I learned a lot of useful and interesting information about graphic design and art from this class. Every week, I read assigned chapters from our textbook “Meggs History of Graphic Design” written by Philip B. Meggs and Alston W. Purvis. It turned out to be a very interesting book, I learned a lot about the history of Graphic Design starting from ancient times and ending with modern days. I liked that the book contained a lot of images and examples of work created by different designers; this made the book much more interesting, it was not just a mere collection of dates and events. I was introduced to amazing designs by different artists and I believe that this will help me develop as a graphic designer in the future. I liked seeing how designer tried to convey different ideas through their work and I learned a lot of different effective ways to express different messages through different design elements.
The quizzes that we had to do every week helped to stay organized and keep up with reading assignments. The field journal assignments that we had to do every week allowed me to learn more in-detail information about specific designs and designers. I found it to be very enlightening, inspiring and intriguing.
I think that class was very valuable to me, not only did I get to learn a lot about history of graphic design, the outstanding designer and their best works, but it had also opened up my eyes about the technological side of design and how much it influences the possibilities and creativity side of art. I will certainly have more appreciation for the technologies we have today and how much easier it is to work and develop ideas with all the different media available to designers nowadays. I know that all the information I learned from this class will help me grow as an artist.
I was very much inspired by a lot of different artists and I know that it will influence my designs in the future. I loved the works of Paula Scher, Alvin Lustig, Jean Carlu and others. I was surprised to learn that I like art works that were created in very different artistic movements. Now, I, too, will be inspired by those movements in my future designs. I am very glad I was able to learn all of these fascinating facts and ideas. Below you will find my field journals with more information about the subjects that I found to be interesting.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Extra credit - Anne Geddes
Illustration and photography are all element of graphic design. I was always inspired by great photographers. One of my favorite photographers is Anne Geddes, who is one of the most respected and successful professional photographers in the world. Her photographs become bestsellers the moment they come out and her work is extremely popular around the world. Almost any person had come across one at least of her amazing photographs of babies.
Photo of Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
Anne was born in a country, at Queensland, Australia, on September 13, 1956. She was the third daughter out of five sisters. When she was about twenty years old she started playing with the camera, developing her initial photography skills. In 1983 she married Kel Geddes, a television programming director. In 1984 she had her first daughter. Her first works were the greeting cards that she created for her family. Soon after she started her first small business making personalized holiday cards.
Photo of Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
In 1986 the family moved to Melbourne, Australia. There she had set up her first studio in the old garage on their property. Volunteering as an assistant for a local photographer had sparked her interest in working in a studio environment. There in Melbourne, she gave birth to her second daughter in 1986.
Anne Geddes
http://fun-office.com/deti-na-foto-anny-gedes/
The first published photograph that had brought Anne some recognition was published in Auckland magazine in 1988; it was an image of a little girl standing in a tutu. This work is known as Gemme. At the time, that portrait style was new and unusual. After trying herself in wedding photography, Geddes decided to become a children portrait photographer and established a small new studio in Auckland.
Anne Geddes
Gemma
Anne managed to win the world over with the help of simple camera and her creative approach. She created a fairy tale world full of warmth, love and kids. It is impossible not to be touched by the adorable innocent images of kids. Through her photographs Anne shows us that children are the real joy and happiness of this world. In her book “Down in the Garden” she said: “I am frequently asked why I photograph babies so often, and where my ideas come from. Little babies are indeed my inspiration, and I cannot imagine a photographic life without them playing a major part in it. Where this special love for babies comes from I cannot tell you, and I have spent much time searching for an answer myself. All I know is that they are all perfect little human beings in their own ways, and we should all take the time to cherish them, especially while they are very small.” She said that she hopes that through her work as a photographer, she has been able to pass on her appreciation of the beauty and charm of little children.
Anne Geddes
http://fun-office.com/deti-na-foto-anny-gedes/
Her photographs were first released in New Zealand and Australia, and nowadays are well known and accepted as a classic representation of kids. Her work can be seen in books, on album covers, in calendars and on greeting cards.
