Module 4

The Industrial Revolution was a time of radical sweeping change in human history. The power of steam and new mechanical innovations gave rise to a new culture and society. The predominate source of power shifted from humans and animals, to mechanical and steam. This had a marked impact on Graphic Design of the time period. Type faces became bolder and more pronounced as mass communications became the norm and a bigger impact was needed. The speed of printing increased with several innovations to the printing press.

Antique Tuscan

The linotype machine was a dramatic innovation to the printing process, it was quite literally the mechanization of typography. One of the problems slowing the production of prints was the need to set each letter of each word in every single printed document had to be set by hand. The linotype automated this process and created an explosion of printed material.

The invention of photography also had a dramatic effect on communication in this era. Joseph Niepce was the first to produce a photographic image.

The change from a handicraft to the mechanical production of items reminds me of my own personal experience with screen printing. I have over the past year have learned how to screen print by hand and have had some reasonable success with it. My rate of production though, is limited by my mechanical aids or printing press. Manual printing takes a lot more human energy and precision then a fully automated press such as the one below.