Final Thoughts

(Photo of me created by me)

This semester (Fall 2010) at Foothill Community College, I took a course titled History of Graphic Design. The course covered  “the development of visual communication in art, graphic design, illustration and popular culture. Emphasis on the role, impact and interpretation of images, symbols, and typography used in informative and persuasive media” (foothill.edu).

Throughout the semester we were required to post weekly journals, explaining and presenting what we had learned that week. My field journals are a direct reflection of what I felt was important, relevant to me, and what I wanted to expand on and learn more about.

This course taught me about the origins of art, from cave carvings to computer generated graphics. Art has come a long way, and has been around since even before language has. Art is universal, like food. It is something to be shared with many people. It was a form of communication as well as tradition for people in the past, and continues today.

Learning about the history of graphic design and it’s origins has been valuable to me in many ways. For one, I would like to pursue Graphic Design as a career so knowing the history behind it holds value. Secondly, learning about artists and the founders of huge movements in art history, can help me in recognizing them as well as simulating them in my career. This portfolio is valuable to me because I now have proof of what I have learned, and a reference I can always look back to.

Happy Holidays.

-Sabrina

Women of Contemporary Design

ZUZANA LICKO

Famous For:

• Co-founding Emigre fonts with her husband Rudy VanderLans
  

APRIL GREIMAN

Famous for:

• Designed for Design Quarterly in the 1980’s

• Acclaimed as one of the most influential graphic designers using the digital media (kettererkunst.com)

PAULA SCHER

Famous for:

• Designed album covers for CBS & Atlantic Records in the 1980’s
• Inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame in 1998
  

-Then-

-Now –

(Along with her team, she did the packaging for these products)

(portrait)

LOUISE FILI

Famous for:

• Reinventing book jacket design in the 1980s (adcglobal.org)
• Inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame in 2004

Famous for creating the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval:

Has her own company titled Louse Fili Ltd. specializing in logo, package, restaurant, type, book and book jacket design.

Psychedelic art

as described by Wikipedia, is any kind of visual artwork inspired by psychedelic experiences induced by drugs such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin.

Many posters for rock concerts and dances were created during the poster mania movement. Here are some examples:

One of the really popular posters were for the Grateful Dead band in the 60’s. Here are some examples of posters done (below):

I thought this was interesting, taken from psychedelicartists.org as to why people see these occurring patterns when they hallucinate…. See below…

Why do people see Geometric Patterns when they Hallucinate?

In 1926, Heinrich Kluver systematically studied the effects of
mescaline (peyote) on the subjective experiences of its users.

In addition to producing hallucinations characterized by bright,
“highly saturated” colors and vivid imagery, Kluver noticed that
mescaline produced recurring geometric patterns in different users.

He called these patterns ‘form constants’ and categorized four types:
cobwebs, tunnels, spirals and lattices (including honeycombs,
checkerboards, and triangles).

Kluver’s form constants have appeared in other drug-induced and naturally occurring hallucinations.

Kluver’s form constants also appear in near-death experiences
and sensory experiences of those with synesthesia.

Other triggers include psychological stress, or threshold consciousness, hypnagogia, insulin hypoglycemia, the delirium of fever, epilepsy, psychotic episodes, advanced syphilis, sensory deprivation, photostimulation, electrical stimulation, crystal gazing, migraine headaches, dizziness and a variety of drug-induced intoxications.

This piece of art, (below),  is one of my favorite posters depicting the Day of the Dead holiday. This holiday is celebrated on November 2 and is usually celebrated by Mexicans and Mexican Americans. It is a day to celebrate and pray for dead family members.

This (below) is a modern psychdelic poster for Taking Woodstock movie which primered in 2009 about the actual Woodstock concert in 1969.

Below is a recent poster done by a graphic design student on 11/21/2010.

Below are more modern psychedelic types of art.

Shoes:

 

Apparel:

1960’s –> 2000’s –>

 

Jewelry:

*All images are sourced by their link attached to them.

