The Glasgow Institute and "The Four"

Leave it to Scotland to pipe in their say in the field of Graphic Design...

Okay, so not what I meant.

Anyway, during the 1890's there was a gathering in Scotland...

No, a gathering, not a...

Seriously? Can we do this, or not?

Like I said, in the 1890's, on the heals of the American Architect Frank Loyd Wright, there was a move away from the heavy influence of curvilinear lines into something more rectilinear, in the Art Nouveau movement.
 

Wright had always thought that an organic design would be “something in which the part is to the whole as the whole is to the part, and which is all devoted to a purpose.” Basically, Wright saw the design as rooted in the spaces where people actually lived and worked, not just the facades out front. Some could argue that his use of space was honed by his time running a printing press as a young man.

Wright's use of line was noted by a group of young design students at the Glasgow School of Art.


Margaret MacDonald was a diverse artists, having her hands in embroidery, metal work, and textiles. She partnered with her husband, architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, on collaborations he would credit her with for providing much of the inspiration; saying “Margaret has genius, I only have talent.” 

She also collaborated with her sister Frances on projects. Frances met and soon married designer and teacher Herbet MacNair; they all attending night classes at the Glasgow Art Institute. With Margaret in prominence, they formed a collective often referred to in, in the art and design world, as “The Four”; helping develop what would come to known as “The Glasgow Style” in the late 1890's and early twentieth century

The May Queen by Margaret and Frances MacDonalnd

Well, it wasn't too well received, at first, that's for sure. In fact, The Four were often referred to as The Spook School for the ghostly ghoulish images they showed portraying hobgoblins by misty moonlight; at least as the critics saw it rom their works displayed at the 1896 Arts and Crafts Exhibition in London.

Inspired heavily on ancient mysticism, folklore, and Celtic symbology, The Glasgow Style did, eventually prove influential, however. It spawned a host of artists that worked in the new way, and made its mark on designers, and their designs.

Personally, I love Art Nouveau. But I also hold a special place in my heart for the "Glasgow Style". Perhaps it's the affinity for the bold lines and symbolic styling that I can relate to, in comics. The use of negative spaces, and the binding of the more rectangular lay out does smack of panels, for sure.

There's, also, a peculiar way that the sweeping lines play well against these edged boxes that compliments each other, very well.  And, as I've said, before, this influence made its way down through all sort of design applications; still being felt, today.



Pictured above; works from a recent Glasgow Style show.

Again, I love this particular style. Not only are the design elements esthetically pleasing, but they also have the kind of storytelling character that the MacDonald sisters first drew from, back in the late 1890's. Married with Wright's sensibilities for negative space, and playing the line versus curve effectively, The Glasgow Style has a unique look that stands out well in the history of art and design.

Of course, I have to admit, as bearing some small piece of Scottish decent, that, besides its essential design and influence through out the world of graphic design and art, there may be another reason I'm so particular to this style for the Art Nouveau movement...

 And who's going to argue with him?



The Return of All Hallows Rock 2012

It's with ghoulish pride that Neverland Transit Authority announces the arrival of the

1313 Ghost Train Special!

 

Our destination?

A seriously rockin' haunted house party!

In the past years, Neverland Transit Authority has provided its ridership with the sound track to a swinging good wake, each and every Halloween, since our first train rolled out of the station, four years ago.

This year we return to our roots, making your All Hallows a frightfully festive affair. This disc is only for those brave souls who dare to rouse the spirits of funk and fun.

Fifteen tracks running and just under an hour; perfect for leading up to the witching hour, for you brave and foolish mortals. Plus, as always, our usual coffin box of fun, too.

 

Seating is limited on the Ghost Train Special, so hurry and raise an undead conductor near you!



Run Away Typography: Less is More

 

Back when Gutenberg first built the printing press, there was pretty much just a single lettering style; better known as a "font". Based off of a basic German scribe type, Textura was pretty much the go to lettering. Eventually, as printing caught on, a few more fonts were introduced. Essentially, they covered a couple of different languages and usages. But that was, to say, pretty much that. That is, until around 1760.

