History of Graphic Design -Weekly Journal 4

Weekly Field Journal “Research Portfolio”

WEEKLY JOURNAL 4: October 22

The Graphic Effects of Industrial Production 1800 - 1850
Industrialization and visual culture
Illustrated papers
Book design for mass production
Printed images
Advertising design and typography
Fine art and graphic art
Critical Issues

Mass Mediation 1850 - 1900
Printed mass media
Changes in print technology
Changing patterns in the use of graphic media
Media networks
Graphic design and advertising
Posters and public space

The Graphic Effects of Industrial Production through Mass Media 1800 - 1900
In Module 5, we learned about major developments in graphic design due to the Industrial Revolution, in which revolutionary advancements were made in: lithography, photography and halftone printing. In the cities people were working, had money and a lust for buying things “The Beginning of the Thirst for the New” . The discovery and refinement of photography created many new industries and helped fulfill the lust for buying things. Photography provided stock material to create reproducible art to be carved on woodblocks (made from end-grains of logs, for longer press runs) used for print, wood engraved illustrations. The halftone, a process where a glass negative was laid over a picture then exposed to a hatch pattern for print, became an even faster way of reproducing printable images. Advancement of the printing press, originally made from wood with a hand crank, to a better built longer lasting machine, plus the invention of the steam engine, then electricity, made production faster and more efficient. Newspapers became a ‘leisure event’, expanding culture, which were lower cost items and as a side effect people became more literate.

In the early 1800’s we start to see printed menus, schedules, newspapers, magazines ‘The Penny Magazine’, and advertising pieces Advertising, makes a major shift from ‘announce product and show reward’ to ‘engraved pictures with type that create and aura of a lifestyle’ to sell products. We start to see display and poster typefaces advance to hand drawn lithographic headlines, plus clip art and stock art. Forward looking illustrations come into vogue in 1897. Junk starts to replace art in the early 1900’s, which leads into the next module, where I will try to pick up in the next journal. This week’s examples are of, “The Illustrated London News - May 1842 until 2002 *2, The Graphic - December 1869 until 1933 *3 and an illustrated valentine from the late 1800’s *4.

The Illustrated London News
“The Illustrated London News went into publication on 14 May 1842 and lasted until 2002!. Among it’s contributors were some of the most distinguished writers of it’s day: Rudyard Kipling, Rider Haggard, Thomas Hardy, Robert Louis Stevenson, Joseph Conrad, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, George Cruikshank and many more. It also drew some of the top illustrators: Melton Prior, Frederic Villiers., William Heath Robinson and his brother Charles, Edmund Blampied, Frank Reynolds, Mabel Lucie Atwell, Lawson Wood, G. E. Studdy, David Wright, H. M. Bateman, Louis Wain, Bruce Bairnsfather, C. E. Turner, R. Caton Woodville, A. Forestier, and F. Matania.” *2

The Graphic News
“The Graphic went into publication in December 1869 and lasted until 1933. The Graphic was started because of a squabble between the ILN staff and the family of George Thomas who was one of their engravers. Basically, when George Thomas died his family wanted to put on a show of his work and ILN refused to release the engravings he did for them, so, Mr. W.L. Thomas (I’m not sure if he was George’s Father or brother or son) left ILN and began The Graphic.

During it’s time in print The Graphic hired many well known artists to provide illustrations including; Luke Fildes, Hubert von Herkomer, John Millias, Frank Holl, Melton Prior, Sidney Sime, Alexander Boyd, Frank Brangwyn, Edmund Sullivan, Phil May, Leonard Raven-Hill, George Stampa, James H. Dows, Bert Thomas and F.H. Townsend.” *3

Conclusion
I know I keep saying this, but it’s true every week... This period was even more evolutionary than the last, but with the foundation and benefit of all the previous different culture’s early graphic forms this period was exceptional. The Industrial Revolutions’ advancements and major development of graphic design happened, because of the advancement of industry, in lithography, photography and halftone printing. “The Beginning of the Thirst for the New” that leads to production exceeding art. Finally, this weeks examples are of, “The Illustrated London News - May 1842 until 2002 *2, The Graphic - December 1869 until 1933 *3 and an illustrated valentine from the late 1800’s *4. (If you are viewing this document online please find the missing pictures online, links are provided in the bibliography, below.)

Bibliography

All information, most everything written unless marked otherwise is all credited to the authors of ‘Graphic Design History, A Critical Guide’ and Professor Kent Manske.