Hannah Wilke the Remarkable

Hannah Wilke was a pioneering feminist conceptual artist. Born in 1940 as the second child to Selma and Emanuel Butter, was born Arlene Hannah Butter in New York City. She attended public school in Queens, and graduated from Great Neck High School in 1957. She then attended Stella Elkins Tyler School of Fine Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, receiving  a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1962.

Wilke taught art throughout her career, gave workshops and participated in panels and conferences about women’s art (hannahwilke.com). She taught art from 1962-1965 at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School in PA, and from 1965-1970 at White Plains HIgh School in NY. She joined the faculty of the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan in 1972 and founded the ceramics department. There, she taught sculpture and ceramics until 1991.

In 1972 she had her fist one-woman gallery exhibitions at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York and Margo Leain Gallery, Los Angeles (hannawilke.com).

In 1987 Wilke was diagnosed with lymphoma and underwent extensive treatment which included a bone marrow transplant. During the time of her treatment, instead of hiding herself, she showed herself off, through numerous photographs taken of herself. It was like a slap in the face, and an in-your-face type of experience. Instead of running from death it was almost as if she was looking at it dead on, ready to face it.

IntraVenus grew out of this experience, which was a group of monumental photographs documenting her final illness. It was turned into an exhibition and held at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts in 1994 and to Yerba Buena Arts Center in San Francisco, the Santa Monica Museum, Weatherspoon Art Gallery in Greensboro NC, Woodruff Gallery in Atalanta GA, and many more.

Of these, one of her most famous were the S.O.S. photographs, were glamorous photos of herself with wart-like objects all over her body and face. “Wilke covered her body with the small vulva forms she shaped from used chewing gum. The gums, mimicking the larger form of the folded sculptures, represent scars or growths and contrast with Wilke’s flirtatious advertisement style glamour poses” (re-title.com).

Wilke said, “I chose gum because it’s the perfect metaphor for the American woman – chew her up, get what you want out of her, throw her out and pop in a new piece” (re-title.com).

Her exhibition received First Place Award in 1994 and 1996 for best show in an art gallery from the International Association of Art Critics (hannawilkes.com)
Hannah Wilkes was obviously an amazing individual who brought controversy and reality to the table. Though her Intra Venus made people a little uncomfortable, the elegance, peacefulness and beauty she expressed undoubtedly shone through it, and made her an astounding individual to be cherished dearly. Her story greatly impacted me.

Further Information:

Click here to view an article that captures the essence of Hannah Wilke just years before her death.
All images are sourced by the link attached to them. Click the image to find the link source.

References:

http://www.re-title.com/exhibitions/archive_AlisonJacquesGallery433.asp

Bauhaus Furniture…

Bauhaus was a school in Germany, founded in 1919,  that combined arts and crafts. Of this, came many different designs and creations, one of them being Bauhaus furniture.

Knoll was the one of the first companies who started marketing the Bauhaus Furniture designed by Le Corbusier, Eileen Gray,Mies Van Der Rohe and other noted designers. These marvels of Bauhaus furniture were very expensive and out of reach for an average consumer. Today, we see furniture similated like this, for much cheaper. (http://www.spacify.com/modern-classic-furniture.htm).

The Barcelona chair was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for his Pavilion at the International exhibition in Barcelona Spain. The chair was designed as seating for the King ans Queen while the stool was to serve as seating for the attendants. (http://www.purebauhaus.com/barcelona-chair-revisited-50)

The Folding Table, created by Gustav Hassenpflug, was another great piece of furniture that came from the Bauhaus. It was designed in 1928, and we’ve seen so many modern and more creative versions of the folding table today. This table is made of fine wood and skillfully crafted, but we often see much simpler versions of the folding table today.(http://www.purebauhaus.com/folding-table-by-gustav-hassenpflug-48).

