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Rise of Printing in Europe, Renaissance Graphic Design

The printing press had dramatic effects on European civilization. Its immediate effect was that it spread information quickly and accurately. This helped create a wider literate reading public.

However, its importance lay not just in how it spread information and opinions, but also in what sorts of information and opinions it was spreading.

Johannes Gutenberg, 1450 movable reusable type, mass communication

"Broadside (printing)."

"The Private Library."

Albrecht D端rer: "Alberti Dvreri Pictoris Et Architecti Praestantissimi De Vrbibvs..."

"Aldine Press."

First of all, more and more books of a secular nature were printed, with especially profound results in science. Scientists working on the same problem in different parts of Europe especially benefited, since they could print the results of their work and share it accurately with a large number of other scientists. They in turn could take that accurate, not miscopied, information, work with it and advance knowledge and understanding further. Of course, they could accurately share their information with many others and the process would continue. By the 1600's, this process would lead to the Scientific Revolution of the Enlightenment, which would radically alter how Europeans viewed the world and universe.

Geoffroy Tory – Illustrator and Typographer

Some people go as far as to say that the printing press is the most important invention between the invention of writing itself and the computer.

Although it is impossible to justify that statement to everyone's satisfaction, one can safely say that the printing press has been one of the most powerful inventions of the modern era. It has advanced and spread knowledge and molded public opinion in a way that nothing before the advent of television and radio in the twentieth century could rival. If it were not able to, then freedom of the press would not be such a jealously guarded liberty as it is today.

"Broadside ("Typefoundry.")."

Venice ItalyGermany

Nuremberg Germany

Paris, France

Basel Switzerland

Lyons France

Typography in 18th century

Romain du Roi

"Font Designer – Pierre Simon Fournier."

William Caslon 1693 – 23 January 1766

"John Baskerville 28 January 1706 – 8 January 1775"

Rene Descartes 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650

Giambattista Bodoni February 16, 1740 – November 30, 1813

Firmin Didot 14 April 1764 – 24 April 1836

1.

By the 1700s type design moved more and more away from influences of calligraphy, and became more scientific in proportion and based on machinedesign abilities.

2.

New letters were to be designed by scientific principles 3.

First important shift from Venetian tradition of “old style” roman type to transitional roman 4.

Calligrapher no longer dominant typographic influence 5.

Civil war, religious persecution, harsh censorship, government control of printing 6.

John Baskerville Represent zenith of transitional style bridging gap between Old Style and modern type design 7.

John Baskerville’s improved press and printing tools .

8.

Giambattista Bodoni Redesigned roman letterforms Marked death of handwriting and calligraphy as inspiration for type design

The Industrial Revolution generated a shift in the social and economic role of typographic communication. Before the nineteenth century, dissemination of information through books and broadsheets was its dominant function. The faster pace and mass-communication needs of an increasingly urban and industrialized society produced a rapid expansion of jobbing printers, advertising, and posters.

Larger scale, greater visual impact, and new tactile and expressive characters were demanded, and the book typography that had slowly evolved from handwriting did not fulfill these needs.

Meggs' History of Graphic Design. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons, 2006. Print.