Week 2 / Development
EARLY LETTERFORM DEVELOPMENT : PHOENICIAN TO ROMAN
The Phoenician alphabet is an alphabet (more specifically, an abjad)[3] known in modern times from the Canaanite and Aramaic inscriptions found across the Mediterranean region.
The Phoenician alphabet is also called the Early Linear script (in a Semitic context, not connected to Minoan writing systems), because it is an early development of the pictographic Proto- or Old Canaanite script, into a linear, alphabetic script, also marking the transfer from a multi-directional writing system, where a variety of writing directions occurred, to a regulated horizontal, right-to-left script.[4] Its immediate predecessor, the Proto-Canaanite, Old Canaanite or early West Semitic alphabet,[5][4] used in the final stages of the Late Bronze Age first in Canaan and then in the Syro-Hittite kingdoms, is the oldest fully matured alphabet, ultimately derived from Egyptian hieroglyphs.[6]
The Phoenician alphabet was used to write the Early Iron Age Canaanite languages, subcategorized by historians as Phoenician, Hebrew, Moabite, Ammonite and Edomite, as well as Old Aramaic. Its use in Phoenicia (coastal Levant) led to its wide dissemination outside of the Canaanite sphere, spread by Phoenician merchants across the Mediterranean world, where it was adopted and modified by many other cultures. It became one of the most widely used writing systems. The Phoenician alphabet proper remained in use in Ancient Carthage until the 2nd century BC (known as the Punic language), while elsewhere it diversified into numerous national alphabets, including the Aramaic and Samaritan, several Anatolian scripts, and the early Greek alphabets. In the Near East, the Aramaic alphabet became especially successful, giving rise to the Jewish square script and Arabic scripts, among others.
HAND SCRIPT FROM 3rd TO 10th CENTURY
The minuscule script was a Greek writing style which was developed as a book hand in Byzantine manuscripts during the 9th and 10th centuries.[1] It replaced the earlier style of uncial writing, from which it differed in using smaller, more rounded and more connected letter forms, and in using many ligatures. Many of these forms had previously developed as parts of more informal cursive writing. The basic letter shapes used in the minuscule script are the ancestors of modern lower case Greek letters.
From the 10th century onwards, most Byzantine manuscripts of classical and early Christian Greek works were gradually rewritten in the new minuscule style, and few of the older uncial manuscripts were preserved. For this reason, uncial manuscripts are today extremely rare, while early minuscule manuscripts are often the oldest preserved sources attesting an ancient work and may therefore be of central importance for its philological study. Manuscripts from the oldest phase of minuscule writing (mid-9th to mid-10th century) are known in scholarship today as codices vetustissimi ("oldest codices"). Those from the mid-10th to the mid-12th centuries are known as codices vetusti ("old codices"), and later ones as codices recentiores ("newer codices").[2]
Minuscule writing remained in use for handwriting throughout the Byzantine and into the post-Byzantine era. In the modern era, western printers used minuscule book hands as a model for developing early Greek print fonts. Like with Latin, it became common to mix minuscule writing with some uncial or capital letters, with the latter used for emphasis, in titles and initials. From this practice, the modern orthographic system of letter case for Greek arose. In modern Greek writing, the upper case letters are generally modeled on the letter shapes of ancient inscriptions, while the lower case letters are based on the tradition of minuscule handwriting.
HUMANIST SCRIPT TO ROMAN TYPE
1460 : Lucius Lactantius, Venice.
1472 : Cardinal Johannes Bessarion, Conrad Sweynheym and Arnold Pannartz, Subiaco press, Rome.
1471 : Quintillian, Nicholas Jenson, Venice. ( there’s a typeface based on Jenson’s creation )
VENETIAN TYPE FROM 1500
1499 : Colona, type by Fransesco Griffo ( there are several typefaces that paid homage to his character )
1515 : Lucretius, type by Fransesco Griffo
THE GOLDEN AGE OF FRENCH PRINTING
1531: Illustrissimae Galliaru reginae Helianorae, printed by Robert Estianne, Paris. Type-cast by Claude Garamond ( digitalized and accessible today )
DUTCH PRINTING, c. 600
1572 : Polygot Bible ( Preface ). Printed by Christophe Plantin, Antwerp (have a digitalized typeface today)
ENGLISH TYPE FROM THE 18th CENTURY
1734 : William Caslon. Type specimen sheet, London. ( beautiful typeface, digitalized )
BASKERVILLE'S INNOVATIONS
1761 : William Congreve, typeset and printed by John Baskerville, Birmingham (made an important contribution; basing from handwrite to non handwrite due to technology development)
1818 : Giambatista Bodoni, Manuale Tipografico, Parma. ( developed the modernist typeface )
19th century types > the first square serifs > early twentieth-century sans serif ( 1923 Bauhaus, Moholy-Nagy, 1959 Muller Brockman )
Sans serif came in twentieth century just before and after industrial revolution.
Muller Brockman - modernist typography
Week 3 / Basic
DESCRIBING LETTERFORMS
baseline : the imaginary line for the visual base of the letterforms
median : the imaginary line defining the x height
x-height : the height for the lowercase ‘x’ in any typeface ( between the median and the baseline )
cap height : made lower than ascender height because capital letters tend to be wider and have more surface on top
stroke : any line that defines the basic letterform
apex / vertex : the point created by joining two diagonal stems ( apex - above ; vertex - below )
arm : short strokes off the stem, either horizontal or inclined upward
ascender : strokes that exceed the median line ; ascender height tends to be a bit higher than cap height ( optical adjustment ) to give impression of equal height
barb : half-serif finish on some curved stroke ( ex: on C, G, S )
beak : half-serif finish on some horizontal arms
bowl : the rounded form that describes a counter, either opened or closed
bracket : on the base of the letterform (baseline); transition between serif and the stem
cross bar : connects two stem strokes
cross stroke : the horizontal stroke usually in the lowercase ( ex: f, t )
crotch : the interior space where two strokes meet
descender : anything below the baseline
DESCRIBING TYPEFACES
Roman - derived from the inscriptions of Roman monuments; in lighter strokes are called Book
Italic - based on the 15th century Italian handwriting, while oblique = based on roman form
Boldface - thick strokes (may include semibold, medium, black, extra bold, super and poster - the boldest especially in Bodoni)
Lightface - lighter strokes than the Roman form; if thinner, it is called thin
Condense - if extremely condense, it's called compressed
Extended
COMPARING TYPEFACES
Mr Vinod provided us with 10 typefaces that present 500 years of type design. The lecturer wanted us to learn these 10 typefaces first in this semester. A parable was given where a if a kid was given all colors for crayon, he would end up choosing whatever and make something useless, but if he was given three colors, he would come up with something with those three. The type families are Garamond, Janson, Caslon, Baskerville, Bodoni, Serifa, Futura, Gill Sans, Univers
Every typographer should choose the right typeface that will be able to respect the certain message the writer wants to convey. A good typeface presents the message. Some designers may use limited typeface for their whole career, but remember that the same typeface may not work on every content.
Mr Vinod ended the lecture with a quote from Stephen Cole and reminded us that reading is essential. "You can’t be a good typographer, if you aren’t a good reader"
