Response to Chapter 5

I still find it so fascinating that something as mathematical in nature as the Fibonacci sequence can be so beautiful. You wouldn't expect nature to boil down to something so re-creatable. Nature itself just exudes a very "real" and imperfect quality, but is actually extremely precise. This shows how even nature uses a grid pattern, and in order to find the nature order it possesses, so do we. The golden mean is biologically appealing to us, and since it so prominent in nature, we are hard wired to prefer and better understand things that follow the same pattern, from faces to shells to page layouts. Things that don't follow this mean, like a person drawn out of proportion, just look...off. Most of us don't realize why when it happens in our daily life, but we just know. Playing with this ratio is the perfect way to subtly convey a message without using words. And whether you want your audience to be aesthetically pleased, or maybe you want to make them visually uncomfortable, keeping in mind the golden mean is key.
I also love the idea of creating a rhythm or a velocity for the page, both in words and in paragraphs. It is true, a letter, based on its position on the page, can imply movement, and I think this is very powerful, especially for very visual people. However, I never realized that the gravity effect on a letter could draw out basic fears and desires, like how it said a tilted letter can imply falling, which evokes feelings about humans' fear of falling. This is such a base instinct, but is completely true. The positioning of the letter dives into our sub conscious and pulls out reactions we don't even know are there until we develop an impression about the piece, and then are left wondering, now why do I feel that? It's amazing how many messages we can pick up just from layout.

Chap. 6 Response

Chapter 6 is about the Typographic Message, a multidimensional language. The typographic message is verbal, visual, and vocal. As a representation of verbal language, typography must communicate clearly. A lot of times, prolific messages are very apparent and litter the environment. The impact of an effective typographic message cannot be measured. Effective typographic messages result from the combination of logic and intuitive judgment. Only the neophyte approaches this process in a strictly intuitive manor; a purely logical or mechanical procedure undermines human expression. Keeping these two extremes in balance requires the use of a functional verbal/visual vocabulary capable of addressing a broad spectrum of typographic communication. Signs operate in two dimensions in a language: syntactic and semantic. All objects in the environment can potentially function as signs, representing any number of concepts. Signs may exist as various levels of abstraction. The particular syntactic qualities associated with typographic signs determine a specific meaning. A series of repeated letters can represent motion or a small letter can mean isolation. Simple syntactic manipulations, such as the repetition of letters or the weight change of certain letters enable words visually to mimic verbal meaning. Words as verbal signs, grouped together in a linear fashion, attain their value though mental association. These associative relationships are semantically derived. Two terms important to the understanding of signs are denotation and connotation. When considering the meaning of typographic signs, denotation refers to objective meaning and connotation refers to interpretations. Chapter 6 then goes on to talk more about how typographers have a responsibility to keep words legible and functional.

Chapter 5 Response/Reflection

Chapter 5
Chapter five went into one of my favorite topics about typography and design in general, the usage of grids.  Grids can offer a lot in the design world. They can help aesthetically, they can be used for organization, they can also be used to help simplify as well as add complexity.  Grids are incredibly fun to work with in design as they have been a more recent design obesession of mine.  Reading this chapter and learning more about space, edges, boundaries, zones etc. reminded me of something often used in web design/development to reflect a grid.  There are multi-column grid systems built to reflect mathematical calculations for laying out web pages into a grid.  Here is a picture to show you what I mean:

The use of space, hierarchy, boundaries all work to create a final web page that has organization through clear lines, columns, boarders etc.  Different grids and columns will seem more active depending on their placement and hierarchy.  Using a grid only helps so much; a designer has to also have an understanding of proportion as this chapter mentions.  Realizing where things are in the space and how they occupy it with their size and weight can be a very crucial thing to have in the design world.  Proportion has a lot to do with the ratio of objects and elements on the page and in type.  The more precise proportions are the more clear, clean, and organized the final product will be.  The idea of these "ratios" kept bringing up the idea in my mind of the golden ratio.  We touched on it in class but it is still something that is fascinating and can also be applied to the design world because it is used in the making of grid systems and other design like architecture, product engineering, web design and typography.  For anyone who may not know what the golden ration is, here is one of the more common photos you will find that describes it (even though it is very complex beyond the image alone):

In conclusion this chapter really touched on a lot of the aspects of design that really excite me personally.  Reading these things sends me off on tangents finding and researching design techniques and practices.  I really enjoyed further exploring the grid and the idea of space in the grid and in type.  I look forward to expanding on this in class.

