Table Of Contents

Reading Schedule & Outline

Module 1
Reading Schedule & Outline

READING SCHEDULE & OUTLINE
MODULE 1: September 24
PrefaceIntroductionPrehistoric Prelude to Graphic Design History 35,000 - 2700 BCE


MODULE 2: October 01
Chapter 1: Early Writing: Mark-making, Notation Systems, and Scripts3000 - 500 BCE
- Evolutionary foundations of communication- Language & Design- Early Graphic Forms- Communicating ideas and beliefs


MODULE 3: October 8
Chapter 2: Classical Literacy700 BCE - 400 CE
- variations of literacy and the alphabet- The function of graphic codes- Models of writing: gestural and constructed- Writing at the end of the Classical age
Chapter 3: Medieval Letterforms and Book Formats400 - 1450
- Medieval culture and graphic communication- Graphic media and contexts- The codex book- Letterforms, manuscript hands, and pattern books- Graphic forms of knowledge- Publishing communities and graphic arts


MODULE 4: October 15
Chapter 4: Renaissance Design: Standardization and Modularization in Print1450 - 1660
- Early print design- Graphic communication in Renaissance culture- Print Technology and type design- Graphic forms of knowledge


Chapter 5: Modern Typography and the Creation of the Public Sphere1660 - 1800
- Printed matter and the public sphere- News books, broadsheets, and newspapers- Politics and the press- Graphic arts and design- Modern type design- On the edge of industrialization
MODULE 5: October 22


Chapter 6: The Graphic Effects of Industrial Production1800 - 1850
- Industrialization and visual culture- Illustrated papers- Book design for mass production- Printed images- Advertising design and typography- Fine art and graphic art- Critical Issues


Chapter 7: Mass Mediation1850 - 1900
- Printed mass media- Changes in print technology- Changing patterns in the use of graphic media- Media networks- Graphic design and advertising- Posters and public space
MODULE: October 29


Chapter 8: Formations of the Modern Movement1880s - 1910's
- Responses to industrialism- Arts and Crafts publications- Arts and Crafts dissemination- Art Nouveau- Jugendstil- Viennese design- Decadence and Aestheticism- The private press movement and modern design- Integration of design and industry


Chapter 9: Innovation and Persuasion1910 - 1930
- Visual culture and avant-garde design- The graphic impact of Futurism and Dada- From experiment to principles- Propaganda and mass communication studies- Graphic Persuasion and its effects- Institutionalizing graphic design
MODULE 7: November 05


Chapter 10: The Culture of Consumption1920's - 1930's
- Designing the modern lifestyle- Modern style in graphic design- Consumer culture- The profession
Chapter 11: Public Interest Campaigns and Information Design1930s- 1950s
- Public interest and education- Photojournalism and documentary- Wartime information- Commercial and technical uses of information design- Information analysis and design process
MODULE 8: November 12


Chapter 12: Corporate Identities and International Style1950s - 1970s
- Image and identity systems- International style- Style, systems, and graphic design concepts- Technology-The profession


Chapter 13: Pop and Protest1960' - 1970s
- Pop culture and style- Self-conscious graphic design- Slick surfaces and high production values- Counterculture and alternative press- Revolutionary culture and protest- Changes in the profession- Critical vocabulary
MODULE 9: November 19


Chapter 14: Postmodernism in Design1970's - 1980's and Beyond
- Postmodern Styles- Postmodern consumption and conservatism- Critical theory and postmodern sensibility- Postmodernism and activism- Changes in the profession
MODULE 10: November 26


Chapter 15: Digital Design
After the 1970's
- Digital technology: from punch cards and plotters to desktop computing- Media transitions: type deign and publications- Fluidity and functionality- The myth of immateriality and challenges of digital design
Glossary

MODULE 11: December 03 Field Journal/Research Portfolio due

MODULE 12: December 10 Review and return of Field Journals/Research Portfolios

Portfolio Stament

The History of Graphic Design taught by Kent Mankse has a matter of fact been a very interesting and inspiring class for me. When I was registering for this Arts class, I really didn’t know what to expect. My major is mass communications and public relations and when the institution I wanted to transfer to required this particular course, I didn’t know what it consisted of. And quite honestly, I could not make the connection between Arts and Communication. So I did see why this class was necessary. By definition Art is defined as “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.” Communication is also defined as the art and technique of sending messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behavior. If messages can be sent to and fro through words, signals, and images, then they must have a relation. Apparently I was ignorant of the fact that communication and the waycould not be sent only verbally but also different mediums. The changing times have revolutionized prospects in all most every career field one can find today.



So many new and exciting career options are lined ahead that it is difficult to choose one. Mass communication is one such field which is attracting a lot of young and ambitious students, and fortunately I happen to one of those students. How events and people are portrayed in the media revolves around mass communications. The way is which communicating ideas, values, and opinions have evolved tremendously. They go as far back Hieroglyphics was a formal writing system used by the ancient Egyptians that contained a combination of logographic and alphabetic elements. Egyptians used cursive for religious literature on papyrus and wood. Less formal variations of the script, called hieratic and demotic, are technically not hieroglyphs.a writing medium which consisted of images and texts that the Egyptians used on cave walls and would also draw any surface they had access to. ally, these days and also this time around. And why not? When it has to offer such interesting career options in the fields, like various kinds of medias - newspapers, magazines, radio, television, advertisements, public relations etc. communication has evolved though Though its presence has been there since long but it is only in recent times that it's been able to earn due recognition. Efforts are on to add professionalism to different areas of mass communication, with many universities and institutions offering number of professional courses.

