Dic Lecture 1

Prologue to Graphic Design

• Invention of writing • Medieval manuscripts • Printing comes to Europe

Invention of writing

• Cave paintings at Lascaux, France • c. 15,000 - 10,000 BC

• Dawn of visual communication

• Utilitarian and ritualistic purposes

• Pictographs- elementary pictures or sketches to represent things depicted

• Petroglyph-carved or scratched signs or figures in rock

• Used by prehistoric peoples around the world

• Petroglyphs from Australia • Pictographs and Ideographs

• Engraved reindeer antler found in Lorthet, France

• Counting tokens

• Sumerian pictographic tablet

• Evolution of writing

• cuneiform

• Stele with Code of Hammurabi (c. 1792-1750 BC)

• Egyptian Hieroglyphs

• Can be read in rows from left to right, or right to left • Or in columns

• Star, or sound sba

Papyrus, or wad

• Egyptian manuscripts

人

person

• Illuminated medieval manuscripts in Europe

• Illuminated medieval manuscripts in Europe

• Monastic scriptorium included – Scrittori – Copisti (shown here) – Illuminator

• Book of hours

Jean Duc de Berry, and the Limbourg brothers

• Les tres riches heures du Duc de Berry: February

• Les tres riches heures du Duc de Berry: March

• Les tres riches heures du Duc de Berry: June

• Les tres riches heures du Duc de Berry: August

• Les tres riches heures du Duc de Berry: September

• Les tres riches heures du Duc de Berry: October

• Les tres riches heures du Duc de Berry: December

• Invention of paper

•

“assembly-line” book production

• Woodblock printing

• Chinese block print

• Movable type

• Johann Gutenberg

• Type casting

• Gutenberg printing press

• Gutenburg’s type

• Gutenburg bible

• Next week: 18th century