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MIlton Glaser- TED convention

http://www.ted.com/talks/milton_glaser_on_using_design_to_make_ideas_new.html

Jobs

http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/377167-253


http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Internship/151795-297


http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Internship/148090-51

Influential Designer- refined thesis

Milton Glaser is the modern day "renaissance man" and is an excellent example of someone who has been successful and innovative in constantly seeking new avenues of design to explore.

In my paper and presentation I want to highlight and explain the amazing designs of Milton Glaser, and go a step further to show how he has not limited himself by sticking to one medium or style. His passionate and hard-working attitude has made him successful and inspirational to all up-coming designers. I really like someone like Milton because he never become complacent and always worked harder. I respect a mind like his because I feel he has really "stretched it" and used all of it. I like how he can't be "pinned down" to one style, but is constantly evolving and unafraid to try new things. I want to relate that because we have "liberal" educations were already have a good start at being designers. We have not focused on only one thing, but hopefully our background will be sources of inspiration.

My sources:

"The Design of Dissent" by Milton Glaser

The Thames and Hudson encyclopaedia of graphic design and designers /
by Livingston, Alan.; Livingston, Isabella.

http://rogallery.com/Glaser_Milton/Glaser-bio.htm

http://www.oswego.edu/graphics-projects/art317/glaser2/pages/bio.html


http://metroartwork.com/milton-glaser-biography-artwork-m-218.html


(I'm needing to find more books, waukegan & carthage library don't seem to have books solely on him)

Influential Designer- Milton Glaser

Milton Glaser is an amazing individual. He is so iconic for numerous reasons. He has become such a respected and well known "renaissance" graphic designer because of his work ethic, his innovation, and curious exploration of new ways to design and express a concept. I think he is the ultimate modern-day "renaissance man" because he has constantly re-invented himself (like Madonna). His designs have been inspired by everything from oriental calligraphy, art nouveau, geometric forms, Persian art, comic books, and contemporary pop. His one-man exhibits have been featured internationally and he has one numerous lifetime achievement awards. This man has never stopped working. Like Geoffry Tory, he has dabbled in nearly every medium. He has been an instructor at the Visual School of Arts in NY since 1961, re-designed supermarket chains, and even designed an educational playground or children. I think he is really a remarkable man, and an inspiration for designers to never get bored with their work and to always look for other places were design can happen. Milton Glaser is a modern-day Renaissance man American's can be proud of.

"You have to be amazingly consistent and persistent. You have to work like hell. You cannot become an excellent practioneer without constantly working hard all your life."- Milton Glaser

Before Class 04/14/10

Corporate Identity

After World War II America's economy was thriving. Important corporations were at the fore front of changing techonology and advancements. The head of these corporations realized as consumerism grew and more people were buying their products than ever before, they would need a way to simply and effectivly relate their company to the consumer through a symbol. The Olivetti corporation did their part in creating a "image" by hiring Giovanni Pintori. He joined the publicity team and was in charge of creating a "systematic design program." This did not meant that they had the same logo on everything, but rather the same feeling or style in their promotions because it was done by one person. CBS television was really the leader in creaitng a corporate identity. More people than ever before had television sets, and they knew they needed to make their company known on all things it accompanied ("from shipping labels to press releases") They did not create a single typeface for the company to use but rather a series of intelligent design. They changed their logo or typeface depending on the medium. "Emphasis was placed on concepts that quickly captured teh essence of each program using the connotative power of signs, symbols, and images."(meggs, 401.) Georg Olden was really the innovator behind this idea at CBS. He was the first African-American to gain recognition as a grahic designer. He eventually designed for the United States Post Office. It was a huge honor as he designed the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Finally, New Haven Railraod created a systematic style and design for their company that began on letter heads and extended to the fabric of the inside of the train cars. They unified their entire company by style, color, design, and typeface. We can definitly recognize this concept in companies today such as the red and white of the target logo and stores. Their logo is red and their stores have red carts, chairs, and check out counters.
Most interesting to me was AT&T design. I like how they took the idea and image of information bits circling the globe.
We can recognize all of these corporate logos but it's interesting to know the thought processes behind them.
I would be curious to know if it is super difficult to change the logos of companies such as CBS and IBM that have been around forever. They risk a lot by changing what people are familiar with.

After Class 04/12/10

New York School

Chuck gave his presentation about the New York School and highlighted the many designers and innovators who changed this modern movement in the 1940's. Paul Rand was an editorial designer who "reduced visual forms to their symbolic essence." He used universal signs that everyone could understand to rely messages. This movement like many others we studied were apart of a series of movements that reduced and simplified the message. Alvin Lustig designed several book covers and used symbols to "capture the essence of the content." He believed form and content were "as one." Bradbury Lustig used recycled resources and typographic expression changing scale and color to rely a message. Saul Bass brought the movement from New York out west to L.A. He reduced images even more to a "singular, all-encompasing image." He was the first to unify print and media for film. Alvin Ersenmann was the first designer to begin a program for graphic design at a major university.
The New York School also experimented with large-format publications, but it was quickly dismissed due to publishing and material costs. The greatest impact we can see this movement had is on magazine covers. New editorial design used one large headline and creative writng in the body of the text. On magazine covers we can see this in "The New Yorker" and "TIME" magazine. They have one headline, or a few at most.
The most interesting thing I learned from the movement was about it's influences on film openings. The combination of text and music can be very powerful and set the mood for the entire film. Sometimes its boring seeing all these people's names pop up on screen who you have no idea who they are, nor care. BUT, when the film has interesting typography and music it makes it much more enjoyable.

Before Class 04/12/10

Because of the wars over in Europe, many designers fled to safe harbor in New York. While in America, the two cultures and design styles combined. "European design was often theoretical and highly structured; American design was pragmatic, intuitive, and less formal." What emerged was "New York Style." It was influenced by the capitalistic American society, freedom of expression and ideas, and "direct presentation of information." One of the designers who was most influential to this movement was Paul Rand. By the age of twenty-three, he was already working as an editor and designer for magazines. He was a such a good designer because he understood symbols very well. He knew the power and emotion a simple symbol can evoke in people. He was also influenced by the abstract artists Klee and Kandinsky. In his design he combined the freedom of form that a Klee employed, as well as the obvious meaning symbols had. He used collages and montages in his work. He was also one of the first designers to work closely with a copywriter. With Bill Berbach, he could "create a synergistic visual-verbal integreation. Later in life, Rand focused his efforts on trademarks and corporate designs, as the American society evolved into a much more corporate and branding culture. The New York school was about pushing the limit. It was about trying new things, playing with colors, shapes, text, and ultimately creating a symbolically understood message.
Graphic designers of this movement also changed education. Alvin Lustig was the first to develop a graphic design program at Yale University. Finally, the New York school influenced film. Print and media graphic were combined to create unified logos, posters, and film titles. Typography combined with music and the exciting opening of the film was created.
I would be curious to know what city designers flock to now. Is New York still the "hot spot?"

