Midterm Exam Flashcards
Utilitarian
To be used for a function or purpose; for utility, as opposed to decorative.
Cuneiform
The earliest form of written language. Wedge-shaped writing developed by the Sumerians of the Ancient Near East (Mesopotamia, currently Iraq) around 3000 BCE.
Rebus writing
Pictures representing words/syllables with the same or similar sound as the object represented. Eg. Bee leaf = believe.
Hieroglyphics
A picture writing system developed by the Ancient Egyptians. Greek “hiero” = sacred, “glyph” = carving.
Recto
The upper horizontal fibers of papyrus; the “front” of the page.
Verso
The bottom vertical fibers of the papyrus; the “back” of the page.
Alphabet
A group of symbols that represent the elementary sounds of a spoken language. The word is derived from the Greek two letters Alpha and Beta.
Calligraphy
Ink writing using a wide flat pen. Comes from the Greek meaning “beauty writing”.
Serif
Small lines extending from the end of major strokes of a letterform.
Baseline
The line which letters in a common word sit upon.
Legibility
The clearness, clarity (readability) of written words.
Capitals
Large, open square style of letter written for clarity and legibility (Latin: Capitalis Quadrata)
Stylus
Writing tool used to mark into a surface
Parchment
Writing surface made from the skins of domestic animals, calves, sheep, etc.
Vellum
The finest parchment, made of the smooth skins of newborn calves.
Codex
Book form developed by the Greeks around the time of Jesus of Nazareth.
Colophon
A publisher’s emblem at the opening page of a book, listing the name of the printer, publisher, date, etc.
Movable type
Block letterforms that can be arranged and rearranged for printing.
Illuminated manuscript
A hand-written, hand-painted book decorated with gold leaf.
Medieval
The 1,000 year period between the decline of Rome and the early Renaissance. Also known as the “Middle Ages” or the “Dark Ages”.
Ascender
Letter strokes that rise above the top guideline.
Descender
Letter strokes that drop below the baseline.
Celtic
A people residing on the islands of northwest Europe during the Roman-era. Celtic design is abstract and extremely complex, with geometric linear patterns that weave, twist, and fill a space with thick visual textures.
Ornamentation
Visual embellishment; decorations that often appear in the margins of a text.
Arabesque
A fluid, spiraling, undulating, or serpentine line or linear motif; inspired by the designs and writing of the Muslim world.
Typography
A term for printing with independent, movable, and reusable bits of metal or wood type (each piece having a raised letterform on the face).
Watermark
A translucent emblem produced by pressure from a raised design on the paper making mold and visible when the sheet of paper is held to light.
Motif
Recurring subject or theme, idea or design element.
Johann Gutenberg
Inventor of the first printing press. He was a goldsmith, developing the metalworking and engraving skills for making type.
Press
Based on the design of a wine press; a large screw lowers a plate and ink is pressed from the type onto the paper surface with enough force to make an impression.
Margin
Space between paragraphs on a page.
Engraving
Printing made from an incised (cut) plate.
Incunabula
A Latin word meaning “cradle” or baby linen. This name is given to books that were printed from the Gutenberg’s invention of typography until the end of the fifteenth century.
Ephemera
Transitory written and printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved. The word derives from the Greek, meaning things lasting no more than a day. Some collectible ephemera are advertising trade cards, airsickness bags, bookmarks, catalog use, greeting cards, letters, pamphlets, postcards, tickets.
Caption
Text under an illustration or picture, to explain or draw attention to.
Martin Luther
A political/religious reformer who broke with the Catholic Church; he nailed his “95 theses” to the door of a cathedral to protest church corruption.
The Reformation
The religious revolution that took place in the Western church in the 16th century, led to the creation of the Protestant church.
Propaganda
Communication used to influence and sway the position or beliefs of someone; propaganda is spread to either help or harm a person or a cause.
The Renaissance
Means the “rebirth”. Originally referring to the period that began in the 14th and 15th century in Italy (Florence was the epicenter for art, Venice for graphic design).
Letterspacing
Space between letterforms.
Alignment
The way in which parts of a letterform are synchronized with other letters in a typeface.
Trademark
A symbol to identify a person’s trade as a specialty.
Fleurons
Cast metal pieces with decorative floral designs.
Headings
Large type signifying a new chapter or separate verse.
