Design Incubation

Making the Machine Human: Embracing Printing Technologies in Crafting a Present-Day Moveable Typeface

Peter P. Bella, Jr
Assistant Professor
Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne

How human can the machine become in relation to the craft of moveable type and modern printing technologies? The letterpress has been an instrumental aspect of typography for centuries. The mechanical process of raised letterforms transferring ink to paper has a humanistic quality that exemplifies our senses and emotions. Movable type has seen centuries of adaptations—lead, wood, polymer and more; along with the creation tools and technologies—such as pantographs, plate makers, and computer. Has moveable type met its end, has letterpress found its zenith? Has technology surpassed this mechanical time machine and the cold nature of cast metal?

3D printing has varying qualities and expectations dependent on numerous variables. These virtues of 3D printing offer the design of typography, moveable type, and printing techniques an amplitude of potential expressions and experiential opportunities. Examples of 3D printing’s use in the realm of typography are found in 3D sculptures expressive of the letters architecture, and letterforms designed in three-dimensional space, never intended for physical traditional letterpress printing methods. This research is concerned with something entirely different finding a middle ground between perfection and form defining its own voice and concept through the qualities that are characteristically built into the machine.

This research suggest letterpress printing and moveable type has untapped life yet to be revealed presenting the challenging demands of typography and the mechanical properties of 3D printing methods applied to the creation of moveable type, its design, printing, and communicative qualities by personifying 3D printing technologies to create a moveable typeface with humanistic qualities and design voice. This moveable type exploration embraces the 3D printer as a machine to create a typeface never intended to meet the standards of perfection, but to embody the inherent artistic and humanistic aesthetics of the machine by pushing technology to its limits and discovering how human a 3D printed movable typeface can become.

This research was presented at the Design Incubation Colloquium 4.0: SUNY New Paltz on September 9, 2017.

Unforeseen Structures: Chaos, Materials, and Emergent Process

Mitch Goldstein
Assistant Professor
School of Design
Rochester Institute of Technology

My research focuses on the examination of form and methodology using darkroom photography techniques, specifically the photogram. Photograms use no cameras or lenses — instead, objects are placed on or near unexposed photographic paper and briefly exposed to light. This process results in abstract black and white compositions, which emerge unpredictably from the physical materials used in their creation. Control is relinquished, and instead intuition and chance allow form and structure to develop from the process.

This work closely parallels my visual design practice working in publication design, as well as my applied pedagogy teaching art and design students. My talk focuses on three concepts that this research explores: how to work with chaos and unpredictability, the usage and synthesis of materials and methods, and the exploitation of emergent process. My photogram work, my publication design work, and some of my classroom projects will be shown as examples of these ideas and how they manifest across different contexts.

This research was presented at the Design Incubation Colloquium 4.0: SUNY New Paltz on September 9, 2017.

Zika and Public Health Guidelines: Prototyping Models for Different Personas

Courtney Marchese
Assistant Professor of Interactive Media + Design
School of Communications
Quinnipiac University

: In graphic design, models are material prototypes that help synthesize research into testable forms. Through experimentation and testing, many rounds of revisions are made to culminate in a visual that can effectively speak to its audience. In an age of infinite information, data visualization, particularly in global health, is a critical arena for accurate and useful visual modeling. For example, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has Zika Pregnancy Guidelines in the form of a flowchart (Figure A). While it is certainly a necessary model to share with the general public, it is often cumbersome and difficult to understand. Riddled with professional medical terminology, footnotes, and companion charts, the model fails to serve as an accessible form to the information most needed by its audience. In examining the CDC’s guidelines, it is unclear whether they intend to communicate with health professionals or women potentially infected with zika. Rather than using a “one size fits all” approach to the chart, I propose modeling different forms that the information can take as viewed through the lens of different people in different environments and scenarios. Each prototype will take on a persona and emphasize the most important information to a specific audience explaining what to do before, during, and after exposure to zika virus. As such, each persona also serves as a model of sorts to represent an audience segment. By prototyping multiple forms, my goal is to make critical health information engaging and clear to those who need it most. Additionally, these prototypes can serve as a model for other issues within public health communication.