Somewhere... or is that "some when"?... around the mid 18th century a shift began in England. Mechanization of tasks started making things; started making things in a lot more abundance than even a whole room full of skilled labor could. And once James Watts' perfected steam engine was introduced around 1780? Well, that was it.

And as the shift in living turned more toward textile and factory jobs, and away from things like farming, there was, also, a huge shift in the way Graphic Design would advertise goods, services, attractions, and print words to any given page. Letters, and the words they formed, were becoming not just informative, but also ornamental. The were taking on character, and other attributes.

Soon words went from this...

TO THIS! (Along with other advances
in printing, of course.)

Many look back to William Caslon as "the grandfather of  the typographic revolution". And, as follows from apprentice to apprentice, advancements in casting techniques continued to yield more and more designs; intent on being the next big font.

Around 1800, typography really exploded. Styles included Egyptian, Iconic, Antique and Clarendon; each posting serifs, or not, flourishes, and wide ranges of variation in thick and thin lines and curves. Some letters had inlaid designs in them, while others had intricate boarders. And, of course, some were just pure bold types faces of precise, unvaried fashions.

And when color finally made its way into the mix? Well, then it was on!

Of course, things did slow down a little bit during the Victorian period; which saw a resurgence, for a time, into the realm of more hand made, and artsy craftsy sort of things. But, by the early 1900's, things were back in swing; even across the pond into America. Morris Benton, head of typeface development for the American Type Founders Company got busy reviving the old styles; creating new competitors to Bodoni and Garamond. Meanwhile, Thomas Cleland, Benton's long time collaborator, found inspiration in the lettering ot the Renaissance. By the time the 1960's were rolling in, fonts were spewing forth like hippie love children and social protest.

Fast forward to today and it's nearly impossible to get a handle on the sheer number of fonts available. And not just to professional printers, either. processing programs like Word and Open Office come armed with a hundred different fonts, easily. And anyone, with a quick internet search, can increase their font count a hundred fold in an afternoon. With the advent of modern computer based publishing, the sky's the limit with words.

When fonts go bad:
choose your kerning wisely.

But is this really such a good thing?

Most of the pros I've talked to, including my own instructors, pretty much agree; if you can't get it done with one or two fonts, then you can't get it done.

 

That's not to say I don't enjoy all the choices. It's great to make a cover for a Halloween CD in a haunted house style - something reminiscent of a forgotten Gothic banner, or a big, bold sale sign. But, honestly, there's no way to count all the different fonts, theses days.

 And when they all end up together in one single design? 

Happy birthday, Kevin;
your typorgraphy sucks!

Falling of the Scribes; Revolutions in Graphic Design - then and now

Cycles...

No, not those cycles. I meant event cycles.

Cycles are important; both in sales, and in history. Nowhere, in Graphic Design, can I see that more than in the comparative trends between the invention and inception of printing, and the Graphic Design trade, as a whole, back in Europe's Renaissance, and the growing domination of the World Wide Web and then new wave of conversion to the electronic medium.

 

Chapter six of Megg's History of Graphic Design – The German Illustrated Book (p. 80-97) - opens with the account of the push back that the new printing press got as it entered into the public eye; offering its books, readers, and cards. In Genoa, scribes sought to have printing band. Parisian Illuminators tried to sue printers for damages; claiming unfair competition. These groups worked to convince the public of print's inferior standard to calligraphy. An appeal, in 1492, to the soon to be Pope Julies II, got him to even order books for the Vatican library be transcribed from their printed form, just to be included.

Wait; maybe we should back track a little, here? After all, many folks, today, may not understand all the fuss over printing. And, in some ways, that is part of today's little review.

Portrait of Jean Miélot by Jean Le Tavernier 

 

You see, until Gutenberg's printing press – and all the subsequent presses to follow - books were transcribed and illuminated by hand; using skilled, sometimes monastic, labor. Regardless if by clergy, or skilled artisan, the creation of books was, then, a time consuming, laborious task. It was in the hands of the very skilled elite. They, pretty much, controlled the flow of knowledge.