Chapter 6 Response

Chapter 6 in our text is about the typographic message.  It discusses the different aspects of typography as a language of visual signs capable of education, persuasion, informing, and entertainment (111).  It also mentions the relationship between effectively sending a message and aesthetic beauty.  I think this chapter is important for us to learn because it sort of breaks free of discussing the technical aspects of typography, and addresses the cultural, artistic, and communications aspects. 

One of the important points made is that the typographic message is verbal, visual, and vocal because it can be interpreted verbally, visually, and audibly.  I think this point is especially important when considering the artistic aspect of typography.  Poetry is a perfect example of that.  The writer can reach you by not only composing meaningful words, but also arranging them in a manner that solidifies their point by using stanzas, line breaks, scale/weight etc...The text mentions the Dadaist and Futurist movements as significant moments where typographic design was “pulled into this artistic revolution” (112). The section on verbal/visual equations is important, especially when considering our next project.  It talks about how designers can manipulate typographic signs to attain a more expressive communication.  This section has a lot of depth in that ‘signs’ can exist on so many levels.  The authors talk about how one sign can represent various given its context—they used the example of the red dot.  The concept of ‘signs’ has so many layers and opportunities to be creative.  I also appreciate the simplistic aspect of using signs to communicate—it’s always interesting to consider what the simplest way to communicate a message is.  All in all I enjoyed reading this chapter.  Especially because of it brings to light the cultural aspect/implications of type.  It reminded me of traveling abroad. It’s always intriguing to see not only what kinds of signs other countries use on the street and in public areas, but what kinds of things they feel the need to make a signs for.             

Chapter 5 Response

Chapter 5 of our text is all about the use of grids as a framework for designers to organize information.  Grids are a crucial aspect in effectively achieving a sense of visual balance.  A grid framework is an easy way of creating an aesthetically pleasing composition, and their versatility makes room for variety/creativity.  The chapter mentions the importance of proportion in using a grid framework.  The authors argue that it is critical to have an understanding of proportions to create an effective typographic grid because “divided space is perceived as a system of proportional relationships” (94).  As I have said in previous posts, I never really gave much thought to how mathematical and methodical typography is.  Reading this section about proportions specifically has reiterated that fact.  However they do mention that designers most often rely on an innate sense of proportion, which I think is very true.  I also think that the gird itself is a kind of innate system of visual balance for most people.  I think that’s why it’s such a crucial component of design. 

The section about multi-column grids makes an interesting point in that, before any decision can be made about the grid the designer has to consider the amount of text and the context it will be placed in.  I always really like when books have big pages with multi-column and modular grids.  I find them more interesting, and I think there is more room for variety and creativity.  I’m glad that the chapter included the section about improvisational structures.  It seems like a process that is much more flexible, but still adheres to typographic form.  I think improvisational structures are good because their asymmetrical use of space interrupts the norm, in a sense.               

Chapter 5 Response

            I found it interesting that the first few pages of chapter five discuss that the way we perceive letterforms has a lot to do with gravity.  The authors point out that when a letterform is centered on a background, that letterform appears still and motionless.  When the letterform is placed off center, say, slightly to the right or left of the page, the letterform appears to be moving.  Consequently, the letterform gains velocity as it reaches the edges/boundaries of the background.  Similarly, the authors note, that by simply rotating a letterform, the letterform will appear to be tumbling…it will appear to be visually giving way to the natural forces of gravity.