This research was presented at the Design Incubation Colloquium 4.0: SUNY New Paltz on September 9, 2017.

Racism Untaught

John O’Neill
Assistant Professor of Graphic Design
University of Minnesota Duluth

My presentation will speak to the legacy of how the graphic design industry throughout history has reflected racism in mass communication, shaping the attitudes and behaviors of the general public.

Teaching graphic design students the racial impact of design is as important as instructing them in software or conceptual and visual form-making skills. Racial components are often overshadowed within socially conscious design, for example higher sustainability standards to decrease waste and pollution. If students learn how racism is experienced within mass media, they will gain greater sensitivity how their graphic work could perpetuate racial stereotypes.

My presentation will showcase how a higher sensitivity to racism provides a greater context for the way different cultures and communities around the globe can perceive the same visual messages differently. Students will also gain an in-depth sense of empathy and critical thinking, which can be applied to other aspects of their design skills, most notability through their use of UI/UX design principles as they design interfaces. Students need to have the same sensitivity to societal and cultural norms when designing content for the 21st century, no matter if it is print or digital media.

With the use of web 2.0 and social media, graphic designers can have worldwide audiences for their projects larger than what could have been possible before. Communities around the globe are becoming more diverse, which requires graphic designers to have the skills to recognize racism in all of its forms. By doing so, they will avoid provoking overt and subtle racism in the work they produce.

Graphic designers are no longer limited to promoting social causes in their work to evoke social change. Instead, they can be agents of social change by intentionally preventing racial stereotypes in mass media.

This research was presented at the Design Incubation Colloquium 4.1: San Jose State on Saturday, Sept 30, 2017.

Drawing Type, Drawing Connections

Joel Mason
Professor Emeritus
Department of Communication Design
New York City College of Technology, CUNY

In 1979, as a full-time member of the Communication Design department at NYC College of Technology, I was assigned Lettering and Typography, a first semester course teaching students to draw three basic alphabets: Caslon, Bodoni and Helvetica using the “built-up” method with broad sketching pencils. Reviewing the course outline and required textbook, David Gates’ Lettering for Reproduction I realized there were gaps in my education.

When I was a student, classes in graphic design history/theory didn’t exist. Gates briefly covered design history and theory but also explained the role of geometry, visual perception, printing technology, history and aesthetics in the design and evolution of letterforms. Now, I understood that while demonstrating lettering techniques, I would also need to relate them to these other disciplines. As a result, my thinking about teaching typography changed, seeing its potential as a multidisciplinary subject with links to the liberal arts and sciences.

Lectures included the role of geometry in shaping the proportional systems underlying Old Style and Modern Style typefaces, along with discussions and demonstrations of the role of visual perception and illusion in adjusting shapes to create harmonious optical relationships among letterforms. Examples of how Caslon and Bodoni appeared when first printed in the 18th century and how paper, ink and presswork affected their appearance were integrated into the narrative. History could also be introduced in surprising ways, by explaining for example, that the first copies of the American Declaration of Independence were printed using Caslon, which was imported from England prior to the Revolution. Drawing and constructing letterforms also demonstrated how fundamental design principles (also being taught in other first year design classes) such as contrast, balance, proportion and rhythm contributed to an aesthetically pleasing result. The class was also showed thow organic forms in nature served as a source of inspiration.

Taken together, students not only learned to draw letterforms, but saw how the broad web of connections with other disciplines could enrich their learning experience. I taught the course for five years, but by the early 90’s digital technology replaced hand-lettering. Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in calligraphy and hand-lettering. Regardless of the technology used, teaching typography, particularly at the introductory level, can be transformed by the multidisciplinary approach.

This research was presented at the Design Incubation Colloquium 4.0: SUNY New Paltz on September 9, 2017.