In 1997 New Zealand’s Institute of Professional Photographers (NZIPP) had offered Anne Geddes become their member. She was the first woman photographer to become a member of that organization. However, it is not only her ingenuity and uniqueness of her compositions and designs that made Anne famous, but her strong and passionate love for children. Through photographs she was able to convey this message of love to the world, in way that made eliminated the language barrier.
Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
In one of her interview she said that children are her inspiration and joy, and this is why she believes her photographs come out to be so touching. Anne believes that the emotional context of the photograph is much more important than the technical capabilities of camera. She also credits simplicity as one of important components. It is a combination of simplicity and emotions that create unforgettable images. Anne says that there is nothing harder to do than to create something simple.
Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
Anne has released some books and journals. Her large-format books, Down in the Garden, Until Now, Pure, and Miracle are a beautiful collection of her photographs, many which were shot during personal session. All of them had become bestsellers soon after hitting the stands.
Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
In 1998 Anne had received recognition from the World Council of Professional Photographers for her work and contribution to photography. Geddes is a Lifetime member of Professional Photographers of America (PPA) from 1997. In 2009 Anne has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the same organization.
Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
Anne’s books and images have been published in eighty three different countries in North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Africa. Her books were translated into twenty four different languages, and more than eighteen million copies of them have been sold around the world.
Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
Anne Geddes and her husband, Kel Geddes, co-own two companies: “Especially Kids Company Limited” that is a photo studio, and “Kel Geddes Management Limited” which publishes books, does marketing and management.
Nowadays Anna lives in New Zealand with her husband and two daughters.
Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
To me Anne Geddes is an example of an extraordinary photographer. Her pictures are amazing and bring so much joy into this world. Each photograph is unique in its own way. Each one of them tells a story. I can spend hours and hours just looking at them. It is amazing how Anne had become such an influential photographer through such a simple subject matter, which we experience every day of our lives: the miracle of life. She inspires me and forces me to see beauty in this world, in people and nature, which she had so beautifully combined in her work. She also inspires me as a woman to strive and achieve more in life.
Anne Geddes
http://fun-office.com/deti-na-foto-anny-gedes/
Photo of Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
Anne was born in a country, at Queensland, Australia, on September 13, 1956. She was the third daughter out of five sisters. When she was about twenty years old she started playing with the camera, developing her initial photography skills. In 1983 she married Kel Geddes, a television programming director. In 1984 she had her first daughter. Her first works were the greeting cards that she created for her family. Soon after she started her first small business making personalized holiday cards.
Photo of Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
In 1986 the family moved to Melbourne, Australia. There she had set up her first studio in the old garage on their property. Volunteering as an assistant for a local photographer had sparked her interest in working in a studio environment. There in Melbourne, she gave birth to her second daughter in 1986.
Anne Geddes
http://fun-office.com/deti-na-foto-anny-gedes/
The first published photograph that had brought Anne some recognition was published in Auckland magazine in 1988; it was an image of a little girl standing in a tutu. This work is known as Gemme. At the time, that portrait style was new and unusual. After trying herself in wedding photography, Geddes decided to become a children portrait photographer and established a small new studio in Auckland.
Anne Geddes
Gemma
Anne managed to win the world over with the help of simple camera and her creative approach. She created a fairy tale world full of warmth, love and kids. It is impossible not to be touched by the adorable innocent images of kids. Through her photographs Anne shows us that children are the real joy and happiness of this world. In her book “Down in the Garden” she said: “I am frequently asked why I photograph babies so often, and where my ideas come from. Little babies are indeed my inspiration, and I cannot imagine a photographic life without them playing a major part in it. Where this special love for babies comes from I cannot tell you, and I have spent much time searching for an answer myself. All I know is that they are all perfect little human beings in their own ways, and we should all take the time to cherish them, especially while they are very small.” She said that she hopes that through her work as a photographer, she has been able to pass on her appreciation of the beauty and charm of little children.