            I enjoyed learning about all the different organizational, spatial, and aesthetic possibilities that can come from using a grid.  Some might tend to think that a grid is a rigid structure that does not allow for much creativity or flexibility.  The authors point out that the more complex a grid’s structure is, the more flexible and numerous the organizational possibilities are.  The modular grid, for example, “offers opportunities to present more complex information with a high degree of accuracy and clarity.”  The areas formed by the intersections of vertical and horizontal lines are called modules.  These modules can be combined and or put together to form hierarchical “zones,” so to speak.  By using varying modules, keeping an open, creative mind, and working to balance variety and unity, one can design a highly successful and effective grid structure for any sort of lay out or project.

Write Now Exhibit

I attended the "Write Now" exhibit, and I was amazed. There were so many creative ideas in one room! There were so many things I loved about this exhibit. Here are some of the ones that caught my attention:
First, there was a table with papers of letters making pictures. I loved that stepping outside the box and using the form of the letters to make abstract pictures.
I also loved the "safety is not in numbers" collection of words stitched onto military style vests. Those simple words on fabric conveyed to me that all you need to be safe nowadays is a bullet proof vest.
I loved the area full of what I can only describe as "hand rendered trial confessions". They were beautifully drawn with so much detail, and each one used a variety of texts, which looked extremely uniform for hand drawings, to convey a feeling of being wrongly accused.
I was fascinated by the wood engravings, especially since the engraved part was the background! The letters were precise and raised, while it was the rest of the background that had been cut away.
I loved walking by the wall of toll road receipts with the fan. There were hundreds of them, and they did not say much together literally, but figuratively the white wall fluttering and punctuated by black was very powerful, telling the story of the journey to took to collect them all.
I got a kick out of the table with the instructions on how to write an old fashioned text message (letter). It is fascinating to remember how much effort it took to communicate. When I was in 5th grade, my best friend moved to California. We wrote letters every week to each other, and sometimes called one another. Now, if I wanted to talk to her, I could text her, email her, or Facebook her. All without ever buying a stamp. It's scary sometimes to remember that younger generations(than myself) didn't experience this crossing over of technology, and therefore lack appreciation and patience for the time it should take to properly communicate with someone.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 talked about the designers grid and all the different aspects that go into making a good design using the grid. One of the principles that book talked about was, structure and space. The best way the book described this term was when visual elements are introduced the create subliminal spaces. This I can feel like depending on the design can be a good thing and a bad thing. Good, being that if a person wants to create the subliminal spacing and or images for a certain style poster they would have no problem placing random shapes and texts anywhere to create that space. However if a designer does not want that and if they do not pay attention they can create subliminal images that can take away from their piece. Another concept the booked talked about was Proportion in a grid. The proportion is the ratio an object has to the grid that it is placed on and do everything else in the piece. I feel like in order to have a strong piece a person has to master proportion to make everything flow smoothly and make everything fit into place without making anything stick out awkwardly. Single and multi columned grids was the next aspect in design. It was stated that its best to use a single block of text and not have multiple space in between, this I feel like would be beneficial in order for the text to read smoothly and not be very choppy and divide important information. Multiple column grid in my opinion is beneficial if a designer wants to lay out a newspaper, or compare two different objects in two different rows. Finally, the booked talked about modular grids, which in my opinion work best to layout a page. Modular grids are grids that have vertical and horizontal intersecting lines that layout spaces to place objects in. This I find to be very helpful because then someone can visualize where they want a certain aspect to go without actually needing to place objects on the grid.