And if there's anything Schoolhouse Rocky has taught us, during every Saturday morning sugar infused cartoon fest, it's that knowledge is power.

In all the cases of resistance to printing, you saw a small, specifically skilled set of folks poised to lose, not only their livelihood, but a hold on power and influence in their society. And, as the new technology developed, this would later expanded to the illustrator; who, until the early 1500's, enjoyed the security of the press not being able to add pictures to text. (Until then, books were printed, and illustration, and other flourishes, were then added in by hand, directly to the page.)

Despite all the arguments, we pretty much know how the whole printing thing turned out. Today we enjoy books, magazines, comics, and a vast array of printed advertising. But, in the past few years, there's been a push from a new technology. A new medium of Graphic Design has entered the foray, and in a huge way; reaching not only into how and when we get our books, but also our news, advertising, and even our mail.

The Internet.

 

In the past decade, the World Wide Web, first thought of as the “Information Super Highway”, has grown from chat rooms and picture sharing into the dominate force of the dissemination of news, information, and entertainment. And this has had much the same impact, today, as those poor scribes felt some 600 years ago.

In June of 2011, the Newspaper Association of America reported the slide of print sales by nearly 10%; dropping it to near 1983 levels, as the trend of online news took to full swing. And,with that drop, too revenues associated with print advertisers. The then chairman of the NAA, John Strum, however, did report that online revenues made up for some 15% of newspaper ad sales.

Currently, most major publishers of periodicals now offer both a hard copy – via news stand or subscription, and an electronic version that can be viewed on any home PC, tablet, or smart phone. And, analysts predict, is where the largest bulk of business is now pushing.

Add to that the surge in the new online “blog”, and the availability of anyone, and everyone, to suddenly find and share information, and you might be able to see the parallel between the scribe of then, and the newspaper men of today.



Sure, but let's see him dog ear those pages.

But, what about those books, you might be asking. Well, there's another interesting story. Foner Books reports that government figures tracking the overall sales of books has fallen, gradually, and is currently down 23% since 2004. On the flip side, the Guardian reported, in May of this year, that e-book sales were up nearly 366% in the UK; offsetting the decline in printing. In August they reported that, for every 100 printed books Amazon sold, it sold 114 e-books for its popular Kindle e-reader. In the Unites States, Mashable Media (www.mashable.com) reported, also in June, that e-book sales overtook hard cover sales for the first time, ever; up over 28% from this time last year. (Audio books saw an even greater rise, they reported; climbing nearly 36%.)

These trends, of course, aren't without their nay-sayers. Corespondents for old news agencies are quick to point out that most of the online reporting is just a regurge of their work. Most avid print companies point out the limits of e-readers and e-books over traditional print media.

 



This was what my grandpa thought of as a "reader".

Myself, like many American, as well, I'd venture, readers world wide, still prefer books and comics on paper, under a cover, free from the limits of batteries, to be read anywhere, any time we want. For me, as many others, print media is just more comfortable; whether tactilely, or esthetically. Trends may come, and go, but we'll always prefer our books and magazines.

The trend, though, is here to stay. And it's far reaching. My degree course is now called “Graphic Interface Design” (GID), for example. Courses still cover print, but mostly focus now on the new media of internet design; including on online publishing, web design, and marketing. The tools of the trade have changed; from cut ups, cameras, and paste boards to Adobe creative software like In Design, Photoshop, and Dreamweaver.

Typography has now a catalog of thousands of type faces to choose from. And, thanks to the nearly unlimited canvas of the web browser, layout and design has expanded in never before thought of ways. All this new and easily available technology and tools at the ready, have – much like the scribes of yore – taken the power out of the old print giants, and in control of the young, fresh, upstarts.

As in the days of the scribe and hand illuminator, the power has started shifting, driven by new technology, in the field of Graphic Design. Old, established print houses are clutching at their power and prestige slipping away, taken by the new online media of the Internet. It will be interesting to see how the impact of this, and of the newly empowered independent publishing front – also Internet powered, will affect the markets and media, as well as the spread of ideas and knowledge.