Anne Geddes
http://fun-office.com/deti-na-foto-anny-gedes/
Her photographs were first released in New Zealand and Australia, and nowadays are well known and accepted as a classic representation of kids. Her work can be seen in books, on album covers, in calendars and on greeting cards.
In 1997 New Zealand’s Institute of Professional Photographers (NZIPP) had offered Anne Geddes become their member. She was the first woman photographer to become a member of that organization. However, it is not only her ingenuity and uniqueness of her compositions and designs that made Anne famous, but her strong and passionate love for children. Through photographs she was able to convey this message of love to the world, in way that made eliminated the language barrier.
Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
In one of her interview she said that children are her inspiration and joy, and this is why she believes her photographs come out to be so touching. Anne believes that the emotional context of the photograph is much more important than the technical capabilities of camera. She also credits simplicity as one of important components. It is a combination of simplicity and emotions that create unforgettable images. Anne says that there is nothing harder to do than to create something simple.
Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
Anne has released some books and journals. Her large-format books, Down in the Garden, Until Now, Pure, and Miracle are a beautiful collection of her photographs, many which were shot during personal session. All of them had become bestsellers soon after hitting the stands.
Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
In 1998 Anne had received recognition from the World Council of Professional Photographers for her work and contribution to photography. Geddes is a Lifetime member of Professional Photographers of America (PPA) from 1997. In 2009 Anne has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the same organization.
Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
Anne’s books and images have been published in eighty three different countries in North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Africa. Her books were translated into twenty four different languages, and more than eighteen million copies of them have been sold around the world.
Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
Anne Geddes and her husband, Kel Geddes, co-own two companies: “Especially Kids Company Limited” that is a photo studio, and “Kel Geddes Management Limited” which publishes books, does marketing and management.
Nowadays Anna lives in New Zealand with her husband and two daughters.
Anne Geddes
http://www.creativestudio.ru/articles/geddes.php
To me Anne Geddes is an example of an extraordinary photographer. Her pictures are amazing and bring so much joy into this world. Each photograph is unique in its own way. Each one of them tells a story. I can spend hours and hours just looking at them. It is amazing how Anne had become such an influential photographer through such a simple subject matter, which we experience every day of our lives: the miracle of life. She inspires me and forces me to see beauty in this world, in people and nature, which she had so beautifully combined in her work. She also inspires me as a woman to strive and achieve more in life.
Anne Geddes
http://fun-office.com/deti-na-foto-anny-gedes/
Field Journal 10
Paula Scher (b.1948) is an American graphic designer and artist. Scher was among the artist who started the New York retro movement in design, the rediscovery of 20th century graphics characteristic of early Modernism with its use of unconventional typefaces, geographic emphasis and domination of typography over imagery.
Scher finished Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and started out as a record cover art director at Atlantic and CBS Records.
Scher was influenced by art deco movement, Russian constructivism and outdated typefaces. One of her works that reflect the influence of constructivism is Poster for CBS records “Best of Jazz”, 1979.
Paula Scher
Poster for CBS records “Best of Jazz”, 1979
http://www.bobbyaidfw.com/imd1083/paula_scher/index.html
Scher, with her bold approach to designs, had become one of widely popular graphic designers and left a big imprint in the history of American graphic design. She became a co-founder of Koppel & Scher in 1984 and became a partner in Pentagram in 1991, the only woman among 15 partners.
Scher work has changed New York, leaving her mark on the city through her designs for many posters and environmental signs.
The poster for “The Diva Is Dismissed” comedy and music show at the Public Theater shows the influence of Post-Modernism. It is one of the Scher’s most famous posters and is part of Museum of Modern Art collection in New York City.
Paula Scher
Theater poster “The Diva is Dismissed”, 1994
http://www.internationalposter.com/poster-details.aspx?id=USL16743
Scher believed that learning from one’s mistakes is a secret of success, she said "You have to fail in order to make the next discovery. It's through mistakes that you actually can grow."