Italic
A slanted typeface based on Italian script writing style.
Swashes
Decorative extended ascender or descender; a calligraphic flourish: Q
Headpieces and tailpieces
Decorative flourishes (composed of fleuron elements) beginning or ending a text piece to create visual bracketing.
Romain du Roi
A typeface commissioned by Louis the XIV for the French government. Based on a grid of 2,304 squares, each letter had increased contrast between thick and thin strokes, sharp horizontal serifs, and an even balance to each letter form.
Typefounder
A craftsman who specializes in casting metal type.
Foundry
A metalsmithing shop where metal shapes are cast (formed and reproduced).
Point size
Small unit of measuring the height of a type font. Six points equal one “line”. 12 lines = “pouce”, roughly one inch. Currently, 72 points = 1 inch.
Type family
A group of type font variations with different heights and widths: they tend to be visually compatible and be easily mixed.
Outline type
A font that only prints the outer contour of a letter and leaves the center of the letterforms open.
Letterheads
A customized type arrangement that announces the author of a letter.
Information graphics
Diagrams which visually represent complex statistical data (introduced by Scottish author and scientist William Playfair).
Line graph
A chart that shows growth across time via a line moving across a grid.
Bar chart
A chart with rectangular bars that show comparative growth.
Pie chart
A circular chart divided into sections, showing proportions within a whole.
x-height
Refers to the distance between the baseline and the mean line in a typeface (the height of the main shapes of lowercase letters).
William Blake
Visionary English poet and artist (1757-1827) who self-published his books of poetry.
Industrial Revolution
The mid-1700’s to the mid-1800’s; a time period when interchangeable parts led to a boom in manufacturing.
Egyptian type
Name given to “slab serif” fonts (Robert Thorne, 1821)
Bracketing
The curved transition from the main strokes of a letterform to its serifs.
Perspective type
A three-dimensional font (often using a back shadow to create a sense of depth).
Reverse type
Font where the background of the letterform is the printing area: leaves the appearance of white-on-black letters.
Expanded type
Font where the shape of letters is stretched wide.
Condensed type
A font where the shape of the letter is made narrow.
Sans serif type
A typeface without a serif. Essentially Egyptian type with the serif removed; first developed by William Caslon IV.
Linotype machine
Developed by Ottoman Mergenthaler in 1886: keys dropped “female” matrices into line to form words; melted lead is then poured in to make a solid line of type.
Louis Jacques Daguerre
Frenchman who perfected a photographic imaging process in 1839.
Daguerreotype
An image made using a light-sensitive silver-plated sheet.
Edweard Muybridge
Photographer whose experiments with captured motion images led to the development of motion pictures.
Victorian era
A period of time from 1830’s - 1890’s; characterized by strong moral and religious beliefs (the reign of Queen Victoria of England).
Registration
Alignment of different plates for the printing process.
Duotone
Two color illustration created from two halftone plates.
Display type
Type styles designed for headlines: they are often large, decorative, and emotionally suggestive, therefore not suitable for body text.
Arts and Crafts Movement
An art movement from England in the last decades of the 1800’s that reacted against the industrial revolution by returning to handicrafts and traditional materials of production.
William Morris
The leader of the English Arts and Crafts movement; he called for a nobility of purpose, faith in natural materials and handcrafted methods of production, and individual expression by designers and craftspeople.
Kelmscott Press
Printing shop set up by William Morris in England to produce high-quality printed books whose design was influenced by a medieval aesthetic.
Ukiyo-e
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Frank Lloyd Wright
(1867-1959) an American architect who proposed ideas of ‘organic’ architecture. His work was an inspiration for designers to move toward a rectilinear approach of spatial organization. Wright designed all aspects of building, from stained glass to fabrics and furniture.
Vienna Secession
A group of young Austrian artists who broke away from mainstream artist association due to lack of inclusion of foreign artists; they preferred linear art styles.
Coated stock
Paper treated with a fine spray to add a slick shine; used for Ver Sacrum Magazine.
Embossing
Raised relief designs on paper, pushed in from the verso side of the page.
Peter Behrens
German architect, artist, and designer: the first ‘industrial designer’, developed ‘visual identification programs’ using the grid system to structure space.
Industrial design
The design of manufactured products.
Graphic identity program
The consistent and standardized use of a typeface, logo, color, and layout style.
