Out of Curiosity

Fall 2009 Project 3 Iterations v1

Design Study: A Proof of Concept
For the purposes of this study I will explore the notion that typography may potentially function interactively even in analog presentations and on static substrates.

For my content (text) I have elected to use material for an actual exhibit currently running at the Cooper-Hewitt in NYC commemorating the tenth anniversary of the National Design Awards.I have chosen to explore the entrance text panel to the exhibition.

The first set below are renderings of three different perspectives (based upon the viewers position in the room) of the same entrance wall. The exhibition title is printed on the back wall. Five solid rectangular panels are suspended from the ceiling 2 feet away from the rear wall. The panels are printed with a text describing the 5 themes of the exhibit. They are also printed with the segments of title typography that they obscure in a tint.

I am hoping to acheive (a fairly subtle) interactive feedback loop through obscuring the title type with the panels. The composition of the wall shifts in response to the viewers position in the room. The persistant viewer may achieve perfect registration and direct ledgibility when they stand perfectly centered in front of the wall. This view is shown last as “Perspective 3.”

The next iteration shows 3 cubes (imagaine they feature all five themes!) with the theme words (craft, technology, experience, etc.) cut out of the front panel of the cube. The cut outs reveal the back interior panel of the cubes. This interior surface may potentially feature additional text, image or graphics. The exterior fronts of the cubes are printed with the supplementary text about the themes. I have shown them in two different orientations.

Fall 2009 Project 3 Prompt

Symposium Foray

Propose and complete a design study that addresses an intersection (a point) rooted in (1) your thesis questions and (2) an aspect of the symposium theme “Design, Community and the Rhetoric of Authenticity.”

The proposal/project will be:

1. Supported by precedents, textual and/or visual.
2. Pointed and specific.
3. Investigative of design issues.
4. Manifested in artifact(s).

Fall 2009 Project 2 Prompt

An Initiation

1. Read : assigned sections on “discourse communities” from Shaping Information: the Rhetoric of Visual Conventions (Kostelnick and Hassett).
2. Identify : existing visual conventions of the community you have selected to study in seminar.
3. Design : An Initiation to ________ , introducing new visual conventions that might logically follow, or interrupt, if such is the more compelling strategy. Any media, any point of delivery.

Fall 2009 Project 1 Re-prompt

Some considerations, based upon our discussions last week:

• What contextually natural behavior is the probe utilizing? What behavior is it attempting to enforce?
• How much agency does the probe allow the participant?
• How compelling is the probe? How unavoidable? How encouraging?
• What are the specific motivations that compel a participant to engage with the probe?
• Would a participant desire to repeat the activity?
• How elegant is the process of engagement? How elegant are the artifacts in relation to the process?
• How complex is the process of engagement? How complex are the artifacts in relation to the process?
• How explicit are your aims?
• How explicit are the terms of engagement?
• How are you using DESIGN to motivate, provoke, inspire, represent, deliver?

_____________________________________________________

Ritual:

… compels and fulfills.
… recreates/recaptures pleasurable or memorable experiences.
… is a purposeful construction with assigned meaning.
… involves repeatable practices, steps, and/or stages.
… brings the comfort of familiarity.
… is symbolic of larger meanings.
… intends to connect to individuals and communities emotionally.
… unites people and communities.
… often includes artful expression in physical or visual artifacts.
… sets forth ideals.
… reflects and reinforces values.

Fall 2009 Project 1 Prompt

Anatomy of a Culture Probe

As you venture into “thick analysis”, in studio we enlist your imagination to interpret and extrapolate from the explicit evidence you observe.

Based on observations culled at your coffee house:

1. Write a story from the perspective of a player in the experience, i.e. a particular customer, barista, dishwasher, busboy, manager, delivery person, etc.
2. Design a Culture Probe* that aims to discover what/how/why ritual exists within the experience.
   
   Speculate on the complete system that includes:
   1. Format
   2. Form
   3. Verbiage/Tone
   4. Locale
   5. Moment
   6. Delivery Mechanism
   7. Respondent
   8. Probe retrieval
   9. Archiving
   10. Assessment