Category: 141

Loved to the Point of Invention

The origin story of Band-Aids is a surprisingly rather sweet love story! Bandaids were first invented by Earle Dickinson in 1921, solely for his wife Josephine Dickinson. She was clumsy by her own admission and would often cut herself while preparing food. Bandages before Earle’s invention were just separated pieces of gauze and adhesive tape people would combine. Earle noticed that the bandage would always fall off her fingers rather easily. Earle fixed this by attaching the piece of gauze to the centre of the tape beforehand and covered everything in a fine material called crinoline to keep it clean. This easy-to-use bandage helped Josephine dress her wounds easily and quickly. It also stayed on a lot better and kept wounds more sterile. This invention was later noticed by James Johnson, Earle’s boss at Johnson & Johnson. Johnson decided to manufacture Band-Aids for the public and made Earle vice president.

From Scouts to Soldiers

It took a while for this small household invention to become a household staple everywhere. Sales were very slow until Johnson & Johnson hatched a publicity stunt and donated Band-aids to boy scouts! Johnson & Johnson continued their trend of healthcare volunteering and supplied Soldiers who were heading out to World War 2 with Band-aids in their kits. The concept and heart of Band-aids have remained the same all these years, though Band-aids have gone through some revisions. Machine made Band-Aids were the new norm in 1924 and sterilized Band-aids hit the shelves in 1939. Further down the line Band-Aids used vinyl tape as its base instead of regular tape. Decorative Band-Aids featuring popular cartoon characters first appeared in 1951 where they printed Mickey Mouse on the bandages to cater to children.

“Flesh Coloured”

Band-Aids were often marketed as “Flesh coloured” and “invisible” and this irony was not lost to the POC community. While there are clear Band-Aids, It’s offensive and ignorant that out of all the tons of designs from peach to the dozens of cartoon characters none of the bandages are designed with black or brown skin in mind. In 2005 the company unveiled a line of band-aids that were designed with multiracial skin tones, but it was discontinued due to lack of interest. Fast forward to 2020 Johnson & Johnson released a line of Band-Aids that hues matched the skin tone of African Americans in solidarity with the BLM movement. Although, it is a good step in the right direction it’s a wonder as to why it has taken this long to be designed and released.

References

Alcorn, C. (2020, June 12). Band-aid will make black and brown flesh-toned bandages. CNN. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/12/business/black-band-aids/index.html

Bellis, Mary. (2020, August 26). The History of the Band-Aid. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-band-aid-1991345

Bisset, C. (2018, January 22). A brief history of the band-aid, from boy scouts to Bob Geldof. ABC News. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-03/a-brief-history-of-the-band-aid/9271754

For this last project my concept was to merge my timeline with my title. I thought that a good way to convey type evolving was to see the gradual shift literally! I chose my title “A Font of Knowledge” because of the obvious pun and it had coincidentally sixteen letters so I could dedicate two letters to each type. I really liked my concept this time around! Although, I think my execution was a bit lacking in some places My hands started cramping up when I was writing my notes so I elected to just write in my normal hand writing, which is truthfully atrocious. I think I should have budgeted my time better and paced myself so my hand would be able to deliver better handwriting. I also probably could’ve chose a smaller size of paper, but I was really enthusiastic to make my title giant. I probably should’ve made the top title smaller to not compete with my main title. Another possibility could’ve been to frame my notes in themed frames that match the type! I spent 7 hours on this project and I’d give myself an 8/10.

Proto-friends

Teddy bears and by extension plush animals are so engraved in our culture it seems that we were never without them. A child automatically must have at least one favourite stuffed friend it’s practically a childhood constant. A soft friend dulls the rough edges of life, a world without our cotton companions seems rather grim. A predecessor to stuffed toys originated in ancient Egypt where they would carve dolls of people and animals out of wood and clay. These toys have been found to date back to 1100 BCE. A more direct predecessor to stuffed animals are rag dolls! Ragdolls are dolls made from pieces of clothes; the oldest rag dolls were once again found in Egypt around the 1st to 5th century. They were inexpensive to make, making them accessible to all social classes. When mass production of dyed fabric became more common in 1830, rag dolls became even more accessible. They were used as both an object for playing and a tool for education. Children were encouraged to repair their dolls themselves and make new clothes, teaching children how to both sew and nurture. 

