Cuneiform and the Sumerians | 3,000 BC"

The Sumerians were one of the earliest types of this kind of civilization? What does that mean?
Nomadic Civilizations, around 3500BC.

Why is the region of Sumer considered the Cradle of Civilization?
Where cuneiform was created. The worlds first written language.


What could the Sumerians practice year round because of the regions climate?
Agriculture.



Post an example of early Cuneiform (Sumerian pictograph).
Why was Cuneiform created?They needed a way to keep track of there business

What medium was used to "write" Cuneiform? Explain the process of preparing and writing on this surface?
The would wet clay, flatten it into a slab, write the business transactions, then let it harden in the sun.

What did Cuneiform begin as a series of?
Pictographs



Post an example of evolved Cuneiform (wedge-shaped).

After it evolved over time, what shape did the characters of Cuneiform evolve into?
Wedge shaped.



















Post an example of Akkadian Cuneiform.

After the Akkadians conquered, what happened to the Sumerian culture and written language?
The Akkadians adopted the sumerians written language.
What is a pictograph?
A pictorial or visual representation of an object.

Why did the creation of Cuneiform allow the Sumerians to become a sophisticated culture?
They had a way of communicating that no other culture had. There businesses were more successful because they had records of everything.

Cave Paintings | 35,000 years ago

What are cave paintings?
beautiful detailed colorful representations found on the inside of cave walls and ceilings. Found in Western Europe, Australia, Africa, and China.

Name several common themes found in cave paintings?
Large animals-Bison and deer. Outlines of hands.

How were these paintings created (tools, pigments)?
MIxes of water, plant juice, animal blood, soil, charcoal, and hematite(a form of iron o
Brushes, sticks, stones, animal hair


What is the most famous cave painting site? When was it discovered and by whom?
Lascaux, France. Discovered in 1940 by 4 teenage boys.



Post an example of cave painting(s) from this cave.


Why did this cave have to be closed? What was done to satisfy public curiosity?
Paintings were being damaged by the carbon dioxide from the tourists. The government made a replica Called the Lascaux 2. 




Post an example of cave painting(s) from Altamira cave.





In Altamira cave, why do most of the paintings have a red hue?
The red hue comes from the red clay in the soil.

Who discovered this site? How old are the paintings confirmed to be?
Discovered by Marceline De Sautuola and his daughter Maria. 19,000 years ago.

What is the oldest known cave painting site? When was it discovered and by whom?
Chauvet-Pont Arc. Discovered by 3 speleologists. Eliette Brunell Dschamps, Christian Hillaire, and Jean-Marie Chauvet.
Post an example of cave painting(s) from this cave.


What was different about the painting techniques at this site?
The walls were wiped/scraped clean from all debris.

What is "speleology"?

What three reasons do archeologists and historians believe prehistoric man created cave paintings?
To tell a story, Help teach about hunting techniques, and created for magical or religious reasons.

Poster Inspiration

I like the way the "graphic" is split by "design" and the emphasis of the whole design.

The organization I have.

The primary colors and the typography describing mario.

Visual Organization

-Not directing the audience through a design is misdirecting them!


Eye Movement: The typical eye moves <--left to right--> and top to bottom.
-Controlling eye movement within a composition is a matter of directing the natural scanning tendency of the viewer's eye.


-The eyes tends to gravitate towards areas of complexity first. In pictures of people, the eye is always attracted to the face and particularly the eye.


-Light areas of the composition will attract the eye, especially when adjacent to a dark area.


-Diagonal lines or edges will guide eye movement.


Optical Center
-The spot where the human eye tends to enter the page. Optical center is slightly above mathematical ( or exact ) center and just to the left.


-It takes a compelling element to pull your eyes away from this spot.


Z Pattern
-Our visual pattern makes a sweep of the page, generally, in the shape of a "Z".


-Effective page design maps a viewer's route through the information. The designer's objective is to lead the viewer's eye to the important elements or information.