Before Class 04/09/10

The International Typographic style is also known as "Swiss design." Fittingly it began in Switzerland in the 1950's. It can be recognized by it's "asymmetrical organization of the design elements on a mathematically constructed grid." Information is presented in simple, clear, and concise formats. There are no "exaggersted calims of propaganda and commercial advertising." Unlike other artists and designers we read about who believed art should be kept separate from involving itself in public affairs, this movements believed design could be beneficial to social issues. However, they chose to do so in simplified ways without ornate, busy, or complex designs. As the modern times were evolving this design style leaned on the scientific approach to design. "Achieving clarity and order" was the main concern. One of the leaders of this movement was Ernst Keller from Switzerland. He taught at the school in Zurich his own lettering and trademarks. "He established a standard of excellence." His posters were colorful and full of symbolic imagery. The School of Design in Basel had influences from Bauhaus and De Stijl. Theo Ballmer's use of geometric grid design could be seen in his lettering and "formal harmony." Max Bill changed the books were designed. Instead of indented paragraphs h eused a "ragged right margin."
Photographs that were enlarged were used for this modern design as well. Innovations in photography and darkrooms allowed close-up images to be transformed into paintable abstract images.
I would be interested in knowing how design influenced science or vise versa? Did any designers double as scientists? Did they use microscopes? Do any artists today use solely microscopes to find inspiration for design?

Before Class 04/07/10

American Kitsch
The word "kitsch" is from German and means "in bad taste." It began in America around the 1950's. It was influenced by those who weren't "mainstream." It began by rebels like James Dean. The American Youth soon adopted this style of a "creative radical." Laid-back looks of jeans and t-shirts became popular. Futuristic styles were also popular, using curves and lines. Shapes that had round features were favored. Artist Norman Rockwell who designs hundreds of covers for the "The Saturday Evening Post" was also influential in his representations of the "American life." Exaggerated facial expressions and forms were typical of this movement in comic books and advertisements. Pulp fiction books became popular during this period as well. The look had a "hand drawn" feel to it. Lettering on billboards, signs, and posters was often cursive script and casual looking. This movement was colorful, casual, and represented American youth culture during the 1940's-1950's. Now in the present day the style is still present.
I read that this movement is not taught in design schools. Why?

After Class 03/31/10

Today Mark gave a good presentation about the Art Deco movement. The movement has many of nicknames it is known by including: Style Changel, Style Poinet, Skyscraper Style, Vertical Style, NY style, Art Moderne, and Jazz Style. It was influenced by both the Arts & Crafts movement as well as Art Nouveau. In the designs you can see images of Egyptian, Aztec, Assyrian, and Oriental design motifts. When looking at a building, design, or poster you can tell it is Art Deco if it meets these four requirements.
1. Has Geometric & Linear forms.
2. Employs the "less is more" belief.
3. There is a distortion of reality.
4. Is current- Is "representational of the time period."
And finally the typography of the time period used type as imagery, and not just letters. "Broadway" is most representational of using sans-serif typeface. Art Deco style spread to French, Germany, Switzerland, England.

Before Class 03/31/10

It wasn't until 1966 that Art Deco became a recognized movement, despite the fact it took place over forty years before. In 1925 there was a French art exposition at e Musee des Arts Decoratifs. However, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce banned any Americans from atteding the event. Instead, he sent experts in the field of design and architecture to sort of act as spies. He wanted them to learn about the new styles at the expositon and try to integrate them with American architecture.
Art deco style was interesting in the fact that it was simplistic, geometric, but also maintained connections to nature and botany. Another interestig aspect is how it combined styles of European, American, and South American designs. It was like a melting pot. "Additional inspiration came from American Indian models and Pre-Columbian structures." It was a mix of old with new. The past, present, and future were all taken to heart. The world economy was weak due to World Wars, but that didn't mean they couldn't create beautiful things. They just weren't as elaborate Victorian or Rococo designs. America was becoming more of a diverse society as immigrats from all over flooded the country. "American Art Deco conveyed both beauty and strength in a time when economic depression left much of the country unemployed and embittered. During the 1930s many public buildings were decorated in the Art Deco style, exuding nationalism through massive structures with great coloring, inspiring murals and strong sculpture reminiscent of Roman republicanism."
I like how art deco still maintained itself as a new creative art form despite depressing wars, economic troubles and uncertainties.
I would be curious to know WHY Herbert Hoover didn't allow Amercans to go to the exposition. Was art deco solely found in America?

I really liked this stained glass picture above. It's awesome.

After Class 03/29/10

Today Joslyn gave her presentation about Bauhaus. It began as a merger of the Veimar Arts & Crafts school and the Weimar Art Academy. After WW1, Walter Gropius took it over and wanted to "unify the artist & craftsmen." He wanted to teach the students to be inspired by Expressionism, De Stijl, and Constructivism. It's methods of teaching altered as well, in 1925, they decided to scratch the master, journeyman, philosopher method. Instead they focused on just the professor and student relationship. Gropius wanted students to find their own style rather than be taught HOW they should paint, create, and express. Unfortunately, Nazi Germany took over, and found the Bauhaus school not worthy of staying open, and all teachers and professors had to flee to America or other countries. Eventually a Bauhaus school was opened in Chicago, and later changed it's name to the Institute of Design.
Some other great designers of the Bauhaus movement were Eric Gill, the creator of Gill Sans, Perpetua, and Golden Cockeral Type. Paul Renner created Futura and Stanley Morisson created Times New Roman for the Times of London. Which later became the most widely used Typeface of the 20th Century.
This time period was about a lot of experimentation in typography. A lot of typographic designs were about assymetrical styles that expressed " spirit, life, and visual sensibility." Despite Nazi Germany's strict rules, Bauhaus stayed devoted to creating new typography and designs.
I would be curious to know if the Institute of Design and technology stays connected to it's Bauhaus roots? Do all art schools have a certain "style" or "technique" of design they follow and teach the students? Or is that a thing of the past?

