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