thesis proposal: Understanding Poetry to Teach Graphic Design.

i may be on to something here...

Working Titles for Thesis Project.
• Teaching Graphic Design with Principles of Poetry.
• Understanding Poetry to Teach Graphic Design.
• Poetry and Graphic Design: Different Media, Same Approach.
• Poetry’s Principles Are Graphic Design’s Process.
• Poetry’s Principles Solve Graphic Design’s Problems.

Working Statements.
• Overcoming graphic design problems with principles of poetry are specifically understood when the principles from the Imagism Literary Movement are used to create effective conceptual logos, the flow of Free Verse and Narrative Poetry are used to create technical and informational graphic layouts, and embracing Cut-Up Poetry leads to enhancing decorative graphic elements and montages.

• Many visual artists repel the power of words because they are blinded by image and therefore need to be taught the importance of the principles of poetry in order to identify their personal rhythm and intuition when creating successful conceptual, technical and artistic graphic design.

Overview.
Learning conceptual graphic design relies heavily on the students individual ability to translate ideas into graphic form with a sense that is pleasing to the viewer. Teaching it almost seems supernatural and unattainable. There is no formula that guarantees unique, creative conceptual results.

My plan is to improve graphic design instruction by creating methods that exercise a designer’s rhythm and intuition. These methods are rooted in principles from poetry through its literary movements and the study of it as an art form. Many visual artists repel the power of words because they are blinded by image. Conceptual graphic design has much to learn from poetry, old and new. As the outcomes of each are usually different (and sometimes considered one in the same), the processes are remarkably similar.

I plan to prove the direct correlation in the processes of writing poetry and creating multiple graphic design solutions through specific experiments and continued research. This thesis project will specifically address the following:

• The process of creating a logo by explaining the foundation of the Imagism Literary Movement

• The process to clean, legible and organized information and communication layouts through Free Verse and Narrative Poetry principles

• The process of designing decorative and montage graphics dictated by Cut-Up Poetry

My Worth. The Subjects Worth.
As I discover inspiration through poetry and find a personal desire to understand it better, my recent enthusiasm for works of literature trickles into my professional trade – graphic design and advertising, encouraging new methods and experiments for use in the design classroom.

The ideals mentioned in this thesis proposal are worthy of experimentation simply because they propose formulas for conceptual thinking. They have the potential to revolutionize the way graphic design in taught. In addition to teaching design students graphic design principles – type, image, color, scale, I believe it is important to teach a concrete method for developing rhythm and intuition. Rather than requesting students to just “come up with an idea,” relying on life’s rhythm, this alternative approach encourages them to see design in another light and enables experimentation like never before, manifesting conceptual thinking.

The future for applying poetry’s principles to graphic design is endless. This thesis will cover three (3) specific areas of application to get the connections started. Once the lineage is clear, many principles in poetry can be interchanged, overlapped and/or evolved to suit almost any graphic design problem.

When inspiration is lost and research is exhausted, the role of rhythm and intuition suffer.
Applying poetry’s principles to graphic design problems opens new avenues to conceptual, technical, and artistic graphic design.

Strengths and Weaknesses.
In order to articulate the benefits in this proposal, it demands an author who has an equal passion for both, poetry and graphic design. That is my main strength. With a background of experience in conceptual advertising and with corporate structure, I am able to visualize the big picture and organize creative mayhem.

As a young student to poetry and real graphic design, I will continue to research the processes of each, digesting their parallels and noting their differences.

Creating a curriculum for the design classroom should flow directly out of the relational studies between poetry’s principles and graphic design problems. This is an area that will take much focus as I fervently critique the three parts of this proposal.

The Goal.
Opening the creative mind can be dangerous. It often leads to procrastination, misdirection and frustration. Learning poetry’s principles and applying them to graphic design problems is a guided process with a solid foundation.

Success will be determined when a design student who shuns the written word, finds and appreciates the process of poetry and understands its power in every individual’s rhythm and intuition. Over time, when there is a method to control conceptual design, this will have been proven and opened to further exploration of more principles and more problems.



Proposed Bibliography.
Lupton, Ellen and Phillips, Jennifer Cole. Graphic Design The New Basics. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2008.

