Day 4

NOTES

video “Industrial Revolution”

over crowding

spread of deceases

families share a bed or only rent a part of a bed

Review: Main Type Families

Old Style

Transitional

Modern

Egyptian

San-serif (invented by William Caslon originally called 2 line Egyptian)

Height point of type names:

cap head

ascender line

x-height

base line

defender line

point size measured from highest point to lowest point

leading measured from base line to base line

*side note for time line: Queen Victoria crowed 1837*

iron printing press in 1800 by Earl Stanhope

used 1/10th human effort of wooden press

made 250 prints per hour

double cylinder press in 1814 by Fredrerich Koenig

made 1100 prints per hour

Ned Lud (sp.) led rebellion against machines since they took jobs

cost of papers drop from 3 pennies to 1 penny

penny papers started selling ads

John Hooper was first ad man in 1841

lithograph - printing on stone

Hoe printing press - cylinder lithograph in 1870

Ottmar Mergenthaller made lineotype machine in 1886

took the job of 8 people

*side note: news boy strike was is 1899*

1900 - first use san-serif as running text

Photo info

Joseph Neipes - first nature photographer

Henry Fox Talbot 

first used photo grams

wrote book “Pencil of Nature” 1844

first developed picture from a negative (1835)

photos of civil war taken *war 1861-1865*

some say photos were staged

1872 - Edward Morbridge settles bet about horse movement

original creator of animation

1880 - first half tone plate process

1889 - Kodak camera invented for common person

100 instant photos (polaroid)

Other info

Victorian age graphics are noted for esthetic confusion

an age of strong morals and religious belief

known for fussiness

scrap cards (ephemera)

Mostly made by Louis Prang & Co.

lots of posters for traveling amusement

THOUGHTS

The movie, though the acting was mediocre, was very informative and in it’s own way - interesting. The ‘unrelated’ side stories told by the teacher was some of the most interesting point such as his story of learning about the civil war from the south’s point of view and taking a lithograph class in college that he failed completely. While the class still focuses on type and it’s evolution, I begin to realize more and more how much I’m going to have to except typography - but not yet. In my opinion, it has to show me how it can be interesting enough for my attention before I look to it again.

QUESTIONS

Did the news boys strike have any impact it what we learned about today?

Why is the Victorian age considered to run from 1819 - 1901 if she wasn’t crowned till 1837?

Day 3

NOTES

Rococo type review.

transitional typeface created

Copper plate designs let artists do as they pleased. (loopy typeface shown)

lettering for copper carving allowed for grater difference of think and think

(out of context) “Upon ascending the throne, Charles V ordered to only have 20 printing press people and to get ride of the others by death or other means.”

Giambattista Bodoni (1771) created Bodoni typeface

influenced by rococo

redesigned to be geometric and mechanical

believed letter form should be built with limited number of interchangeable units

Giambattista Bodoni said, “I only want magnificence and I don’t work of the common reader,” which wasn’t true since he was sloppy, clumsy, and a bad speller.

1800’s - Neo-classicism

Bodoni turns into Fat Face type (a display typeface)

Industrialization leads to consumerism

rise of the middle class

large amount of people who suddenly have money

those people don’t know what to do with it

Industrialization - BAD

long days

low wages

mass unemployment

tenements as housing

unsafe jobs

Industrialization - GOOD

growing literacy

public education

*Watch clip from Gangs of New York*

more demand = more printmakers

(teacher says, “think of printers like weed.”)

a need to sell items leads to ‘war’ in making larger text

wood type pieces comes as solution due to panograph, router, and machiens

Egyptian typeface comes...

...then 2 line Egyptain renamed San-Serif

Major types families

Old Style

Transitional

Modern

Egyptain

San-Serif

Other types

Display

Black Letter

Handwriting (teacher paused to rant about his hatred for it)

Script

Ding Bats

Things that come along...

Atuskin face (cowboy-like look)

shadows

knockout letters

crazy fill-ins

ephemera - printed material not meant to be kept like ticket stubs

poster houses made but were only compiled not designed

leading - the space between each line

leading is about type size + 20%

Thoughts

It was an entertaining class today with the teacher making jokes and wild gestures when annoyed at a type that did nothing but exist. Unfortunately, the day was mostly about typography, and I can care less about the subject which isn’t really good with the major I’m going into. My introduction to the subject was at my last college with a man who LOVED the subject and gave the class a 3 hour lecture on the different types of type that was very boring. Then I was subjected to it the following semester when I had the teacher again for a different class. It’s most likely just a case of a bad first impression, but I still find it boring topic and have to force myself very hard to be able to pay attention.