Some of the modern Bauhaus Furniture is very pricey as well. Take a look at this Alvar Aalto Paimio Chair, for a retail price of $2,110.00! (http://www.bauhaus2yourhouse.com/products/alvar-aalto-paimio-chair)

I was interested in finding something outside of the text, and the Bauhaus furniture is lovely. You can find cheap and expensive items to complement your household. Items can be found for discounts in stores like Walmart, as well as unique custom designs in stores like bauhaususa.com.

Picasso the Magnificent

CUBISM & PABLO PICASSO

Cubism art is taking an image or a scene and painting it from many different perspectives. Each cube is a different perspective, thus the name cubism. For instance, one face may appear to have many faces, which is the way it is intended to be. Cubism is purely abstract and not meant to be realistic, but meant to make a point. Cubism challenges pictorial art (248). Artist Pablo Picasso was the main founder of cubism, which is represented in many of his paintings.

Pablo Picasso is probably one of my favorite artists. I participated in a downtown holiday event a few years ago in high school, called Christmas in the Park, where thousands of trees are displayed every year. My senior art class all did famous artists to create huge ornamental replica’s of their work. I did a Pablo Picasso piece similar to the one pictured below..

Here are some of my favorites from Picasso as well….

(quote)

(Self portrait)

This one looks almost like Pop Art-ish.. it’s brilliant.

I enjoyed reading about and browsing through Pablo Picasso’s artwork. I learned more about him as an artist, and was not aware that he was the founder of Cubism prior to this class.

Art Nouveau trails into the 21st Century

I’m going to be really honest and say that the reading has begun to get a little boring. It’s just the wordage and the way it which it’s written. I find myself having to read paragraphs 2 or 3 times to really grasp it and retain it because it’s just a bunch of information being laid out without much excitement added.

With that being said, I’ll share what DID interest me, and stood out to me this week:

Art Nouveau was a decorative style with a distinguishable plantlike line. The Art Nouveau era is particularly important because it was not just used in one fashion. This style manifested itself into all facets of life post-industrial revolution.

I thought this photograph was beautiful. It’s the use of iron cast with Art Nouveau.

(source: http://www.designioustimes.com/design/the-influence-of-art-history-on-modern-design-art-nouveau.html)

I found this photo (below) interesting because it reminded me of something I would see in Forever 21, an alternative fashion store for shoppers with lower budgets. The first one is art nouveau jewelry and the second one is a modern day type of jewelry you’d find in a local fashion store. They are very similar in style.

(Source: http://www.designioustimes.com/design/the-influence-of-art-history-on-modern-design-art-nouveau.html)

(Source: http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=acc_rings_pins&product_id=1084289255&Page=all&pgcount=25)

I found this interesting because not much has changed, except quality. I feel that many items in the U.S. today are made as replicas of antique and expensive ones. This has become our society. Wearing fake Coach bags and huge cubic zurconia’s on our fingers. People want to appear that they are of a certain status when really they are not. The question is, Is this a positive thing for people or a negative one? Does it even matter or make a difference?

The Jugend movement that also began is interesting. One has to ask and wonder, if this magazine paved the way for the thousands that we see in the market today. It’s twenty-four-point typography set above the featured image on each issue, mimics many of the magazines we see today, such as Fitness, Elle and Glamour. Or, we could say that modern day magazines mimic Jugend?

(Source: http://nona-art.blogspot.com/2008/12/j-f-le-saint-art-factory-and-others.html)

(Source: http://www.superficialdiva.com/2010/0119/kate-hudson-does-glamour-germany-february-2010-cover/)

I found this interesting because not much has changed, except quality.

Golden Age of American Illustration

Especially interesting to me this module, was the process which lead up to photography. Howard Pyle played a big role in the technological advancements during the mid century. In Meggs, it is states that “Pyle’s own work and remarkable gifts as a teacher made him the major force that launched the period called the Golden Age of American Illustration (163).” Pyle was the first to complete a tonal illustration as well as the first to produce a two-color illustration.