Bringhurst, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style (Second Edition). Vancouver, BC: Hartley & Marks, 1996.

Flynn, Keith. The Rhythm Method, Razzamatazz, and Memory. How To Make Your Poetry Sing. Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books, 2007.

Butler, Mark J. Unlocking the Groove: Rhythm, Meter, and Musical Design in Electronic Dance Music. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2006.

Hurtik, Emil and Yarber, Robert. An Introduction to Poetry and Criticism. Lexington, MA: Xerox College Publishing, 1972.

Woolman, Matt and Bellantoni, Jeff. Moving Type. Designing for Time and Space. Geneva: Rotovision SA, 2000.

Tufte, Edward. Visual Explanations. Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press, LLC, 1997.

Tufte, Edward. Beautiful Evidence.
Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press, LLC, 2006.

Tufte, Virginia. Artful Sentences. Sentences as Style.
Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press, LLC, 2006.

Wigley, Mark. The Architecture of Deconstruction. Derrida’s Haunt.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1993.

Lyne, Sandford. Writing Poetry from the Inside Out. Finding your voice through the craft of poetry. Naperville, IL: SourceBooks, Inc., 2007.

Drury, John. Creating Poetry.
Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books, 1991.

Bennett, Audrey. Design Studies: Theory and Research in Graphic Design, A Reader. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2006.

download the pdf ://here. it lasts longer.

typography, the original instrument.

not only an instrument or tool, but a necessity. as the gentleman referred to jazz in this video, you need to learn the instrument or the music will be horrid. typographic care is evident in a good designers work and attributes to both, the rhythm and intuition of good design.



as the famous alex "ajax" jackson once said:
"i was a better designer before adobe allowed for multiple "command z's" (edit undo's) because i had to think about every move i was making."

AIGA-OC: 4th annual student design contest.

AIGA-OC, The American Institute of Graphic Arts, Orange County chapter held its 6th Annual Portfolio Review and 4th Annual Student Design Contest last saturday, april 18th at Chapman University. i arrived with about a half an hour until it ended with shorts and flip flops on. as i walked in, i was surrounded by over 100 students from so cal design programs with portfolios in-hand, dressed to impress, being reviewed by 30 creative professionals from local companies like Y&R Brands, Oakley, Walt Disney Imagineering, Pencilbox Studios and many more (see list of reviewers here). i quietly made my way to the back where the projects for the contest were.

to my surprise, i managed to take Honorable Mention for my Chicago 2016 Campaign that i designed last Fall '08.



The campaign consisted of a logo, poster series, welcome package including event tickets, and temporary tattoos.













i left with a certificate that graced my misspelled name, but they promised to send me a corrected one next week.



to find out more about the contest and a complete list of reviewers, click //here.

JoAnn Kuchera-Morin: AlloSphere

t(wo w)ords: holie molie.



JoAnn Kuchera-Morin demos the AlloSphere, an entirely new way to see and interpret scientific data, in full color and surround sound inside a massive metal sphere. Dive into the brain, feel electron spin, hear the music of the elements ... (Recorded at TED2009, February 2009, in Long Beach, California. Duration: 06:28.)
source

abbott miller: everybody dance now

if i was somewhat close to new york, i'd be heading over to the AIGA National Design Center to see this show. Everybody Dance Now: 20 Years of Dancing in Print is an exhibit of visual and performing arts magazines Dance Ink and 2wice, designed by Abbott Miller.

somehow, i know it relates to the work i'm doing now.
have a look here: http://www.aiga.org




on another note, i've been pretty stale here on projectartschool.com. mainly because two-thirds of my life has been dominating one-third – school. i'm taking a big fat W in my 503A, grad problems class, simply because i do not have the time to dedicate to it right now. a W is a withdrawal. however, i'm still experimenting with some of the original concepts i started in that class, and as i won't get a semester's credit for it, i will be advancing my research towards a defined thesis topic.

in my other class, now my only credit-seeking class for spring, i'm working on a book that displays 6 decades of influential commercial art in america. it's been a lot of work, but has been very educational and inspirational. i'll be posting some of my progress soon.

this. spring break two thousand nine.