Mass communication covers a wide area, comprising of closely related fields of advertisement, communication and public relations. Almost all kinds of establishments whether business, government or political are availing of services, offered by these industries, therefore an encouraging sign for those looking ahead to making a career in mass communication. I have thus made a choice to specialize in this career path due to my interest

Labs

Graffiti In San Jose

The Friends Meeting House in Palo Alto957 Colorado Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94303


Toast Masters
Toastmasters is a very diverse group. Members come from all sorts of backgrounds. They include entrepreneurs, bankers, career coaches, high-tech professionals, to name a few. All age groups are represented, and while most of the groups are in their 20's, 30's and 40's we even have a couple members who are over 70.Their meetings lasted from meetings start promptly at 6pm and last for about 3 hours. The meeting has two parts: impromptu speaking in the first half and prepared speeches by selected members in the second half. As a guest speaker, you won't be called on to give a speech, but you will be invited to introduce yourself to the group.The meeting sizes vary from one to another.
At the time I went, there are between 20 to 30 people at a given meeting. Each meeting, every member will have a chance to speak in front of people, either with impromptu or scheduled speeches. Members may also develop their leadership skills by serving as club officers. Meetings are friendly and lively with plenty of encouragement and support for each other. You will learn a lot and laugh aplenty as you listen to the stories, experiences, and ideas of fellow members. Expect to make many good friends, and build a strong network when you become part of our club.
I felt very uncomfortable in front of an audience. But with a supportive environment, friendly coaching and excellent role models, I was able to quickly grow into capable and persuasive speaker. This club is comprised of members from all over the world. Many of whom speak English as a second or even third language.
The meetings were open to all, and I made good use of that. The only time you were offered membership was after you had been a guest numerous and several times.
This was relevant to the class simple because communication, especially verbally is fundamental part of building society. The way is which the Graphic Designer is able to persuade a whole community and society with images, text, structures, etc. That is the same way in which a good public speaker is able to persuade a community or a society. The first day I should up to the meeting, I started by telling them my major and also gave them the reason why I was a guest at their meetings. They warmly welcomed me and did not hesitate to also conclude that “words that are too hard to say are mostly written or drawn.”




Total Lab Hours- 3 hours attending the meeting
2 hours writing a Review


The Cradle Will Rock
The film begins with one long tracking shot that focuses on a destitute young woman named Olive Stanton (Emily Watson who is sleeping illegally in a theater, being awoken and kicked out. The shot continues as she slowly walks down the street following the sound of the song Nickel Under My Foot, which leads her to the building where the song is being played. The camera pans up the side of the building and moves inside where we are introduced to the playwright Marc Blitzstein(Hank Azariaattempting to write the songs and put together the musical The Cradle Will Rock. Acting as Blitzstein’s conscience/mentors are a vision of his deceased wife and later, an imaginary Bertolt Brecht. Brecht was a radical playwright who stressed the importance of breaking down the wall between the audience and actors, and a fitting character for this story of the production of Cradle Will Rock, which did just that.
The film continues, providing a picture of life in the 1930s where some people wait in endless unemployment lines attempting to get work, while others enjoy their wealth engaging in parties and purchasing expensive works of art. As the musical nears production, the WPA cuts the budget for the FTP, and puts a halt to all new productions. This announcement comes following the House Committee on Un-American Activities questioning of many of those involved in the FTP, and the musical itself due to its leftist themes around labor and union organizing. Despite being canceled, the director, Orson Welles (Angus Macfadyen) and producer, John Houseman (Cary Elwes), lead the cast to another theater that they were able to secure at the last minute. The cast is forbidden to perform by their union, so Blitzstein takes the stage alone at an upright piano to perform the show himself, only to be joined by many of the cast members who deliver their lines from the audience. Robbins juxtaposes this final triumphant moment of the theater with images of the destruction of a mural commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller because the artist, Diego Rivera (Ruben Blades), refused to remove the image of Lenin's face from the piece. In tying together stories of labor issues and steel strikes, censorship in painting and theater, and the disparities of wealth and power, Robbins is able to paint a picture of the 1930s that goes beyond simply recounting past events and questions the boundaries between art, power and politics. Furthermore, Robbins attempts to link these issues to the present day through the final shot of the film. The camera follows a mock funeral procession for the FTP as it marches into Times Square only to pan up from this scene to a shot of the high rises and neon billboards that stand there today.

Hours to Watch Movie- Approx 2hrs
Hours to Write Review- 1 hour



Lab 3

Graffit is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is sometimes regarded as a form of art and other times regarded as unsightly damage or unwanted. In my opinion, these individual should be and can be referred to as Graphic Designers. For part of my Weekly Journal Entry, I went to the East Side of San Jose, and see whether I could explore some of these very artistic designs. Some were very interesting though because they seemed to tell a story, make a claim, or even mark their territory. Many of these images were being re-painted or even scrapped of because they were put on trucks, business structures, and on sidewalks. I do not support the doings of these individuals but drawing on one’s property does not give one the chance to really explore their inner self or things that allow them to draw such images or texts
Graffiti has existed since ancient times, with examples going back to Ancient Greece and also parts of the Roman Empire. I would say also that, Hieroglyphics and other cave paintings might have evolved or even stemmed into this. Forms of graffiti may range from simple scratch marks to elaborate wall paintings. In modern times, spray paint and markers have become the most commonly used materials. In most countries, defacing property with graffiti without the property owner's consent is considered vandalism, which is punishable by law. Sometimes graffiti is employed to communicate social and political messages. To some, it is an art form worthy of display in galleries and exhibitions, to others it is merely vandalism. There are many different types and styles of graffiti and it is a rapidly evolving artform whose value is highly contested, being reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.
Graffiti is writing, drawing, or symbols applied to any surface without the permission of the property owner.
To create graffiti, vandals use a variety of materials, such as automotive car paint, spray paint, crayons and permanent ink. Etching surfaces is another way vandals destroy property.
Graffiti can occur anywhere, however, some of the more popular targets include:
o public and private buildings
o recreational facilities
o Canada Post mailboxes
o playground equipment
o bridges and overpasses
o public transit property and vehicles.

