DaVinci & Me

Since 1040 AD when moveable wood type was first developed in China it has been much further developed and has found applications outside of texts exclusive to aristocrats. During the Renaissance in the late 13th Century the versatility and creative application of moveable type became more apparent with interesting variations of letters with addition of color making books and other texts more appealing. Though usually noted for its production of awe-inspiring paintings and works of literature the Renaissance also allowed for exploration into science and engineering. One man who took advantage of this was Leonardo DaVinci as he drew out inventions such as flying apparatus’ that wouldn’t come to fruition until centuries after he perished. With the implementation of public libraries these texts were available to the public making information more accessible and fostering a widespread enlightenment throughout Europe. By 1439 Johannes Gutenberg creates a more effective method of creating moveable type allowing the rapid production of books, newspapers. Both the creation of moveable type and the Renaissance have very important implications into the world of interaction design. Moveable type’s ability to allow easier access to information which then allows everyone to create is similar to the internet’s role as a teacher and resource to a designer. With all of the resources whether icons or tutorials these allow for the designer to pull ideas and resources from the expansive world wide web and weld it to their own. The Renaissance’s fostering of not only artistic but also scientific ideas is important in the Interaction designer’s ability to work in team centered environments while also embedding their individual concepts into that of the teams.