DIY Screenprinting

Last week we had a DIY screenprinting workshop with Kathryn Shearman of Kazoo Studios. We learned how to create printed designs with just paper and exacto blades, which was really simple and exciting to learn. We worked in teams to produce our final prints, and despite some minor problems they turned out great!

The assignment was to create a wearable billboard, and I decided to use the phrase "make something good." I like it because it encourages people to go out and create something of their own, and to contribute something to their community. It also means that if you make something, it should bring about something good, rather than something detrimental. I also liked that it could be taken to mean that you should make something that already exists good, as in alter it to be something better than it was. I think all of these meanings are good general principles to live by, and that's why I chose to wear it. 

Inequality and New York's Subway

A really interesting interactive graphic about median incomes and their corresponding subway stops in New York...

http://www.newyorker.com/sandbox/business/subway.html

Jesse Palmer / Kathryn Shearman

Today was certainly an inspiring example of DIY design. I love the handmade, crafty aesthetic of design done outside of the computer, but sometimes I need to be reminded just how much. It's easy to fall back on technology and not get your hands dirty...

Jesse Palmer visited us and spoke about his collective publication Slingshot, which he's been helping to produce for many years now. It's certainly a very unique publication, and he spoke about wanting to make it artful, fun, and distinct for readers which I think it absolutely is. The cut-and-paste and low-budget quality of the paper is really great I think, it doesn't take itself too seriously and instead serves as an outlet for some very free form art and writing. I found it very inspiring the way that it is completely not for profit, it simply exists to share information and creativity with the public. It seems to harken back to what printing is really all about.

We were also visited by Kathryn Shearman from Positive News. I hadn't heard of the publication, but I have to say I love its mission! I honestly avoid the news because of its negativity (which I know I shouldn't do), so I very much appreciate them spreading some hopefulness. After today, I'm very excited for next week's workshop. I've done a good amount of screen printing, but somehow never a process as simple as the one she demo'ed today. I'm really looking forward to making effective design by hand in such a simple manner. 

Project 3 Proposal

For Project 3 I plan to design a campaign to educate San Francisco residents about our water supply. I feel that there is a lack of awareness about where our water comes from, its safety and cleanliness, and where our water waste goes to. Many people seem to distrust the quality of water here, though we actually have some of the cleanest and safest water in the world. The campaign would be comprised of a series of posters to be placed around the city, on buses, in bus stops, on Market Street, and even on the new interactive bus ads in some parts of the city. It would feature clear and simple infographics, tips on water usage and conservation tactics, and facts about water regulations and testing in a colorful, fun, and cohesive manner. I also hope to include information about using reusable water bottles and discouraging bottled water use. It would be primarily a print/poster campaign, but as mentioned there could be an interactive aspect used in interactive advertising spaces, and possibly even a website to go along with the poster campaign.

Why Beauty Wards Off Obsolescence

I really liked this article by Lance Hosey about our society's obsession with constantly buying newer, "better" gadgets, while the "old" versions go to waste. Though I know this has been a problem for a long time now, I feel like I've watched it escalate around me in my lifetime. I remember getting my first iPod, one of the original white ones. It looks somewhat retro and very dated to us now, compared with the color touch screens that are presently the norm, but that iPod lasted through years of use, where the subsequent iPods I've had give out quicker and quicker. Bring it to an apple store, and you'll learn that to fix it or replace the part that broke, you'd have to pay more than it would cost to buy a whole new model, so of course that's the option you'd choose.
It feels like such an unfortunate problem, that our gadgets are becoming obsolete to us ever more rapidly. It feels near impossible to even keep up with the latest and greatest, knowing that there will be an even newer version not two months later. Yet this is in the best financial interest of their producers, so I don't see this trend changing anytime soon. It's therefore so important that we find better ways to recycle, reuse, and dispose of the waste from these obsolete items, which I think the article addressed very well.
I also really enjoyed reading about our attraction and connection to beautiful objects. I think this has such a powerful influence over us. I thought it was very interesting learning that we're often attracted to the same sorts of aesthetics, and that they can actually make us happier. I think this is just one more powerful social influence design holds, which is a really exciting prospect for me. I love the idea that good design and a beautifully crafted object could make a difference in someone's happiness (not in a materialistic, superficial way, but in a long-term way as described in the article).