Before Class 03/29/10

The 1900's were a dark time for a lot of the world. There were two world wars, and numerous violent overthrows of governments. Russia was not immune to any of this. They country was impacted by the first World War and then the Russian Revolution. However, during these dark times, there was a "brief flowering of creative art in Russia." A combination of cubism and futurism emerged called "cubo-futurism." Russian books were created that were agaisnt "czarist Russia." Kasimir Malevich was an influential artist who developed a painting style called "suprematism." Malevich wanted to abandone the geometric style of cubism and instead paint "expression of feeling, seeking no practical values, no ideas, no promised land." He believed what was most important was how the viewer experienced the painting, it's color and form. Artists who agreed with Malevich used this style to go agaisnt the Russian government and further the revolution. They wanted to abandon all the art of conservatives. However, not all artists agreed that art should be involved with society and politics. Malevich himself and Kandinsky thought that "art must remain an essentially spiritual activity apart from the utilitarian needs of society." They wanted to keep art and politics seperate so as neither of them to pollute or influence the other. Vladimir Tatlin believed the opposite, and he used art to further the communist values of Russia.
The most famous Russian of this period was Lissitzky. This visionary artist changed graphic design forever. Because he was Jewish, he was turned down by the Petrograd Academy of Arts, so he instead went to Germany for his schooling. Encouraged by the headmaster of his school, he invented a painting style called PROUNS. It was an acronym for "Projects for the Establishment of a new Art" This type of art was concerned with created 3D images and illusions in painting. Lissitzky was hopeful that the Russian revolution and communism would "provide for society's needs, and the artist..would forge a unity between art and technology by constructing a new world of objects to provide mankind with a richer society and environment." He designed for Wendingen magazine that was a catalyst for artists and designers to share their work and ideas. He created most of his designs on graph paper demonstrating the "modular structure and mathematical order." His designs also affect book design, as he tried to arrange the words and page designs act as a "violin accompanies a piano." Lissitzky developed rules and organization for how books were to be arranged in columns and rows.
De Stijl was a movement that began in the Netherlands. It was concerned with working with abstract geometric style. Philopsher M.H.J. Shoenmaker beleived that horizontal and vertical lines represented opposite forces in our world, and the primary colors; yellow, blue, and red should be only used. The artists of this movement were very concerned with equilibrium and harmony and purity. Mondrians most famous piece (Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue 1922) is said to create "assymetrical balance, with tension between elements, achieved absolute harmony."

After Class 03/24/10

Kai gave her presentaion about the Pictorial Modernism movement. It took place between 1900-1945, when the two World Wars took place. There were three styles of posters that flourished during this period. Beggarstaff was a style that fashioned together pieces of cut paper and glued it to a board. Flat panels of color were used, and sensitive cut edges made it appear scissors drew the work. James Pryde was a famous designer who employed this method. The second style of design was called Plakastil. This design really tried to simplify things to their most essential details rather than crowd it up wit unnecessary complex designs. Lucian Bernhard won a design contest for "Priester" matches. His design emplified minimalist form. Plakastil was all about taking images with complex or deeper meanings, and reducing them to a very simple and obvious message. Sachplakate was the third style. It was similar the German Plakastil, but had more "hyper-realistic" characteristics. Colors and forms were enhanced.
The posters of this era were often concerned with the "war-time effort." In American the posters stressed the need for family. They were much softer looking, more idyllic pictures of children and American life. However, in Germany they were the opposite. Strong iron-clad fists were depicted, and dark images of metal clad helmets.
Ludqig Holwein created some interesting posters for Germany as Hitler's personal graphic designer. He worked for Jugend magazine. He was inspired by Beggarstaff originally.
Art Deco emerged also during this period, it was an extension of Art Nouveau.
The Englishman Edward Kauffer. He created 141 posters for London Underground.
Other designers were Paul Colin who designed close to 2,000 posters, and 800 set designs. The most notable poster that emerged from this period was the American war poster of Uncle Sam. It was designed by James Montgomery Flagg who drew himself into the picture as Uncle Sam. It's bright, bold, and simple. It gets the message across easily and effectively.
I would be more interested in knowing if other coutnries had recruiting posters like England and America. Also, does the Daily Herald still do awesome desingns on their covers like Kauffer had made?

After Class 03/22/10

Today Jenn gave her presentation about the Modern Arts movement. Just how the society and environment effect what cave men, egyptians, and people of the renaissance wrote and draw about the same can be said about the 20th century environment. Big huge cities were popping up, radio was spreading, world wars were beginning, and for the first time ever humans could fly- in airplains. These factors changed the way we think about the world, our neighbor, and our place in the world. Cubists wanted the viewer and artist to change the way they thought about an object. It "challenged pictorial art" and the typical style in which human figures had been painted for hundreds of years. Paintings were created by putting together different fragments of what they eye sees- color, shape, form.
Futurism was interesting in that it rebelled against the machine age, modern life, and war. "Emotionally charged" poetry led the revolt. Originality in poetry and design was held at a higher esteem. Filippo Marinetti changed the way we think about tyographic wording.
The DADA movement was "anti-art." They rebelled against all tradition forms and ideas of what is considered Art. Often there pieces angered people, but that was the point. They were mocking what people considered the "Greatest art" like The Mona Lisa.Although they may seem like a bunch of punks, the people who were apart of the DADA movement stirred emotions in people. It made they question WHY they were getting so angry a piece like the Mona Lisa was getting defaced.However, with no organization or leader the movement died off in 1922.
The Surrealists came next in 1924. This had a huge impact on photography. The way a photo was developed altered, and lighter pictures were made. Frottage, which is a technique of rubbing over something to create an image became popular.
In Expressionsim color and proportion were bent out of shape. Paul Klee and Kandinsky were two artists that belonged to this movement. Die Blaue Reiter was the school they belonged too that showed "deep human emotion through color, line, and form"
I would be curious to know if Chanel was influenced by Futurism. There's a quote by Coco Chanel (?) that says, "In order to irreplaceable one must always be different"
I think it would be interesting to explore how all the movements we studied influenced fashion.

