The Codex and the Illuminated Manuscript | 1st century AD

Post an example of a scroll.
What were the drawbacks of the scroll? the allowed only for sequential usage, the reader must read the text in the order it was written.
Post an example of a codex.
What is a codex? new ways to put together handwritten pages. covered and bound collection of handwritten pages; a book.

"Codex" is derived from the Latin meaning "block of wood". Why? it was compact, sturdy, and easy of access.

What is the difference between "sequential access" and "random access"? one can go to any point in the book to find information. in a scroll, one must go all the way through it.

What were the advantages of using the codex? could be open flat at any page. easier to organize in libraries because you could write the name on the spine.

What helped spread the use of the codex? the rise of Christianity, the Bible utilized it,

What replaced papyrus? Describe the process used to create it? the codex, or a book. made from animal skin, hair, fat, skin was smoothed out, hide was soaked in water, calcium, flour, salt added, then skin was stretched out, flattened, and dried.

What is vellum? finer qualities of parchment. skins of young cows.

Name several examples of current technology that utilizes the format of the codex? digital books -- the kindle, the iPad.

What led to a period of cultural and economical deterioration? the decline of the Roman Empire. The Dark Ages
Post an example of an illuminated manuscript.
Who began creating books by hand, taking the creation to an art form? monks

What does "illumination" refer to? What was included in this ornamentation? the borders, illustration and ornamentation in each text. Initials of chapters and paragraphs, paintings in margins, borders, and around text.

What tool was used for creating the illuminated manuscripts? quills

Why were these manuscripts reserved for religious purposes? the work was so laborious and hard. used during christian masses.

What is craftsmanship? Why is it important? the detail and neatness of each book. 

The Roman Alphabet | 7th century BC

What was the basis of the Roman uppercase alphabet? variant of the greek alphabet
What were the purposes of the formal and informal styles of lettering? formal - documents informal - letters and quicker types of writing 

Why is the Roman alphabet the most widely used and what contributions did it make? refined the art of handwriting

From where did serifs originate? the carving of words into stone in ancient Italy.

When and where did lowercase, or minuscule, letters develop? the romans

What is a ligature and why were they utilized? joining two characters together, ex: tt
Post an example of the Roman alphabet in visual form. 

The Greek Alphabet | 800 BC

How did Greeks come in contact with the Phoenicians? trade agreements

How was the Greek adaptation of the alphabet different from its predecessor? it didn't only represent only consonants. they were adapted to represent vowels

Why is the Greek alphabet considered to be the world's first true alphabet? because it had vowel sounds and consonant sounds. it had sounds that could be used all around the world. quicker, more informal style for routine types of writing.

Name several similarities and differences between the Greek and modern English alphabets? they had letters for all the sounds not just some sounds. 
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? angular and straight, right to left.

What two reasons made the Phoenician alphabet so successful? not as complicated and the trading culture of the Phoenician merchants spread the use of the alphabet.

What long term effects on the social structures of civilizations did the Phoenicians have with the creation of their alphabet? its simplicity allowed it to be used in multiple languages and common people learned how to write. the characters were very simple.  

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? built to honor the gods and kings, they discovered carved and painted images writing in hieroglyphics.

Scholars believe that Ancient Egyptians were inspired and influenced by which written language? Sumerian cuniform and influenced by their concept of words and writing.

What is the difference between logographic and alphabetic elements? logo - visual symbols representing ideals and objects. alphabetic - document writing

The term Hieroglyphic derived from what two Greek words? hiero - scared and glyphic - writing or engraving.

What is a scribe? someone who copies documents
Who else was trained to read and write? Why? students and military leaders so they could communicate while in battle.
Post an example of hieroglyphics on papyrus.
What is papyrus and how was it made? substrates made from reeds native to egypt. wet reeds are layed criss cross over each other, flattened and dried, and then rolled over with stones.

What is a substrate? A substance or layer that underlies something, or on which some process occurs, in particular.

What were the Books of the Dead? scrolls for pharaohs with instructions and spells to help them find their way to the afterlife.

How did Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics become a forgotten language? by the time the greeks and romans ruled egypt, few egyptians were able to read or write in them. those who could, disappeared and there was nobody left.
Post an example of the Rosetta Stone.
What is the Rosetta Stone? Where was it discovered? Founded in Rosetta. examined in Cairo. It had the same inscriptions in three different languages.

What three languages are included on the stone? 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 texts were complete.