for reasons i cannot explain the brakes came on so easy this semester as i contemplate during spring break starting today a revelation that my classes are far too behind my thesis topic is hiding a mystery that quite frankly i'm tired of seeking all i want to really do is write but get guilty feelings like i'm wrong then i find myself searching my archives of works nothing to be proud of except the words.

somewhere in the middle of that run-on sentence i found this string of words that talks about this.

typography.

rules i strive to live
by.

always check your kerning. start off with negative tracking. at least negative ten. don't write vertical when communicating quickly. (hotel and motel are the exception.) nor with uneven or unbalanced words.

please don't leave your typesetting to a sign shop. they only own silly fonts have no taste in typographic usage and don't design with a purpose. this pome is for them. listen up.

location is key. place your type carefully. simply. in a second. always close-up double oh's. closer than your average kern. look. moon. poop. food. be sure the captial Tee and whY is close to your lower case oh. To. Yo.

and spread your double el's. million. brilliant. trillion. killer. don't ever use a font named after a city. ever. and move comic sans. to the trash can. on a mac. or recycle bin. if you're a user of i.b.m.

make a capital vee and a capital eay comfortable. VAGINA. ENDEAVOR. tighten the kern. the space between them. simple rules. of typography. watch and observe. it's easy to learn. use your keyboard with caution. perhaps go back to a pen.

know your printer. eat breakfast with them. drive in their car. always shake their hand. photoshop is not graphic design. neither is a computer.

idea is king.

it's solving a problem. it's a service. translating a message from one to
another. from bow to target. the arrow. straight. narrow. responsible for the end result. the viewers perception.

there's meaning. there's reason. visual plus verbal equals message. graphic design is a verb. a+b=c. providing closure. problem solved.

communication.
the life i'm ruled
by.

that was supposed to be read slowly. start over.

sound in motion.

words in motion.

Mos Def - Words - The Ecstatic - in stores Spring 2009

503A : project 02 : static/dynamic study

Same Content, Different Deliveries: A Sound/Silent Experiment
using one of my favorite contemporary poems by Jack Henry, i started to explore the way we read and digest communication delivered online. this is just a skim off the top of the ultimate goal, but i feel the questions proposed here are a good beginning.

TESTING THE AUTHOR'S ROLE IN WEB COMMUNICATION
As content becomes more dynamic, the reader becomes more lazy because the content is working for the reader. When content is static, the reader has to act, scroll and interact, forcing the reader to think for themselves.

S T A T I C

movie making

i remember walking
down 6th in Los Angeles
over near Spring Street

a movie crew stood around
talking in walkie-talkie's about
this and that

i stood and stared

an hour passed before
a tall man w/thin eyes
yelled, "action"

a car came around a corner
smashed into another
a guy jumped out
and started to run
before the director
yelled, "cut"

everyone applauded

a homeless guy
walked through
the scene, stopped
at a trash dumpster
pulled out some cans
kept moving

and no one said a word

D Y N A M I C
(refresh your browser to watch again.)

QUESTIONS & RESULTS
Overall Synopsis
I feel that the reader has lost many aspects of control the minute you put the content on the Web. However, this experiment is for Web based communications and whether Static design or Dynamic design is better.

I came to two conclusions: 1) if the reader has an interest in the content, then Static gives freedom to the reader allowing them to think through the content themselves as opposed to 2) if the reader has no interest in the content, then Dynamic will give them a chance to be told what the content says.

When the reader has control of the content (static), is the communication more or less effective than when the reader gives control of the content to the author?
More effective. It benefits the reader to pause when they need and move on when they need. If the content is designed properly, the pace should lend itself.

Is static design an outdated form of communcation? Is it more of an idea-stimulant?
No. Yes, it gives the reader control.

What do static design and dynamic design have in common? Do they both depend on rhythm?
They both tell a story. Each line is a step in the story line and each stanza is a new scene. Everything depends on rhythm, even reading the stock report.

Is dynamic design mere eye candy? Entertainment?
No. Especially not in this case, it's just as plain as the static page. It takes away the scrolling function and the line-break potential, as it controls the content.

Is static design is just informative? Serious?
Yes. According tot he author, but the reader can do whatever they like with it.

Which one stimulates the brain more?
Static. The reader is left with the decision making on pace and rhythm making their experience with the words their own.