How Elephants Changed our Childhoods 

Appolonia Margarette Steiff is the woman often credited to be the creator of the first stuffed animals. Steiff was born on July 24th 1847 in Giengen an der Brenz, a town in Germany. When Steiff was just 18 months old, tragedy struck. She fell ill with polio, which left her completely paralyzed in her left leg, and restricted use of both her right leg and right foot. Although her family supported therapy and surgeries nothing helped Stiff’s mobility issues. At age 17 Steiff went to sewing school. By 1877, Steiff became a local tailor in her studio at home. On a faithful day Steiff found a cloth elephant pattern in a magazine, inspired by this she made some plush elephants and sold a few as a hobby. They were an instant hit with children and Steiff added more animals that she’d sew. Margarete Steiff Toy Company was then founded in 1880.

The Hunt for Teddy 

           Almost instantaneously, In 1902, a toymaker and Russian immigrant Morris Michtom saw a political cartoon about how President Theodore Roosevelt fought verbally against his hunting team on killing a bear cub. Teddy famously showed compassion to the cub when no one would. This political cartoon inspired Michtom to make the first teddy bear! The name teddy bear originates from Theodore Roosevelt himself.

References

History of the steiff teddy bear. Lili on the Loose. (2016, December 11). Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://liliontheloose.com/2016/03/19/history-of-the-steiff-teddy-bear/.

Pim RazenbergContent creator Pim Razenberg is an experienced traveller who’s been roaming the planet for many years. After a stint in the Dutch film industry. (2021, June 14). Where do stuffed animals come from? The Bite-Sized Backpacker. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://www.thebitesizedbackpacker.com/stuffed-animals/where-do-stuffed-animals-come-from/.

Pitocco, J. (n.d.). The fascinating story of Margarete Steiff, 1847 – 1909. Steiff USA Online Shop. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://www.steiffusa.com/press-releases/the-fascinating-story-of-margarete-steiff-1847-1909/.

For my historical artifact I chose wax seals admittedly on a whim, I knew on a surface level I thought they were aesthetically pleasing, but I was very surprised to see how much wax sealing is connected to visual communication. I think out of all the projects thus far I was the most engrossed in this research than any, because of the revelation that seals were the start of branding as a whole. 

I also greatly enjoyed the process of making a wax seal, I never thought I’d do something like this. It was a nice challenge! I sculpted the stamps out of clay and carved and pressed designs into it before baking. After the stamp set, I placed wax beads into a metal spoon over a candle. As the wax melted I poured it onto the paper and pressed my stamp onto it. It’s a relatively simple process but some things made me have to try multiple attempts. Sometimes the wax would be too runny when I left it on the candle too long so it would show the paper through in some spots. I have also run into a problem with the stamp, where I forgot to dunk it in oil before pressing it into wax and after all the wax stayed and got stuck in my stamp! In a panic, I tried to hold my seal over the candle to get the wax out, but it just ended up burning my stamp, forcing me to make a new one. I enjoyed the whole process nonetheless.

My two wax designs are a bow and an owl. I had both an owl and bow charm that I could press into the clay, like how people in the middle ages used their jewellery to imprint seals. I think they both turned out quite nicely.

For my picture, I set up my artifacts and label on my wooden table to enhance the rustic look of it. I also added an ink bottle with a calligraphy pen and an oil lamp to add to the accuracy of the time period. To make my label fit more naturally in with the picture, I chose a cursive font and added ink splotches around the edges.

The only major gripes I had with my performance is trying to find more time in the week to design a family crest to showcase more variations of the trends of designs prevalent in wax seals. I also think that my composition in my photograph, although atmospheric, doesn’t showcase the details of my wax seals the best. I spent 10 hours on this project and I’d give myself an 8.8/10.

References

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Sealing wax. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/technology/sealing-wax.

The history of Wax Seals and sealing wax. ARTISAIRE. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://artisaire.com/blog/the-history-of-wax-seals-and-sealing-wax/.

Mark, J. J. (2021, November 8). Cylinder seals in ancient Mesopotamia – their history and significance. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.worldhistory.org/article/846/cylinder-seals-in-ancient-mesopotamia—their-hist/.

Mesopotamian cylinder seals. History. (2017, May 11). Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.historyonthenet.com/mesopotamian-cylinder-seals.

Fairy tales before Grimm

Of course, it’d be preposterous to say that every fairy tale started with two brothers. Ancient stories have been told exclusively orally thousands of years ago. Because of this, it’s hard to know who created these stories, and the context surrounding them. The start of our knowledge of these tales begins before the Judaeo-Christian era; scribes began documenting various aspects of their culture including religious anecdotes and folktales. The recording of these stories has been highly influential to humanity. They preserved the tales and knowledge for future generations. Because these once exclusively oral stories went through adaptations they slowly morphed through every iteration. These stories also influenced each other and sometimes melded together. Fairy tales and folktales have been so prevalent throughout history even out-dating writing, it’s as if storytelling is an inherent nature of humans.

