The Roman Alphabet | 7th century BC

1. What was the basis of the Roman uppercase alphabet?
used a variant of the Greek alphabet.

2. What were the purposes of the formal and informal styles of lettering?
formal- rigid scripts used for important manuscripts and official documents.
informal- used for writing letters and routine types of writing.

3. Why is the Roman alphabet the most widely used and what contributions did it make?
the Romans refined several distinct styles of lettering which were used for different purposes.
 serifs, institution of baselines in typography and penmanship-ensured the type was perfectly aligned.

4. From where did serifs originate?
with carving of words into stone in ancient Italy.  Roman stones man added little hooks to the tips of letter to prevent the chisel from slipping.

=5. When and where did lowercase, or minuscule, letters develop?
3rd century in Rome.

6. What is a ligature and why were they utilized?
a ligature is when the tips are the letters combine and they are joined. They were used because
Post an example of the Roman alphabet in visual form.

The Greek Alphabet | 800 BC

1. How did Greeks come in contact with the Phoenicians?
they regularly traveled to Greece and established trade agreements with them.

2. How was the Greek adaptation of the alphabet different from its predecessor?
they adapted the Phoenician alphabet.

3. Why is the Greek alphabet considered to be the world's first true alphabet?
It has given rise to many other alphabets including the Latin alphabet

4. Name several similarities and differences between the Greek and modern English alphabets?
In the Greek alphabet the only used constants. In the English alphabet we use both vowels and constants. 

The Phoenician Alphabet | 1050 BC

1.The Phoenician alphabet is based on what principle?
 that one sigh represents on spoken sound


2. Describe the shape of the letters and what tool created them?
 angular and straight. and the were created with a stylist.

3. What two reasons made the Phoenician alphabet so successful?
1) the trading culture of the Phoenician merchants spread the use f the alphabet into parts of north Africa and Europe
2) it contrasted with other scripts at the time which used complex characters and were difficult to learn.

4. What long term effects on the social structures of civilizations did the Phoenicians have with the creation of their alphabet?
First wide spread script. its simplicity allowed it to be used in different languages. disintegrated class divisions between royalty and common people.

Post an example of the Phoenician alphabet in visual form.

Hieroglyphics and the Egyptians | 3,000 BC

1. In the sixth century BC, what three civilizations invaded Egypt?
Persians, Romans, and the Greeks.

2. 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 on every wall and surface.

3. Scholars believe that Ancient Egyptians were inspired and influenced by which written language?     By the concept of expressing words in writing.

4. What is the difference between logographic and alphabetic elements?
Logograms- visual symbols representing ideas or objects, generally stylized and perfectly recognizable.

Alphabetic- came later as the language evolved into demotic, used for writing documents. 

5. The term Hieroglyphic derived from what two Greek words?
Hiro means sacred and glyphic means engraving or writing.

6. What is a scribe?

A priest who could read and write instructions on the walls. Responsible for writing a set of scrolls for pharaohs and other important Egyptians and papyrus.

7. Who else was trained to read and write? Why?
Priests, so they could read and write instructions on the walls and papyrus for rituals.
Military leaders, so they could communicate in battle.

8. Post an example of hieroglyphics on papyrus.
What is papyrus and how was it made?
Substrate made from reeds native to Egypt. Wet reeds are placed criss-cross over each other, flattened and dried. Rubbed with flat stones until the surface becomes smooth.
 

9. What is a substrate?  

substance or layer the lies underneath something.

10. What were the Books of the Dead?

Instructions and spells to help them find their way to the after life.                                                         

11. How did Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics become a forgotten language?

Because by the time the Greeks and Romans ruled Egypt few Egyptians were capable of reading them. 

12. Post an example of the Rosetta Stone.
What is the Rosetta Stone? Where was it discovered?

Bonaparte France. Stone with inscriptions on it.

13. What three languages are included on the stone?
Egyptian hieroglyphics, demotic, and Greek.

14. Why couldn't the text on the Stone be deciphered?
A chunk of the stone were missing and they weren't complete.

15. Who finally deciphered the text? What was his breakthrough?
French scholar Jean Francois Champollion. That the inscriptions on the stones referred to king Ptolemy V epiphanies at the time of his coronation around 196 BC.

16. Why does the interpretation of the Rosetta Stone have such significance?

We know the a great deal about the ancient Egyptians.  

Assignment #14 research and inspiration

Portrait photography:

Design posters:

Visual Organization

Not directing the audience through a design is misdirecting them!

