Colloquium Abstract Submissions

 

Slow Plastic

Freedom Baird MS in Media Arts and Science from the Media Lab at MIT MFA candidate, Sculpture/Installation, Massachusetts College of Art and Design Plastic is a material, and also a social and cultural construct. It arrives to most of us fully formed out of the “black box” of manufacturing. Plastic’s history—only a few generations old—is … Continue reading “Slow Plastic”

You Look Like The Right Type

Mark Addison Smith Assistant Professor Electronic Design and Multimedia The City College of New York, CUNY An illustration manifests “thought” through the viewer’s decoding of visual-based representation—be it text-based, image-based, or a combination of both. Logocentrism holds that original thought generates a need for spoken communication and, in turn, speech generates a need for writing. … Continue reading “You Look Like The Right Type”

Never Use Futura

Douglas ThomasMFA Candidate in Graphic DesignMaryland Institute College of Art Never Use Futura explores the cultural history and uses of the typeface Futura, one of the foundational typefaces of modern graphic design. The project is a playful yet passionate rebuttal to the perceived dominance of Helvetica as the typeface of modern design. Futura not only … Continue reading “Never Use Futura”

Commute 2 Brooklyn: Visual Exploration Along Interstate 278

Mary Ann Biehl Associate Professor Communication Design New York City College of Technology, CUNY Maria Giuliani Associate Professor Communication Design New York City College of Technology, CUNY The Decisive Moment, as described by Henri Cartier-Bresson, “is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event.” He continues “the precise … Continue reading “Commute 2 Brooklyn: Visual Exploration Along Interstate 278”

A Plan for a National Communication Design Educator Award

Steven McCarthy Professor College of Design University of Minnesota “How might excellence in the field of graphic design education be honored at a national level?” This question anchors this presentation about the formation of a national graphic design education award. Following our colleagues in architecture, interior, product and apparel design, whose national organizations award educators … Continue reading “A Plan for a National Communication Design Educator Award”

The Art of Mutable Mergers: Collaborations Between Designers, Artists, Curators, and the Plastics Industry, 1960 – 74

Grace Converse Adjunct Instructor of Art History Purchase College, SUNY St. Joseph’s College, Brooklyn In the years leading up to the 1968 exhibition PLASTIC as Plastic at the Museum ofContemporary Crafts, curator Paul J. Smith and the MCC staff asked: “Can industry andthe arts join forces?” In the context of PLASTIC as Plastic, the question … Continue reading “The Art of Mutable Mergers: Collaborations Between Designers, Artists, Curators, and the Plastics Industry, 1960 – 74”

Color, A “Conflict Mineral”

Grace Moon Adjunct Professor Graphic Design, Dept of Art Queens College, CUNY As many artists and designers are moved to take up social practice in their works, considering social, environmental and economic inequalities, have we paused to consider the very materials used to express our values? Our printing ink, paints, and dyes are products produced … Continue reading “Color, A “Conflict Mineral””

Design Practice Intervention: Experimental Approaches to Mapping Different Data

Rachele Riley Assistant Professor University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign As a graphic designer and researcher, I am focused on probing the visual language of maps and developing experimental strategies for representing geographical space, myth, and the dynamics of meaning. In this presentation, I will share two current design research projects in which different methodologies are … Continue reading “Design Practice Intervention: Experimental Approaches to Mapping Different Data”

Alterpodium: Performing Disability

Amanda Cachia PhD Candidate, Art History, Theory & Criticism Department of Visual Arts, University of California San Diego The Alterpodium is a custom-made, portable disability object conceived by curator and scholar Amanda Cachia in order to “perform disability” during international and national conferences, symposiums and lectures. Podiums, like other architectures of an ableist world, are … Continue reading “Alterpodium: Performing Disability”

Teaching Timeless Theory in Interactive Design through a Multidisciplinary Approach

James Pannafino Associate Professor Interactive and Graphic Design Art and Design Department Millersville University Undeniably interactive design is becoming a growing part of design educators curriculum each year. While technology persuades us to think differently about design education, how can we balance theory and the tools that allow designers to solve problems. Is it possible … Continue reading “Teaching Timeless Theory in Interactive Design through a Multidisciplinary Approach”