Week Three - Typography

“Typography is the major communications advance between the invention of writing and twentieth century electronic mass communications.”

(Meggs History of Graphic Design, page 80)

After our reading this week, this passage in our text really stuck out to me. This course certainly has done what was advertised in our syllabus – I am seeing the world with new eyes. This particular passage is a great example of that.

Of course mankind did not go straight from marking on cave walls to emailing, but in my day to day life, I often forget that and don’t appreciate the advancements in communication that have been made. Graphic design is, after all, about communicating.

I take for granted that in this digital era I can download a book to my computer or even my phone in seconds. I can connect instantly with friends and family by text message or Facebook. I don’t think of my predecessors in Europe who paid a fortune to obtain books that scribes spent months laboring over before typography was developed. Nor do I think of or appreciate how typography changed forever how humans communicate and helped spread ideas and advance literacy throughout an evolving civilization. Our reading helped stress to me that the invention of typography is so significant, that it ranks right up there with the development of writing as one of the most important advancements of humankind.

These powerful thoughts lead me to appreciate in this digital era, how important typography really is. It surrounds me everyday, at work and at home, but I had not taken the time to appreciate it until now. While I still may not appreciate it in all of its forms, I am now seeing it all around me. Without it major ideas, beliefs and even revolutions could not have been distributed in such a profound and widespread way.

Typography allowed for the masses to finally obtain the books they demanded. It changed the way people think, and allowed them to finally be on par with the elite and the clergy – it democratized the written word. Nowadays, that’s come under fire a bit. Some critics say that the invention of the computer, home printer and internet have allowed non typographers to corrode the standards of typography.

I don’t think I agree with those critics. I think typography and its standards will continue to evolve as we, a literate society, continue to evolve. I’m actually excited to see where we are headed. New and emerging technology is creating innovative ways for us to communicate everyday. One thing I can say for sure is that I do have a new appreciation for how I obtain information and how typography has helped that evolution.