Definitions

Alphabet

a set of visual symbols or characters used to represent elementary sounds of a spoken language

Illuminator

illustrator, artist

Half-unicals

6th century AD written in monastery in S. Italy, shows emergence of ascenders and decenders

Unicals

8th century AD from Gospel of St. Matthew, rounded strokes made using pen in straight, horizontal position

Art Nouveau

(New Art )Return to unify all art forms, collection of a lot of styles—advocated a unity in all forms of art, was by far the most important modern art movement at the turn of the century. It was never a homogeneous approach but instead a collection of related styles. Transitional period where asian and Japanese influenced European art/design. Unstructured, natural using plant like images. Became the bridge between victorian era (cluttered, too much) and modernism (simplicity, form and function)

Interlace

A two-dimensional decoration formed by a number of ribbons or straps woven into a complex, usually a symmetrical design

Broadsheet

BOTH sides printed

Petroglyphs

Carved, scratched, painted signs or simple figures on rock/stone

Logograms

Chinese characters are graphic signs (logograms) that represent an entire word

Capitalis Rustica

Contrast of vertical w/elliptical rounded/arch allowed more text to be written within line measure

Gesamkulter

Creating a formal visual language of harmony and balance (neo-classicism from Roman and Greek influence) WITH "sachlichkeit" (common sense objectivity) Pragmatic emphasis on technology, manufacturing with form and function.

Pictographs

Elementary pictures or sketches to represent things depicted

Futurism

FUTURISTS/ism embraced war to define its attitudes, energy, reality. Welcomed the speed in which industry was moving. Pushed art and design toward abstraction, and new attitudes toward pictorial space. Harmony was rejected because contradicted the leaps and bursts that run through a page

The Illuminated Manuscript

Gold leaf, hammered and glued on pages to give sensation of light

Cartouche

Identification for an important person

Colophon

Imprinted on back of publication, usually displays/lists where printed, date of publication, printer's trademark.

Incunabula

Latin for "cradle" Term is used to associate The birth period of printing timeframe, all that was happening before 1500

Codex format

Manuscript laid out in page format called "signatures" of 2, 4, 8, 16 etc. resulting in manuscripts appearing as______, instead of scrolls.

Cuneiform

Sharp pointed, wedge (triangular) shaped writing stylus used to carve into clay, pictographs evolved into the abstract sign writing.

Broadside

Single side leaf sheet printing

Capitalis Quadrata

Square capital-thick and thin strokes

Ideographs

Symbols to represent ideas or concepts

Rebus

Using pictures for sounds to write/communicate desired word/meaning or phrase;Words and syllables are represented by pictures of objects and by symbols whose names are similar to the word or syllable to be communicated.

Diminuendo

a graphic principle of using decreasing scale of information, large capitals in first line of type, smaller text on second line, and so on.

Scriptorium

a writing room

Typography

created a sequential and repeatable ordering of information and space.

Scrittori

head of department, well educated scholar, controlled everything in the production of manuscript--today it would be art director

Copisti

letterer

Xylography

technical term for RELIEF printing from raised surface-originated from Asia

Ligature

the combination of 2 or more letterforms to create a third letterform to represent a word, symbol or meaning in text

Trademark

typographic and graphic mark that defines goods or services over another

Collage

using BOTH PHOTOS AND PAPER to create composition, meaning, viewpoint

Montage

using JUST PHOTOS (2 or more) to create composition, meaning, viewpoint