3.12.2010

week 7B

THEME DEVELOPMENT
in class
  • review conference themes as a group. read statements (or a synopsis) aloud and consider the following questions:
    -- as a designer, would you pay money to attend this conference? why or why not? 
    -- does the theme invite multiple interpretations and an interesting range of possible talks, workshops, etc? 
    -- is the theme suitable for contemporary and forward-looking design practice?
    -- what could improve the theme? 
  • review timelines as time allows, in pairs or in small groups.

homework
readThe Crystal Goblet, or Printing Should Be Invisible” by Beatrice Warde (1900 - 1969)
brainstorm a list of theme names and decide on a few favorites to share with the class on monday. if your name is esoteric in some way, consider a descriptive tagline that aids understanding.
write a concise and clear paragraph describing what your theme encompasses -- about three or four sentences. this will appear on major conference materials and should be written in a way that generates excitement about the event. be creative, energetic, smart, and sophisticated. consider your audience.
refine your designer and bio from a few weeks ago. this person(s) will serve as your keynote speaker(s) for the conference. you can use the bio as content for your conference materials.

8 comments:

Johnna Pasch said...

I really enjoyed the reading. Comparing typographers to wine glasses was funny, but very true. I also really enjoyed the talk with the advertising type deisgner who said we artists do not think, we feel. Then the designer who said, I'm not feeling very well today, I think. This was really interesting to me because it made me think do we as designers think or feel? I believe that we always must think first. That is what design is all about. Solving a problem, and do that one must think. The other thing I enjoyed was the discussion on "invisible type". How sometimes time is made to not call attention to. It seems like I always struggle to make my type powerful and bold, but would it be nice to make it somewhat invisible sometimes? Type does not have to scream to draw a viewer in. It can be noticed later and be the most beautiful part about the piece.

Amanda Laffoon said...

I thought this reading took an interesting approach to compare his ideas to something people other than typographers could understand..wine. When he said the main point of typography is to convey a message everything kind of clicked for me. All in all the message is the most important part. I think that I tend to loose sight of that because I know what it is supposed to say or mean. This also makes me think of cell phones and text messaging. When you text some one you have one font and one weight and one size. What if you had more? Would messages be clearer, would be need descriptor words like lol or a smily face. Or could we use a cooky font to show humor, or a serif to make something look professional? Typography nothing more than an aid in a message...however as many people in our class proved it can be art as well..but then it is still conveying a message so what takes precedence the art or the message, which one is stronger?

Tom Morse-Brown said...

A well set page of type should reveal the content as effortlessly as a crystal wineglass reveals the beauty of the wine within it? Yes. I agree. I might not have used that analogy but it's an interesting one. I remember having the incredible responsibility of completely overhauling the design and layout of a bi-monthly music magazine. I actually subscribed to the mag and hated reading it it was so messy so I was excited to take on the project. On the other hand though it was a daunting job to turn 80 pages of text into something beautiful that people would read. I think it true that bad type setting can send people to the wrong house for sure, good analogy. I like the metaphor about book type being like a window between the reader and the writer. There's nothing worse than trying to get a feel for what someone is saying and all you can see is bad typesetting! Same with speakers: nothing worse than someone who doesn't know how to deliver a speech, all you can see is them and not what they're trying to say.

Cameron Perry said...

Interesting read.

Paragraph four-starts with WINE IS SO…: I like this. The line of thought is probably why I chose graphic design. I could see myself not maturing into a specific area of interest and becoming lost like an animal. VIRAGO- has a funny definition.
Lots of great lines here too, especially about the total stranger. Reminds me of TOMS paper airplanes.

I especially like the talk about PRINTING DEMANDS A HUMILITY OF MIND, because printing seems more like a science and religion. It's a tool and a means, and people don't always appreciate it for what it is.

obviously awesome terms and sayings (OATS) of the read:

Through the type and not upon it

excessive enthusiasm
officiousness
subconscious squinting
Vulgar ostentation
VIRAGO

DUSTIN MABERRY said...

Interesting reading as far as metaphor goes.

Other than that, didn't really hit home.

Cameron Perry said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cameron Perry said...

One of the reasons I actually like simple metaphor stuff is because it kind of gives the writer a signature and shows the type of person they are.

Another thing this stuff does for me: it works quickly, like a cliche or sparknotes.

Since we are learning a lot in a little time, it is important for some of us to have.

Micah Keoha Barta said...

The metaphor of the crystal goblet really helped me define 'depth of content' and how a vehicle, that the content is carried in, can help or not help enhance and dictate the message and how its received. The difference in thinking and feeling of artists and designers is one of that metaphors major components. This helped me realize the difference and relation to our concept maps vs. mind maps. Its more of an intuitive/free word association vs. analyzing that information and making it comprehendible by structuring it within an organized system.