In this weeks lecture, we learnt about Johannes Gutenberg and the first printing press.

Johannes Gutenberg is credited with inventing the first methods of metal printing, therefore marking a turning point in the art of bookmaking from hand written script to mechanical printing which brought information and literature to the masses, or at the very least to those who knew how to read at that time. The bible which Gutenberg produced a Latin translation known as the vulgate which St. Jerome in the fourth century. It is printed exactly on the same page, with two column’s and fourty-two lines per page. Capital letters were completed by hand using ornate typography and colours. I found this very interesting as i had studied the Book of Kells for A-Level Art. The fact that the bible was now being printed meant that the word of God could be brought to pagan communities so that they could be taught about the word of God.

As well as this, we examined the differences between Serif and Sans Serif fonts. Serif fonts have decorative lines and tapers at the edges while Sans Serif fonts are plain with no tails or tapers, it is a simple clean line that make letters easy to read. I enjoyed learning about this as it’s necessary information to know as a designer.

Overall, I found this weeks lecture quite valuable as I have learnt a lot about typography and it’s application for today and it’s origins and history.