Before Class 03/22/10

I think there are some really exciting people and ideas in the modern art movement. The first notable person who had a huge impact was Pablo Picasso. Although I'm not sure if I completely understand cubism, it is interesting to me. He and Paul Cezanne changed the way we understand the eye and how it works. Instead of seeing a human form, Pablo forced the viewer to see a human form in all geometric shapes and angles. They thought a paitner "should treat nature in terms of the cylinder and the sphere and the cone." It is like analyzing what your eye does when it looks at an object. The way your pupil, iris, rods and cones flip and absorb color, shape, and form and then send a message to your brain. Cubism branched off into synthetic cubism. "The essence of an object and it's basic characteristic, rather than it's outward appearance were depicted." This means that a painter was trying to relate the soul, spirit, and feeling of an object. What cannot be seen was just as important as what was visually obvious. Fernard Leger's take on cubism had a big affect of graphic design. His flat colored and urban pictures were characteristic of design post World War 1.
Futurism is another interesting movement because it all started with a poem. Futurists were inspired by Filippo Marinetti. They were concerned with freedom and spontaneity, " Leaps and burst of style running through the page." Things were not always planned out, instead their energy just appeared. The futurists used bright bold words on pages to relate energy, noise, and speed. All of this was influenced by the advancements in technology in the 20th century. This movement had a great impact of graphic design, as I can see in the present time all the designs and songs that are illustrated with typeface design and movement. Finally, the Dada movement was the rebellious movement that reacted against war. They were concerned with the "shock factor" They wanted people to not be complacent, but passionate thinking and questioning individuals. Marcel Duchamp was a French painter who championed this movement. Although much of his work was controversial he got people to think about WHY they were angered by what he did.
Surrealism was another interesting movement that was heavily influenced by Freud's belief in the importance of dreams and exploring the unconscious. This movement explored the mystery of the mind and the things that are unknown. Salvador Dali championed this movement as his paintings were nothing recognizable except we can all relate to the strangeness of dreams. Surrealists were searching for the "real world" beyond the "real world". The "real world" that exists inside our head, outside of the real world we live in.
I am somewhat confused as to understanding how cubists used the rods and cons in their eyes to paint something. Did they study the science of vision first?

After Class 03/19/10

Peter Behrns is created with being the first designer to create a "visual identification program" for a company. What this means is he created a standard logo, color, and look to "brand" the company AEG. We may take this for granted in our modern era because we are familiar with so many brands. This is quite an achievement because Behrns recognized the benefit repetition of style for a company would have. It would make it so much more memorable and hopefully profitable because people would be able to relate good feelings with recognition. Behrns also was concerned with typography. He considered it the "most characteristic picture of a period." I agree that you can tell a lot about a certain time in history and the people by what their writing looked like. Going back, we can obviously see the Sumerians and Egyptians were concerned with farming. Later we see during the times of the renaissance, religious literature was beautifully written. Behrns advanced the use of sans-serif type. He was giving writing a very clean look. This style was called "New Objectivity." Rather than be concerned with fanciful elaborate designs, this style was about simplicity and focusing on the needs of the industry. Behrns represented two concepts: Neoclassicism and Sachlichkeit. He designed a tea kettle that was simple and functional. He "eliminated social class recognitions."
Other breakthroughs in New Objectivity were the first sign for the London Underground railway system. It was created in 1890 and designed by Frank Pick. His poster to advertise the railway was bold, bright, and stood out. He used positive and negative space with bright blue, red, and white colors. His design became the blue print for "corporate design."
I think it's interesting to see how design began to become simpler looking. With all advancements in technology, the most important thing the industry needed was for it to be practical and functional. I would be curious to know if London has ever considered re-doing the UNDERGROUND sign

After Class 03/17/10

Today, Patrick gave his presentation about the lead designers, architects, and influences behind the movement that began at the turn of the century. Frank Llyod Wright was a major influence. He was born in Wisconsin, but the houses he designed stretched across the midwest and into Arizona as well. His homes were "prairie style" homes, and was considered to be way ahead of his time for his visionary thinking. He designed not only the exterior, but all aspects of the house. The interior windows, furniture, and set up were all decided by Wright. His vision was for the house to all be "in sync." All parts of the house flowed together harmoniously. Wright was also a graphic designer. In the winter of 1896, he and William Winslow printed "The House Beautiful" which was written by Rev. C. Gannett. Wright meticulously designed the borders that accompanied every page.
The Glasgow school of the arts produced four tight nit designers and architects who were fans of Wright. "The Four" who were Mackintosh, McNair, and the MacDonald sisters created new geometric designers similar to the geometric designs found in Wright's stained glass and houses. Their designs were streamlined but also had curved floral elements at the end of them. "The four" also designed rooms that were anti-Victorian. They were white walled rooms, that flooded with light and contained few objects as opposed to the overstuffed and busy Victorian rooms. In the posters they designed, they were also the first artists to distort a human body. This was considered very controversial. Other designers were Jessie Marion King and Tawlin Morris who were influenced by medieval style fantasy illustrations. Morris also became the director of the Glasgow school.
The Vienna Secession was a group of students who outed themselves from the Kunstlerhaus school. They rejected what they were learning there and wanted to explore new design and styles. Their greatest accomplishment was "Ver Sacrum" which means "sacred spring". It was a magazine that illustrated the innovative and ever chaning creative designs are artists and editors. It had 300 subscribers, but they always printed 600 copies. This was so that more people could be exposed to their new designs. It was a "design laboratory" where many artists created and pushed the envelope in designs.
The magazine ran for only five years; from 1898-1903. I would be curious to know why it did not suceed? Were they not making any money on it? Did artists go onto other projects and disband?