Scher had worked for many different companies and institutions such as Citibank (design of umbrella logo), Tiffany & Co, The Public Theater, The New York Times Magazine, The American Museum of Natural History, The New York City Ballet and Herman Millar.
Paula Scher
Poster for Ballet Tech, 1997-2000
http://www.missomnimedia.com/2007/07/art-herstory-paula-scher/
Her work for New York City Ballet are among one of my favorites. They are so dynamic and powerful; there is so much movement, so much emotion, yet they are mainly done in black and white.
Paula Scher
Branding for the New York City Ballet, 2008
http://dben.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/paula-scher/
Paula Scher
New York City Ballet Poster, 2008
http://pentagram.com/en/new/2008/01/paula-scher-designs-new-identi.php
It is very easy for the general public to relate to Scher’s work, and it was always her goal. As she says of herself “I've always been what you would call a 'pop' designer. I wanted to make things that the public could relate to and understand, while raising expectations about what the 'mainstream' can be. My goal is not to be so above my audience that they can't reach it.”
I like the simplicity of Scher’s work, but I also like how dynamic it is: it grabs attention, it forces the viewer to engage, it speaks to a viewer and it is not overpowering in it complexity. This is probably the main reason why she became so famous among the world of graphic design, her ability to make the design relevant for the viewer with smart use of typography and imagery.
Scher finished Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and started out as a record cover art director at Atlantic and CBS Records.
Scher was influenced by art deco movement, Russian constructivism and outdated typefaces. One of her works that reflect the influence of constructivism is Poster for CBS records “Best of Jazz”, 1979.
Paula Scher
Poster for CBS records “Best of Jazz”, 1979
http://www.bobbyaidfw.com/imd1083/paula_scher/index.html
Scher, with her bold approach to designs, had become one of widely popular graphic designers and left a big imprint in the history of American graphic design. She became a co-founder of Koppel & Scher in 1984 and became a partner in Pentagram in 1991, the only woman among 15 partners.
Scher work has changed New York, leaving her mark on the city through her designs for many posters and environmental signs.
The poster for “The Diva Is Dismissed” comedy and music show at the Public Theater shows the influence of Post-Modernism. It is one of the Scher’s most famous posters and is part of Museum of Modern Art collection in New York City.
Paula Scher
Theater poster “The Diva is Dismissed”, 1994
http://www.internationalposter.com/poster-details.aspx?id=USL16743
Scher believed that learning from one’s mistakes is a secret of success, she said "You have to fail in order to make the next discovery. It's through mistakes that you actually can grow."
Scher had worked for many different companies and institutions such as Citibank (design of umbrella logo), Tiffany & Co, The Public Theater, The New York Times Magazine, The American Museum of Natural History, The New York City Ballet and Herman Millar.
Paula Scher
Poster for Ballet Tech, 1997-2000
http://www.missomnimedia.com/2007/07/art-herstory-paula-scher/
Her work for New York City Ballet are among one of my favorites. They are so dynamic and powerful; there is so much movement, so much emotion, yet they are mainly done in black and white.
Paula Scher
Branding for the New York City Ballet, 2008
http://dben.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/paula-scher/
Paula Scher
New York City Ballet Poster, 2008
http://pentagram.com/en/new/2008/01/paula-scher-designs-new-identi.php
Paula Scher
Citibank logo, 2006
http://logodesignerblog.com/tag/logo-design-discussion/
Citibank logo, 2006
http://logodesignerblog.com/tag/logo-design-discussion/
Scher logos for Citibank and Tiffany & Co are famous around the world. She has done a lot of work for branding systems of different companies.
Scher’s work can be found in museums around the world: New York Museum of Modern Art, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Meseum, the Zürich Poster Museum, the Denver Art Museum and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. In 1998 she was awarded a recognition of being a part of the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame.
