Arts during Industrial Revolution

     After reading about what happened to the arts during both the American and French 

Industrial Revolutions, I was struck by how many things were taking place at the same 

time. Just to name some things, the new materials of iron and steel became available for 

use, new typography styles were created as well as type size, and photography was 

invented. There are plenty other things that took place during this time, but these are just 

some of the things that really caught my attention while reading about this time. 

     Whenever something new comes out or is available for the public, people rush to it in 

order to discover new things. So since people still do this today, I’m sure that it would have 

been very exciting to discover new materials to create a piece of art with during that time, 

so the availability of iron and steel must have been a huge boost for artists. They probably 

all wanted to see what the new materials were like and play around with each one for a 

while in order to see what they could create as well as discover if they like the new 

materials overall.  

     When it come to typography and its different styles, today there are what seems to be 

an unlimited supply of them that range up and down the spectrum from good to bad. Back 

then during the Industrial Revolutions, there couldn’t have been that many because they 

were all designed by hand followed by being put into letterpress printers in order to create 

books and other items. One letter at a time with no possible short cuts sounds like a pretty 

tough task. So, after the invention of the lithographic printers, the production of new 

typefaces and size shot up in numbers. Since the lithographic printers allowed imagination 

to become printed from the process of an artists sketch becoming a rendered plate. Not 

only could it print type, but also images that artist would sketch out, making this a huge 

jump for graphic design. 

     Last, but not least, the invention of photography. The field of art that I love the most was 

invented as well as a whole new world to experience. As stated in the book, photography 

“expanded the meaning of visual documentation and pictorial information.” This tells us 

that due to this new way to capture a moment in time and keep it for as long as the printed 

version lives, a new way to create art was born. Even though it started out as a longer 

waiting process than what we are used to now, it was still a break through for the world of 

art.

Renaissance and Now

After reading about the graphic design that appeared in the Renaissance era, I started

to think about art as a whole during that timeframe. Personally, I believe that the 

Renaissance was the peak of art in terms of popularity and importance. When comparing 

that to art in today’s society, it’s the complete opposite. It is so interesting to see how much 

has changed in the art world as time passed by.

From the readings, it seems as though back during the Renaissance, art was not only 

flourishing, but also welcomed, appreciated and valued. It seems like there was no 

question that art was important. By saying art, I mean the “play” aspect of it. Without 

“play,” how can an individual be allowed to express creativity? Pablo Picasso once said 

“All children are artists, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” I heavily 

believe in this quote because of how true it is to me. When we were all children, we had an 

unlimited amount of free time. With this free time we would play for hours and hours 

possibly creating art masterpieces in the process. As we grow up, we start to gain 

responsibilities which then occupy the free time that we once had. Without this free time 

anymore, we cannot play as much as we used to. Aside from that, we have parents and 

other older figures that tell us things like “stop playing around” and “if you’re not sweating, 

then you’re not working.” With all of this mixed together, it is very hard to stay in touch with 

our childish and playful side that we all still have, but have lost a portion of along the way.

                                                                       Initials





Nowadays, schools and jobs tend to lean towards what is know as STEM, or science, 

technology, engineering and math. As someone who loves all forms of art, this is very 

disappointing to know. People just don’t seem to think that art is important for some 

reason. I am convinced that it is just due to the time that we live in, and eventually the arts 

will nudge its way back into society’s hearts and minds.

                                                                            Hello Typography

The Mystery Of The Alphabet

         I found the topic about Alphabets particularly interesting because of the mystery 

behind it. The mystery being the fact that there is no true origin point (known) for the 

Alphabet. Since there are more languages than just English, this creates even more of a 

mystery which creates three new questions in my mind. The first being, where all of the 

alphabets for the languages derive from? Second, if all of the alphabets for the different 

languages didn't all come from a single source, then how did each one of them start? 

Lastly, even if all languages come from one starting point, when did they split up to create 

all of the languages we have today.

Putting all questions aside, I found it so interesting (and amusing at times) when it 

was explained how the different language alphabets were first created. It ranged from the 

Korean alphabet where the different characters were created with the knowledge of how 

the mouth and tongue work while making sounds; to the Greek alphabet where Cadmus 

(King of Phoenicia) was advised by the Gods to slay a dragon and then plant its teeth in 

order to create an army of fierce men, which then led to the alphabet. These were my two 

favorite stories of how the alphabet came to be. Even though these stories can be believed 

by anyone who wishes to do so, the true origin of the alphabet will most likely always 

remain a mystery.

Greek Alphabet

                                                                          Korean Alphabet

            

          Since all alphabets and languages have some association with graphic design, it is 

relevant to understand what graphic design truly is. Many people can and may have a 

different opinion on this, but I believe that graphic design is a form of communication. It 

usually gives the viewer an experience or idea to remember and can be shown through 

both visual and readable artwork, or just works in general. It can be seen wherever we look 

because it surrounds us all the time without fail. From the logos we have grown accustom 

to, to the billboards that draw our attention from the freeways, graphic design is 

communication at its finest because of the fact that we have become used to it being a 

part of our daily lives.

                                                                      Circle of Design elements