Fonts
-Important to pay attention to fonts
1.Amount of fonts used - no more then 2 fonts in a composition
     -Fonts need to compliment each other 
     -Contrast
2.Avoid Uppercase
     -Use for Emphasize 
     -Comes across as yelling
3. Choose the Right Font
     -Fits the Theme and the Tone of your Design
4. Don't over use Fancy Fonts 
     -Scripts
     -Calligraphy 
     -Use as Headlines


Visual Hierarchy 

• Establish vocal points based on their importance to the message thats being communicated. 
• A crucial part of the design process is to establish an order of elements, a visual structure, to help the viewer absorb the information provided by a design.

To establish visual hierarchy:

1. What do I want my viewer to look at first?
2. What do I want my viewer to look at second?
3. What do I want my viewer to look at third?

 

All design involves problem solving on both visual and organizational levels.

 

The Grid

• A way of organizing content on a page, using any combination or margins, guide lines, rows and columns.
• Instituted by Modernism
• can assist the audience by breaking info into manageable chunks.
• A grid consists of a distinct set of alignment-based relationships that act as guides for disturbing elements across a format.
• Every design is different; therefore every design will require a different grid structure... one that addresses the particular elements within the design.
• A grid is used to help clarify the message being communicated and to unify the element.

Using/Pairing Fonts
www.typography.com/email/2010-03/index.html

Assignment 13, Research and Inspiration

Research:

Exquisite Corps:

• A method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled. (Found on Wikipedia) 
• Started with words, eventually became a visual game.
• Surrealists established the game.

Surrealist 

• a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members. (Found on Wikipedia)

Brainstorming:

• Modern
• New/Creative
• Clean 

Inspiration

This piece is interesting because of the use of different body parts from various animals.

This piece has character and is very creative.    

The Creative Process

Why is a creative process important?

1. Improve Consistency 
2. Ability to Plan and Time Your Work
3. Raise the Quality of Your Work
4. Communicate More Effectively and in a Professional Manner 

The steps to the creative process:

1. Research

The more you know the easier the project will be! 
Research the client and the competition. Get online, look in magazines, listen to music, pay attention       to the world around you... whatever you need to get inspired.

     2. Brainstorm/Inspiration

Striving to be unique and  innovative while still following the current trends, ensures a fresh and creative approach. 

What kind of message am I trying to communicate?

Who is my audience? 

What am I trying to tell them?

What kind of color and/or style will work for this audience?

     3.  Sketch

Thumbnails, Thumbnails and more Thumbnails.

Sketch to get your idea/thought onto and out to work through ideas.

    4. Execute

Implement your ideas. Combine type and imagery, into a well developed composition. Utilize design principles and visual organization guidelines to help. Try techniques, explore possible options, and analyze the outcome. If you get stuck, walk away and clear your head. If the piece doesn't look how you imagined, and isn't working, try another idea. Forcing an idea won't result in a good design.

   5. Critique and Revise

Take a step back, (literally) and look at your design with an objective eye. MAke sure your design effectively conveys the message to the intended audience. If it doesn't, go back and tweak the composition until it does! Asking others for their opinion will help with this process. 

Photo Composition

Snapshot or Photograph?

•                Snapshot: An informal photograph taken quickly, typically with a small hand-held camera.

•                Photograph: A picture made using a camera, in which an image is focused onto film or other light-sensitive material and then made visible and permanent by chemical treatment, or stored digitally.  An image taken with care and thought.  

Rule of Thirds: imaginary lines drawn, dividing the frame of your camera into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. NOTE: avoid the center frame

•                Place important subject or important elements of your composition where these lines intersect

•                Place the horizon lone at the top or bottom horizontal divider

•                Or fill up the entire frame with the subject for a close-up image

Leading Lines: use the lines created within the foreground or background of the composition to lead the viewer's eye through the photo.

•                Lines can draw attention to one or more intended subjects or a single focal point

Point of View: change the way your subject is perceived by changing the camera position. NOTE: don't make everything eye level get into your subjects point of view! 

•                If you are photographing a subject that you want to seem very tall, compose the shot so that the camera is looking upwards... And vice versa.

Simplicity: keep your background simple and clear of clutter!

•                The mood and effectiveness of a photo can be altered by what is in the background.

A chaotic composition will cause the viewer to look away