Eye movement- typical eye moves let to right and top to bottom. Controlling eye movement within a 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 of a composition will attract the eye, especially when adjacent to a dark area. Diagonal lines or edges will guide eye movement.

Optical center- The spot where the human eye tend 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 s sweep of the page, generally, in the shape of a "Z". Effective page design maps a viewers route through the information. The designers objective is to lead the viewers eye to the important elements or information.

Fonts Guidelines-
Don't use more than two fonts per page.
Make sure that those two fonts should compliment each other.
Avoid all uppercase unless necessary.
Choose the right font for your theme or tone.
Do not over use fancy and complicated fonts.

Visual Hierarchy- will establish focal points based on their importance to the message that's being communicated

A crucial part of the design process is to establish an order of elements, a visual structure, to help the viewer absorb the information

To establish Visual Hierarchy: Ask yourself, What do I want to viewer to look at first, second, third..?

The grid -A way of organizing content on a page using any combination of margins, guide lines, rows, columns. Instituted by Modernism. The grid can assist the audience by breaking info into manageable chunks and establishing relationships between text and images. It consists of a distinct set of alignment-based relationships act as guides for disturbing elements across a format. Every design is different therefore every design will require a different grid structure..one that addresses the particular element within the design. It is used to clarify the message being communicated an to unify the elements.

www.typography.com/email2010_032010_03/index.htm

Cuneifrom andthe sumerians 3,000 BC

1.The Sumerians were one of the earliest types of this kind of civilization? What does that mean?
One of the earliest nomadic civilizations. The were hunters and travels from place to place.

2.Why is the region of Sumer considered the Cradle of Civilization?
Because it is where cuneiform was created: the first written language.

3.What could the Sumerians practice year round because of the regions climate?
Agriculture.

4.Post an example of early Cuneiform (Sumerian pictograph).
Why was Cuneiform created?
Keep tract of all the business transactions.

5.What medium was used to "write" Cuneiform? Explain the process of preparing and writing on this surface?
Form wet clay into flat surfaces and used a wedge shapes stylus made from reeds to make impressions into the clay surface. Then, lay the clay in the sun to cry and harden.

6.What did Cuneiform begin as a series of?
Pictographs.

7.Post an example of evolved Cuneiform (wedge-shaped).
After it evolved over time, what shape did the characters of Cuneiform evolve into?
Wedge shaped language. 

8.Post an example of Akkadian Cuneiform.
After the Akkadians conquered, what happened to the Sumerian culture and written language?
Adopted the Sumerian culture and their written language.

9.What is a pictograph?
Pictorial or visual representation of an object.

10.Why did the creation of Cuneiform allow the Sumerians to become a sophisticated culture?
Because it allowed them to communicate. 

Cave panting 35,000 years

1. What are cave paintings?
Beautiful, detailed, and colorful representations found on the inside of cave walls and ceilings Foud in western Europe, Australia, Africa, China.

2. Name several common themes found in cave paintings?
Bison, horses, deer, Tracing of human hands, Abstract patterns.

3. How were these paintings created (tools, pigments)?
Paint: Water, Plant juice, Animal blood, soil, charcoal, hematite: a form of iron oxide.
Brushes: Sticks, stones, leaves, animal hair.

4. 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.
Lascaux (in France) is the most famous. Discovered in 1940 by four teenage boys.

5. Why did this cave have to be closed? What was done to satisfy public curiosity?
Because the paintings were being damaged by the carbon dioxide emitted from the tourists. The french government created Lascaux 11 to satisfy the public.

6. Post an example of cave painting(s) from Altamira cave.
In Altamira cave, why do most of the paintings have a red hue?
The red clay in the soil. 

7. Who discovered this site? How old are the paintings confirmed to be?
Marceline Sanz De Sautoula and his daughter Maria. Confirmed to be 19,000 years old.

8. What is the oldest known cave painting site? When was it discovered and by whom?
Chauvet-Point Arc, it was discovered in 1994 by three speleogists. Eliette Brunell Deschamps. Christina Hillaire, Jean Marie Chauvet.

9. What was different about the painting techniques at this site?
Walls were scraped clear of to debris, and 3D effect was created by etching around edges.

10. What is "speleology"?
Scientific study of caves and karst features.

11. What three reasons do archeologists and historians believe prehistoric man created cave paintings?
   1. Tell a story, recount an event. 
   2. instructional visual aid to help teach about hunting techniques. 
   3. Magical or religious reasons that if an image of a desired event were painted it may come true.