Total Hours to Drive to San Francisco- 45 mins
Total Hours Spent Exploring- 1hr, Writing Review 30 mins

Week 10

Introduction

This last chapter was simply about the introduction of Digital Design. Surprisingly, Desktop Computers were a very big thing in the 1960’s and continue to be up until this day. Computers sought to cause an unprecedented involvement in every aspect of production of goods and services. These changes were able to shift social structures which graphic designers and their designs operated. Digital technology thus brought conceptual changes to Graphic Designing.

Reflection

Any equipment used in the electronic communication process also involves electronic media. Game consoles, telephones, computers, etc can also be put in this category due to how they had made and also how their memory is stored. The term Computer Graphics though arouse in late 1960’s as a result of Boein Aircraft Company. At this time only few graphic designers were able to make or write programs so they thus depended on punch Cards. Punched cards were first used around 1725 by Basill Bouchon and also Jean Falcon as a more robust form of the perforated paper rolls then in use for controlling textiles in France.

The Tabulating Machine Company was one of three companies that merged to form a computing tabulating record, which later became known as IBM. They continued and manufactured and marketed a variety of unit record machines for creating, sorting, and tabulating punched cards, even after expanding into computers in the late 1950s. IBM developed punch card technology into a powerful tool for business data-processing and produced an extensive line of general purpose unit record machines. By 1950, the IBM card and IBM unit record machines had become ubiquitous in industry and government. "Do not fold, spindle or mutilate," a generalized version of the warning that appeared on some punched cards, became a motto for the post World War II era

SUMMARY

A typical blank punched card of the type used to store data.

From the 1900s, into the 1950s, punched cards were the primary medium for data entry, data storage and processing in institutional computing. According to the IBM Archives: "By 1937... IBM had 32 presses at work in Endicott, N.Y., printing, cutting and stacking five to 10 million punched cards every day." Punched cards were even used as legal documents, such as US government checks and savings bonds. During the 1960s, the punched card was gradually replaced as the primary means for data storage by a wide variety of other devices which were basically made, or evolved form what was already there. Electronic media was able to drastically improve consumption on behalf of the citizens. This century became a do-it-yourself society so all one needed to be successful in this way was to have access to a computer. The skills of graphic designers were thus constantly tested and the end result involved them having to prove themselves as skillful individuals. Graphic Designers went on to design virtual environments. This has contributed to the social and economic values of the world that shapes us. And as funny as that sounds, this will always and continue to be crucial to us.

Week NIne

Introduction

The following chapter was simply about post modernism. It signaled drastic changes in how the average American saw the society around him or her. This was an approach that was very different as compared to earlier movements such as the Renaissance or the Pop, Protest Era. Most scholars would agree that modernism began as early as in the late 19th century and continued to be a dominant cultural force all the way up until the 20^th century. Like all movements, modernism comprised and was composed of many competing individual directions and is impossible to define as a discrete unity or totality. It was recognized by its lively pastiche sensibility, its absorption of retro and techno motifs. Retro is a term that is used to describe, denote or classify culturally outdated or aged trends, modes, or fashions, from the overall postmodern past. But as time moved on have become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into American postmodern art, advertising, mass media, etc. has occurred from around the time of the U.S. Industrial Revolution to present day. It was also at this time that subcultures such as punk, beach culture, heavy metal and also grunge groups began to form and develop. They sought to disregard historical conditions and defined they ways of life in a different manner and tone.

It was during the late 1970’s and the 1980’s However, its chief general characteristics are often thought to include an emphasis on "radical aesthetics, technical experimentation, spatial or rhythmic, rather than chronological form, [and] self-conscious reflexiveness" as well as the search for authenticity in human relations, abstraction in art, and utopian striving. These characteristics are normally lacking in postmodernism or are treated as objects of irony. New Designers sought to disregard historical conditions and defined they ways of life in a different manner and tone, especially that of the International Style. Individuals that played a major role in this movement included April Greiman, Paula Scher, Wolfgany Weigngart, Rosmarie Tissi and Neville Brody.

Brief Boigraphy

April Greiman was a contemporary designer. She is recognized as one of the first designers to embrace computer technology as a design tool starting in the late 1970’s, for introducing the new wave. Her work evolved from her graduate education at Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel, Switzerland. As a student of Armin Hofmann and Wolfgang Weingart in the early 1970s, Greiman was not only influenced by the International Style, but also by Weingart’s introduction to the style later to become known as New Wave, an aesthetic less reliant on the Modernist heritage. Greiman is credited with establishing the New Wave design style to the US during the late 70s and early 80s, along with early collaborator Jayme Odgers.

Reflection

The International style was a major architectural style of the 1920s and 1930s. The term usually refers to the buildings and architects of the formative decades of Modernism, before World War II. The term had its origin from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson written to record the International Exhibition of Modern Architecture held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1932 which identified, categorized and expanded upon characteristics common to Modernism across the world. As a result, the focus was more on the stylistic aspects of Modernism. Hitchcock's and Johnson's aims were to define a style of the time, which would encapsulate this modern architecture. They identified three different principles: the expression of volume rather than mass, balance rather than preconceived symmetry and the expulsion of applied ornament. Everything seemed to be pushed to the extreme.All the works which were displayed as part of the exhibition were carefully selected, as only works which strictly followed the set of rules were displayed. Previous uses of the term in the same context can be attributed to Walter Gropes in Internationale Architektur, and Ludwig Hilberseimer in Internationale neue Baukunst

Postmodernism literally means the period after the modernist movement. While "modern" mean the present or futuristic. The movement of modernism and the following reaction of postmodernism are defined by a set of perspectives. It is used in critical theory to refer to a point of departure for works of literature, drama, architecture, and design, as well as in marketing and business and the interpretation of history, law and culture in the late 20th century. Postmodernism is an aesthetic, literary, political or social philosophy, which was the basis of the attempt to describe a condition, or a state of being, or something concerned with changes to institutions and conditions as postmodernity. In other words, postmodernism is the "cultural and intellectual phenomenon", especially since the 1920s' new movements in the arts, while post modernity focuses on social and political outworking and innovations globally, especially since the 1960s in the West.