Buying a Gun is Easier Than You Think

Here's an example of some excellent design for social change by Kelli Anderson. She created these beautiful infographics about the acquisition of guns in America in response to the Newtown shootings last year. I think putting this sort of information into such a clear visual format could have a large impact on public knowledge of the issue, and I think it's a great response from a design perspective.

Taller Tupac Amaru

Last week we had the exciting opportunity of hearing Jesus Barraza, Melanie Cervantes, and Favianna Rodriguez of Taller Tupac Amaru speak about their show on display in the Thacher Gallery this month. As well as being a really visually striking and beautiful body of work on display, it was a really timely and first-hand example of the power that images and visual culture can hold over matters of social change. I found Melanie's example of her poster backing the revolution in Egypt to be such an inspiring example of this. By simply creating a image about this issue she had read about, and posting it online, she created a visual identity that supported the cause of large numbers of people that reached around the world within days. Seeing this unifying image in photos of both protesters on the Golden Gate Bridge and across the world in Asia and the Middle East within days of each other created a unity and bond for the cause that would have been impossible otherwise. I found that story to be very inspiring, and a great example of just how powerful an image can really be. (This was the poster:)

I think my favorite pieces were Favianna's though, and I really enjoyed her talk as well. She had a lot to say in person (I wish it could have gone on longer for her!) and it really shows through in her work. I had previously heard about her work with Migration is Beautiful, and had seen some of the striking butterfly imagery previously and really enjoyed it. I felt like her pieces stood apart, and because of their distinct style had a little more impact for me than the others. I think as a collection overall though, the show is a really powerful one, and a great example of modern political poster art that is taking a serious stance on social issues. 

Further Timeline Work

This past week I continued working on the design of the timeline for project one. I incorporated the colors that Krystina developed, expanded the length of the timeline, and created an event template for everyone to input their research into. Sophie is currently working to produce category icons to classify different types of events. The new design looks like this:

The template looks like this:

Designing the Timeline

I've started working out a system for our timeline to be presented in. Sophie developed some typography for the design, and Krystina decided on colors (which I will be implementing later). We settled on breaking down the information into three location-based sections: San Francisco, The US, and The World. Within those, we will have categories for each event, each with their own color and icon. We have yet to pick the categories, but we're thinking along the lines of wars, inventions, movements, people, etc. 

Because there is so much information to present, I've been working on an interactive pdf in InDesign that will allow information to show up only when its representative dot is hovered over on the timeline. After seeing all of the research presented in class yesterday, we've also decided to have smaller dots representing important events (just an acknowledgment, no additional information), and larger color-coded dots for our class high-lighted events. The timeline will be a horizontal scrolling, interactive document to be viewed in a web browser. 

Next we'll be compiling all of the information into pop-up boxes (we'll be creating a template for it), developing categories and icons, and applying the color scheme to the timeline design. 

Timeline Inspiration

As I'm working on the visual team for Project 1, I've been looking at a good amount of timelines, infographics, and ways of charting and organizing data. A few of the most inspiring projects I found were the following:

The Feltron Annual Report by Nicholas Felton:

The Creative Process by Rui Ribiero:

Charting the Beatles by Michael Deal

Citizen Designer

          I enjoyed Katherine McCoy's article on value-free design, I think she made some great points about the responsibilities designers face that I've been hearing more and more. Considering that this was written close to 20 years ago, I think that design and design education particularly has come a long way from the disconnectedness that she discusses. At least in my educational experience (and maybe I'm just lucky), I feel there's always been a strong emphasis on the content and the substance behind design. Particularly in my studies abroad in London, the content was almost more scrutinized than the actual visual outcome.
          I will also admit though, that there is still, and likely always will be a very much corporate side to design. It's unavoidable really, particularly as we are graduating students with a great deal of debt on our shoulders. I'm sure that I will end up designing projects for clients who are not changing the world for the better. However, I can safely say that I would never feel comfortable doing good design for a company that is disseminating hurtful or greed-based information. I simply couldn't do it, regardless of the paycheck. I feel more and more strongly that good design drives people, and it makes or breaks a message in almost any context. As Maud Lavin said, "our culture is dominated by the visual." Designers therefore hold a huge amount of responsibility in their hands, and should avoid using it for less than admirable causes. As McCoy stated, there simply isn't such a thing as value-free design.
          That said, I don't personally feel I'm the sort of designer who will go out and present loud challenging messages to the masses. As important as I feel that is, I know I'm more of the type to work towards social good in smaller ways, fighting against corporate manipulation on a more person-to-person level. I think change can be encouraged even in the smallest details, and I think that personally that's where I'll be focused in my career. That could change, but for now I think that a conceptual awareness is enough for me and my work as I develop it.

Good Citizenship

Silicon Valley & SF

I just came across this 'diary' written by Rebecca Solnit about the effects of the success of Silicon Valley on the dynamics of the city of San Francisco. It's very interesting, and rings very true to the changes that are surely happening around us. It's certainly a case of design bringing about huge social change- possibly not intentionally, but change nonetheless.

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n03/rebecca-solnit/diary

First Things First

            I remember reading the First Things First manifesto last fall in my Professional Practice class, and immediately connecting with it completely. I was so excited to see all these influencial and highly successful designers who had signed this statement, which talked about something that I had personally thought about quite a bit. The misconception that graphic design is a tool to aid in advertising and marketing and consumerism is one that I myself bought into not all that long ago. I didn’t start out as a Design major here, likely for precisely that reason, though I don’t think I ever consciously realized it. After beginning to study and immerse myself in the world of design however, I of course quickly realized that it is far from design’s only purpose. It’s sad that this has become one of design’s foremost focuses, though it makes a great deal of sense in a way. Advertising and marketing are certainly where much of the money and exposure are; that is after all their ultimate goal.

            I personally believe that designers should make the choice and feel responsible for who it is and what it is that they are designing for. I don’t think it’s possible to say that values do not matter in this regard. When I look around, I constantly see how essential design is to the success of just about anything. Granted, I am a visual person, but I think that no matter who you are, the design of something will have an enormous impact on you, whether you are aware of it or not. As Rick Poynor stated, “the content is always mediated by the design, and it’s the design that helps direct how we perceive it and how it makes us feel.” I think as designers we need to be aware of this power that we possess, and use it for forces of good wherever possible. I don’t think it’s realistic at all to wish that designers would stop working for big companies and in advertising, it simply won’t happen, but I do hope that talented designers could have the strength to reject projects in which their talents were being used to distribute negative or harmful messages, no matter the salary attached.

            I know that in my own career I will be consciously working hard to do work for clients with good values, or for projects that I believe in. I think that designers hold an immense amount of influencial power in their hands, and where they choose to invest that power is key. As Poynor also points out, advertising does pay the bills, and I’m sure I won’t be immune to this sort of work, however I also know that I couldn’t do great design for a client who’s values I question. I think it’s really exciting the sort of impact designers can have, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what I can do with my own abilities. I look around sometimes and see ads and publicity for really important things, animal shelters and homeless services for example, who have no money to produce these things and it shows. It makes me sad because their poor design will go quickly overlooked. It might be naïve of me, but I hope I can be successful enough in the future to help such organizations even though they can’t afford to pay much. 

Manifesto

First Things First Revisited