EDLD 5366 Digital Graphics - Week 1 Assignment: Ancient Manuscripts

I truly enjoyed viewing these documents.  When I was in High School, I did extensive studies in my Art class, trying to perfect my techniques in calligraphy.  Now, this was in the days before the computer became a household item, and today's extensive capabilities of desktop publishing was only a dream.  Therefore, the skill of calligraphy was still in need, and appreciated as an art form.  Viewing these treasures brought back a part of my life, truly missed.

While I viewed many of the books at the British Library's collection, my favorite was Baybars' magnificent Qur'an.  All of the  books brought me back to my studies about using color, patterns, and illustrations along with my highly stylized form of calligraphy.  The composition of the books was so thoroughly thought out and planned, and to think they are all hand scribed will always amaze me.  In our day of putting together such polished, pristine, and perfect images, these books remind us of a time where craftsmanship, and painstaking skills were appreciated and sought after.  

In Baybars' magnificent Qur'an I see many examples of the four principles of design.  For contrast, the color red is used throughout the writings and illustrations to emphasize.  On several pages, I can see lines of text are emphasized using the red lettering.  Surely this must be in important part of the passage, one that demands our attention.  

The use of repetition leads me to believe that the book is divided into sections for reflection.  Every few pages or so, the authors place blocked illustrations with some type of title within the block.  I believe this unifies the book and helps me to organize my study of the writings.  

Alignment is very important in the writings with the script perfectly spaced in neat rows.  Each line spans the page from margin to margin.  Each block drawing is equal in size and placement.  I think the alignment is very related to the repetition as well.  Each page is aligned with six lines per page.

The positioning or proximity of the text and illustration also goes in hand with the alignment and repetition.  I think all of these principles come together to remind the reader that there is an order to the information.  It is also very focusing, almost hypnotizing, in the way items are positioned.  I noticed symbols on pages, larger in the margins, and then repeated within the text writings.  These positionings make me wonder if there is an important message following the symbols' placements.  

The authors have done an excellent job of relaying the importance of the books by using many of the design principles we are studying.  The technique of color, and using ornamentation to highlight important sections is evident in their script.  The use of repetition is abundant from patterns repeating within a block design, to reuse of symbols from page to page and line to line.  The familiarity of the patterns is calming to me, and helps me to focus on the message of the book.  It is obvious that great care and thought has gone into the construction of the texts, in an attempt to grab our attention even after centuries have passed, and technology has removed us from the skills and talents of the past.  The techniques and messages still demand our attention.

Teaching Tool for Design Principles:  https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B7qFDxZZFoPUZjUxZGU1YzMtMDJmMS00N2M1LThiNGItOGQ5OGE0NzhjMmUx&hl=en&authkey=CKfWxrsE