For the first class, we were introduced to historic examples of text and imagery, with an emphasis on the fact that these early examples have an impact on present day design. It is for this fact that it's important to study the history of this visual medium.
Caves at Lascaux- 35000-10000 BC
-beginnings of visual communication
-Its utilitarian not poetic
before writing, its important to have memory and be a good storyteller because of oral tradition
Phoecians to Greeks- the greeks refine and make phoecians letters more geometric
Greeks to Romans- romans conquer Greeks and refine the letters even further
Roman alphabet- 23 letters originally minus J,V,W (which were added later)
quadrada and rustica- type families with emphasis on hand quality
Rome falls and education and new learning and discovery falls with it
Book of Kells- 800 AD
the text looks the way it does, rounded for efficiency, evolved from isolation after fall of Rome
Charlemagne- emperor of holy roman empire appoints Alcuan of York
xylography- wood block printing
ligature- single character cast as 2 letters
incunabula- first 50 years
Playing cards on wood blocks- 1400's
The appeal was that everyone could have them, maybe not the same quality (some carved from ivory and others from simple wood for example)
changes human brain (these carvings are examples of patterns and new ways of recognition, visual signs, good for entertainment)
Gutenberg press- printed on both vellum (parchment) AND paper
-parchment made from thinning skin
People would write letterforms by hand, no typographers at that time,
Gutenberg Bible is a hugely important moment in the evolution of printing and is known for being highly legible and quick and easy to print
Gutenberg is betrayed by his fellow businessman when they kick him out of his own business, take over, and begin selling his printed bible as their own hand written manuscripts, but are soon arrested for witchcraft for producing so many prints, all of which looked exactly alike
Letter of Indulgence- get out of jail free card- less quality than bible
We give Gutenberg the credit for printing because he brought all of the systems together
Education and society fundamentally altered with printing because it makes books readily available and easily spreadable, information takes on a global scale
Aesops imagery loses its frame and plays with negative space
histories of Troy- first book printed in english William Castons, 1475
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