Scher’s work can be found in museums around the world: New York Museum of Modern Art, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Meseum, the Zürich Poster Museum, the Denver Art Museum and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. In 1998 she was awarded a recognition of being a part of the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame.
It is very easy for the general public to relate to Scher’s work, and it was always her goal. As she says of herself “I've always been what you would call a 'pop' designer. I wanted to make things that the public could relate to and understand, while raising expectations about what the 'mainstream' can be. My goal is not to be so above my audience that they can't reach it.”
I like the simplicity of Scher’s work, but I also like how dynamic it is: it grabs attention, it forces the viewer to engage, it speaks to a viewer and it is not overpowering in it complexity. This is probably the main reason why she became so famous among the world of graphic design, her ability to make the design relevant for the viewer with smart use of typography and imagery.
Extra credit - Jim Parkinson
We learned about a lot of different famous graphic designer, illustrators, photographer, artists and typeface designer throughout this quarter in History of Graphic Design class. A lot of great designers live nowadays, too. One of such designers is Jim Parkinson.
Photo of Jim Parkinson
http://www.fontbureau.com/people/JimParkinson/
Jim Parkinson, who was born in 1941, was always interested in letter design. He graduated from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland with a degree in advertising design.
Jim Parkinson designed a lot of newspaper and magazine nameplates. He made the logos for Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus and for Rolling Stone, American rock magazine.
After graduation he worked at Hallmark. He worked with Myron McVay – the primo lettering artist in the art department at Hallmark. Myron McVay taught him a lot about type design and lettering.
He created a lot of different fonts. His fonts are interesting and remind old styles and shapes. He designed some graphic fonts, such as Poster Black and El Grande. Poster Black font is solid and powerful. El Grande is a soft gothic font. This font was used in comic books, for presentation in American grocery stores, in supermarket, in catalogues. Modesto is one of them, it is a hand-lettering and sign painter lettering style. It was used for posters, book covers and advertising in the ’60s and ‘70s. Jimbo is a friendly serif display typeface, it was great for advertising, signs, packaging and brochures. Avebury, another one of Parkinson’s creations, is a cheeky and ultra black letter. It was often used for art catalogue, rock t-shirts and beer label. I often seen this or very similar fonts myself.
Font Poster Black
Font El Grande
Font Modesto
Font Jimbo
Font Averby
Now Parkinson designs logos and fonts, paints, draws and takes photos. He has his own company, called Parkinson Type Design.
Overall Parkinson created over three dozen of retail fonts, and his fonts were purchased by such companies as by Adobe, Agfa/Monotype, FontShop, The Font Bureau, and ITC.
Photo of Jim Parkinson
http://www.fontbureau.com/people/JimParkinson/
Jim Parkinson, who was born in 1941, was always interested in letter design. He graduated from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland with a degree in advertising design.
Jim Parkinson designed a lot of newspaper and magazine nameplates. He made the logos for Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus and for Rolling Stone, American rock magazine.
After graduation he worked at Hallmark. He worked with Myron McVay – the primo lettering artist in the art department at Hallmark. Myron McVay taught him a lot about type design and lettering.
After working for Hallmark, Jim Parkinson came back to Bay Area and began designing logotypes and nameplates for Newsweek, Fast Company, San Francisco Examiner and Esquire. He decided to be an independent lettering artist.
He created a lot of different fonts. His fonts are interesting and remind old styles and shapes. He designed some graphic fonts, such as Poster Black and El Grande. Poster Black font is solid and powerful. El Grande is a soft gothic font. This font was used in comic books, for presentation in American grocery stores, in supermarket, in catalogues. Modesto is one of them, it is a hand-lettering and sign painter lettering style. It was used for posters, book covers and advertising in the ’60s and ‘70s. Jimbo is a friendly serif display typeface, it was great for advertising, signs, packaging and brochures. Avebury, another one of Parkinson’s creations, is a cheeky and ultra black letter. It was often used for art catalogue, rock t-shirts and beer label. I often seen this or very similar fonts myself.