Visualizing Mental Models

Joshua Korenblat
Assistant Professor
Graphic Design
State University of New York at New Paltz

Visual communicators can work at the center of ideas by understanding mental models. A mental model is an abstract representation of reality that enables thinking, understanding, and knowledge sharing. In his book Visual Complexity, Mapping Patterns of Information, researcher Manuel Lima identifies two broad historical trends in mental models: earlier tree-based models of knowledge, illustrated in the literal form of trees, shift into today’s more abstract, network-based models of knowledge.

As summarized by Raph Koster in his influential book A Theory of Fun for Game Design, thinking is pattern-matching against experience. Patterns are stored in memory as chunks of information. Most of the time, the brain works with these abstract chunks—a type of autopilot—rather than processing incoming information in detail. Poetry breaks us from the autopilot mode through vivid descriptions and figurative verbal language. Like a poem, a visual mental model can break readers from their autopilot mode by allowing them to examine their assumptions in a material way. These diagrams rely upon an elegant visual alphabet. Mental models appear in user experience research as affinity maps and user journeys. Or they can show systems, a set of interdependent parts, below the threshold of events and action. Ultimately, the most vivid mental models allow the reader to see a belief or story.

After presenting historic mental models, I’ll show a simple design case study for how to make a mental model, adapted from systems theorist Derek Cabrera. I’ll then discuss when to represent the model in an abstract way, and when it might benefit the designer to represent the model in a more illustrative way. Designers who wish to create vivid, shareable artifacts of our world can use mental models as a tool to enhance communication, conversation, and action with their constituents.

This research was presented at the Design Incubation Colloquium 4.0: SUNY New Paltz on September 9, 2017.

Reading Design: An Introduction to Critical Theory

Dave Peacock
Associate Creative Director, LiveAreaLabs
Faculty, Vermont College of Fine Arts

What is theory? How does theory relate to graphic design? In short, theories are frameworks for understanding and making sense of the world. Further, they allow us to ask specific kinds of questions and follow particular lines of reasoning. For designers, theory is a means to move beyond purely aesthetic concerns and address issues such as power, representation, and commodity culture.

This presentation will highlight a handful of theories that have influenced literature, art history and, more recently, design discourse over the last few decades. Examples from art, popular culture and graphic design will help facilitate an introductory understanding of several important ideas, including Marxism, Structuralism, Post-Structuralism and Feminism. Designers and educators will also gain insight into how to incorporate theory into their writing, research and design work.

Dave Peacock is a designer and educator based in Seattle, Washington. He is an Associate Creative Director at LiveArea (livearealabs.com), a creative, marketing and technology agency with a focus on interaction design and digital retail. Dave also serves as co-chair and faculty at Vermont College of Fine Arts, where he teaches in the Graphic Design MFA program. Dave has exhibited nationally and internationally, and his work has been recognized by Type Directors Club, Communication Arts, Graphic Design USA, AIGA, The ADDY Awards, Print Magazine, How Magazine, The Northwest Emmy Awards and The Seattle Show. A Colorado native, Dave holds an MFA in Visual Communication Design from the University of Washington and a BFA from the University of Utah.

This research was presented at the Design Incubation Colloquium 4.1: San Jose State on Saturday, Sept 30, 2017.

Design Incubation Fellowship 2018: Call for Applications

Design Incubation is currently accepting applications for the January 2018 Fellowship and Workshop Sessions. The application deadline is September 1, 2017.

Application Process

Design Incubation welcomes online applications for the January 2018 Fellowship and Workshop Session. Applications are being accepted June 1, 2017–September 1, 2017.

The upcoming 2018 Design Incubation Fellowship will be held January 11–13, 2018 at the Manhattan campus of St. John’s University, 51 Astor Place, New York, NY 10003.

Applicants are required to provide contact information, title/current rank, institutional affiliation, a CV, and a 200-word biography. Candidates also need to indicate for which of the 2 tracks they are applying. (see Fellowship Program Format.)

Preference will be given to full-time faculty currently employed by accredited colleges or universities. Adjuncts and independent scholars are also encouraged to apply.

