Disclaimer: Unless otherwise noted, this image, plus all written material in quotes is borrowed and all credit is due to authors that are not me, see Bibliography at the end of this post.
NOTE: Yes, I realize the look of this page is hideous and I can barely stand it myself, but, this is a perfect presentation to the beginning design artist of how not to layout a page using a typeface that is difficult to read, mono-spaced with no concern for kerning or word spacing and not very pleasing to the eye. At the same time it does demonstrate one of the earliest forms of writing in the history of graphic design. The typeface used is ‘Roman Mono’. The reason for it’s use, here, is due to what I read in the 2nd Module, which was about mono-spaced type, as well as no spaces between words, though I chosen to forego the latter.
Demonstrating what we have discovered and learned about Graphic Design History, through lectures by Kent Manske, and written material from the book ‘Graphic Design History, A Critical Guide’. This journal is a much of a ‘comprehensive’ essay written each week after each ‘module’ as I could write demonstrating the comprehension and personal reflection of the material covered, that includes specific examples to back up research and ideas assembled into this final Weekly Field Journal “Research Portfolio”. Attempt was made to excel using all “Evaluation Criteria” as a guide to the Weekly Field Journal “Research Portfolio”. This class was the one I put the most time into, every week, and then this was only one class out of five. So, I did the best I could, within the time constraints, formatting it in several different ways,publishing in InDesign, exporting to PDF, posting on Etudes in html format (where it could take up to two hours to upload, at times) also maintaining this as a blog on Blogger (http://bykimberly.blogspot.com/). And now, I will reformat this whole document,one more time, as a whole, to be bound into a final journal.
Each section will contain notes and thoughts to each of these periods.
WEEKLY JOURNAL 1: September 24 and October 01
Preface
Introduction
Prehistoric Prelude to Graphic Design History 35,000 - 2700 BCE
Early Writing: Mark-making, Notation Systems, and Scripts 3000 - 500 BCE
In Module 1, we learned about the evolutionary foundations of communication, through the repeated reinvention of language & design, proven with prehistoric findings by many different culture’s early graphic forms that prove the early existence of communicating ideas and beliefs. This week’s example’s are of, one an early Aztec Calender Stone and from other discussions a reuse of an old Uncle Sam poster.
Preface
The book is written from the point of view of artists and teachers from their experience working with students, whose mission is to give a viewpoint of present day incorporation of the past, meaning that present day ideas in graphic design are intertwined with ideas from the beginning of history. The intersection of art and design is where the authors begin, by incorporating ideas that are basic to student and scholarly practice in the fields of graphic design. Scholarly, Emily McVarish, California College of the Arts, experience combined exercises that incorporate theoretical readings with hands on help students approach design, informed.
Johanna Drucker’s, Yale University, substantial contribution to the book is ‘an approach based on analysis of social forces and conditions but grounded in the study of individual artifacts and works’. She is primarily responsible for more than a writing contribution, but the pulling together of all design, page layout, organizing all the people and resources to present a different look to a different presentation of this graphic design book.
Introduction
The introduction could be a 10 page essay on it’s own, as written it is very well thought-out and all inclusive from every point of view.
A critical history of graphic design is important to professional effective design. There is so much non-verbal dynamic communication on any one piece and as in verbal communication, knowing your audience is crucial, as well as how communication has developed over the history of the world, in many cultures, refined over and over again, then repeated in new refined ways throughout time. Just as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, a design is interpreted by the culture.
Prehistoric Prelude to Graphic Design History 35,000 - 2700 BCE
Early Writing: Mark-making, Notation Systems, and Scripts 3000 - 500 BCE
In class, as well as in the reading we discussed seeing and the use of old ideas in new ways everyday. It is natural, a very humanistic desire to communicate individually to others in a myriad of ways even with many limitations, in many different forms, but always humans find a way. As early as 35,000 BCE, traces of graphic design are found, demonstrating through deliberate processes and socially acceptable conventions. Conscious decisions about form, pigments, surfaces, and tools can be seen in cave paintings and marks. They tell us about technological and cultural conditions and primacy of the time.
As soon as man could walk upright, he began using motor skills, conceptual thought, eye, hand and mind to create symbolic systems of marks and signs. Abstract thought is revealed by the design of prehistoric tools, and shows that early man had the ‘idea of shapes’. It was 19,000 years ago that decorative art for tools and clothing was found, as well as cave art. 12,000 until 2700 BCE, surprisingly many early forms of graphic design are found including: clay, stone, Uruk, tablets with markings or symbols, 13 foot walls, clay tokens, the Narmer Palette, also known as the Great Hierakonpolis Palette (using complete sentences written in hieroglyphics), an Egyptian lunar calendar and Stonehenge.
The above list is pretty impressive, considering their lack of technology, as we know it. Seriously, would we even think of using the primitive methods and tools they so ingeniously thought to use? Here, I will list the ‘Tools of the Trade’ from our textbook, ‘Graphic Design History, A Critical Guide’: pigments (animal, vegetable, mineral), ash, charcoal, water, spittle (medium), hands, mouth (spray), burins, grinding stones, bone tools, metal blades, primitive stencils, notched sticks, frayed twigs, animal skin, knotted cords, stones, clay, beads, fire, animal fat and marrow lamps.
In class, we talked about the difference between design and art, visualization, advertising and information. Design has a responsibility to create an idea of visual communication. Art does not have a responsibility. What does a design mean? Design requires visualization, taking complex data to make it visual and meaningful. Advertising mainly refers to the a type of delivery. Information was defined as directions on how to use something or how to complete a task.
Writing and typography from prehistoric to present included pictograms (words or ideas, created with a picture or series of pictures), ideograms (idea), logograms (words), phonograms (sounds), symbols and signs. In writing, prehistoric prelude to graphic design, 35,000 - 2700 BCE was cave painting. Early writing began with mark making, notation systems and scripts as pictographs, ideographs, cuneiform (how to talk), hieroglyphics (pictures and instructions), and Mayan glyphs that work like ideographs.
Before 1850 lithography, everything was drawn, carved, or painted on stone, including symbols, signs, and the early forms of the alphabet. Paper, in the form of Papyrus fibres, was first used by the Egyptians as long ago as 3500 BC. It is from the name Papyrus that paper gets its name. ‘Conventional paper, made from wood pulp was devised about 8 AD by the Chinese, sources attribute it to a Ts’ai Lun, a courtier, however other evidence suggests it was invented 105 BC or 100 AD.’ (*2)
Conclusion
Evolutionary foundations of communication, language & design, from prehistoric findings used in many different culture’s early graphic forms show an early existence of communicating ideas and beliefs, and that this is the basis for a continuing journey of graphic design, through history to today and through tomorrow. Finally, this week’s example’s are of, one an early ‘Aztec Calender Stone’ *3 and from other discussions a reuse of an old Uncle Sam poster design.*4
Bibliography
All information in quotes and including most everything written that is not marked otherwise is all credit of the authors of ‘Graphic Design History, A Critical Guide’ and Professor Kent Manske.
*2 http://www.ipst.gatech.edu/amp/collection/museum_invention_paper.htm
*3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_of_the_Sun
*4 http://www.economist.com