Mas Context Analog Disscusion/meeting

Mas Context Analog was a very interesting discussion and meeting of the mind in the graphic design world. There were many influential people that talked about their past projects and all the work and revisions that went into the final product. Along with this, many of the designers talked about and showed examples of good and bad designs today. One example that Jason Pickleman talked about were the park signs that were all replaced in recent years. He said that the old designs were very pleasing to look at, and had a 50’s style to them by their trapezoidal shape. Along with that, he stated that those signs were very sturdy and withstood the dramatic Chicago weather, from the scorching summers to the brutal winters. He also went on a rant for the Millennium Park logo and talked about how he hated the logo. He talked about how the typeface did not really help out the logo and how even the logo was poorly designed. He stated that Mount Prospect should still that logo and use it for their city and have the city of Chicago create a new logo on a clean slate. He also talked about how designs of signs and wording can effect the interpretation greatly. One of his main examples was that when someone sees a red octagon they automatically assume it means stop even if there is no type on it. Another example he gave that stood out to me was the wording on street signs. He showed a picture of a sign that said wrong way, but then he flipped the text around to say way wrong, which made the sign still have the same meaning but it made the sign comical. Overall this discussion was very helpful in seeing all the different types of projects one can do in the graphic design field. It was also interesting and educational to hear first hand from designers about what the field requires and how much work and skill goes into creating designs.

Chapter 5

Chapter five focuses on the importance and meaning of the typographic grid. It explains that space is the common denominator for all typographic communication. When typographic elements are introduced into space, they create subliminal divisions, and these divisions create spatial structure. Divided space is perceived as a system of proportional relationships. One must understand that the typographic grid is a system of proportions. A grid ratio is a mathematical relationship between two or more grid measurements and it governs the size and placement of typographic elements. The natural division of the golden section is the basic square. Squares in combination lend an infinite variety of visual patterns. Squares basically will never go out of style because Paul Rand used them as metaphorical building blocks. They seem to be forever-contemporary. Before any decision is made about the typographic structure, a designer must become thoroughly acquainted with the amount of text, its content, the audience for which it is intended and the medium used for its delivery. Grid structures will often require adjustment throughout the design process. Multi-column grids are unique in that they provide boundaries for typographic elements and define the “active” space of the page, which creates a dominant axis for the alignment of elements from page to page. Modular grids are formed by the intersections of horizontal and vertical lines. The units provide zones for the placement of different parts of information. In general, the more complex the grid structure is, the more flexible the organizational possibilities. Improvisational structures evolve in response to the specific elements of information as opposed to modular grids, which are predetermined organizational grids. Typographic designers build typographic information environments for clear and accessible information. Once it is known which elements are more important than others, they are translated into typographic forms reflecting their hierarchal status. Working with improvisational structures call for a firm understanding of asymmetrical composition, the dynamics of positive and negative space, and the essential role of visual contrast among typographic elements.

Found Type

Found Type: Library Style

Found Typography Assignment: Fantasy Novels

Response to Ch 7

This chapter was really difficult for me. It was fascinating to hear about all of the old typographic machines and how they worked, but I couldn't understand it. I wanted to badly to see how they worked, and I couldn't grasp to concepts just by reading them. I wish there had been a few more realistic models, not just concept models.
I was fascinated to read about the role of photography in the development of type. I never knew that was such an effective way of capturing letters forms, but it makes perfect sense when I think about it. If it can capture something as complex as scenery, why not letter forms?
Something I was surprised by was the concept of snap on serifs from the Walker Art Center. I always categorized different serif patterns into different fonts all together, and that you had to pick the complete font you wanted to use. It is a curious idea to me to just snap on a serif. Yes, you get the illusion of different fonts, but then the contrast, weight, and base are exactly the same for all of them. It's like putting on a disguise, but you are still the same person. I am not a fan.
Reading about the digital age was very amusing to me. I realized that believing in magic is part of my everyday life. I expect my computer to do exactly as I say, even though it doesn't speak English. I expect my keyboard to transfer my kinetic energy into bits into letters. I expect my mouse to move things I cannot touch. I also have no idea how a laser jet printer works, but I expect the words I type to magically appear in ink on paper. In fact, the only typing concept I actually understand is a typewriter, which is very outdated. So is my knowledge, I guess.