Who finally deciphered the text? What was his breakthrough? Jean Francois Champollion. he was able to match up the hieroglyphics symbols with the greek version of the name Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses.

Why does the interpretation of the Rosetta Stone have such significance? we know a great deal about ancient Egyptians and Egyptian hieroglyphics. 

Assignmnt #14 | Research and Inspiration

i love how all the designs kind of blend.. i like the excel background blended into it and the words on the right. it captures our age group

This one really conveys a message and i love the dark background and then contrasted with the bright word life and how it glows..

I love this one!! i love how it is so simply but it conveys and very strong and clear message. i also like the faded clouds and the simple background
















brainstorming
- our age group
- unique like the first one
-

Visual Organization

eye movement - not directing them through a design is misguiding them. left to right, top to bottom. controlling eye movement within the composition is a matter of directing the natural scanning tendency of the viewers eye. the eye tends to gravitate towards areas of complexity first. In pictures of people, the eye is always attracted to the face and particularly the eye. light areas will attract the eye, especially when adjacent to the dark. Diagonal lines or edges will guide eye movement.
                   optical center - the spot where the human eye tends to enter the page. slightly above the mathematical center and just to the left.

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 -
1. no more than two fonts
2. make sure that they compliment each other
3. Avoid uppercase of all caps.
4. choose the right type of font
5. do not overuse fancy or complicated fonts
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.
A crucial part of the process is to establish an order of elements, a visual structure, to help the viewer absorb the information provided by a design.

Establish visual hierarchy...
1. What do i want my viewer to look at first?
2. What about second....third...fourth....fifth...etc.

THE GRID
- a way of organizing content on a page, using any combination of margins, guide lines, rows, and columns.
- instituted by Modernism
- can assist the audience by breaking info into manageable chunks.
- distinct set of alignment-based relationships
- every design is different and require a different grid structure.
- help clarify the message and unification of elements

Cuneiform and the Sumerians | 3,000 BC

The Sumerians were one of the earliest types of this kind of civilization? What does that mean? one of the earliest nomadic civilizations. they moved around often and settled at different places.

Why is the region of Sumer considered the Cradle of Civilization?  it is where cuneiform, the worlds first written language, was created

What could the Sumerians practice year round because of the regions climate? year round agriculture.
Post an example of early Cuneiform (Sumerian pictograph).
Why was Cuneiform created? they needed a way to track all of the business transactions. 
What medium was used to "write" Cuneiform? Explain the process of preparing and writing on this surface? clay tablets. wet the clay, form it into flat surfaces, use a wedge shaped stylus to make impressions, then lay the tablets in the sun allowing them to dry and harden.

What did Cuneiform begin 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 shaped language.
Post an example of Akkadian Cuneiform.
After the Akkadians conquered, what happened to the Sumerian culture and written language? they adopted the sumerian culture and their written language.

What is a pictograph? a pictorial representation of an object.

Why did the creation of Cuneiform allow the Sumerians to become a sophisticated culture? because they were the only ones with a written form of language. 

Cave Paintings | 35,000 years ago

What are cave paintings? detailed and colorful representations found on cave walls and ceilings. 

Name several common themes found in cave paintings? large animals and tracings of humans hands and abstract patterns

How were these paintings created (tools, pigments)? water, plant juice, animal blood, soil, charcoal, and hematite. brushes - sticks, small stones, leaves, animal hair.

What is the most famous cave painting site? When was it discovered and by whom? Lascaux by four teenage boys. Discovered in 1940
Post an example of cave painting(s) from this cave.

Why did this cave have to be closed? What was done to satisfy public curiosity? becase the wall paintings were being damaged by carbon dioxide. The French government created a manmade replica right 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? caused by the red clay in the soil that was used to make paint

Who discovered this site? How old are the paintings confirmed to be? Maceline Sanz de Sautuoula and his daughter Maria. Made nearly 19,000 years ago

What is the oldest known cave painting site? When was it discovered and by whom? Chauvet - Point Arc. in 1994 discovered by 3 speleogists. Post an example of cave painting(s) from this cave.

What was different about the painting techniques at this site? The walls were scraped clear of debris and a 3D effect was created by etching the image around the edges. They found fossilized remains.

What is "speleology"? the study or exploration of caves.
What three reasons do archeologists and historians believe prehistoric man created cave paintings?
1. created to tell a story, or recount an event.
2. created as a visual aid to teach about hunting.
3. created for magical or religious reasons. if it were painted - it might come true!