Before Class 03/17/10

At the end of the 19th century there was a push, vision, and hope for a new direction in the arts. People and artists questioned the philosophies, rules, and styles of old and sought out new inspirations. There were many many influential people in this period who helped further these ideas. One of the most notable figures was the American architect Frank Llyod Wright. He became known for his ideas about architecture, and how ones "living space" should be approached. He believed that the most important part of the house was the inside, and how it would be functional to the individuals living there as a place of work, play, and relaxation. He was influenced by Japancese designs and looked for "a model of harmonious proportion and visual poetry." He was also influenced by geometric and mathematical designs of pre-colombian architecture. Straight lines, and evenly spaced proportions were important to him. He also valued white and blank space. As a printer, in his basement he recognized the importance of careful layout, design, and execution. He became known across Europe especially to the Glasgow school of Art in Scotland. Four scholars, who became known as "The Four" were especially fond of his vision. Charles Mackintosh, Herbert McNair, Frances & Margaret Macdonald all colaborated and shared ideas of this movement. They produced works with "lyrical originality, and symbolic complexity." Floral designs, mystical, and religious symbols were all employed by these designers. Bold, and simple lines were typical of their flat-color posters. The simplicity and "fairy-tale" imagery was a complete change for the busy, elaborate, and ornate styles of years past. Their ideas spread across Europe to Vienna. However, they were not always welcomed. "The Four" and the Creative Artist's Association in Vienna all had to fight to get their works on display. Painter Gustav Klimt led the revolt in Vienna. In Vienna much of their imagery was found in Greek mythology. After Glasgow, Vienna became an area of importance and "creative innovation." The Secession artists used more borders and headpieces than the Glasgow people,but they still maintained the simplistic and clean layouts the movement believed in.
I would be curious to know more about the influence this movement had on nursery rhymes. When I see many of the pictures, they often remind me of children's stories.

Before Class 02/26/10

The impacts of the Industrial Revolution are almost immeasurable. It changed our world and the way we can manipulate, create, and produce commodities at a much faster rate. For the first time, farming was not the main source of income for most people. Mass amounts of people left the rural areas and flooded into the cities. Animal power was replaced by machines and steam-power. The machine was not the most resourceful tool in society. It was faster and more efficient than humans. Because of this, handicrafts and skilled tradesmen were no longer needed. Machines mass produced everything at cheaper costs. As far as communication goes, this was the beginning of Mass Communication. Friedrich Koenigh developed the high speed printer. It was also the beginnings of advertising. Posters were hung around towns in vibrant colors. Producing and consuming was the main goal of the industrial revolution. With faster printmaking, typeface also changed. The new fonts were BOLD. "Fat Face", "Egyptian or slabface" both had "load-bearing slabs." They were huge letter forms that got your attention right away. To people these days, they might look like the typical "Wild West" fonts. Also, letter forms in newspapers and books were "sans serif." To us, this is MUCH easier to read, but to people back then they had a difficult time reading the smaller, thinner, letter forms. It is quite amazing that from 1450-1800 there were virtually no changes in the printing press. In one machine, the way we communicate, and how quickly we can receive information is changed. This was the beginning of the world becoming "faster."
I would be curious to know what happened to all the land that people left to go to the city? Did countries buy it up? or did other rich people? Land used to mean wealth and power, and it is surprising people would move away from it.

After Class 03/05/10

Art Nouveau was a movement about creativity, invention, and pushing the "norm." Many art movements and styles have been an extension of another type, but Art Nouveau really wanted to push the envelop with the new ways of creating, designing, and using materials in art. The style reached all avenues of design; architecture, furniture, typeface, and posters. It began in France, and spread across Europe and eventually to America by means of Harper's magazine. The style was " organic, linear, and imaginative." The famous burlesque house of "Moulin Rouge" had posters designed that represented the Art Nouveau movement. Henri de Toulouse-Lautree designed the poster style for Moulin Rouge. Vincent Van Gaugh and Paul Gaugin were also influenced by this style. Across the pont in America, Louis Rhead advertised in Harper's magazine with "vibrant unexpected color combinations" It was an "eclectic style" like no one had ever seen before them. What I think is most interesting about this style is the colors of of the posters. It doesn't have the "natural" feel like designs of the "arts & crafts" movement, yet it is not uncomfortable. It looks NATURAL, just not so heavily relied on NATURE. I really enjoy the beautiful posters. It has a simplistic quality, yet we can tell it is not because the colors are so vibrant. It really is attention-grabbing. I would be curious to know more about where the posters were seen generally. Would they only in Paris? Was America's exposure to this style only in magazines?

Before Class 03/05/10

Like many art movements, there are numerous contributing factors that influenced the style. Historical, cultural and political forces all had an influence on the movement that began in Paris in 1890. Chinese art was a style all of it's own. Citizens of the East were banned from visiting other places. Because their land, people, and country was all they knew and could be exposed to, that is what they drew. The art was beautiful almost dreamlike pictures. Most commonly art was of beautiful women, flowers, birds, and nature scenes. Kitagawa Utamaro was a great artist of the late 1700's. There was great detail and "tenderness" in his artwork. Chinese art had a "kinetic energy." Katshuhika Hokusai created the most pieces of art; 35,000. Japanese books of art were meticulously planned out, arranged, and styled using "tecture, density, and dramatic action."
Finally at the turn of the century, Eastern influences began to pervade western art. Like most art forms this style reaches all avenues of design; architecture, typography, fashion, graphics, and print. It began in Paris and was called "New Art" because it was not influenced by anything else. The vines and lines were free. Graphics were invented and not just copied from nature. The was a whole movement of art because it was about finding new avenues for inspiration. The two artists that championed this movement the most was Cheret and Grasset. When French rules about censorship dropped, they began creating this art nouveau style. Posters filled the streets and galleries were stocked with new design. Cheret was the inventor of the modern day poster we see today. Posters were dominated by illustrations now, rather than large bulky letters and words. This was also a new style of women in advertising. Cheret portrayed them as the "ideal woman." They encompassed all that a woman now had. They had freedom, happiness, were self-assured, and living life to the fullest with wine and cigarettes. Grassat created posters and designed books more influenced by nature than advertising. In England, books were reprinted in the art nouveau style. Shortly art nouveau spread across the pond to the United States. Flat color was the style, and design was less busy.
I would be curious to know what type of censorship there was in France and why?

After Class 03/01/10

Today in class we discussed further the impact of the Industrial Revolution on design. Most notably is the development of the camera as an important tool in spreading ideas, recording history, and in advertising. The camera was developed by chemists. Also, during this time advertising became much more prevalent. Large colored posters were now common sights. Color became a huge part of design. Books and posters all had vivid colors. Typeface design on posters was large with huge serifs. Although to our eye it might look disorganized and difficult to read, this was the style of the times.
Also in class we made up time lines in order of how writing and design has progressed. My group noted how art began combining words and pictures early on. Hieroglyphics would be the first example of this. Later illuminated manuscripts also achieved this with beautiful results.
I would be curious to know how much one of the first camera's would have cost?