There is no fee to apply for the Design Incubation Fellowship. However upon acceptance there is a $200 fee for the 3-day workshop and all Fellows must be available to participate in person at the Design Incubation Fellowship workshops. A formal letter of acceptance will be provided so attendees can apply for travel funds from their home institutions and pay the workshop fee to reserve their place.

FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FORMAT

Design Incubation Fellows commit to working on a research project for six months. The Fellowship begins with a three-day workshop (see below) where participants learn about different modes of publishing and writing strategies. During the six months following the Workshop, Fellows pledge to continue to work on their projects during which time they receive feedback and group checkin’s. The 2018 Design Incubation Fellowship Workshop will take place at St. John’s University’s Manhattan Campus on January 11-13, 2018. All Fellows are required to participate in the Fellowship Workshop.

AIGA/NY Fresh Grad / Edu Talks 2017: June 8 & 9, 2017

Thursday, June 8 – Friday, June 9, 2017
@Parsons, The New School

AIGANY Fresh Grad / Edu Talks 2017 is a jam packed two-day series of events celebrating design education.

Fresh Grad: Showcase, a two-part (two-night) event featuring graduate students from local and regional MFA, MA and certificate programs, now in its 8th year. The Fresh Grad Showcase will be accompanied by two morning events, Fresh Jobs, meet reps from NY’s creative organizations and Fresh Ed is a small panel discussion focused on the state and future of design education. Come with questions, join the conversation, prepare to leave impressed and inspired!

Thursday, June 8 / 9:30-11:00AM

Fresh Jobs: Mini-Job Fair

Are you a design student or a newly minted graduate? Join us for AIGA/NY’s first mini-job fair! Come by for coffee and breakfast sandwiches and introduce yourself. Meet reps. from New York’s top creative organizations, companies, agencies and studios and learn about the advantages of working at their company. Ask what a typical day is like for their designers, find out about all the office perks and hear what their creative directors look for when they hire new talent. You will what is unique about each situation and why you might want to work for one or more of these companies.

Joe Marianek, E Roon Kang and Aaris Sherin will co-host.

Location:
Parsons School of Design
Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, Room I202
Arnhold Hall, 55 West 13th Street

Thursday, June 8 / 6:30-8:30PM

Fresh Grad Students #01

On June 8th, students from some of the most respected schools in the country will gather at the Parsons auditorium. Each student has five minutes to dazzle the audience and each other with wonders from their graduate projects.

Students presenting from the following programs: SVA, Masters in Branding, SVA, MFA Interaction Design, Pratt, MFA Communications Design, Parsons, MFA Design & Technology, Parsons, MS Data Visualization, NYU, MPS in Interactive Telecommunications, Cooper, Certificate Type Design, SCAD, MFA Graphic Design

Joe Marianek, E Roon Kang and Aaris Sherin will co-host.

Location:
Parsons School of Design
Tishman Auditorium University Center
63 Fifth Avenue Room U100

Friday, June 9 / 9:30-11:00AM

Fresh Ed: Panel

This year Fresh Ed asks whether one still needs a degree in graphic design to become a professional designer. Our panelists will consider whether degree programs adequately prepare students for an ever changing industry which includes user interface design, creating content for social media, VR and other emerging platforms. We will examine what competencies design programs should teach and what role non-degree granting institutions play in the continuing education of 21st century designers. Educators, students and industry professionals are invited to join the conversation and explore the varied modes of content delivery and the theoretical underpinnings informing design education today.

Panel
Jason Fox: Professor, Chair, Graphic Design Savannah College of Art and Design
Keetra Dixon: Assistant Professor, Rhode Island School of Design
Mark Addision Smith: Assistant Professor, Art Department, The City College of New York

Hosted by Joe Marianek, E Roon Kang and Aaris Sherin, moderated by David Frisco.

Location:
Parsons School of Design
Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, Room I202
Arnhold Hall, 55 West 13th Street

Friday, June 9 / 6:30-8:30PM

Fresh Grad Students #02

On June 9th, in the second night of this two part series, students from some of the most respected schools in the country will gather at the Parsons auditorium. Each student has five minutes to dazzle the audience and each other with wonders from their graduate projects.