Font Poster Black
Font El Grande
Font Modesto
Font Jimbo
Font Averby
Now Parkinson designs logos and fonts, paints, draws and takes photos. He has his own company, called Parkinson Type Design.
Overall Parkinson created over three dozen of retail fonts, and his fonts were purchased by such companies as by Adobe, Agfa/Monotype, FontShop, The Font Bureau, and ITC.
Field Journal 3 - improved
It was interesting to learn about the process used to develop the new font, Romain du Roi in 1692 in France.
French king Louis XIV ordered a committee of scholars to develop new font for royal printing office. The main idea was that the new font should be developed using scientific principles. The head of the committee of scholars was a mathematician Nicolas Jaugeon.
The committee studied all previous alphabets and type designs before developing the new font. They created a grid with a total of 2304 little squares, a 64 by 36 grid. This is very interesting, especially when taking in account how computer fonts were originally developed. When developing new font, the committee relied on mathematical harmony verified by the use of measurements and drafting tools, rather than calligraphy tools. Of course, a lot of fine details that were visible on the master alphabets did not transfer to the text-size types. Romain du Roi was only allowed to be used by royal printing office and its use by others was considered to be capital offense. This however did not stop the creation of very similar fonts, which yet had to have significant differences not be confused with Romain du Roi.
The creation process of the new font Romain du Roi began 1692 in France. That process lasted for many years to come. It took years of decision making and brainstorming before the first set was actually made. Philippe Grandjean started that process and the font appeared in print for the first time in 1702. However, the complete set of 21 sizes was finished by his successor, Jean Alexandre; it contained roman and italic letters, and it was completed by Louis Luce only in 1745. It took approximately 50 years to complete the font.
Font Romain du Roi, letter “G”
http://www.citrinitas.com/history_of_viscom/masters.html
It is hard to imagine the amount of work that went into creation of this font. New geometric formulas were created to develop the font. It was a radically different approach from previously developed fonts. In the attached images it is clear to see how different geometric forms, such as circles, were used to letter curvature and serifs. Geometric balance and symmetry of the font symbolized the regal power and perfection.
Font Romain du Roi, letter “M”
http://ilovetypography.com/2008/01/17/type-terms-transitional-type/
The font was never sold or given to anybody, even though the king of Sweden express the desire to have it, the king refused. Romain du Roi was not used very much, but it became an inspiration for other fonts.
Font Romain du Roi
http://www.citrinitas.com/history_of_viscom/masters.html
Philippe Grandjean, who was responsible for cutting the typeface, added a softer side to the colder purely geometric font, yet he did not live to see the last development in the Romain du Roi font, he died in 1714.
Reading about the amount of work that went into creating of the font in the past, I am now curious to learn about the creation of font nowadays. The technology, no doubt, had made this process significantly easier, and numerous software available today, make the initial process of design much easier and painless than what it was in the past. Yet I wonder what goes into development of the typeface used to print books and newspaper. I also wonder if the digital books of the future would completely replace the hardcopies of the today and of the past. It’s an ever changing process, and it is interesting to see how technological advances change the possibilities of the graphic design. I doubt that I would ever take the fonts for granted again. Every time I would use a new font I would think what went into its design.
French king Louis XIV ordered a committee of scholars to develop new font for royal printing office. The main idea was that the new font should be developed using scientific principles. The head of the committee of scholars was a mathematician Nicolas Jaugeon.
The committee studied all previous alphabets and type designs before developing the new font. They created a grid with a total of 2304 little squares, a 64 by 36 grid. This is very interesting, especially when taking in account how computer fonts were originally developed. When developing new font, the committee relied on mathematical harmony verified by the use of measurements and drafting tools, rather than calligraphy tools. Of course, a lot of fine details that were visible on the master alphabets did not transfer to the text-size types. Romain du Roi was only allowed to be used by royal printing office and its use by others was considered to be capital offense. This however did not stop the creation of very similar fonts, which yet had to have significant differences not be confused with Romain du Roi.
