Graphics are visual presentations on some surface such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings, or other images. Graphics often combines text, illustration, and color. Graphics design may consist of the deliberate selection, creation, or arrangement of typography alone, as in a brochure, flier, poster, web site, or book without any other element. Clarity or effective communication may be the objective, association with other cultural elements may be sought, or merely, the creation of a distinctive style.

Graphics can be functional or artistic. Graphics can be imaginary or represent something in the real world. The latter can be a recorded version, such as a photograph, or an interpretation by a scientist to highlight essential features, or an artist, in which case the distinction with imaginary graphics may get blurred.

History

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The earliest graphics known to anthropologists studying prehistoric periods are cave paintings and markings on boulders, bone, ivory, and antlers created during the Upper Palaeolithic period from 40,000 - 10,000 B.C. or earlier. Many of these were found to record astronomical, seasonal, and chronological details. Some of the earliest graphics and drawings known to the modern world, from almost 6,000 years ago, are that of engraved stone tablets and ceramic cylinder seals, marking the beginning of the historic periods and the keeping of records for accounting and inventory purposes. Records from Egypt predate these and papyrus was used by the Egyptians as a material on which to plan the building of pyramids; they also used slabs of limestone and wood. From 600-250 BC the Greeks played a major role in geometry. They used graphics to represent their mathematical theories such as the Circle Theorem and the Pythagorean theorem.

More on [ Graphics ]

NYT > Home & Garden

Building Rage
Thu, 15 May 2008 04:50:04 -0000
Much has been written about contractors from hell, but comparatively little attention is paid to the homeowner from hell, who can make contractors crazy.
Living Together: Making Their Own Limits in a Spiritual Partnership
Thu, 15 May 2008 03:02:56 -0000
Michael Roach and Christie McNally, Buddhist teachers with a growing following, took vows never to be more than about 15 feet apart.
The Promise of Green Paint
Thu, 15 May 2008 03:18:13 -0000
Paint is leading the expansion of the green building movement, as manufacturers are being forced to produce cleaner and safer paints.
Shopping for Flowers with De Juan Stroud
Thu, 15 May 2008 07:52:06 -0000
Taking a walk through the flower district with De Juan Stroud, who has a floral design company in TriBeCa.
Domestic Lives: A 30,000-Volume Window on the World
Thu, 15 May 2008 03:19:27 -0000
Alberto Manguel, the author of “The Library at Night,” writes about finding a place to keep his library of some 30,000 books.
The Fix: The Hum of Summer
Thu, 15 May 2008 03:12:02 -0000
It’s time to decide whether to junk that old clunker or a lawnmower and buy a shiny new machine.

L.A. Times - Home & Garden

Playing the angles in a Gregory Ain-designed home
Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Designers update and reinterpret the defining hexagon motif in the 1963 Tarzana house. WHEN Jerry and Alan Simmons decided to remodel their 1963 Gregory Ain-designed house in Tarzana, they knew they would save as many original elements as possible and preserve the midcentury modern feel as best they could.
Westwood bungalow's hidden spaces are revealed
Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Victoria Gilbert turned to husband-wife design team Apurva Pande and Chinmaya Misra to transform her 'cozy' home into a free-flowing haven. IT WAS Victoria Gilbert's first call to the architects' office, so she spelled out the situation as plainly as she could: "I've bought this house and started tearing down walls, and now I realize I haven't a clue what I'm doing. Please save me from myself."
1950s home near LACMA becomes a modern duplex
Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700
A voice-over artist -- and seasoned home remodeler -- uses Google's SketchUp software to envision how her 1950s home near the museum could evolve. JANNA LEVENSTEIN tells first-time visitors that they can't miss her L.A. home. It's the only modern one on the street: a bright, sleek, indoor-outdoor living space, a tree-cloistered mini-greenbelt where every room opens onto nature.
Call it orchid cactus or epiphyllum, it's a plant that hangs around
Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700
With a brief window for blossoms and little demand for it at nurseries, the plant still has its admirers. The orchid cactus might be called the Cinderella of the garden world. Most of the year the plant, with disheveled, arched, trailing branches, is easy to ignore. But from February through June, magnificent flowers, some as large as 13 inches across, pop from the notched branches in brilliant shades of red, orange, violet, yellow and gold.
House keys by Keys to My Castle get a handle design of hearts, castles, golf balls and crowns
Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Housing sales may be in a slump, but here's another option for the truly status-crazed. Housing sales may be in a slump, but Michele Lilley's Keys to My Castle has created a new option for the truly status-crazed. The Manhattan Beach-based company offers dozens of hand-cast key "crown" designs for sportsmen, rock 'n' rollers and princesses. Lilley's designs of golf balls, guitars and fairy-tale castles crown blank keys for Kwikset and Schlage, the two most common brands of house keys. For a bit more dazzle, there are Swarovski-encrusted peace signs, skulls-and-crossbones, hearts and crowns, as shown here, from $35. For local retailers, visit www.keystomycastle.com .
A lasting piece of Ettore Sottsass
Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The architect's Nine-O series for Emeco is in limited availability. Shortly before his death last year, renowned Italian architect Ettore Sottsass joined the ranks of Philippe Starck and Frank O. Gehry as a designer for Emeco, the American classic chair company. Made from recycled aluminum with a polyurethane back and seat, Sottsass' Nine-O series is an update of the Emeco 1006 Navy chair designed for World War II submarines. The collection includes kitchen and bar stools, stacking side chairs and armchairs. The rolling Swivel chair in red, shown here, will be available in June in a numbered edition of 200 through Design Within Reach ( www.dwr.com ) for $975. For a full view of the six-piece Nine-O line and four additional seat and back color options, visit www.emeco.net .

Christian Science Monitor | The Home Forum

Redemption
A poem
'Jingle-belling' in China
Chinese students learning English catch the Christmas spirit as they sing carols to college classmates and staff.
Where did that Christmas song come from?
For kids: The stories behind three popular Christmas songs.
Today's Article on Christian Science: 'Meekness will receive him'
A Christian Science perspective on daily life.

Denver Post: Lifestyle

Shalom Park opens doors to expanded services
jadavidson@denverpost.com (By Joanne Davidson / The Denver Post) Thu, 15 May 2008 22:44:37 -0600
Gary Yourtz is one of those guys who is politeor old-fashioned — enough to open doors for ladies. He's also well-connected enough to open the figurative doors that make important things happen.
Ask Amy
editor@denverpost.com (By Amy Dickinson / Tribune Media Services) Thu, 15 May 2008 22:30:17 -0600
Dear Amy: I am 60 (shudder) years old and single. I joined a number of dating sites, and I've been e-mailing once or twice a day with a man my age who lives about 1,000 miles away.
Ask Amy
editor@denverpost.com (By Amy Dickinson / Tribune Media Services) Thu, 15 May 2008 22:23:02 -0600
by Amy Dickinson

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