Summary

Postmodernism arose after World War II as a reaction to the perceived failings of modernism, whose radical artistic projects had come to be associated with totalitarianism or had been assimilated into mainstream culture. The basic features of what we now call postmodernism can be found as early as the 1940s, most notably in the work of Jorge Luis Borges However, most scholars today would agree that postmodernism began to compete with modernism in the late 1950s and gained ascendancy over it in the 1960s. Since then, postmodernism has been a dominant, though not undisputed, force in art, literature, film, music, drama, architecture and philosophy. Salient features of postmodernism are normally thought to include the ironic play with styles, citations and narrative levels, a metaphysical skepticism or nihilism towards the grand narratives of Western culture, a preference for the virtual at the expense of the real, and a “waning of affect” on the part of the subject, who is caught up in the free interplay of virtual, endlessly reproducible signs inducing a state of consciousness similar to schizophrenia.

Since the late 1990s there has been a widespread feeling both in popular culture and in academia that postmodernism has gone out of fashion. However, there have been few formal attempts to define and name the epoch succeeding postmodernism, and none of the proposed designations has yet become part of mainstream usage.

Week Eight

Introduction
The following chapters were simply about how graphic designers began to identify and label themselves. Citizens and inhabitants of the United States had come out pretty prosperous and also a conservative nation after World War II. Europe was undergoing a reconstruction and a reform as a result of this. Graphic designing began to take a different approach as compared to what Graphic Designing usually involved. They began to reflect there attitudes, moods, ideas etc in their advertising. This time around, their approaches were distilled into rationalist and functionalist. Graphic designers all over the world began to adapt strategies and other methods and ways in which they represent themselves that would not only make them stand out but also ones that would make them significant and unique. It has always been said that images and texts which graphic designers claim are universal are always referred to as “suspicious.” This is simply due to the fact that all forms of design and visual communication have evolved from one main source. As time moved on, things are added, removed and even modified. Logotypes were not any particular language but drew a so called universal language.

Time Era
The International Typographic Style, also known as the Swiss Style, is a graphic style that was developed in Switzerland in the 1950s that emphasizes cleanliness, readability and objectivity. Hallmarks of the style are asymmetric layouts, use of a grid, sans-serif typefaces like Akzidenz Grotesk, and flush left, ragged right text. The style is also associated with a preference for photography in place of illustrations or drawings. Many of the early International Typographic Style works featured typography as a primary design element in addition to its use in text, and it is for this that the style is named.
A typographic grid is a two-dimensional structure made up of a series of intersecting vertical and horizontal axes used to structure content. The grid serves as an armature on which a designer can organize text and images in a rational, easy to absorb manner. The less common printing term “reference grid,” is an unrelated system with roots in the early days of printing. During the 1950’s and the 1960’s, campaigns became corporations. These were usually associations of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members. But most of these organizations crossed the border lines and were independent of authority or any sort of law. As a result many independent institutions were unsuccessful economically.

Personal Reflection
Graphic designers though were hired to provide identifiable images. Their work now involved large scale, co-coordinated communication campaigns that was meant to preserve and maintain the identity of a particular co-operation.
Slogans, catchy phrase and logo types began to develop in main steam corporations. Such institutions included UPS, Xerox and also JC Penny, to mention a few. Slogans were usually distinctive chants, phrases, or motto of any party, institution, manufacturer, or even a person. Good visual communication was able to easily gloss over irregularities. These were usually artfully misinterpretation of a specific company or organization. Representation was a far as how employees dressed up, and how they interacted with their immediate society. Their recognition therefore depended on clear and distinctive symbols rather than texts and images.
Ford was launched in a converted factory in 1903 with $28,000 in cash from twelve investors, most notably John and Horace Dodge (who would later found their own car company). During its early years, the company produced just a few cars a day at its factory on Mack Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Groups of two or three men worked on each car from components made to order by other companies. Henry Ford was 40 years old when he founded the Ford Motor Company, which would go on to become one of the world's largest and most profitable companies, as well as being one to survive the Great Depression. As one of the largest family-controlled companies in the world, the Ford Motor Company has been in continuous family control for over 100 years.
In 2005, Ford Motor Company was among 53 entities that contributed the maximum of $250,000 to the second inauguration of President George W. Bush.
Major Individuals
Max Bill
Josef Brockmann
Emil Ruder
Armin Hofmass
These were members of the Swiss 'Zurich Concrete' group. These were architects, painters, sculptors, politicians, educationalist in short, a 'universal creator'. They stressed highly logical, grid-system of making layouts. They analysed the principles of Concrete Art and sharpened Theo van Doesberg's definition as follows:

" we call those works of art concrete that came into being on the basis of their inherent resources and rules - without external borrowing from natural phenomena, without transforming those phenomena, in other words: not by abstraction. concrete art is independent in its characteristic features. it is the expression of the human spirit, intended for the human spirit, and it should have the sharpness, the clarity and the perfection that must be expected from the human spirit. concrete painting and sculpture imply creating something that is open to visual perception. their creative resources are colours, space, light and movement … concrete art is ultimately the pure expression of harmonious measure and law. it orders systems and uses artistic resources to give life to these orders … it strives for universality and yet it cultivates uniqueness. it suppresses things individualistic in favour of the individual." Bill also requires that art should find a mathematical mode of thought to guarantee that the creative principles can be controlled. In the mean time he sees this as only one of the possible methods, "a useful aid, through which ideas can acquire visible form."
Celebrities often led the way when it came to advertising and establishing one’s image. Artists, politicians, and also business leaders began to grasp the importance of their image. Long hair, short skirts, and highly in your face images became part of everyday of newspapers and magazines. A different side to sense of humor also began to develop. I refer to it as different because it was usually out of the usual and were more sophisticated because it was at this time that homosexually, sex, rockers, was being recognized and liberated. Consumers began to feel like they were being manipulated to indulge or event participate in these events and activities. Retouched images played with jolted perception. At a time were blackness, drugs, and also materialism, these were made sure to be made mention of in the mass media, be it television, radio, magazines, etc. Men were objectified as sex tools to satisfy women and vice versa.

Sources
History Of Graphic Designs
Abstractdesign.com
Wikipedia
Google Images

Week Seven

Introduction

In the following chapters, the book goes on to describe how graphic designing influenced major events that’s too place around this time frame. Graphic designing brought about a movement in the arts, 1929, from modern which was usually referred to as modernism. Modernism is a term that dates back as far as 1737. The general meaning is "deviation from the ancient and classical manner. Advertising had become so prominent in the early 19th century that it was literally used for anything you could possible think of. Images and pictures came to replace the simple notion of providing quality goods and services to its customers which were began to be referred to as consumers. Branding had built a solid foundation in the advertising industry and graphic designers were taking advantage of it. They began to enhance or polish products that indicated status rather than satisfying their needs. This was referred to as conspicuous consumption. This was basically the acquisition and display of expensive items to attract attention to one's wealth or to suggest that one is wealthy.
Time Era
Designing the modern lifestyle usually depicted one’s status and also one’s class. The house one lived in, the car they drive, were few of the many things that lead them to earn a pleasant and respected position in the society. Designers also helped promote all areas of buildings, clothes, cars, created by the culture of a given society. Cinemas, Neon Lights, and Phonographs also played their part in making such events glamorous and attractive. One attention could not help but be attracted to all the flashing lights; neon signs which without a doubt and catchy phrases. In order to make consumption fascinatingly attractive, exploiting new degrees of mobility and leisure was very necessary. New strategies were constantly tested and mediums through which these were done include packaging.
As a result, more products were sold as a result of their prestigious images and other elements that should out. This helped them to remain unique and something you had to have to prove yourself worthy of the status or category you wished to be placed in. Graphic Designing looked very different in the 1900’s. Different discoveries managed to make its way across the Atlantic through trade routes, merchants, and other designers across the globe. Most of these discoveries were experimented art.

Personal Reflection
Mass consumption began to take place as a result of mass production which was the beginning the American system of manufactures. In the middle of the nineteenth century Foreign engineers viewing production on the Western side of the Atlantic Ocean noticed some regularities in the way Americans seemed to do things. Their manufacturing industries made simpler and rougher goods, used much less skilled labor, and seemed to incorporate much more of the knowledge needed to run the process of production into machines and organizations--leaving much less in skilled workers' brains and hands. In the early years of 1929, the New York Stock Market had come to a complete stop and sources of employment had become a big burden of citizens all over the state. In order to the pace of work could be increased. Unskilled workers could be substituted for skilled labor. In other words, skilled and qualified workers would supervise unskilled and unqualified workers who were literate to some extent, not only because they understood procedures and processes of production, but also because they performed they same tasks of supervisors and were played much less than they were. Unskilled farm laborers, immigrants, minorities, and women were usually the victims and were left with n other options or choices. What else were they suppose to do when they had children to cater to and mouths to feed. It is quite ironic that foundation of the whole United States was built by slaves, immigrants and basically foreigners. Natural resources were often exploited from other countries which are now referred to as second and third world countries, to be brought into the United States. Slaves were made to work on these productions of cotton, wood and farm crops. Over 55 percent of the land we call the United States were once land to the Mexicans. Other parts of this land was derived as a result from banishing the Native Americans out of their land and claiming “they did not know how to use the land”
Summary
Public Interest and Campaigns also began to take new turns in the early 1900’s. Graphic Designers were called to a public service and their role was to impact society on political and social issues. Methods of presenting information gained clarity and its impact was embodied with a sense of urgency. During World War II, they only way information that could be made available to the public was through Public Communication. Information designers also adopted visual lexicons that were used for military, scientific and also statistical applications. A lot of information was presented in these magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, etc. Columns, Sections, etc were therefore necessary to compactly place these statistics in an organized manner.


Wartime Propaganda
• Posters were used to mobilize sentiment and action on all sides of the political conflict.
• Government resorted to graphic strategies to drum up war support
Women were encouraged to volunteer and support the military service

Wartime Information
• Diagrams and charts delivered crucial information that presented a dense amount of information in an economical and well organized form
• These encouraged graphic designers to adapt.

Now it is natural to be of two minds about this surge of product differentiation. It seems wasteful--sacrificing potential economies of scale for diversity--and deceptive: Coca-Cola doesn't "really" "add life," does it? Wearing celebrity-brand sneakers while listening to one's ipod does not "really" bring one closer to the lifestyles of rich and famous celebrities than does listening barefoot, does it? Maybe it does.