*2 http://bp2.blogger.com/_m7PhTGSm_1s/R7C4Wt4i_BI/AAAAAAAAAJc/bYR-0ySeCtE/s200/1887xmas.jpg

*3 The Graphic December 1869 until 1933 *3 <http://bp1.blogger.com/_m7PhTGSm_1s/R7C8fd4i_UI/AAAAAAAAALw/2JifyetgTJk/s320/gilgit1891.jpg>

History of Graphic Design -Weekly Journal 3

Weekly Field Journal “Research Portfolio”



WEEKLY JOURNAL 3: October 15



Renaissance Design & Modern Typography in Graphic Design 1450–1800

In Module 4, we learned about major developments in graphic design due to the increase in the publics ravenous appetite for knowledge and the need for printed material in quantity. Some of those major develoments included, early print design, graphic communication in renaissance culture, print technology, as well as, type design, and innovative graphic forms. The public sphere’s responsibility, in response to the need, was the creation of news, books, broadsheets, and newspapers. This would greatly impact politics and there would be politics, because of the press. This was a significant time for graphic arts, graphic design, and major breakthroughs in modern type design. Aldus Manutius was, but one of the important figures responsible for the innovations of this time. This week’s examples are of, the “Aldus icons and book layout” *3, and the modern interpretation of an Aldus idea *4.

Graphic Design in the Renaissance & Modern Typography
The Renaissance was a time of revival, or “rebirth,” A time of enlightenment and rebirth of classical learning in ancient Greece, Rome, and Europe. Making knowledge from the ancient world available to all readers was the catalyst for a duplicating printing process that at the beginning of the late 15th century. They evolved typeface designs to what are now called Old Style types, which were based on capital letters used in ancient Roman inscriptions and by lowercase letters found in manuscript writing from the Carolingian period.

In 1495, Aldus Manutius, the Italian scholar, printer and elder founded Aldine Press due to the need to produce printed editions of Greek and Latin classics. Inexpensive, pocket-sized editions of books with cloth covers were his innovations. Designed by Francesco Griffohe, the first italic typeface, introduced in about 1500, when Manutius created a cast punch cut for the type. By setting these narrow letters that slanted to the right more type could fit on a page, making new pocket-sized books possible.

Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, was the prototype for Renaissance book design at Aldine Press in 1499, “(believed to be written by Francesco Colonna). The design of the work achieves an understated simplicity and tonal harmony, and its elegant synthesis of type and image has seldom been equaled. The layout combined exquisitely light woodcuts by an anonymous illustrator with roman types by Griffo utilizing new, smaller capitals; Griffo cut these types after careful study of Roman inscriptions. Importantly, double-page spreads were conceived in the book as unified designs, rather than as two separate pages.” *2

“During the 16th century, France became a centre for fine typography and book design. Geoffroy Tory—whose considerable talents included design, engraving, and illustration, in addition to his work as a scholar and author—created books with types, ornaments, and illustrations that achieved the seemingly contradictory qualities of delicacy and complexity. In his Book of Hours (1531), he framed columns of roman type with modular borders; these exuberant forms were a perfect complement to his illustrations.

Typeface designer and punch-cutter Claude Garamond, one of Tory’s pupils, achieved refinement and consistency in his Old Style fonts. Printers commissioned types from him rather than casting their own, making Garamond the first independent typefounder not directly associated with a printing firm. Works by Tory, Garamond, and many other graphic artists and printers created a standard of excellence in graphic design that spread beyond France.” *2

The 17th century was a quiet time for graphic design. Apparently the stock of typeface designs, woodblock illustrations, and ornaments produced during the 16th century satisfied the needs of most printers, and additional innovation seemed unnecessary.” *2

Conclusion
This period was even more evolutionary than the last, but with the foundation and benefit of all the previous different culture’s early graphic forms this period was exceptional. The Renaissance periods’ advancement and major development of graphic design happened, because of the publics increased appetite for knowledge, advances in print technology and type design evolved. It became the public sphere’s responsibility to respond to the needs of the time, to be able to create news books, broadsheets, and newspapers, in quantity. Yes, this was a significant time for graphic arts, graphic design, and major breakthroughs in modern type design. Aldus Manutius was, but one of the important figures responsible for the innovations of this time. Finally, this weeks examples are of, the “Aldus icons and book layout” *3, and the modern interpretation of an Aldus idea *4. (Please refer to page 2.) (If you are viewing this document online please find the missing pictures online, links are provided in the bibliography, below.)

Bibliography
All information, most everything written unless marked otherwise is all credited to the authors of ‘Graphic Design History, A Critical Guide’ and Professor Kent Manske.

*2 “graphic design.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 20 Oct. 2008 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1032864/graphic-design>.