Questions

Is there anyway to make the subject of type more interesting?

Day 2

This might be a bit confusing and different from the layout last week, but each class is different so the way notes are taken will vary.

Notes

Cave drawings and original writings used only for utilitarian purpose. Oldest ones found in the caves of Lascaux, France.

The most important thing back then was memory, if you could tell stories well, good for you.

Charlemagne, Emperor of Rome in 800 AD, tried to learn to write when crowned but started too late.

Alcuin of York created Grillen Minuscules.

Playing cards came out and promoted critical thinking starting the beginning of obvious human rewiring in learning practice. 

Cards created by carved wood prints known as xylography.

Similar technique used in printed devotions and death armorirdi - books on how to die.

Gutenburge credited for creating the first printing press which became successful because of a growing middle class, more people going to university, and an increases in literacy.

First printed book now known as Gutenburge’s Bible but had been kicked out of his company by then after being sued by his partner printed between 1450 and 1455 starting in Mainz, Germany.

This printing press was similar to Kells type and was used until modern print.

Incunabula - refers to the first 50 years of printing.

During this type printing presses spread like wild fire.

Steven Daye was the first printer in the colonies in 1839 making a books of Psalms.

Rococo type hit it’s high in the 1700’s. Also known at times as late Baroque.

Philippe Grandjean writer of Romain du Roi in 1702. A type also known as the Royal Type only to be used by the King.

Actually being in class

The night was fun at times. The teacher was very medicated, according to him, so entertained us with his bad math skills, off topic talk about a students hat, a bad joke about Rome, and an interpretive dance about type characters.

We watched a movie called “Making of a Renaissance Book” that was very, very boring in my opinion.

In review cuneiform and scribes were once again mentioned. The first I learned about from a manga book that took place in the Hittite Empire at the time of King Tut. The work load of scribes I had learned about from a character named Beetle who was a scribe for the magyk books in the series “Septimus Heap.”

One thing that made me smile was that throughout the class the teacher kept referencing School House Rock saying, “Knowledge is power” which is the message the song animations where bringing.

Overall, a good day.

And the Class Begins

So, day one is done early. What did we do? Well, we are suppose to post our notes and responses now, but my actually notes are little so here is what I remember with my thoughts inside.

The teacher started off by basically saying that God’s name is Armin Hoffman, a Swedish graphic designer. He also went to say that the bible is no longer the one you would find in church but rather a book entitled “Meggs’ History of Graphic Design” by Phillip Meggs and Alston Purvis. He then said that, in his opinion, graphic design and typography enthusiast are part of a religion and you’re either in it or not. 

In relation to the “God” designer, we began to talk about how one design is related to something in the past. To reinstate this he showed us a 3 part video called “Everything is a Remix” that was very informative and entertaining. In it topics like the reason for box office hits, the influence for “Star Wars,” and the evolution of the Mac. Each was quick paced but hilarious. Defiantly one of the high point of the class.

After a short break class came back with an intro of type. Doing a quick summary the teacher covered the major point in the type evolution from cuneiform to celtic. Ending the presentation with a page from “The Book of Kells” a short movie was then put on about the actual behind the scene of scribing a book and how over time it was replaced by the printing press.

Over all the class seems like it will be entertaining. While I am not at all thrilled about the prospect of doing a group project the rest of the schedule seems good and I look forward to next week.

This is Me

Before I get into what we’re doing in class, I’ll explain a bit about myself for anyone who stumbles across this blog be them my teacher checking in or someone bored over in Germany.

I’m from South Jersey located 15 minutes outside of Atlantic City and if that means you think I have a life like those on “Jersey Shore” think again. That show is a pack of lies. At home I was involved with our high school marching band, animation classes, Girl Scouts, and 4-H raising guide dogs for the Seeing Eye located in Morris Town, NJ. I graduated in 2010 and spent my first year out of high school attending Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, PA (the only all girls art college in the country). I transferred to Ringling because I wanted to do computer animation but after being denied from the program the second year in a row I entered the motion design major instead. I have so far been doing well in school and hope that this semester I can improve my grade even more.