The Codex and the Illuminated Manuscript | 1st century AD

Post an example of a scroll.
What were the drawbacks of the scroll?
Readers could only read the text in the order that it was written.
Post an example of a codex.
What is a codex?
A covered and bound collection of hand bound pages.
"Codex" is derived from the Latin meaning "block of wood". Why?
Wood was used to create a codex.
What is the difference between "sequential access" and "random access"?
In sequential access, the text must be read in the order in which it is written, and in random access, the information can be found by looking anywhere.
What were the advantages of using the codex?
It allowed for compactness, sturdiness, and ease of reference. It was also more portable.
What helped spread the use of the codex?
The rise of Christianity
What replaced papyrus? Describe the process used to create it?
Papyrus was replaced with parchment. Parchment was created from animal skin like cows, and sheep. The hair and fat were removed from the skin, and the skin was straightened out. The hide was then soaked in water, and calcium, flour, and salt were added. Finally, the skin was stretched, flattened out, and dried. 
What is vellum?
Finer qualities of parchment made from the skin of young calves. 
Name several examples of current technology that utilizes the format of the codex?
Digital books like the Kindle and iPad
What led to a period of cultural and economical deterioration?
The decline of the Roman empire.
Post an example of an illuminated manuscript.
Who began creating books by hand, taking the creation to an art form?
Monastic monks
What does "illumination" refer to? What was included in this ornamentation?
'Illumination' refers to the borders, illustrations, and ornamentation added to each page of text. Ornamentation included the initials of chapters or paragraphs. Paintings in margins, borders, and around text were included in this ornamentation as well. What tool was used for creating the illuminated manuscripts?
Natural quill opens.
Why were these manuscripts reserved for religious purposes?
The work was very hard and laborious
What is craftsmanship? Why is it important?
Craftsmanship is the artistic expertise that is used to create a work. It is important because it makes a work look professional and neat.

The Roman Alphabet | 7th century BC

What was the basis of the Roman uppercase alphabet?
A variant of the Greek alphabet.What were the purposes of the formal and informal styles of lettering?
A rigid, formal style was used for manuscripts and important documents while  a quicker, informal style was used for letters and routine types of writing. 
Why is the Roman alphabet the most widely used and what contributions did it make?
It started the usage of the baseline in typography.It started the concept of perfectly aligning text in rows. This alphabet is most widely used because it conveniently allows for uppercase and lowercase letters.
From where did serifs originate?
It originated with the carving of words into stone.
When and where did lowercase, or minuscule, letters develop?
It originated in Greece in 7th century.
What is a ligature and why were they utilized?
A ligature is when two identical letters seem to come together in a piece of text. They were utilized to improve the appearance of characters that came together.
Post an example of the Roman alphabet in visual form. 

The Greek Alphabet | 800 BC

How did Greeks come in contact with the Phoenicians?
The Phoenicians traveled to Greece and frequently made trade agreements with the Greeks. 
How was the Greek adaptation of the alphabet different from its predecessor?
Several consonants were adapted as vowels. Also additional letters were added.
Why is the Greek alphabet considered to be the world's first true alphabet?
It gave rise to many of the world's other alphabets, including the Latin alphabet. 
Name several similarities and differences between the Greek and modern English alphabets?
Letters like alpha, beta, iota, and sigma are similar in structure to the letters like 'a', 'b', 'i,' and 's'. Some letters like lambda look completely different than anything in the modern English alphabet.
Post an example of the Greek alphabet in visual form. 

The Phoenician Alphabet | 1050 BC

The Phoenician alphabet is based on what principle?
One sign represents one spoken sound.
Describe the shape of the letters and what tool created them?
The letters were mostly angular and straight and created by a stylus.
What two reasons made the Phoenician alphabet so successful?
It had simple characters. This simplicity allowed it to be used in multiple languages. It also got rid of class divisions between royalty and common people. 
What long term effects on the social structures of civilizations did the Phoenicians have with the creation of their alphabet?
Class divisions disappeared. Other cultures began using it as well. 
Post an example of the Phoenician alphabet in visual form.

