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?