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

Week 2 Field Journal

INTRODUCTION

• In this chapter, the book mainly talks about the history and origin of graphic design. The art of designing is said to make and allow one's expression be made and mediated to the public. Ways in which these are used are namely Packaging, Billboards and Identity. These are most of the time made in Publishing Houses, Print Shops, and also Media Companies.To take a look at examples of these can be accessed at the link below. Communication obviously a big factor in graphic designing. The various ways in which these designs are made are due to technology. Making something as simple as a billboard could be more complicated than you think when all you have is paper, ink and a pen. Not only have more tools been made for this tasks, but ones that make duplicating images, signs and carvings more convenient
• Time Era
  

From as far back as the Stone Age Graphic designing has come a long way as far as communicating ideas, values, and beliefs. Designers were able to advertise various products with the help of packaging, labeling, thus they were being defined by the various tasks that they performed.Reading this chapter was able to make me realize how ignorant and unappreciative of the role of advertising and its significance in our everyday life. The culture in we surround ourselves with is represented by the food we eat, the clothes that we wear, our hairstyles, the houses that we live in, not forgetting the cars that we drive.
This is the car i drive reflecting my attitude and defining who i am

Personal Reflections

My eyes have become more open to my immediate surroundings and my environment. I have also come to realize that I bare designs that also transmit my attitude, values and also my culture to others. I usually wear very baggy jeans with embroidered back pockets which usually have pictures of plants and trees. These plants range from flowers to oaks, herbs, and roses. This is able to define me as one who likes to feel comfortable and also one who is influenced by the hip hop culture. The t-shirts that I wear have designs and labels that usually scream out their messages. Where I was raised a man is defined by what he wears and also by what he drives. The car I drive is a Buick Lesabre with a custom exhaust pipes and also speakers in the trunk. It also has twenty inch wheels. This represents the notion that we should be heard before we are seen and also the custom chrome wheels are supposed to represent wealth and success.

I took a few pictures of some houses, graffiti, restaurants, and some tattoos that represent one’s life style and how it might define an individual. It is interesting to put painters, menaces to society who do graffiti illegally, and also tattoo artists as graphic designers. The various places I compared were that of Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Mateo and also East Palo Alto.

This was my hairstyle a few weeks ago. I had this hairstyle in particular to represent my sense of independence and also not afraid to cross racial boundaries

Summary

All in all, no design of a car, wall painting of even graffiti is isolate or discrete. They all have their similarities by most likely originate from different background which gives each one a different meaning to each one. In this case, the resources also have an influence on what is being used by these urban designers and how they are appreciated. This also supports the fact that an advancement in technology has the same effect on graphic designing the same way that financial resources has a given effect on a given society or a community.

Territory marked in Mountain View

This is unfortunately a sign of a certain gang their territory. I took this photograph in San Mateo, around 3rd Avenue, on Mac Arthur Street.

Sources
History of Graphic Design
East Palo Alto
San Mateo