Which delivers the message quicker? Better?
More memorable? More personal (w/emotion attached)?
These are subjective to the reader, depending whether they read fast, or are even interested in the content and care enough to move forward. The static design allows for that choice.

In what situations are these attributes relevant?
When the reader has an interest in the content. However, if they do not, the dynamic design is more enticing.

Does more dynamic mean more clear? Or overdone and confusing?
More clear. But perhaps not as beneficial.

Does sound integration fall into the category of static or dynamic's design communication?
It would improve both.

What leads the revolution: new eyes? or new authors?
New eyes definitely. New authors have to account for the new eyes that read their content.

483A : project 2 : 45 rpm album cover

Calexico album cover for a special pressing release.

in order to research Calexico's music, i had many listens on their myspace page. i was inspired to create a desert feel but not wild west. more contemporary. i also really enjoyed the diversity of instruments and the laid back influence in the music. i knew a natural paper is what i wanted to capture the feel, but i needed to be inspired for the design before i got caught up pasting a cactus on it.

it hit me when i saw one of my favorite blankets in the trunk of my car. it was the inspiration and motivation behind the design of this 45rpm album cover.



from then, i knew what had to be done. the process of designing it started with this:

i recorded "Alone Again Or" that was streaming online into garage band. then took a screen shot of the track editor. this served as the center of my pattern intentions as mentioned in the project 01 paper i wrote in february.

i simplified the sound waves into one-color black.


then, went to town re-creating southwestern patterns and finally copying the flow of the one in my blanket.











when i had the pattern i was looking for, i added the logo and printed it in reverse on a color laser. my plan was to do xylene transfers onto some funky papers. first i tried butcher paper, but it came out way too dark, then cardboard, but it was very uneven. the purpose to do the transfer was to get a distressed look, but it was at the point of illegibility – so i ended up using some Fabriano watercolor paper, or is it printmaking paper? i can't remember, it's all pretty much the same. and instead of using the potent xylene solvent, i picked up some wintergreen oil from the local pharmacy to make the transfers.



i love the watercolor paper because i was able to have torn edges which really added to the feel of the whole piece. not to mention the physical softness in the paper.

after making the transfers, i trimmed and assembled it.









i really like how the greens transferred onto the off-white paper. it gave the perfect contemporary desert feel.





oh, and the last minute violator that had to match the piece.



overall, i'm very happy with it. the only thing is i couldn't get the wintergreen (ben gay) smell out of my studio for about a week.

buckminster fuller institute.

i subscribe to the bfi.org e-newsletter and 9 times out of 10 i'm inspired by the innovative thinking out there. it always seems to put me in check and it gets me off my high-fineart-horse and brings me down to the science-designwithpurpose-earth.


check 'em out http://www.bfi.org

Bucky was one fantastic human being.

grad problems research : rhythm's role in graphic design

503A : project 1: Rhythm's Role in Graphic Design, brian prince

The purpose of the research in this paper is to develop a basis for proving how rhythm is the fifth element of graphic design, and furthermore, the most important element. Topics explored herein include: life’s rhythm and the responsibility of the designer to be in touch with everyday human behavior; and the parallels between designer and music composer, designer and poet, and their roles as authors.

To critique graphic design, the academy usually breaks the art down into four descriptive categories, what I’ll call the four elements of graphic design: scale, color, typography and image. All important in the design process, each element brings a necessary cornerstone to a solid design. But, what I’ve discovered as a Graphic Designer, is that those elements need an emotional tie to make them effective to the audience. That emotional tie is rhythm. The designer as author has to understand A) the process: be as involved as possible in the initial research of a design problem in order to add real value, and B) the emotion: has to understand its readership as if they were the reader and be able to control what they are viewing.

The designers role IS rhythms role, making the relationship between content and the reader a synergetic harmony.