Chapter 1 image responses

The main reason I chose this image from Chapter One is because it is hand rendered and includes illustration. The C taking on the form of a mouth allows the word to be seen as an image in a whole, not just letters. It conveys the message of racism, which is vicious and tearing and messy, with the expressive lines and smears.

I choose this second image of the MTV logo because it is something we all recognize right off the bat. The combination of the M and TV is something we're so used to seeing together that we even blend it into one word "MTV" not "M...TV." I like that even though this particular logo is so 80's looking, it is still used, but slightly modified. The combination of the blocky M and bubbly TV makes it identifiable and have a personality.


















This third image of "All That Jazz" reminds me of the musical "Chicago." It looks like the letters are written in lights that one would see on a Broadway sign, which goes along with the premise of the show. I also like that the letters show movement and sort of go along with the sound of the words in the song, in which "all" is held, "that" is staccato, and "jazz" trails off at the end.

Found Type Grid

My Found Type Project

I wanted the central theme behind my project to be personal to me instead of based on a time or place.  So I decided to tie together all of the albums that I love and that have shaped me through listening to them.  Then I tried to find uniting things between them to make the project more visually appealing.

Two styles

The top was my first proposal, the bottom was a revised version.  I might end up combining some of the them to give it better unity.

Lincoln Ave Found Type

Greektown Found type project

Found Type result

Chapter 1: Images and Responses

p. 22 Image 162 - In this image we see a simple sans-serif font, seemingly Helvetica, most of the text is angled upwards at a 45 degree angle.  However there is a contrasting line of text at a -45 degree angle downwards.  I have seen this effect in a lot of modern posters and found it really intriguing to see this original document from 1960.  It has a great effect and really draws a lot of attention to the text and its alignment.

p. 18 Image 130 - In this image we see a really lovely hand rendered font with a lot of floral like/ swirly accents around the text.  These curls and swirls really pull together the type that has the swashes off of the letters like the "L" and "S".  I really like how the letters are similar but not identical.

p. 21 Image 156 - In this image we have a a custom typeface that follows some of the anatomy of a human figure.  This was done for a Film poster or title and I really liked the look of it.  The layering and hierarchy of the type make it easily legible, the eye follows the words in the way the designer wants.  I really like when text takes up a space (like a human or building or something) that it normally doesn't.  Even though this isn't a great example it reminded me of things we looked at in class where words and text made up entire profiles of people.  Cool stuff.

CH 1 Image Response

image 109, pg. 15 --- A pack of smoking tobacco from the 1880s.  The lettering of this image was printed by chromolithography.  Chromolithography is a method of producing multi-colored prints.  The process is a chemical one that relies on using a grease-based crayon on zinc plates, then using a gum arabic acid solution and oil-based paints.

image 156, pg. 21 --- "Anatomy of a Murder" film title by Saul Bass.  A very noted graphic designer, Saul Bass was one of the first designers to recognize the potential for creativity in title and credit sequences.  He has a very distinct style that revolves around the use and re-use of simple cut out, often geometric shapes and few colors.  His distinct style can also be seen in the logos of many big corporations such as AT&T, United Airlines, Bell telephones, etc..

image 160, pg. 22 --- peace symbol by Gerald Holton, 1959.  Holton originally designed the universally recognizable peace symbol for a British nuclear disarmament movement.  The symbol is made up of the semaphore signals for the letters 'N' and 'D'.  The 'N' is made by a person holding two flags in an upside down 'V'.  The 'D' is made by a person holding one arm straight up and the other arm straight down.

Chapter 1 Response

The first image I have chosen to discuss is number 82 from the "Typography from Gutenberg to the nineteenth century: A.D. 1450-1800".  The series of "Bodoni" typefaces was designed by Giambattista Bodoni in the late 18th century.  The typeface is strong with hairline serifs.  I think the simplicity of the font is what caught my eye while I was scanning the pages.  It reminds me of something that we e found on an old playbill, or program for an opera.  I think the use of a hairline serif accentuates the strength of the columns in each character.

