Essay 2 - Unit 1.2 - February 2

Today we covered the Industrial Revolution and the saw the extent to which book design and typography suffered in the interests of pursuing fickle tends and mass production. Designers took a back seat to illustrators as Chromolithography dominated the advertising world. As the 19th century drew to a close, the calculated design ethics and value of artful handicraft were revitalized by the Arts and Craft Movement, seeking to brush aside the "cheap and nasty" trend graphic design had followed for so long.

Some of the key points that stuck out for me today were:
-How large scale type was introduced and quickly became a competitive element for advertising.
-How illustration took center stage during the Chromolithography era, requiring illustrators to be proficient at type drafting as well as drawing.
-The complete abandonment of traditional rules and formats, particularly during the Victorian era, and how books suffered as a result.
-How responsibility in design was cast aside for a time, then brought back with a passion.
-The evolution of Sans Serif typefaces (my personal favorite!).
-How the development of typefaces went hand in hand with design trends of the time (i.e. - Antique/Tuscan styles resembling locomotives)
-How newspapers and other types of text and image-based publications (like scrap cards) evolved.

As a designer, I am aware that a measure of responsibility and intelligence must go into everything I do. The quality of craft is a key to successful design, whether creating a layout for a printed book, or a web page. Society swings like a pendulum, and I found it interesting to observe where the abuse of the Industrial Revolution's newfound mass-production abilities led—total chaos. With today's computer technology, we possess the same ability to ignore design ethics and commit acts of artistic butchery. We can stretch type like silly putty, and adorn it with a nauseating stack of needless plug-in filters. Producing sloppy work to save time can be a dangerous temptation. Whether working with the pen tool in Illustrator or an Exacto blade in the process room, my duty as a designer is to see my work executed with precision and care, as well as consideration. The mistakes of the past are laid bare for us to see, and hopefully to learn from.