*3 Molly McLeod’s Portfolio <http://my.aperture.googlepages.com/graphicdesign>

*4 Aldus Manutius <http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/f/fb/180px-Aldus_Manutius.jpg>

Aldus Manutius <http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/f/fb/180px-Aldus_Manutius.jpg>

Codex - Dante - Early Aldus Book Layout <http://www.italnet.nd.edu/Dante/images/tp1502/NewberryAldine.inf1.150dpi.jpeg>

History of Graphic Design -Weekly Journal 2

Weekly Field Journal “Research Portfolio”

WEEKLY JOURNAL 2: October 08

Classical Literacy 700 BCE - 400 CE
- Variations of Literacy and the Alphabet
- The Function of Graphic Codes
- Models of Writing: Gestural and Constructed
- Writing at the End of the Classical Age

Medieval Letterforms and Book Formats 400 - 1450
- Medieval Culture and Graphic Communication
- Graphic Media and Contexts
- The Codex Book
- Letterforms, Manuscript Hands, and Pattern Books
- Graphic Forms of Knowledge
- Publishing Communities and Graphic Arts

In Module 3, we learned about proto writing systems, the eventual use in distinction of mark and interval, variation in shape, size, orientation, position, juxtification, sequence, hierarchy and direction of the Medieval period. Encoding of ideas with pictoral signs were used to represent concrete meaning. Symbolic power and control were used by the literate culture in the form of writing, in conjunction, but sometimes in place of brute force. This week’s examples are of, the “Greek Alphabet” *2, and Codex Leicester - Most expensive book ever sold *3.

The evolutionary foundations of communication, that started in Prehistoric 35,000 - 2700, continued with repeated reinvention of language & design, with better media, tools and pigments. Now, they were approaching more sophistication and order in their writing, taking into consideration a more unified approach to better communicating of their ideas and beliefs.

The first writings were little images, ideographs, pictograms and hieroglyphics. “From 1200 to 800 B.C. the Semitic-speaking Phoenicians lived and prospered on the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine, chief cities were Tyre and Sidon. They gained fame as sailors and traders, while they occupied a string of cities along the Mediterranean coast, in what is today Lebanon and Syria.
The Phoenicians were the first to develop a modern alphabet. The Greeks adapted the Phoenician alphabet and the Romans further adapted and improved it from the Greeks. This Roman alphabet is now used almost over the whole world today.” *2

The letters, text faces and contextural information were some of the most important events that happened in the Medieval period. Monasteries and courts were responsible for laying the foundation of what would be carried on from that early period thru now. As the world became more scholarly, mostly due to the church, but also the secular student, the need for a more efficient way of producing print became necessary, script needed to become the alphabet, something agreed upon and formal set as a standard. Also, was the need to replace the scroll with a form of ‘a book’ , the codex, having separate pages and a cover. Once the need for the codex, came the need for formatting and standard navigational practices in reproduction proficiency. The need for more information in the secular cultures really drove the flurry of innovations during this time, but the classical and theological literature was the beginning and sustenance of conventions for illustration and graphic form and all before the arrival of printing that will come in the Renaissance period.

Conclusion
This period was even more evolutionary than the prehistoric period, but with the foundation of the different culture’s early graphic forms for their basis in the continuing journey of graphic design through history, to today, and through tomorrow. With the Medieval periods’ progression of the alphabet and standards of layout in the codex, we have an even more powerful foundation to future graphic design. Encoding of ideas, representation of concrete meaning made everything even more powerful. Yes, the symbolic power and control of knowledge was used by the church, as well as the literate culture in the form of writing, brutality could know be not only physical, but also practiced with the control of knowledge. Finally, this weeks examples are of, one of, the “Greek Alphabet.” *2 and the Codex Leicester - most expensive book ever sold.*3 (Please refer to page 2.) (If you are viewing this document online please find the “Codex” pictures online at: http://www.bornrich.org/entry/codex-leicester-most-expensive-book-ever-sold/)


What “do you think the world’s most expensive book should look like? You might think of it with a diamond-studded cover or having gold plated page. But, it’s not like that.

The most expensive book ever sold is the Codex Leicester, which is a collection of largely scientific writings by Leonardo da Vinci. The 72-page handwritten document is in the form of 18 sheets of paper, each folded in half and written on both sides. Leonardo wrote the book in Italian and used mirror writing, copious drawings and diagrams.

The Codex was bought by Bill Gates in 1994 for $30.8 million and given the name ‘Codex Leicester.’ The Codex is put on public display once a year in a different city around the world.” *3

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://home.cfl.rr.com/crossland/AncientCivilizations/Middle_East_Civilizations/Phoenicians/

phoenicians.html

*3 http://www.bornrich.org/entry/codex-leicester-most-expensive-book-ever-sold/