Lecture Unit 1 Part 1 & 2

Important Points:

• All civilizations show a cognitive need to structure their communication with figure ground, repetition of forms, and hierarchy.
• Early markings show that human beings were capable of abstract thought even early on.
• Early pictographs were similar to letter forms, in all ancient civilizations.
• Cuneiform established a shorter quicker system of writing.
• Early on writing became a way of controlling the populous.
• The Chinese contributed the first book, paper, the first relief prints, and movable type which further advanced written communication.
• Phoneticians create a 22 letter alphabet that is used by the Greeks
• The Greeks determined the direction of writing. Left to Right.
• Serifs first appear in the Trajan Column.
• The Codex is the first early Christian book
• Illuminated manuscripts set the pace for all modern books.
• Ascenders and Descenders come from Uncials
• Illuminated manuscripts in conjunction with the mystical nature of writing amazed early Christians who were illiterate.
• Textura is the first international style of type. It is used by Gutenberg in the first type printed.
• Gutenbergs first printed book starts the Incunabula
• 290 Character styles were invented and became the first font family.
• Collectives of type designers, and printers start to produce the first scholarly books.
• Griffo is the first printed italic.
• Garamond is the first type setter to break away and start making typefaces for others.
• In the 18th century type begins to be based off of science and math. No longer is it based off calligraphy.
• Fournier Le Jeune creates the first type measuring system
• 6 Families of type:
• Old Style Roman
• Cursive / Italic/ Griffo
• Modern - Bodoni
• Egyptian / Slab Serif
• Sans Serif

An aspect of this lecture that fascinated me was the religious power of written word. The fact that writing, something we take very much for granted these days was a special, heavenly skill. The illuminated manuscripts were seen as divine. The beauty of text and graphical elements amazed people in a way that was thought to be spiritual. It is interesting to think that it was once not so taken for granted. It'd be nice to see images like this take on their old mystical status again. Not to the full extent of the past. I think that's impossible. But to be appreciated more absolutely again. How can I do that?