Hieroglyphics and the Egyptians | 3,000 BC

In the sixth century BC, what three civilizations invaded Egypt? 
Persians, Greeks, and Romans
Post an example of the inside wall(s) of an Ancient Egyptian temple.
What was discovered on the inside of the temples?
Carved and painted images were found on all of the walls and surfaces.
Scholars believe that Ancient Egyptians were inspired and influenced by which written language?
Cuneiform
What is the difference between logographic and alphabetic elements?
Logograms are visual symbols representing ideas or objects while alphabets have phonetic variations.
The term Hieroglyphic derived from what two Greek words?
Hiero (sacred) and Glyphic (engraving or writing)
What is a scribe? 
Someone who writes in hieroglyphics.
Who else was trained to read and write? Why?
Military leaders so that they could communicate well in battle.
Post an example of hieroglyphics on papyrus.
What is papyrus and how was it made?
It is a substrate, and it is made from reeds found in Egypt. Wet reeds were placed criss-cross over each other and dried. They were then rubbed with stones until they were flat and smooth. 
What is a substrate?
A substance underneath something on which a process occurs.
What were the Books of the Dead?
They had instructions and spells for helping important people like the pharoah in the afterlife. 
How did Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics become a forgotten language?
Non-Christian temples were closed down by Theodosius I. Eventually all of the people who could read or write the hieroglyphics disappeared. 
Post an example of the Rosetta Stone.
What is the Rosetta Stone? Where was it discovered?
The Rosetta Stone is a big stone that helped decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics. It was discovered in the Egyptian region of Rosetta by the soldiers of Napoleon Bonaparte.
What three languages are included on the stone?
Egyptian hieroglyphics, Demotic, and Greek
Why couldn't the text on the Stone be deciphered?
A chunk of the stone was missing, and none of the three texts were complete. 
Who finally deciphered the text? What was his breakthrough?
Jean Francois Champolion. He was able to match up the hieroglyphic symbols with the Greek name of the Egyptian Pharoah Ramses.
Why does the interpretation of the Rosetta Stone have such significance?
It helped us learn more about the ancient Egyptians and Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Cuneiform and the Sumerians | 3,000 BC

The Sumerians were one of the earliest types of this kind of civilization? What does that mean?
They were the earliest type of nomadic civilization which means that they roamed from place to place.
Why is the region of Sumer considered the Cradle of Civilization?
It is the origin place of cuneiform, the world's first written language.
What could the Sumerians practice year round because of the regions climate?
Year-round agriculturePost an example of early Cuneiform (Sumerian pictograph).
Why was Cuneiform created?To keep track of business transactionsWhat medium was used to "write" Cuneiform? Explain the process of preparing and writing on this surface?
Clay tablets were used to write cuneiform. The clay was wetted and formed into a flat surface, and a wedge-shaped stylus was then used to write on the clay. The clay tablets were then left in the sun to dry and harden.
What did Cuneiform begin as a series of?
It began as a series of pictographs.Post an example of evolved Cuneiform (wedge-shaped).
After it evolved over time, what shape did the characters of Cuneiform evolve into?
A wedge shapePost an example of Akkadian Cuneiform.
After the Akkadians conquered, what happened to the Sumerian culture and written language?
They were adopted by the Akkadians.
What is a pictograph?
A pictorial or visual representation of an object.
Why did the creation of Cuneiform allow the Sumerians to become a sophisticated culture?
They were able to communicate effectively and record business transactions permanently

Inspiration for Assignment 14

These first two pictures are inspirational because their text flow follows the Z pattern. This can prove to appeal to the natural viewing pattern. The third design is also inspirational because I feel that a photomosaic could serve as an intriguing background if its opacity is lessened in the final design.

