Syllabus
I was awarded a second opportunity to teach a junior level Honors seminar during Fall quarter 2006. The seminar explored the impact of printing upon Europe from the 15th to 17th centuries.
Rumors of Adolf of Nassau's impending attack on Mainz in 1462 sent merchants and craftsmen packing, thus disseminating the newly and improved art of printing to all edges of the known world. The "Black Art" shifted from the "mass" production of pilgrimage prints, block books and indulgences to religious texts, encyclopedias, classical literature, scientific studies, books on mathematics and geometry, fiction. The universities were not the only prime targets of the growing publishing trade. The burgeoning literate middle class opened up new book markets. This was also a time of mixed emotions concerning the increased availability of work by various authors, the topics published, the potential erosion of traditional positions of authority and power, all with a little nostalgia mixed into the turmoil.
Aldus Manutius, the scholar, the printer, the man who came up with the concept of the "paperback book,"was the "man of the hour" in this course examining the transformation of the manuscript to the printed book and the cultural consequences. His most well known work, Hypnerotomachia Poliphili served as the focal point of this examination as used in fiction and as a striking cultural artifact. The goal of the course was to develop an understanding and appreciation of the present traditions of the book from the perspective of 15th and 16th century authors, patrons, printers and publishers. Arthur Koestler suggested that combinatory intellectual activity inspires creative acts. The students wrote four essays over a five week period related to lecture/discussion topics. Peers served as editors. The students confronted the transformation of their own authorship [an essay], traditionally submitted for the private reading of an instructor, to public scrutiny as a letterpress printed limited edition.
Additional texts for the course included The Rule of Four, The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe, and Out of the Flames.
Syllabus
Eco's The Name of the Rose is a book of books within books and served as the nexus for this Honors seminar. The primary requirement of the course was to write a "traditional" paper, drawing the theme from The Name of the Rose. The paper could be hand written or printed in signature form. The "paper" was then bound in a medieval structure such as a bare board or leather covered Carolingian-Romanesque-Gothic hybrid style or German girdle binding. [The girdle book is a binding style developed in Germany in the 14th century. Frequently depicted in medieval painting and sculpture, this late medieval binding technique is identified by the long extension (or skirt) usually found at the tail of the book. The extension may end in a knot, hook, or left unfinished, and allows the book to be fastened to or hung from a person's girdle (i.e., belt). When it is attached to the belt, the girdle book appears to be upside down, but when it is pulled up for reading, it is right side up. The exterior covering material used in Germany was usually deerskin. In the Netherlands and France, more sumptuous fabrics were employed in the binding. The books are usually held closed by a simple clasp and are sometimes decorated with metal bosses.]
This is a survey course examining visual culture beginning with the caves of Lascaux and ending with 19th printing and photography.
The lecture course introduces the primary reproduction techniques of commercial printing, electronic pre-press for offset printing. Students tour the university inplant print shop and in small groups, tour local shops and present their discoveries to their peers.
The studio component of Design Production Processes begins with the generation of artwork using analogue and digital art scanned and massaged for four-color offset reproduction on a Heidelberg GTO. The Adobe Creative Suite forms the core of the electronic pre-press component of the course. The students are also introduced to relief printing and required to produce a letterpress printed piece to combine with the offset sheet. Students work in groups of six to eight.
This course is essential a bench class designed to develop hand skills and material experiences for application to graphic design portfolio projects. Students are introduced to basic binding techniques through 10 models. They begin with the accordion and finish with a flat back case binding and clamshell box. Two conceptual projects and a collaborative project are also course requirements.
This course builds upon the junior course experiences. The course focuses on file management and efficiency, and problem solving. Students begin by diagnosing an existing inefficient and problematic digital file. Assignments involve the design and creation of clean digital files focusing upon specific production requirements and proofing on an Epson 7600. Students also break up into two groups, are given a budget based upon material fees, and design/produce a collaborative edition. They are responsible for choices in papers, number of printing colors, reproduction techniques to employ, binding, etc.
Spring quarter of the senior year involves the development of the portfolio. Students work individually and in groups to determine the components of the portfolio, reworking earlier projects as well a new projects for the portfolio.
Some of the projects seniors have offset and/or letterpress printed include identity packages, self-promotional pieces, books, zines, and cards. Some seniors choose to design and produce custom portfolio boxes.
Honors Thesis Projects
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