Tonight we learned how all design is a regurgitation of what has come before. In the film, Everything is a Remix, we were shown how music artists reuse parts of songs previously published and how cover designers also reuse the designs of others. Hollywood is the master of the remake - taking something old and making it new. The hero's journey, for example, has been told and retold and retold and retold, but we still are entertained by it.
We also learned about how written communication has evolved. From pictures to cuneiform symbols to more recognizable letters. There was a whole other evolution to the written word after that. Capitalist Quadrata(formal) evolved into Capitalist Rustic(non-formal, easier) and Uncial letters that are more rounded. Scribes of old went through painstaking measures to preserve the written word and to pass on knowledge to future generations.
Those scribes deserve some serious respect. I can't even imagine working in the conditions that were described in the film. I suppose that forgiveness from all sin was a pretty heavy motivator though. I love the designs in the illuminated manuscripts. The Book of Kells is most definitely the most beautiful hand made book I have laid my eyes on. It is just a baffling to me, as it was to the lords of the time, how they could create those impossibly detailed knots, links, and representations.
As far as modern design is concerned, I will never see it the same again. I had no idea how much of what we see is just an updated copy. However, that does not mean that I will not continue to enjoy it.
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