Visual Organization

One must learn to direct the audience through a design; not directing the audience through a design is misdirecting them!
Eye movement:

• Typical eye moves left to right and top to bottom.
• Controlling eye movement within a composition is a matter of directing the natural scanning tendency of the viewer's eye.
• Eye tends to gravitate towards area of complexity first. In pictures of people, the eye is always attracted to the face and particularly the eye.
• Light areas of a composition will attract the eye, especially when adjacent to a dark area
• Optical center: The spot where the human eye tends to enter the page. Optical center is slightly above mathematical (or exact) center and just to the left.
• It takes a compelling element to pull your eyes away from this spot.
• Z pattern: Our visual pattern makes a sweep of the page, generally, in the shape of a "Z".
• Effective page design maps a viewer's route through the information. The designer's objective is to lead the viewer's eye to the important elements or information.

Fonts:

• No more than two fonts in one composition.
• Fonts should complement each other in the composition.
• Avoid uppercase (all caps)
• Choose the right font (should fit theme and mode of design)
• Do not overuse fancy or complicated fonts.
• Website: www.typography.com/email/2010-03/index.htm

Visual hierarchy will establish focal points based on their importance to the message that's being communicated. Crucial part of design process is to establish an order of elements, a visual structure, to help the viewer absorb the information provided by a design. 

To establish visual hierachy, ask:

• What do I want my reviewer to look at first, second, etc.?

The Grid: 

Way of organizing content on a page, using any combination of margins, guide lines, rows, and columns. It is instituted by modernism. Can assist the audience by breaking info into manageable chunks and establishing relationships between text and images. Grid consists of distinct set of alignment-based relationships that act as guides for distributing elements across a format. Every design is different; therefore, every design will require a a different grid structure... one that address the particular elements within the design. Grid is used to help clarify the message being communicated and to unify the elements.

Cave Paintings/ 35,000 years ago

What are cave paintings?
Beautiful, detailed, and colorful representations found on the inside of cave walls and ceilings.Name several common themes found in cave paintings?
Large animals, tracings of human hands, abstract patterns
How were these paintings created (tools, pigments)?
Things used were water, plant juice, animal blood, soil, charcoal, and hematite. Brushes were made by sticking together sticks, small stones, leaves, and animal hair.What is the most famous cave painting site? When was it discovered and by whom?
Post an example of cave painting(s) from this cave.The most famous cave painting site is Lascaux, France. It was discovered in 1940 by four teenage boys. 
Why did this cave have to be closed? What was done to satisfy public curiosity?
The paintings were being damaged by the carbon dioxide emitted by the tourists. In order to satisfy public curiosity, a man made replica called Lascaux II was created next to the original.
Post an example of cave painting(s) from Altamira cave.
In Altamira cave, why do most of the paintings have a red hue?
This is because there is red clay in the soil.
Who discovered this site? How old are the paintings confirmed to be?
The site was discovered by Marceline Sanz de Sautola and his daughter Maria. The paintings were confirmed to be 19,000 years old.
What is the oldest known cave painting site? When was it discovered and by whom?
Post an example of cave painting(s) from this cave.
The oldest known cave painting site is Chauvet-Point Arc. It was discovered in 1994 by Eliette Brunell Deschamps, Christian Hillaire, and Jean-Marie Chauvet.
What was different about the painting techniques at this site?
The walls were scraped clear of debris. A 3-D effect was created by etching around the edges.
What is "speleology"?
It is the study of the features, history, processes, life, etc. of caves.
What three reasons do archeologists and historians believe prehistoric man created cave paintings?
To tell a story that already happened.
As an instructional aid to help learn hunting techniques
For magical/ religious reasons that if a desired event was painted, it might happen. 

A13 Research and inspiration

Exquisite corpse-  a method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled. (Wikipedia) Started with a writing game called Consequences; was developed by the Surrealists (Wikipedia).

Surrealism- A 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature that sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind (Google).

Brainstorm:

Modern, humorous


Inspiration: 

This exquisite corpse looks interesting because it combines diametrically opposite body parts such as the bulky, robotic torso and the exceedingly thin legs.

This picture demonstrates how unusual exquisite corpses can look. Here, the impression of a centaur is given. At the same time, it is an amusing mixture of a cow, a human figure, and a frog- like creature.