During the Golden Age of American Illustration, Pyle created the famous Walking the Plank. According to one author, “Pyle selected the climactic moment when the prisoner—bound, blindfolded, but still holding himself powerfully—must choose between the bullet and the ocean” (Allbusiness.com).

The photomechanical process began, and is interesting because it was one of the first ways dots were used to create an image that mimicked a real photograph. It’s amazing to think that now all we have to do is click a button on our phones or digital cameras and we can get an amazing still image, when in the 19th century, exposure was so slow that moving objects could not be captured in an image. An example of this, is Louis Jacques Daguerre’s photo (1839) of a moving town which only captured two men polishing their shoes, which were the first ever to be photographed.

It’s crazy how far we’ve come with technological advancements, even from film to digital, and from movies moving more and more towards being shot with digital cinematography. I was not aware that many movies are actually still shot with film and that only parts are shot digitally. According to Wiki, Slumdog Millionnairre was one of the first movies (in 2009) to prove that digital cinemetography can be the primary source of shooting, since it won an Academy Award.

*All images are sourced by the link attached to them…

 

References:

http://www.allbusiness.com/services/museums-art-galleries-botanical-zoological/4360136-1.html

 

John Baskerville: Innovator…Motivator…

My Personal Reflections with John Baskerville.

I was enthralled by Baskerville and his artistic ability. When reading about how he built a fortune for himself not only through bookmaking but through innovative ideas such as frames, boxes, clock cases, etc. with his artwork on them (122). This shows me that I am not limited to one thing that I feel I am good at. Through that one skill, many other facets and ideas will branch off of it, if I let them. Baskerville was an artist, yes, but he also let his imagination run and he ran with it.

This is something I am trying to experience myself. I am good at certain things, but that doesn’t mean that I have to only do those things and limit myself. I want to start my own Church Marketing business. For anyone interested, this is a great book (Church Marketing 101) —>

Although some of my ideas seem ridiculous and like they may never work, I want to continue as Baskerville did, to let my imagination run, and to believe in my goals and dreams. Baskerville eventually became one of the best of his kind, particularly in type design.

Another thing I learned from Baskerville is that sometimes you have to keep trying the same thing and tweak it, before it becomes a masterpiece. He was constantly revising his process, until he achieved that glossy finish on his books which had never been seen before (124). Also, the fact that he was very versatile worked greatly to his advantage. Instead of having someone else do the job for him, he was able to get in there and create things exactly the way he saw it in his head. Having a variety of skill can greatly enhance your results.

Conclusion

It’s amazing to me how many men worked full time jobs printing and creating typography and type designs, because today in America all we see is everything being produced electronically and via the internet. Many of these men wouldn’t have jobs today, or they would have to learn the new technology in order to get a job in the same field. I think about how different it is today from the 1700’s, and how far along we’ve come. Now anyone can create a font, and have it published on websites such as Dafont.com. I use this website often when creating new designs and I think it’s really awesome. The internet has definitely given people an outlet to express their creativity for free to millions of people across the globe.

*All photos are sourced by a link. Click on the photo for it’s source link.

Hieroglyphs

I was particularly intrigued by hieroglyphs. To start off with something FUN, I found a website where you can see what your name looks like in hieroglyph.

Here is my name: SABRINA

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Illuminated manuscripts were very interesting and the importance the Egyptians placed on them for the afterlife. The Egyptians placed a huge emphasis on the afterlife, and believed that they would either be admitted to live with the gods or that they would suffer eternal damnation.

The funerary text called the Book of Dead was really interesting to me. There are 12 Books within it, and it consists of hieroglyphic writings, myths, hyms and prayers. People would purchase these for their loved ones funerals.

This website gives an outline of the Book of Dead which was really interesting: http://www.thenazareneway.com/index_egyptain_book_dead.htm

This image shows one’s heart being weighed on a scale by one of the gods. If his heart is lighter than a feather then he is admitted into the afterlife. This is an interesting theology.

Image source: eso-garden.com