Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Class 1/27

  • Victorian Graphics
  • Chromolithography
  • Lithographic Naturalism
  • Louis Prang
  • John Gamble
  • Ottmar Mergenthler
  • Editorial Design
  • Political cartoons/ Thomas Nast
  • Rise of Ad Agencies
  • Arts and Craft Movement
  • William Morris
  • Total Design
  • Kelmscott Press
  • Art Nouveau
  • Pre-Raphaelite Painting
  • Ukiyo-E wood blocks
  • Cheret and Grasset
  • Aubrey Beardsley
  • The Beggarstaffs
  • Toulouse Lautrec
  • Alphonse Mucha
  • Will Bradly
  • Gustav Klimt
  • Koloman Moser/ Gesamkunstwerk
  • Alfred Roller
  • Joseph Hoffman
  • Modernist Era
  • Glasgow School
  • Peter Behrens
  • Railway Type/ Edward Johnson
It would have never had occurred to me that all of these artistic movements lead up to what graphic design it as we know it. Art Nouveau is one of the farthest things from graphic design that I can think of. Its so interesting to see the trace into color printing and how editorials can basically change the world. Or how one man could possibly create the concept holiday cards it all amazes me . The beginnings of what led to Design is truly amazing and lends to so many contributors. It makes me think how much one mans idea can change the future.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Unit 1 Part 1 & 2

Key Points
  • Earliest pictorial markings Africa 35,000 BC
  • Ideographs and Pictographs
  • Invention of writing brought about intellectual revolution
  • Cuneiform is the first phonetic writing system
  • Egyptian Invention of Papyrus and first “Illustrated Manuscripts”.
  • Logograms
  • Invention of printing 860AD
  • Movable type 1045AD
  • Phoenician Greek and Latin Alphabet
  • Uncials 3rd Cen. AD
  • Latin Alphabet 1st Serifs on Trajan Column
  • Square Capitals and Rustic Capitals
  • Codex
  • Celtic Book Design, first drafting tools used
  • Black Letter
  • Block Book
  • Gutenberg's Printing press and Textur
  • Albrecht Durer
  • Renaissance type prototype
  • Aldus Manutius, Italics, pocket book
  • Claude Garamond
  • Transitional
  • Louis Simonneau’s master alphabets
  • Modern Type Bidoni and Dibot
  • Monster Type, Slab Serif
  • Fat Face Letters novelty of type
  • San Serif William Caslon the IV

Its very interesting to think about where the written alphabet has come from and how advanced that it has gotten. I can simple understand the symbols that I am typing right now. It really boggles my mind to think about the progression of type and all the thought that must have gone into creating a very first language and not simply learning it. After a concrete alphabet is established it can not be left at that, designer's push boundaries to see far they can take the alphabet and that is when something so basic as communication becomes art. It makes me wonder where I would be right now if there was only one typeface out there. Would graphic design still exist? Or would the alphabet just be a form of communication?