It makes you feel good about yourself, confident and gives you a little bit of self esteem. You would be surprised at the price difference of popular name brands compared to that of not so popular brands. These weren’t only in clothing and fashion. The products of mass production diffused through America was astonishing: not just automobiles but also washing machines, refrigerators, electric irons, electric and gas stoves--a whole host of inventions and technologies that greatly transformed that part of economic life that takes place within the household. For one of the major consequences of mass consumption was the building-up of the stock of capital goods for within-the-home production.
























Sources
History Of Graphic Design
Google Images

Week Six

Introduction
During the 1880’s and the 1900th, arts and crafts had begun to take over a new form. Designers had changed their overall approach to the methods of production due to the advancement in technology. Graphic Designing had always been used as a form of communicating ideas, opinions, values, and culture. This time around, their main focus was to deliberately address social and cultural issues that were at hand. It went on to talk multi disciplinary fields such as architecture, furniture and decoration, etc.

Time Era
Original styles of painting seemed never to be out of place during the early 1900’s, this was also because of the influence some people had, and how they placed emphasis on the importance of the working class and its effects on graphic designing. These individuals include Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels. Everyday objects in our day to day life should be beautiful, precise, well designed and anything proved less of the inhabitants of that society.
The Arts and Crafts Movement began primarily as a search for authentic and meaningful styles for the 19th century and as a reaction to the eclectic revival of historic styles of the Victorian era and to "soulless" machine-made production aided by the Industrial Revolution. Considering the machine to be the root cause of all repetitive and mundane evils, some of the protagonists of this movement turned entirely away from the use of machines and towards handcraft, which tended to concentrate their productions in the hands of sensitive but well-heeled patrons.

Yet, while the Arts and Crafts movement was in large part a reaction to industrialization, if looked at on the whole, it was neither anti-industrial nor anti-modern. Some of the European factions believed that machines were in fact necessary, but they should only be used to relieve the tedium of mundane, repetitive tasks. At the same time, some Arts and Crafts leaders felt that objects should also be affordable. The conflict between quality production and 'dem

' design, and the attempt to reconcile the two, dominated design debate at the turn of the twentieth century.
Graphic designers and artists made journals and diaries in which their explained their views, opinions, etc of a particular situation at hand, they also made sure to add their suggestions and also recommendations. Paper was not easy to come across, so handmade paper was used instead. This was able to accelerate word of mouth and also allowed the word of these artists to spread rapidly and conveniently. Vendors to publish journals were usually kiosks and bookstores. This was thus made available to the whole public and furthermore anyone who was interested in reading them. Obviously filled with sensitive topic that could easily cause a protest or uproar was written in these journals. I would also say that the vendor also took a risk upon himself to sell particular diaries of certain artists.


Personal Reflection
The whole United States of America was influenced by this, especially the Midwest and Eastern parts of the states. This began to influence forms and ways of cultivating thinking. It then resulted in Public Opinion. Different artists in the world began to diverge from common forms of artistry and began to adopt unique styles that singled them out from their counterparts in other parts of the world. These were Paris, Berlin and also Vienna.


Fortunately, new forms of this artistry were referred to as Art Nouveau. Developed in during the 1890’s though 1900’s, this new artistry explored a new style in the visual arts and architecture that developed in Europe and North America at the end of the nineteenth century. The exhibition is divided into three sections: the first focuses on the 1900 World's Fair in Paris, where Art Nouveau was established as the first new decorative style of the twentieth century; the second examines the sources that influenced the style; and the third looks at its development and fruition in major cities in Europe and North America.
At its height exactly one hundred years ago, Art Nouveau was a concerted attempt to create an international style based on decoration. It was developed by a brilliant and energetic generation of artists and designers, who sought to fashion an art form appropriate to the modern age. During this extraordinary time, urban life as we now understand it was established. Old customs, habits, and artistic styles sat alongside new, combining a wide range of contradictory images and ideas. Many artists, designers, and architects were excited by new technologies and lifestyles, while others retreated into the past, embracing the spirit world, fantasy, and myth.
Art Nouveau was in many ways a response to the Industrial Revolution. Some artists welcomed technological progress and embraced the aesthetic possibilities of new materials such as cast iron. Others deplored the shoddiness of mass-produced machine-made goods and aimed to elevate the decorative arts to the level of fine art by applying the highest standards of craftsmanship and design to everyday objects. Art Nouveau designers also believed that all the arts should work in harmony to create a "total work of art," or Gesamtkunstwerk: buildings, furniture, textiles, clothes, and jewelry all conformed to the principles of Art Nouveau.
Judgendstil was an artistic Artistic style that arose near the end of the 19th century in Germany and Austria. Its name was derived from the Munich magazine Die Jugend ("Youth"), founded in 1896, which contained Art Nouveau designs. Its early phase, primarily floral in character, was rooted in English Art Nouveau and Japanese prints; a more abstract phase emerged after 1900. Primarily a style in architecture and the decorative arts, it also included the great Austrian painter Klint Gustav.
Other forms of artistry also developed which were mainly Decadence Aestheticism and also French Symbolism. These were often suggestive and filled with twists. Nude women, men, and also animals were in these pictures. These were basically an expression of renaissance fostered by Arts and Craftsmen. Cobden Sanders and Emery Walker took over Dove Press though and made some drastic changes. They resorted to only using the best material and also the finest workmanship. As a result, elegant type and exquisite printing were usually outcome of their work.

Summary
During this same time, a critical foundation for professional practice was built. There was revolution and people started to become more aware of spiritual intergrity and they began to react to the developing technology around them. They were newly defined principles of graphic designing which was also a factor and agent of social change.

