I was very impressed with these ancient manuscripts, specifically with the bold colors and unique illustrations. For this assignment, I chose to review the Bible from Ethiopia presented through the British online library. I found this book most interesting since the bible is still a book of importance today. I was especially intrigued by the numerous illustrations, bibles of the 20/21st century mostly tell the stories through manuscripts whereas this 17th century bible mostly uses illustrations. I was also impressed with the quality of the drawing of the illustrations and how well they have stood up to time, they preserved very well. Many basic design principles are shown throughout these early chapters of the bible. I see contrast and repetition as the principles used most to communicate. Contrast is seen in the bold colors yellow, blue, and red with a light background and also with the use of mostly black text and red bolded text. Repetition is seen in many ways, a few examples being the repetition of the columns, birds, and borders in the illustrations. Alignment is seen with the left to right writing and centering of the illustrations on the page. Proximity is seen with the use of title pages, illustrations on opposite pages of elegant scripted writings, the use of borders throughout the book, as well as the extensive meanings behind the chosen illustrations. For example, the author of these books showed us the time period based on the colors used in the columns, also known as “harags”. Overall, the design principles are mostly viewable in the illustrations, I find it amazing how the illustrations are so communicative and informative.