After Class 02/19/10

Today we had a debate over who was the most important Renaissance man. I had Geoffroy Tory and without a doubt in my mind he was the most important figure. It amazed me how many different professions and occupations he not only held but exceeded in. He was a professor, author, poet, printmaker, calligrapher, etc. He revolutionized the French language and made rules about pronunciation. His influence is still felt today by all those who speak French. Aldous Manutius was also an interesting man. He created the first pocket-sized book. This allowed knowledge to be carried with you. It allowed people to leave home, travel, and take ideas with them. Making things smaller has always been useful to humans; cell phones, camcorders, and personal music devices. I think what was most interesting about Ratdolt was the books he created about lunar eclipses. He saw the need for people to have things explained to them to ease their fears. All three of these men were important people because they saw the need to change things. However, I think because of Tory's background he could see the "bigger picture." I think it goes along with the benefits of having a liberal education. You become a "well-rounded" person.

Weekly Image 02/19/20

I choose this image of a poster for the movie "The Book of Eli" for several reasons. I have just recently seen the movie and I thought it had interesting ideas relating to our class. In the movie, Denzel Washington's charcter, Eli, is the only man left on earth with a copy of the Christian Bible. He is almost killed for it. It is a post-apocolyptic earth without law or government. People value books the way they did before the printing press. This movie represented a world that was the opposite of the Renaissance period. Only a few people were literate. These people held great power over the rest. Also, many people were now blind. I thought this was interesting to think about. The Renaissance gave power to more people. People were no longer "in the dark" about ideas. This movie made me think about how different our world would be if all of a sudden books vanished.I think the movie was right in showing the power books have in society. It just makes the renaissance that much more amazing. Religion began to lose it's power during this time. Before the church controlled everything, but now people were able to have their own individual thoughts. The movie poster says " Religion is power" but to go further it is the knowledge of religion or any type of information that is powerful. I think we might take for granted how much knowledge can be easily accessed by the computer. All my papers and projects are stored on my computer. If my computer were to crash and I hadn't saved my information on a external hard drive I would be without power. The person who had power would be someone who had the information I needed.

Before Class 02/18/10

Chapter 7 & 8

Chapter 7 studies the Renaissance period and the evolution of graphic design and printmaking across Germany, Italy, and France. It also highlights some of the most influential figures in design's history. The Renaissance revolutionized type design, page layout, ornaments, illustration, and the design of the book. In Italy, Venice was an important city because it was closest to the Eastern world and the rest of Europe. Johannes de Spira traveled to Venice and stayed there for five years. During this time he created a much more readable roman font and was also the first to include page numbers on a book. He made books easier to read by designing spaces between letters, words, and overall layout. Egyptian hieroglyphics also had a revival as more people began stamping their trademark designs onto books. Design also began to include ornate floral decoration of wildflowers and vines. The first title page to a book was included in 1476 by Erhard Ratdolt. The subject matter of books changed from religious material to math and sciences. Once confusing and troubling issues about eclipses and the cosmos could now be explained by scientists in books. This led to people no longer fearing natural phenomenon's in nature. "A new concern for human potential" was the new subject matter in books. Instructions and how to create things were put into books therefore revealing human's capabilites in the math's and sciences, rather than leaving everything up to God. Manutius was an important figure because he saw the need for smaller, pocket sized books to be created using smaller text. Calligraphers also became important figures in Italy because state and business documents needed to be created. However, this was short lived in Italy because France invaded and began a 50-year war with Italy in 1527. King Francis of France encouraged the Renaissance attitudes of Italy and gave "generous support" to humanists, authors, and visual artists. Book design really took off in France and this became known as the "golden age of typography." However there were conflicts with religious leaders who wanted to censor the material being printed.
One of the most important figures was Geoffery Toy he worked until he was 81 designing, illustrating, engraving, and selling books. He transformed roman capital letters. His creation Horae was an important creation because it had an "innovative attitude toward form, and a precise harmony of...text, capital initials, borders, and illustrations." Books began to look much more like what they do today. He wrote and published his own books about the "science of proper and true proportions." it included how to form letters and how to properly pronounce them. This man was completely and utterly devoted to typography and training the best to learn after him.
Chapter 8
The 17th century was somewhat chaotic for typography and design. The French king Louis XIV reinstated academicians to study previous types and recreate a new design. A mathematical approach was taken and a square was divided into units of 2,304 tiny squares. The type created had fewer calligraphic strokes because it was created with a chisel. This type of font was also only available for the King to use on official documents. Other typefounders were careful not to copy it. In 1702, the Medailles folio was created which showed the new type of font which was "transitional roman." The art and architecture from 1720-1770 was known as rococo. It was made up of complex designs inspired by nature and "S" and "C" curves. in 1737 Fournier de Jeune tried to decrease the complexities of type and design going on a created a "table of proportions."
Englishmen John Pine was an amazing engraver and created some beautiful works as the "chief engraver of seals for the King of England."
This most interesting thing I learned from Chapters 7 & 8 was learning that phenomenon's like eclipses could finally be explained in books and quiet people's fears. Knowledge is power!
I would be curious to know why there were no female typographer or engravers.

After Class 02/17/10

Today we discussed how printmaking began and the impact it had on the world. The invention of the printing press changed the world forever. Before Gutenberg created it, books and manuscripts were rare and tiresome materials to reproduce. There was a very high rate of illiteracy. The only medium in which people understood the same symbols was through playing cards.
Once printmaking began it was a very expensive process. It required several people's efforts. There had to be a paper and parchment maker, typfounder, printer, designer, wood cutter, illuminator, and book binder.
However as this process was perfected and printing could be done at faster speeds, more books and posters could be created. Illustrations were reproduced and people were able to learn better about a variety of subjects from mathematics to anatomy once there was visual representations to refer to along with the text. This led to an increase in literacy. Durer created an illustration of a rhinoceros and for the first time Europeans were able to see this magnificent creature. Printing changed the way people thought about the world and what it was made up of.
The most amazing outcome I find that the invention of the printing press had was the beginnings of thought and logic. People were finally able to write down their ideas, and this led to an increase in individual thought. The most notable example of this to the Christian church is Martin Luther's led Protestant Reformation. Because he had the ability to write his own works and compare those to others he was able to create new thoughts about Christianity that had not yet been explained. It is also important to note that the printing press was invented right before the Renaissance period. Europe had gone through some very difficult time (Dark Ages, Plague) and the printing press was a sort of light that shown unto the world. It allowed thoughts, ideas, and literature to spread across the world. It is one of the greatest inventions of mankind. I would be curious to know what kind of impact the printing press had on changing the education system. Also, what happened to scribes since their services were no longer needed? I would also be curious to question how public records benefited or changed. Since more reproductions of paper could be made (filing taxes, marriage license, etc.) did society become much more organized? This topic is fascinating I could ponder all day about the impacts of the printing press.