Students presenting from the following programs: RISD, MFA Graphic Design, Yale, MFA Graphic Design, Cranbrook, MFA 2D Design, MICA, MFA Graphic Design, VCFA, MFA Graphic Design, Parsons, MFA Transdisciplinary Design, SVA, D-crit, SVA, MFA Design

Joe Marianek, E Roon Kang and Aaris Sherin will co-host.

Location:
Parsons School of Design
Tishman Auditorium University Center
63 Fifth Avenue Room U100

Design Incubation Fellowship 2018

January 11–13, 2018. New York City. A three-day workshop facilitating academic writing and publishing for designers.

The mission of Design Incubation is to support and facilitate the development of research in the field of communication design. The organization works with academics and practitioners to create scholarly discourse and publications focused on creative projects, critical analysis, historical perspectives, technological advances and other topics relevant to design studies.

Visit the Fellowship Program Format page for details on the fellowship and program format.

Applications accepted: June 1, 2017 – September 1, 2017. Visit the Fellowship Application page for details to apply.

2017 Design Incubation Fellowship
January 11 –13, 2018
St. John’s University’s Manhattan campus

PROGRAM AGENDA

The 2018 Design Incubation Fellowship Workshop will include sessions with Maggie Taft, Managing Editor of the journal Design and Culture as well as guest appearances by a number of authors and publishers. Aaris Sherin is director of the Design Incubation Fellowship program. Sherin is a Professor of Graphic Design at St. John’s University in New York and author of a number of books including her most recent titles Elaine Lustig Cohen: Modernism Reimagined and Sustainable Thinking: Ethical Approaches to Design and Design Management. (See below for schedule.)

Day 1

Thursday, January 11th

Introductions with Hosts
9:00am–12:30pm

Dan Wong, Co-founder of Design Incubation
Liz Deluna, Co-chair Design Incubation
Robin Landa, Co-Chair Design Incubation

Structuring Scholarship

Aaris Sherin
Director of Fellowships at Design Incubation

Lunch break (see recommendations)
12:30pm–1:30pm

Writing for Journals: Workshop Session
1:30pm–5:30pm

Maggie Taft
Managing Editor, Design and Culture

Day 2

Friday January 12th

Book Publishing with Bloomsbury Publishing
9:15am–10:00am

Louise Baird-Smith
Commissioning Editor – Design and Photography Bloomsbury Visual Arts

Break Out Session / Working Groups
10:00am–12:30pm

Facilitated by Maggie Taft, Robin Landa, Aaris Sherin, and Elizabeth Guffey. Participants will work on drafts of their writing in small groups.

Lunch break
12:30pm–1:30pm (see recommendations)

Writing Process and Feedback
1:30pm –2:30pm

Andrew Shea
Author of Design for Social Change
Principal of design studio, MANY

Break Out Session / Working Groups
2:30pm –5:30pm

Facilitated by Maggie Taft, Robin Landa, Aaris Sherin and Elizabeth Guffey

Day 3

Saturday January 13th

Break Out Session / Working Groups
9:00am–12:30pm

Facilitated by Maggie Taft, Robin Landa, Aaris Sherin, and Elizabeth Guffey

Lunch break
12:30pm–1:30pm (see recommendations)

Presentations
1:30pm–2:30pm

Robin Landa
Distinguished Professor Kean University
Author over twenty books including
Nimble: Creative Thinking in the Digital Age

Elizabeth Guffey
Professor State University of New York
(SUNY) at Purchase
Author of Posters: A Global Perspective, and Retro: The Culture of Revival Founding Editor of Design and Culture

Sharing Session / Wrap Up
3:00pm–5:00pm

Group Dinner (Optional)
6:00pm–8:00pm

Please note: This schedule is tentative and is subject to change.

2018 Senior Fellow

Maria Rogal
Professor
School of Art + Art History
Graphic Design Program & Affiliate Faculty
Center for Latin American Studies
University of Florida