 

Picturing a thousand words; the Graphic Design of language in the 21st century

This past week, in my Graphic Design history class, we've been going over the creation and development of writing; from its inception all the way up to pretty much now. There's been a lot on type, movable type, characters, alphabets, and how they've changed, over the generations; mostly the evolution from pictograph to the modern abstract representation of sounds.

No doubt scholars, as well as my fellow class mates will go on about aspects of these changes. There'll be talk about Chinese calligraphy, spelling, the standardizing of presentation, and so forth. And these are all very noteworthy, sure. But me? Well, as always, I've sort have moved a little right field, again.

The humble, ancient beginnings of Amazon;
you know, before the internet.

You see, what I find most interesting about the written language - as a whole, at any rate - is how cyclical its progress has become. To get this, we need to go back to the beginning of the written word.



Bulgarian Magura cave painting, which may, or may not,
depict the world's first commuter report.

Writing is a convention of necessity. Back at the beginning - any random neolithic french cave, for example - the primitive act of artistic iconic expression... cave paintings... was good enough for the more simple concepts of nature, the hunt, and so on. It was a vocabulary that could reach just about anyone that saw it. Bison were bison, hunters were hunters, and so on. Rudimentary, sure; but very useful, and practical.

Of course, given time, family groups split, grow, spread, and settle. And, much like how these groups become larger hunting cooperatives, nomadic tribes, and take their first steps into becoming a village, the ideas and vocabulary they share grow with them. There's a need to keep records, divide up resources to meet needs, etc.

Hieroglyphic inscription reads; "there once was a pharoh
from Nepal who had only one hairy..." and the rest was
lost due to damage.

We can easily watch, as these groups separated and settled, how each region went about developing written communication. Ancient Egypt had two forms of writing; Hieroglyphs - for the regal, official stuff commemorating tombs and public works, and a more accessible style known as hieratic - equitable to a cursive style. In Asian cultures, pictograms slowly developed into the various forms of kanji we see, today. In fact, it's argued as much that just about the whole of all written language has risen from such origins.

Guess there's something to all the talk of derivative works, huh?

Hey, it's all Greek to me.

At any rate, the concept of written language took off. And boy did it. As villages took to towns, which grew into cities, then city-states, and off into sovereign countries, the written word became as unique and diverse as the separate cultures that created and used them.

But, for me, as a budding Graphic Designer, here's the kick...

Today the world has sort of run out of room. That is, we're becoming a giant global society. (I'm writing this for a Graphic Design class, not Social Science; I'm not going to get into all the political stuff, here.)  As cultures step all over each other, what with business, travel, and all that, there's been a growing need for a simple, universal, written vocabulary. Something that can tell anyone, anywhere everything from "this way to the men's room", "wash in cold", and "don't wizz on the electric rail".

Or, is that "don't touch the electric rail"; I'm always a little bit fuzzy on that one...

So, where do we, as a global society, turn?

Well, yes; sort of. But, more specifically... Which, I guess depends on how you look at it (Yep, full of puns, all the sudden.)... icons.

Even if you have no idea what the words are, I bet you know where to get some coffee.

In today's crashing cultural world - mostly found in the throws of Europe and Asia - signs have begun the shift from long, multi-language monstrosities to more iconic representational pictographs; a trend started some years back in the fashion world on the care tags.

So, what we have, now, is this fascinating trend where writing, to meet the challenges of breaking language barriers, has come full circle back to the earliest of days in its history - the pictograph - to convey basic instructions, alert, and inform. We're back on the cave wall; not because of a simple vocabulary, but to bridge an ever complex cacophony of rich ones.



You have no idea how confusing
this sign is in Scotland...

Ironic? Perhaps. Even if this is our best answer, though, it's by no means an easy one. After all, you still need to figure out what symbols get applied to what words, or actions, to say the most to the largest amount of people. And that looks like a job for a Graphic Designer!

A new world of talking pictures? Man, I love my work.