Literary Masters

“Brothers Grimm” refers to Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Jacob and Wilhelm were born in Hanau a town in Germany. Jacob was the more book smart of the two while Wilhelm had an artist’s heart. They were the oldest in the family out of five siblings, so they were both saddled with the responsibility of the family after the death of both of their parents. Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm attended the University of Marburg and both found their love of history and folk poetry there. After graduating they continued their literary research and took on a project to collect historic folk songs in 1805. This project was a launching point for the brothers, they would continue to record fairy tales from different backgrounds and points in time. The Grimm brothers later published this collection under the name “Kinder- und Hausmärchen”. The book held two hundred tales including “Snow White,” Sleeping Beauty,” and “Little Red Riding Hood. The brother’s main goal was documenting the imagination of humanity, and ethos of the culture and time the stories were born in. 

Grim(m) Stories

The original Grimm fairy tales are now known to be infamously dark compared to the versions we are exposed to these days. These stories would not shy away from graphic violence, sexual assault, incest, and child abuse. Although interestingly, the Grimm brothers already slightly toned down the tragedy in these stories. Today we find these texts shocking and disturbing, especially for media aimed at children but at the time these fairy tales were already the sanitized version.

For my typography zine, I researched the history and modern-day uses of braille. I’d like to first say I’m happy with the research I did, and I think I logically organized the zine. First tackling the origins of braille then more modern examples like computers and Lego. For this project, I mainly used markers and some foil to add some sheen. It was my first time using foil, so it came out a lot messier than I wanted but I’m glad I pushed myself to experiment. Next time I do a zine I’d like to cut a larger size of paper I tend to write a lot so on the smaller size (8.5×11”) it’s hard to read my paragraphs. I also think some pages look emptier than other ones making them look lazy. I’ll aim to also be neater next time! I spent around 7 hours on this project, and I’d give myself an 8/10.

Reference

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Louis Braille. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Braille.

Johnson, T. (2020, August 12). Free lego® braille bricks released by the Lego Foundation. New Elementary: LEGO® parts, sets and techniques. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.newelementary.com/2020/08/free-lego-braille-bricks-released-by.html.

Refreshable Braille displays. The American Foundation for the Blind. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.afb.org/node/16207/refreshable-braille-displays.

A Solid Foundation

Believe it or not, the predecessor of newspaper predates when paper became widely available in the west. The ancient Romans, under the orders of Julius Caesar, devised a way to announce happenings to the public. This proto newspaper was called “Acta Diurna” which directly translated into “daily acts”. These notes were carved into stone or metal and placed in public spaces for citizens and traders to read. After an Acta Diurna became obsolete, they were taken down and stored as a public record.

Fresh Off The Press!

Fast forward to a century after the printing press was invented. The first appearance of newspapers as we know them today started in Europe in the 1620s where people would spread the news through foreign journals called “corantos”, though they weren’t produced frequently, and few were printed. Newspapers truly became widely circulated and streamlined when the civil war arose during 1640 and demand for information became insatiable. Many news outlets began popping up including the “Oxford Gazette”, now known as the “London Gazette”. This newfound influence of newspapers did not go unnoticed, the government and royalists started mistrusting newspapers. In retaliation, the government enforced a licensing system, where only papers approved by the royalists could circulate. Shortly after the London Gazette started only publishing official news and pieces from the government. This sanitization led to more distrust and discourse than the actual spread of information. The public at the time was growing wary of royalists. This pushed printers to risk printing unlicensed papers, following people’s yearning for a more authentic news source.

The Battle Over Words

           I think it’s truly fascinating that as soon as newspapers got popular, it didn’t take long for people to fight to take control of it. The power of who controls the agenda that spreads can never be underestimated, and that has stayed true to this day. It’s truly staggering and bleak that as soon as a platform for free speech arises; it can be quickly corrupted with propaganda and taken over by people in power.

 

Reference

Cannon, J. A., & Crowcroft, R. (2015). newspapers. In J. Cannon, & R. Crowcroft (Eds.), Oxford quick reference: The Oxford companion to British history (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press, Inc. Credo Reference: https://ezproxy.capilanou.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/oupoxford/newspapers/0?institutionId=6884

newspaper. (2018). In P. Lagasse, & Columbia University, The Columbia encyclopedia (8th ed.). Columbia University Press. Credo Reference: https://ezproxy.capilanou.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/columency/newspaper/0?institutionId=6884