The creation process of the new font Romain du Roi began 1692 in France. That process lasted for many years to come. It took years of decision making and brainstorming before the first set was actually made. Philippe Grandjean started that process and the font appeared in print for the first time in 1702. However, the complete set of 21 sizes was finished by his successor, Jean Alexandre; it contained roman and italic letters, and it was completed by Louis Luce only in 1745. It took approximately 50 years to complete the font.
Font Romain du Roi, letter “G”
http://www.citrinitas.com/history_of_viscom/masters.html
It is hard to imagine the amount of work that went into creation of this font. New geometric formulas were created to develop the font. It was a radically different approach from previously developed fonts. In the attached images it is clear to see how different geometric forms, such as circles, were used to letter curvature and serifs. Geometric balance and symmetry of the font symbolized the regal power and perfection.
Font Romain du Roi, letter “M”
http://ilovetypography.com/2008/01/17/type-terms-transitional-type/
The font was never sold or given to anybody, even though the king of Sweden express the desire to have it, the king refused. Romain du Roi was not used very much, but it became an inspiration for other fonts.
Font Romain du Roi
http://www.citrinitas.com/history_of_viscom/masters.html
Philippe Grandjean, who was responsible for cutting the typeface, added a softer side to the colder purely geometric font, yet he did not live to see the last development in the Romain du Roi font, he died in 1714.
Reading about the amount of work that went into creating of the font in the past, I am now curious to learn about the creation of font nowadays. The technology, no doubt, had made this process significantly easier, and numerous software available today, make the initial process of design much easier and painless than what it was in the past. Yet I wonder what goes into development of the typeface used to print books and newspaper. I also wonder if the digital books of the future would completely replace the hardcopies of the today and of the past. It’s an ever changing process, and it is interesting to see how technological advances change the possibilities of the graphic design. I doubt that I would ever take the fonts for granted again. Every time I would use a new font I would think what went into its design.
Field Journal 2 - improved
I was very surprised to learn how flexible writing with Egyptian hieroglyphics was. It was interesting to find out that Egyptians could write in four different directions: from left to right vertically, from left to right horizontally, from right to left horizontally and from right to left vertically. Sometimes more than one way of writing was combined in the same work.
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
http://www.ehow.com/how_4829656_translate-ancient-egyptian-hieroglyphics.html
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptwriting.html
I found it very smart that they used the direction in which living creatures were facing to be a way to determine in which direction to read. The asymmetrical hieroglyphs, such as animals or humans, would face the beginning of the line; so if the hieroglyphs were facing left, the direction was from left to right, and vice versa, if the hieroglyphs were facing right, the direction was from right to left.
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
http://truthopia.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/ii-creation-and-the-origin-of-man-a-origin-of-language/
It’s hard to imagine how those manuscripts were read, when no punctuation existed and almost no spaces were used, with exception of some later writings. There are over two thousand picture symbols to represent sounds, words, ideas and thoughts in Ancient Egyptian writing system. Certain images were often used at the end of the word, which helped to separate the words. It is a very complex system; an added flexibility in the direction of writing makes it even more complex. It is also hard to comprehend how the writers had to memorize over 2000 symbols. In comparison the nowadays writing systems of European languages seem extremely easy.
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
http://truthopia.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/ii-creation-and-the-origin-of-man-a-origin-of-language/
Egyptian hieroglyphs, Papyrus of Ani (a section showing cursive hieroglyphs)
Time period: 3200 BC – AD 400
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_hieroglyphs
With the complexity that flexibility of direction had added to Egyptian hieroglyphs, it had its advantages in forms of graphic design. This flexibility allowed the creation of symmetrical inscription. An interesting detail, which explains some of the helpful aspect of being able to change the direction of writing, is that hieroglyphs face in direction of the picture of human being or god to which they referred, as can be seen in the image below. This makes a powerful statement in the design.