This was during World War 1. Mass media, public opinion, and persuasion went hand in hand during this time. Photo graphic images were becoming very popular and motion pictures created more excitement in the entertainment industry. Never before had people seen moving, live pictures.
They used to still pictures that told a story while it stood still, but in this case, moving pictures could do a lot more than make an onlooker guess what he or she is doing or about to do, according to the texts that usually came with pictures. The way in which information was spread caused it to be recognized, which influenced major key players in Graphic Designing make it an academic field. The name given to the institution which taught this was called Bauhaus. Bauhaus was influential, forward-looking German school of architecture and applied arts. It was founded by Walter Gropius with the ideal of integrating art, craftsmanship, and technology. Realizing that mass production had to be the precondition of successful design in the machine age, its members rejected the Arts and Crafts’s emphasis on individually executed luxury objects. The Bauhaus is often associated with a severe but elegant geometric style carried out with great economy of means, though in fact the works produced by its members were richly diverse.

Source
History of Graphic Design
Wikipedia
Google Images
An Introduction to Art Nouveau

Week Five

Introduction
In this week’s reading, mention is made to the many technological advancements of the early eighteenth century. Two big creations were that of the punch cutting machine and also the type casting machine, these were able to create a decorative display in the media. Media in this case, specifically newspapers, radio, labels and also in publishing of novels and textbooks. Graphic Designing and its elements allowed businesses and transactions to take place easily and also very conveniently. Advertising was rather more eloquent due to the ability of designs to represent a particular product. Transportation of goods to other cities also flourished due to ships, boat and railroads. These also advertise what they carried with images, texts, and emblems written on them. Tickets for events, bill heads, receipts, and menus for restaurant and bars were also being made available to the public.

Time Era

In the 18th century, a revolution took place because proof of purchase could be carried around in the form of receipts. Customers at a restaurant could look at menus and easily decide on what they want. As compared to completely explaining exactly what one wants, in specific qualities, deserts, side dishes, etc? Now they could just point to it. Illustrated papers as they were called played a major role in the media.
Stories about prostitution, crime, and also advertising were put in these newspapers. Photography rather developed in the early 1900’s. At first, images were captured by exposing salts to lights. To give the reader a better understanding or even better yet a visual, pictures were put alongside these articles. How images were printed in these newspapers evolved overtime. At first, these images were broken down into very small dots that together formed an image. Closely connected dots and dots that weren’t connected at all where what made these images pronounced and also more detailed. Photographs and paintings were also sent abroad to communicate ideas, values, opinion and solutions. The difference and advantage that photographs had over paintings was that they represented reality and were not so comical. They also eroticized people and places captured in these images.


Personal Reflection
The readings made me think about how advertising is done today and how big of a difference it is, when one pays close attention. Products that I usually pay attention to are usually food products, machines, fitness and sporting goods. Surprisingly, these methods of advertising have not changed much compared to that of earlier centuries. Labels of food products do not seen to critically think about its ingredients, storage, etc but they have painted an automatic picture in my head that would let me recognize them even if they had a label on them. Being raised in a stereotypical African American family, we usually ate grits, pancakes, bacon for a breakfast. They usual dishes would most definitely include chicken, corns, macaroni and cheese. Labels of these products usually and still had pictures of an African American woman who was either in a bandana or a cape. Up until this day, labels of these products remain the same. These images obviously have their various racial implications but in order to maintain there originality, they continue to be used.
We had a discussion in class and we were asked about how technology has had an effect on our lives. Various contributions included that of emails and cell phones which proved to be more prevalent. In my opinion though, I think advancement in technology has also made us derail from our love for reading and also they everyday things our childhood that were once cherished by us. Ever since video games, there has been a drastic change in the life of students I teach, even at church. We would often have discussions about what they did on the weekend. All I would hear is either they watched television or they played videogames. “What happened to going out to the park? What happened to playing baseball, basketball, etc.” I would ask them. They would answer comfortably, “we do, but on the computer, or Playstation. It is no surprise that young video gamers are so involved in these electronics that it has taken over their lives, neglecting nutrition and exercise is already bad enough for these young lives but sitting on there gadgets all day is not helping either.

Summary

I wouldn’t say I am perfect either. Technology has also caused me to become almost as guilty. Though I exercise and eat properly, I make sure I get my daily dosage of technology. Quite honestly I never read the newspaper anymore; I can read the news on my cell phone or my television, check the weather and even listen to music on it.


Playing videogames, talking and sending messages, driving everywhere I need to go even if it’s next door are a few of my many daily activities. Is it really my fault? When I was younger my older cousins and rest of the family usually had outdoor picnics where we ran around, played basketball, football, and ate cornbread. This time around, no one ever gets the time, or should I say the desire to do so. Even when we do organize a family gathering or reunion, we are present, but we are not presents. Very often to I see members of our family on their i-pods, cell phones, game gadgets, etc which they cannot seem to put down for even a second.
But its quite understandable that the average American does not have as much time as we used to. We work the longest hours and taken the fewest vacations compared to other nations. We are always on the go and technology fulfils our purpose by allowing us to complete our tasks within half the time. Would you rather walk than drive? Would you rather hire a babysitter, rather than buy videogames for you teen kids? Why write a letter when you can send and email? Why travel abroad when they are a phone call away? These are questions technology continuously asks us, and what are our answers? NO!

Week Four

Introduction
During the renaissance they were many developments that made graphic designing stand for political, religious and even economic life. it was also during this period that an advance in technology gave rise to letterpress printing, movable line, which contributed to the sparked a revolution which changed the overall lifestyle of the people of society. Printings were able to take a whole new turn as compared to older methods of handicraft. For the first time in history, texts and images were able to be reproduced. During the 1450’s, there was without a doubt a very high demand for books and also more copies. The only way this could be made possible was simply due to the sudden advance in technology. As the name suggests, renaissance was a reawakening, or better yet a revival of self conscious and also constant question of sources of knowledge. Many occupations thus involved graphic designing because it was a part of everyday life.