The next image I chose is number 94 from "The nineteenth century and the industrial revolution: A.D. 1800-1899" timeline.  It is an image of your basic poster printed with wood type.  The eye is automatically drawn to the bold serif fonts.  Wood type production was invented during the industrial revolution and changed the aesthetic.  I like the way these posters look because the juxtaposition of huge type and tiny type--although it is very dense, it is still visually balanced.

For my final image I chose number 209 from the "A new century and millennium begin: 2000" timeline.  This image is hard to miss.  It is a poster that was created by Max Kisman.  I think this is especially important to this timeline because it shows how innovative people are becoming when it comes to type.  The letters in this poster were created by the shapes from other objects--which requires a different way of thinking.  I like that most of the images from this timeline choose to creatively use the white/negative space.  

Chp 1 Response

Minimalist creation leads to minimalist thought. Minimalist thought means thinking less. If you create something minimalist, your viewers will react to it with a minimalist amount of thought.

Like for instance, have you ever noticed how when you turn on your macbook, it makes a "Duhhh.." sound? That's the sound of minimalism! Minimalism is the lack of thought.

The Bauhaus is full of it. Their idea that simplicity is everything is the antithesis of truth itself. For centuries, people have adorned their writings with generous amounts of ornamentation. This ornamentation is a sign of the creator's warmth and love for what they are creating. Ornamentation is in itself an art form. To say that ornamentation should be removed in the name of simplicity is to dismiss a form of art, which is impossible because everyone knows that everything is art.

In fact, when Steve Jobs died the other day, all people could say was . That's it. Just . I believe, people have lost their will to think beyond !

People wonder today, what comes after Modernism, Post Modernism, Post Post Modernism and Poste Haste Do Not Pass Go Collect $200 Modernism? No one has an answer to this! That is because there is nothing left to remove from what we are creating. We have reached the limits of Simplicity! It is time to add copious amounts of crap to all design in the name of beauty and art! Crap is beautiful. Art schools make lots of it. They know it's beautiful. And they like it.

From this point forward, we as designers should stop thinking simple and add more crap! Complexity is inherent in everything. Life is complex. We should embrace complexity. Complexity is what truly awes people, not the lack of complexity. The lack of complexity just makes people's eyes go glossy, like the smooth surfaces on a Mies Van Der Rohe building.

Legibility Response

Steve Jobs just passed yesterday, and I am pretty bummed about it.  Those who know me know that I know that my signature is: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.-Steve Jobs” Legibility reminds me of usability as designer.  If you can’t read the text, the design do not really matter.  Kerning and tracking came up again,  and well as other treatments for text like bold and italics.  I was most interested was the digital section that related to Internet.  Being a web designer,  the digital format of text the medium I work with.  CSS and HTML is my bread and butter,  so this was significant to me.  

Chapter 1

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When looking through Chapter 1, I noticed a lot of interesting things. The first thing that I noticed was picture 27. This image shows Caroline Minuscules, which became the standard from the 8th to 12th centuries allover Europe. This font became the standard so that the Roman Alphabet could be read and recognized by people in different regions. Religious and Education texts were written in Caroline Minuscules because it was easily recognizable. The next thing I noticed was picture 29. This is an image of Early Gothic lettering. Early Gothic was a transitional style between Caroline Minuscules and Textura. It was used in the German language and has "an increased vertical emphasis." Last, I noticed image 94. This shows a wood type poster by Davy & Berry. In the 1830s-1880s, wood type posters were extremely popular in both America and Europe. The introduction of wood type fonts had a significant impact on poster design.

Chapter 1

Page 12, image 86: I'm not a fan of this extreme shadow font. I think this is probably because I've seen it so tackily (and inappropriately) used, that it just annoys me. I also don't care for the heavy lines and prominent serifs. If I had to change just one aspect of it, though, I'd definitely take away the shadow--it's overdone.