For this assignment, I tried to connect three events that in my opinion gave rise to modern design. I’m not focusing on the application of modern design necessarily, I wanted to explore the technological advancements and culture surrounding the art. Art and culture change in tandem, because art reflects the people creating it. I was first surprised to learn that the Lumiere brothers didn’t see the potential of film, even though the invention of the cinematograph is their most notable work looking back. I was also surprised to learn how increased Japanese communication influenced Art Nouveau, my favourite movement. Furthermore, Japanese culture continued to impact western design through the move to minimalism. I think I garnered a deeper appreciation for minimalist design by researching Plakastil. I’m an illustrator at heart and admittedly have a bias favouring more detailed art styles, but I can see how Bernhard’s designs were so eye-catching and revolutionary at the time. I spent around 6 hours on this assignment, and I’d give myself an 8.5/10. I wish I didn’t cut it so close to the due date so I could crop all my pictures, so they’d fit together aesthetically. I think I chose a good subject to base my project on, but my events should’ve been a bit more cohesive. But I am proud of the amount I’ve written for each event and commentary on each photo.

A World Without Paper

It’s nigh impossible to imagine a world without paper. Paper is something that is a constant in our daily life and has shaped our entire history, it has directly contributed so much to the spread and retention of knowledge, and has had a very great impact on art. The earliest form of written documentation we have discovered was on clay tablets created by the ancient Sumerians. The method of this ancient writing was imprinting the symbols into the wet clay with papyrus reeds.  This script extended to help create the first written laws, Hammurabi’s Code in which the cuneiform symbols were carved into stone detailing the relationship between different crimes and their corresponding punishments. Another predecessor to paper was parchment which was a writing surface made from animal skin. The earliest example of parchment being used was in Egypt in the second millennium, but it was never more popular than the more convenient papyrus. Parchment was much more popular in Europe during the Hellenistic period.

Hammurabi’s Code

From Pulp to Enlightenment

           Early forms of paper were created in China during the second century BCE. Their main motivation towards the creation of paper was to make a writing surface that was more accessible than silk, but also more convenient than bamboo. These early papers were made mostly out of hemp but then later evolved to a pounded blend of different vegetable fibres and shredded cloth rags. This blend has been come to known as paper pulp. The paper pulp is then soaked in water and dried individually to create paper. Ancient Chinese people quickly adopted paper in their lives, two examples of some uses aside from writing were toilet paper and wrapping. Even though paper making was attempted to be kept a secret, it was spread to the middle east by Chinese prisoners who were kept in the Battle of Tales.

Process of Making Paper

A World Without Paper: The Sequel

Here is where I’ll state my opinion on the importance of this medium and the future it has with humanity. There has been a common opinion that humans will move to an entirely paperless future, with the rise of digital media. I do want to move steps closer to a greener future, but I do think paper has a sustainable and important place in the future. Most People retain information better by writing down notes, and even with the rise of digital painting, there is a need for traditional artists or printing pictures. I also think paper can achieve being more eco-friendlier easier than its digital counterpart because you can make pulp from recycled materials. But even if paper becomes nothing more than a novelty in the future, the traces of the art remain everywhere, like for example how in emails “cc” stands for carbon copy and how pages are laid out. We write and draw, making marks on paper and in return paper has definitely left its mark on humanity.

https://knilt.arcc.albany.edu/Lesson_1.1:_What_is_digital_writing%3F

References

Britt, K. W. (n.d.). Papermaking. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/technology/papermaking.

B., R. S. (1999). Parchment. In G. W. Bowersock, P. R. L. Brown, & O. Grabar (Eds.), Late antiquity: a guide to the postclassical world. Harvard University Press. Credo Reference: https://ezproxy.capilanou.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/hupla/parchment/0?institutionId=6884

Cartwright, M. (2021, October 3). Paper in ancient China. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1120/paper-in-ancient-china/.

Paper. (2012). In M. Bird, 100 ideas that changed art. Laurence King. Credo Reference: https://ezproxy.capilanou.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/lkingaijn/paper/0?institutionId=6884

Wendorf, M. (2019, April 25). The history of paper. Interesting Engineering. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://interestingengineering.com/the-long-and-complex-history-of-paper.

For this assignment I tried to find a concept that most accurately represented myself for the yearbook spread. Some of my first concept included pasting origami stars or fish around the spread. In the end, I felt that pressed flowers best reflected myself in both my hobby of gardening and love of plants. In this assignment, I used watercolour to texture and colour the entire page, pencil for the illustrations and words and lastly pressed flowers from my garden. Doing mixed media and traditional like this is new to me because I’m a very digital centric creator typically. I chose to try to sketch the five words in different fonts to make the words more expressive and stand out. If I were to rate my work, I would give myself an 8/10, two marks off because I didn’t give myself time to play with more textures like newsprint to give a more field journal look. I also am unsatisfied with my messy handwriting.