Before Class 02/17/10

Before JoHann Gutenberg invented movable type and the printing press books and manuscripts were extremely rare. A manuscript took four to five months to complete and owning a copy of one was like owning a very large piece of land. Only the wealthy were able to have copies. Cambridge University had only 122 manuscripts books in 1424. The world was quite different them and knowledge could not be easily accessed unless you were to come into money. For those who were not literate or did not have money, they had playing cards. Although they were outlawed, kings and peasants alike all enjoyed playing cards. They were the first access some people had to creations from a printing press. European block printings were also a type of creation that was preceded the printing press. Woodcut pictures with religious text were carved into wood and often highlighted with watercolor paints. They were like modern day comic books, and easy for the semi-literate to understand. One common subject was the "Art of Dying." These woodcuts instructed people how to die and reach heaven. This was a necessary publication because the Black Plague was sweeping across Europe and many people were dying.
Although there was much controversy Johann Gutenberg was relentless in his quest to invent the printing press. He was sued, ostracized, had several jobs, and moved several times but in the end he created the printing press. He was trained as a goldsmith and familiar with metalworking and engraving. This was useful because he had the knowledge to know what metals would withstand repeated pressure and heat. His first typographic book was the "forty-two-line Bible." His dedication to printing left him bankrupt at times but he was determined to perfect his invention. In 1459 the Rationale Divinorum Officiorum was created. It was the first books with "small sized type style." Although Fust and Gutenberg had success in Mainz, Germany printing presses did not stay there and soon moved to France and Italy because of civil war. Gutenberg is also credited with creating copperplate engraving, however no one is for certain if it was him.
What I found most interesting was learning how rare books were. My house probably has a few hundred books in it. Knowledge about a range of subjects is available to me through them. However, this was not the case in the 1400's. I find is amazing the advances technology has had in spreading knowledge.
I would be curious to know when the first library was created.

Weekly Image

I chose this image of what modern day Islamic calligraphy looks like. I thought it is interesting to see how calligraphy has progressed and artisits have put their own touch on this ancient art. Art expresses emotions and feelings the artist has about a thought or idea. It is said that calligraphy artists think very thoroughly about the subject before they begin and the words they write are very significant. With the use of color and scribbled lines this artist puts his own touch on these significant words. I think this is an interesting piece of work to study because it shows the progression this art form has taken. Although they are unable to use illustrations or images to epress themselves they can manipulate the words and lines to show that. I think it is neat to see how this ancient and revered art form has evolved yet still stays true to it's roots.

After Class 02/10/10

Today in class we discussed Illuminated Manuscripts. They are usually pieces of religious material and over the ages the world has seen some incredibly beautiful and talented work of those who produced them. They were extremely complex, colorful and meant to grab the attention of illiterate people. Although they might not have been able to read they could see that the church or religious group was powerful and special enough to create such works of beauty that they must therefore be important. The Classical style of illuminated manuscripts was created during the "Dark Ages." It is said illiteracy was at it highest during this time, and the church was suffering because it was lacking followers. The church also recognized that they could be a source of hope and inspiration to people. The plague was infecting and killing millions of people across Europe and it was a very bleak time to be alive. The beautiful manuscripts gave people hope that the church was something they should turn to for answers. The script was unique in the sense that it was beginning to show signs of moving towards lower case lettering. The illustrations stood out because they were outlined in vivid red colors. The Celtic manuscripts were especially ornate and filled with intertwining designs and letters. They often combined letters and the first two letters of a word in a paragraph were much larger. However because the letters were extremely complex there were often misspellings in the manuscript.
The Caroline Graphic renewal was during the time of King Charlamagne. He was fed up with the comlex lettering and called on there to be a more readable font. Letters were still decorative but much more readable and included upper and lower case. Scribes hired by the king were the head designers and standardized page layout. The Spanish Illuminated Designs had influences from Islam. They included animals in their artwork. The works used mostly primary colors and were very bright. The bold imagery of the "Four horsemen of the Apocolypse" was meant to shock people ad scare them. The Romanesque and Gothic manuscripts created a renewed religious feeling. Monasticism had reached it's peak. The "Littera Moderna" was tall, sharp, narrow, and bold lettering. The Late Medieval manuscripts were most commonly of the "Book of Hours." It was Europe's most popular book at the time. The Limbourg brothers were famous Dutch painters who used atmospheric perspective to create their works. Jewish manuscripts were rare because the people were dispersed to many regions. However, the ones that were created by Joel Ben Simeon had subject matter that focused on Jewish history; the exodus. Calligraphy ad illustrations were drawn along the border. Islamic illuminated manuscripts did not contain images because that was thought to be going against the Creator himself- who was the only one allowed to "create" things. The Islamic manuscripts contained incredibly ornate calligraphy. It contained the words of their prophet Muhammad. His teachings for the individual and society were found in the Qur'an. Islamic calligraphy seems to have no beginning or end but is all interlocking letters.
The most interesting thing I learned from todays class was the idea that the Classical manuscripts were a symbol of hope for people in the Dark Ages. The church recognized that it was a very bleak time and that these images of beauty and peace could be comforting to people. They did not fret that people could not read but did the best they could with what they had; They created beautiful pictures instead.
I would be curious to learn about if manuscripts are still created today. Have the Jewish people made up any more manuscripts since theirs were limited?

