograms. Hieroglyphics were written in and outside of tombs and temples. Papyrus was created by Egyptians from plants in the Nile River. Egyptians also used cylinder seals and propriety marks on their belongings.

The most useful thing I learned today was the difference between a picture and a symbol because I got the two sort of mixed up as I read on it. I enjoyed the little group activity we did as a class because after seeing the drawings on the dry-erase board, I was able to see a difference between the two. Another useful thing I learned was that the pictures were not drawn for art purposes. Because the need for survival was crucial during this era, there most likely would not have been extra time to spend creating cave artwork. Something useful that we also did in class was take the online quiz for chapter one. It was nice to go over what I needed to have a better understanding of.

Why were the consequences on the Code of Hammurabi so severe?

Chapter One: The Invention of Writing

Summary: Chapter one was definitely interesting to read because I learned about some of the first ways people began to communicate. Writing first began in caves as geometric signs and figures were carved on rock. As time progressed, these representations evolved as people simplified them. The simplified symbols began to look like letters. In Mesopotamia, it soon became important for there to be an ordered society. The people realized how convenient writing would be for them. Historic information could be held on to because of writing. Records could be kept, food could be labeled, and crops could be looked after. This was when numbers came into play. Along with pictures, there soon became numbers. Writing continually changed in order to conveniently help the people who needed to successfully communicate with each other. Sharpened utensils were used to carve into clay, which would then bake in the sun or in a kiln to become hard. But soon afterwards, utensils with wedge shapes were being used to make imprints. The people found this method to be a lot easier because writing could be done faster and the symbols were simpler. This type of writing was called cuneiform. After the fall of Mesopotamia, Egyptians used a sacred type of writing called hieroglyphics. This writing was used on temples and tombs, both inside and out. Hieroglyphics was valuable because it was magical and religious. People who were able to read and write gained authority and were treated with great respect. Knowledge = power. Interestingly, the end of the chapter mentioned that the alphabet was generated because of the Egyptian culture.

Something I found interesting: I found the entire section on Egyptian writing to be interesting because I have always been fascinated with Egypt. I had no idea how papyrus was made so I thought that was an interesting aspect of their culture.

My thoughts and questions: After reading on the section where Mesopotamia and Babylonia fell to the Persians, I wondered if writing would have been much different than it is now. Also, why couldn’t anyone learn how to read and write? Because of power?

Day One: After Class

On the first day of class, the topic was the starting point of graphic design. This type of art began way back in time when cave paintings were used to be communicative. People had to use pictures to convey meaning.

The most useful thing I learned today was that it must have been very challenging to communicate in the past using pictures and symbols. After doing our fun group experiment with the clay, I realized how difficult it is to try and convey a simple sentence—without the use of letters and numbers—with clay. I loved how we all engaged in the activity and found out for ourselves that people in the past had to have been creative in order to express emotions, colors, events, people, etc.

I’ve always wondered color was created for their paintings. I learned today that blood and charcoal were used for red and black. Were any other colors created and used during this time? If so, how was it done?