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
http://truthopia.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/ii-creation-and-the-origin-of-man-a-origin-of-language/
It is interesting to compare the languages of the past with current day languages. The visual impact of the word had changed dramatically as language was simplified, and yet even today the power of typography in the nowadays designs cannot be undermined. There are so many different typefaces exist today. While the writing systems have changed, the written word still plays a very important role in graphic design.
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
http://www.ehow.com/how_4829656_translate-ancient-egyptian-hieroglyphics.html
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptwriting.html
I found it very smart that they used the direction in which living creatures were facing to be a way to determine in which direction to read. The asymmetrical hieroglyphs, such as animals or humans, would face the beginning of the line; so if the hieroglyphs were facing left, the direction was from left to right, and vice versa, if the hieroglyphs were facing right, the direction was from right to left.
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
http://truthopia.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/ii-creation-and-the-origin-of-man-a-origin-of-language/
It’s hard to imagine how those manuscripts were read, when no punctuation existed and almost no spaces were used, with exception of some later writings. There are over two thousand picture symbols to represent sounds, words, ideas and thoughts in Ancient Egyptian writing system. Certain images were often used at the end of the word, which helped to separate the words. It is a very complex system; an added flexibility in the direction of writing makes it even more complex. It is also hard to comprehend how the writers had to memorize over 2000 symbols. In comparison the nowadays writing systems of European languages seem extremely easy.
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
http://truthopia.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/ii-creation-and-the-origin-of-man-a-origin-of-language/
Egyptian hieroglyphs, Papyrus of Ani (a section showing cursive hieroglyphs)
Time period: 3200 BC – AD 400
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_hieroglyphs
With the complexity that flexibility of direction had added to Egyptian hieroglyphs, it had its advantages in forms of graphic design. This flexibility allowed the creation of symmetrical inscription. An interesting detail, which explains some of the helpful aspect of being able to change the direction of writing, is that hieroglyphs face in direction of the picture of human being or god to which they referred, as can be seen in the image below. This makes a powerful statement in the design.
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
http://truthopia.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/ii-creation-and-the-origin-of-man-a-origin-of-language/
I especially like the colorful example below, the hieroglyphs are facing in the opposite directions make a beautiful symmetrical design, which utilizes the flexibility of the writing system.
Having learned this information about Egyptian hieroglyphs, I start to wonder about such languages as Japanese, Chinese and Korean that remind me the most of the Ancient Egyptian writing system. I wonder how the individual glyphs can be arranged, and how does their meaning change in different arrangements. Granted that those languages no longer has explicit images of the objects, but many of the glyphs actually do represent some particular objects, like water, and also carry different meaning in different combinations and sound information.
It is interesting to compare the languages of the past with current day languages. The visual impact of the word had changed dramatically as language was simplified, and yet even today the power of typography in the nowadays designs cannot be undermined. There are so many different typefaces exist today. While the writing systems have changed, the written word still plays a very important role in graphic design.
Field Journal 1
By browsing through the book and looking at the pictures and notes, I could see that the history of graphic design began with cave painting and rock drawing.
There are a lot of cave and rock paintings in different parts of the world, which shows that graphic depictions have a very long history, ex. Cave painting from Lascaux, c. 15,000-10,000 b.c.
Cave painting of a horse at Lascaux
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lascaux
Lascaux cave painting of an auroch
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/lascaux-caves
Map of the original Lascaux Caves
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/lascaux-caves
There are a lot of cave and rock paintings in different parts of the world, which shows that graphic depictions have a very long history, ex. Cave painting from Lascaux, c. 15,000-10,000 b.c.
Cave painting of a horse at Lascaux
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lascaux
Lascaux cave painting of an auroch
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/lascaux-caves
Map of the original Lascaux Caves
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/lascaux-caves
Running horses and bulls in the Lascaux Caves
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/lascaux-caves
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/lascaux-caves
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