Juadaic & Islamic

Calligraphy is a very beautiful and ornate style of writing.
It was said that "true calligraphy is the art of producing letters that capture the spirit of the text they represent. For many artists, much mental pre-planning is necessary to fully understand the text before deciding how to display it in its full beauty." To people of the Islamic faith this is a very important and revered art form. It is used not only to express the written words of their prophet Muhammand, but it also a type of devotion to Islam and it's teachings.
Islamic calligraphy is influenced by the prophet Muhammad and his spoken word recorded in their holiest book, the Qur'an. In it all aspects of the Islamic faith are explained and social and civil laws are contained there as well. It is their source of guidance on how to live as an individual and in society.
Because it is so important to Muslims hundreds of thousands of copies of it have been reproduced. He wanted his followers to rely on the Qur'an and always refer to it so literacy was encouraged for all people.
Calligraphy became more ornate because the Qur'an does not contain pictures of illustrations. It is thought to be going against God to create images or "figures of living things...that might be used as idols."
Followers of Islam were devoted to their Qur'an and through calligraphy they could express the emotion, love, and adoration they had for their holiest book.
During the Safavid dynasty (1502-1736 A.D.) some of the greatest calligraphic manuscripts were created. As the Islamic empires spread so did calligraphy. Eventually around 1526 A.D. A school of Islamic illumination was created by Mughal emperors. Both women and men could be calligraphy artists.
The letters do not have an apparent beginning or end. They are all connected; woven together.
Ibn Muqla was an important figure in the history of Islamic calligraphy. He developed geometric principles to keep letters in proportion, and also helped develop the cursive script known as Naskh.




http://www.essortment.com/all/calligraphyhist_reyt.htm
http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/learning/calligraphy.html

After Class 02/08/10

We noted today in class that writing progressed from pictographs, pectoglips, ideographs, into cuneiform and hieroglyphics and eventually into the Greek and Latin alphabets we are more familiar with today. It is interesting to see how humans began with representing single ideas or objects with a certain letter and then began to break down that object into representing the sound of the word with letters. However, not all writing evolved the same. The Phoenician's had 22 characters in their alphabet whereas the Chinese have over 44,000 symbols. The Greeks employed the alphabet to serve two functions. They explained their ideas but also set a tone of how their empire would be perceived by how the letters were formed. They recognized that all capital stiff looking letters implied power and whimsical calligraphy would not be useful to them. The most interesting thing I found in today's class was learning about the Chia-ku-wen people. They would read the cracks that were stabbed into bones and try to form words and meanings from them. I think their devotion and reverence for nature and it's ability to give meaning to humans is amazing. Their connection to outside forces was fascinating.
Movable type never caught on with the Chinese, so it makes me wonder with today's technology how have they adapted. Do they use English or other languages when typing on a computer?

Chapter 2 & 3

The actual origin of the alphabet is unknown. However, there are many theories and loads of evidence that helps scholars know bits of it's origin and how it evolved and changed. First of all it is known that "elementary signs" developed from cuneiform and hieroglyphics. The hundreds of symbols cuneiform used were difficult to remember and only available to an elite few who were trained to write them. The 20-30 signs that were the beginning of alphabet compressed the cuneiform language. It is believed that the Phoenicians played a huge role in spreading this alphabet. Because they were excellent ship makers they were able to travel far distances to trade and share ideas.
The Greeks also had a huge influence on the alphabet. Complex, elaborate, and intricate Arabic was shortened into more geometric shapes. They also changed the method in which the alphabet was written. Brushes and ink were replaced by round nosed utensils. This changed the alphabet into straighter designs. However,the elaborate alphabet is still used by Islamic people and calligraphy is revered as a special talent.
The most interesting thing I learned from this chapter is learning about the changes the Greeks made to the alphabet. Reading it how you would "plow a field with an ox" was an interesting concept to me. It would save time for reading, but I think it would difficult to write because your hand must get used to writing both ways.
I would be interested in knowing if any languages still use this technique.

After Class 02/05/10

Today we discussed the evolution of writing. We noted how writing changed from being mostly pictographic to cuneiform. Symbols and pictures were used to note records and amounts of crops. As civilizations grew and more crops were produced they needed a quicker and easier method to record information. Pictoraphics proved to be too difficult and tiresome to produced, so hieroglyphics were then used. Finally, alphabet characters were used to replace hieroglyphic symbols. As writing changed, so did the material used to create it. Clay slabs were discontinued and papyrus paper was favored instead. Egyptians had easy access to this paper because the papyrus plant grew in abundance along the Nile River.
The Egyptians used hieroglyphics and papyrus paper to record their elaborate and ornate instructions for burial and the afterlife. However, they remained a mystery to the rest of the world because there was no guide as the how to read and understand their hieroglyphics. Finally the discovery of the Rosetta stone in 1779 by Napoleon offered a clue. Jean-Francois Champollion deciphered the stone and recognized that the three languages; hieroglyphics, demotic, and Greek would be the clue to unlocking the mystery behind ancient Egypt's tombs, writings, and amazing history.
The most meaningful thing I learned today was seeing the visual representations of how writing evolved. I was amazed to see that the letter A comes from the symbol for Ox. I had never made that connection before. It leads me to question how other languages evolved. Are all languages rooted in Egypt's history--Chinese and French too?

Chapter 1

It is known that our earliest ancestors originated from the Southern part of Africa. The earliest forms of communication we see from them is not considered art but instead a form of necessary visual communication. These people had not constructed an elaborate form of written or verbal language like we have today, but in order for their survival they needed to communicate messages about things that were of important to their survival; mainly food.
Eventually groups of people immigrated north and east into Mesopotamia. This was a fertile area for crops and civilizations flourished. With the congregation of many people, food, and money their needed to be a way to record important information. Along with keeping record writing also was used to explain religious ideas. As civilization changed so did the style of writing and the material it was written on. Gradually pictures were used less to represent information. As civilizations advanced so did writing and more information was able to stored and eventually kept in libraries.
I think it would interesting to study how the effect digital media is having on the written word. Is handwriting becoming worse because people no longer write things by hand?

After Class 02/03/10

Today in class we discussed why it is important to study history. Specifically regarding the field of graphic design it is helpful to those who are entering the field to know about the "greats" who came before them. Those who have "stood the test of time" are worthy of being studied because they are recognized by their peers as significant figures. They have had an impact on the field of design and their influence can be learned from. By learning more about this field, it will help someone decide if this is what they want to go into after college.

We will study design dating back to the earliest cave paintings and track how styles have changed over time. Ending up in our current time we will see if it is possible to predict what will be the next trend. This study of previous designers will impact our own style. The way people choose to communicate their messages and the style they do so is necessary and important it is also interesting to note which designs the public responds positively to.
I think it would be interesting to consider what other factors (social, psychological) influenced the evolution of design and style.