To be in tune with the viewer (reader/audience), the author must understand their needs. Articulating their needs into an effective, strong result is the challenge. This is where rhythm comes in. The term, human-centered design sprouts out of this very idea. It starts in the research, which can be as complicated as understanding the mind sets of a people group you’ve never encountered to as simple as a familiar everyday experience. The end user’s experience is the goal in mind. If you’re not pushing the right buttons at the right time, you will be out of tune and left with ineffective communication. The designer must become the ethnographer in every design problem he faces. In an article titled, Impact: Inspiring Graphic Design through Human Behavior, (Ia. ch. 21) the authors and principles of a design firm, IDEO, break down their fundamental step of the design process: contextual observations – getting into the environment, hands-on, personal interviews; and analogous experiences – loosely related, but inspiring to the project topic.

Design thinking should be immersed in the rhythm of the subject.

IDEO finds human-centered research to be inspiring to design. While I agree with that, I also feel that it is the basis for good design. It is the designers job to observe, organize, and tell the story appropriately in order to create effective communication. In order to obtain rhythm, the designer must embrace all three. Directly or indirectly, communication is persuading the reader to believe in something. Assuming you are in your target market, or playing the right sport on the right field, this persuasion plays the same role whether you’re translating music, poetry, or visual communication, all equally important.

Now that I’ve discovered how important the relationship between the content and the reader is, the responsibility of the author is greater than ever. To illustrate that, I first explored the similarities between an electronic music composer and a designer. When I say electronic music composer, I mean as in music producer, not wedding or radio disc jockey. The most obvious similarity is that they are both arrangers as opposed to creators. Ultimately something new is created in the end because each arrangement is unique, but the content was not from scratch. Rather than just playing someone else’s record, a good composer/producer carefully selects, combines and manipulates different parts of records into new compositions that differ substantially from the source materials. (II. pg. 33) I can easily swap out the title Composer/Producer with Graphic Designer or Poet in that statement and it would work just the same.

Granted the many levels of music, production, genres and sub-genres, the relationship I’m analyzing is between the electronic music composer—one who samples other music but creates a new rhythm, the poet—one who takes a dictionary of words as reference to create a new structured rhythm, and the designer—one who uses elements relevant to the subject in need of communication. Electronic music rarely has vocals and poetry rarely has music behind it, while design is mainly viewed with the eyes. Despite all three authors depending on different senses to absorb their message, they are all grounded in rhythm.

Rhythm is an absolute when articulating the patterns of each author. Each can feed off each other and still work in harmony because they all contain the common denominator: rhythm. Each has a duty to be a descriptive rhythmic pace-setter. As lyrics add another dimension to music, images add depth to words, and so on. And as mentioned earlier, the audience is a crucial factor in the effectiveness. Professional writers demand a reader, electronic music composers demand a dancer, and graphic designers demand a viewer. There are so many parallels between the three authorships, even in their evolution of tools. Music can be made with an instrument or electronically, while poetry can be written or typed and graphic design, drawn or computer generated. To me, these author-playing comparisons are important when exploring rhythm because when you align anything with music and poetry, you automatically associate movement and flow. I feel those associations are lost when thinking of graphic design because of either A) the eyes can’t sing or, B) design is perceived as the stand still medium.

Just as an electronic music producer can change up a beat, or a poet can break up a line to control pace, the designer can enhance the meaning of of a message by attaching emotion to their design. If rhythm was absent, we’d have loud monotone high pitches on the dance floor, unruly, page-full novel-lengthed poetry, and design consisting of only the four basic elements.
Max Bill once said in reference to one of his Bauhaus colleagues, Josef Albers, “Each picture has a unique ‘sound’, and this ‘sound’ is its ‘meaning’, each ‘tone’ finds it atonement.’”

to download the pdf click ://here.

Bibliography
Ia. Bennett, Audrey. “Impact: Inspiring Graphic Design Through Human Behaviors.” Design Studies: Theory and Research in Graphic Design, A Reader. Ed. Givechi, Groulx, Woollard.
New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2006. 306-310.

Ib. Bennett, Audrey. “Shaping Belief: The Role of Audience in Visual Communication.” Design Studies: Theory and Research in Graphic Design, A Reader. Ed. Tylor, Ann C.
New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2006. 36-50.

II. Butler, Mark J. Unlocking the Groove: Rhythm, Meter, and Musical Design in Electronic Dance Music. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2006.

III. Herford, Marta. Max Bill: No Beginning, No End.
Zurich: Scheidegger & Spiess, 2008.