Time Era
In the 12th century, there was a rediscovery of Greek and Roman literature that occurred across Europe that eventually led to the development of the humanist movement in the 14th cent. In addition to emphasizing Greek and Latin scholarship, humanists believed that each individual had significance within society. The growth of an interest in humanism led to the changes in the arts and sciences that form common conceptions of the Renaissance. The 14th century through the 16th century was a period of economic flux in Europe; the During the Renaissance small Italian republics developed into despotisms as the centers of power moved from the landed estates to the cities. Europe itself slowly developed into groups of self-sufficient compartments.
Unfortunately, privileges were given to men more than they were given to women. This in particular made me think about how we are dealing with this up until today. It’s quite disappointing when women were not given access to methods of reproducing images and texts but were also stereotyped in these forms of advertising.

Personal Reflection
This made me think about how this also seen in our media today. How many commercials do you see of women using house hold cleaners, washing machines, paper towels, etc? On the other hand, men are also portrayed as strong and dependable. Very often do we see commercials of men using all American Ford Trucks, power tools, and also hardware stores that encourage “DO IT YOURSELF.” Unfortunately when a particular gender seems to be involved in another stereotypical activity, they were classified into certain categories, which are manly masculine and feminine. This goes to prove the racism and stereotyping has come a very long way. And sadly we see examples everyday on television, labels, billboards, and magazines. During slavery, churches claimed to dispute slavery ad accept them into their churches. Ironically the black members of the congregation were seated upstairs in a section that was known as “Nigger Hill.” Women were also deprived of their basic fundamental rights, including those to vote and also those to jobs.
Summary
Up until today equal qualified women are still being paid less than their fellow male co-workers. Women are also objectified and itemized as “sexual symbols” or “sexual objects,” in ads and magazines. On the other hand, men are also objectified in the same way and in the same sense; I would say though that we as a nation today are going through some drastic changes as far as crossing racial boundaries. By in the early 1800s, a white woman could be seen with a white lady, it was in fact breaking the Jim Crow law. But today, interracial dating is abundant and somewhat acceptable. Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama ran for the Presidency, something which would have been completely obscured to the mass some years ago. Gays and Lesbians also fight for their fundamental rights, specifically their right to marriage. At this point it’s easy to say that we are going through a revolution right now.
Sources
The Renaissance by Paul Johnson
History of Graphic Design
Blender
Mens Journal
Google Images

Week Three

INTRODUCTION

Designing became an essential component of literacy. written language was very much encoded in distinct graphic forms. The development of the alphabet played a big role in this time era. It arrived in Italy and Greece around 700 BCE. The alphabet as well as its designs, carving, painting, drawings conveyed and was used gp individual expression, communicaiton and commermorative acts of records. Degrees of literacy also marked social dinstinctions and shaped all the various networks of political power. Construction of these pieces of work were mainly based on two basic approaches, which were namely ideal models and also constructed forms. Variations were also influenced by trade routes in the Mediterranean.

The following chapters were basically about how graphic designing became a form of literacy among the earlier settlers in Greece and also those of Italy. During this era in particular, the alphabet has just been introduced. Not only were messages being sent across the globe, it was also used daily in the everyday life of merchant, priest, gospels, and those in authority. This was able to build a society were rules and regulations were applied and obeyed. This justifies the fact that these were the first literates and also the first to be civilized.



The English alphabet has become universally known and is continuously being taught all across the globe and most common non English speaking countries. We begin to learn the English alphabet as early as Kindergarten. This is without a doubt what defines an individual a literate. In other words, one that is able to read and write efficiently. Fortunately the alphabet is read and recited in a specific and organized form unlike earlier forms of writing.


TIME ERA

During the earlier centuries, a rule concerning how letters were read and also how they were spaced was not fixed. These forms of writings and painting could be read from right to left, left to right, bottom to top and also from top to bottom. It was not until the sixth and seventh centuries before the alphabets were established and to be read specifically from left to right.
During this time, codex book were being made and they rapidly began to replace scrolls. These were that had separate pages that were bound together and also had a cover. These were more convenient to the reader because it allowed them to move from one page to another conveniently and efficiently.

Personal Reflection

It was a Roman invention that replaced the scroll, which was the first form of book in all-Eurasian cultures. Although technically any modern paperback is a codex, the term is used only for manuscript (hand-written) books, produced from Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages. The scholarly study of manuscripts from the point of view of the bookmaking craft is called codicology. The study of ancient documents in general is called paleography. New World codices were written as late as the 16th century (see Maya codices and Aztec codices).
The codex was an improvement upon the scroll, which it gradually replaced, first in the West, and much later in Asia. The codex in turn became the printed book, for which the term is not used. In China books were already printed but only on one side of the paper, and there were intermediate stages, such as scrolls folded concertina-style and pasted together at the back.




SUMMARY
Books also played a big role in universities and other scholastic activities. Subjects such as Mathematics, Astronomy, and most importantly science were taught in these institutions and where they could be found were in text books. This thought made me ponder about how difficult it would have been if knowledge in these various subjects could only be derived from reading scrolls and other wood carvings. How inconvenient? Image reading a whole textbook that was written on a scroll.








You would probably have read very carefully and also mark where you left off. When you are done, you would have to fold up the whole scroll in order for it to be put away. The development of codex books must have been a revolution. But the facts still remain that up until this day, if codex books were not made, we would be left with no choice but to read our text be it the bible, textbooks, Quaran of even speeches of of a scroll. All knowledge in these earlier centuries were modified and also edited by the church. This was simply because discoveries would often interfere with the belief that the all mighty god was the creator and also all knowing.


Sources
The History of Graphic Design
Google Images