Page 12, image 88: I like this page (from a typographic manual, I believe), because it's so simple, uses a pleasant amount of white space and feels very minimalistic. I probably would have preferred the same dashed outline box from the top to be used on the bottom to carry the design through, but even so, it looks appealing.

Page 16, image 117: I love the prominent dropcap featured in that William Morris page. It boldly goes past 10 lines of text and covers nearly a quarter of a page. It's so decorative that you really don't need any other flourishes for the page to look visually appealing. The style of the illuminated dropcap looks to be woodcut? It's a very interesting letterform, as well. It's a "T" bu could easily pass for a "G", since it is curved and even has a weird serif at the end.

On page 17, image 121, I really like this title. It's so formal and plays with type nicely (title in large caps, sentence case text, italics, etc). It really reminds me of ebooks. I guess with the next step in technology, we're relying on type more than we're used to with physical books. Thus a lot of people are getting creative with using just type for covers and as design elements. Also, I've been reading a lot of Project Gutenberg books, so the language also puts me in that mindset.

Chapter 1 Discussion

The images i have chosen to discuss in this chapter are pictures 12, 51, and 94.

The first image I've chosen, of the parthenon, is interesting because I'm not entirely sure how it relates to Typography. What I do know about the parthenon however, is that it's architectural dimensions are a work of design genius. It is said that a mathematician named Phidias, of which the greek symbol Phi is from, designed the building around the mathematical principles of the golden ratio. What's particularly interesting about this design is that mathematicians claim that the golden ratio is found in nature: The human body, facial makeup, sunflowers, conch shells etc. Because of this, the parthenon is not only structurally sound, but also excruciatingly beautiful.

The second image, an illustrated "T" is particularly nice. Back from the times of yore when text was hand rendered or pressed, this specific illustrated capital is a beautifully drawn rendering of a floral T. It expresses creativity and regalness in the book, that otherwise would have just been text. It shows a true eye for character integration with art, that allowed for a more creative way of expressing the words on the printed page.

Finally, image 94, of a poster printed with wood type from the 1830's is one of my favorite styles of typograhy. Despite it's cheesy, mix-mashed design stylings, it is a throwback to a different time. The use of at least five typefaces truly gives the piece a unique, and confusing look to it; The beauty of this style is that you can't help but stare at it. It demands attention, without the modern day hype of design elements such as white-space, helvetica, or any of the other tried but true aspects that we learn in a course such as this.

3 Images from Chapter 1

I really love the images of Greek writing as it developed, on page 7, figures 10, 11, and 13. when I studied in Greece, I had to take Greek, and I had many classics majors as friends who were taking ancient Greek. The languages are very different. I was always fascinated and wondered, How did such changes get made? Who decided what letters to keep and which ones to change? The more interesting thing is that the letters, despite having different patterns, still look, in essence, Greek. Why is that?

The second picture that struck me was the illustrative letter in figure 61 on page 9. Type always seems so rigid, and set, and these illustrated letters are so creative and colorful. They have art incorporated into them, and really add an elegance to the page. I would love to design such detailed illustrative letters, if there were a use for them now. I also love the idea that the letter itself can convey a feeling about the story, if not foreshadowing or a scene from the story itself. You don't have to look at the lines in the letter to determine a hidden meaning, its right there illustrated for you.
The last image I find interesting is the old time newspaper print in figure 94 on page 13. I have never really understood the rhyme or reason behind the gaudy and unrelated fonts printed in the early days of print. It's almost as if the goal was to be as obnoxious and unsettling as possible in order to catch attention and draw in eyes to certain words, using any means necessary. There is no white space, and the sizing between the fonts is so spurratic, you have to read very careful to walk away with a complete understanding. It would be very easy to misread or mislead. I think that since font was so new, they were pulling out every stop and now-cliche to use the new technology, like a child with a new toy, and once the public got sick of it, many of those techniques were put in the books for new designers as "never agains".