Fusion and Calligrams by Asmina Shaikh

THEME : SUBCULTURES

FUSION AND CALLIGRAMS A study on fusion as a subculture leading to calligrams- a calligraphic concept merging visuals and words. STUDENT

Asmina Shaikh PROGRAMME/YEAR

UndeRgraduate Graphic Design, 2009-10 GUIDE

Shilpa Das PROJECT COORDINATOR

Immanuel Suresh

THE BEGINNING STUFF

THE FIRST WORD This document is a detailed process documentation of my first studio project at the National Institute of Design. The project is a research based project. It is a study about calligrams, an ancient calligraphic concept. It also proposes a concept that uses calligrams as a learning tool for children. I undertook this study because of my interest in calligraphy and also in the concept of fusion. Calligrams seemed as an interesting way to merge both letters and visuals which in itself is an intriguing take on the concept of fusion. Document uses two typefaces. Jura, a elegant serif typeface of narrow proportions with distinguishing details designed by Ed Merritt, tenbytwenty. Aller, a sans serif humanist text typeface designed by Dalton Maag Ltd.

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THE BEGINNING STUFF

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are quite a few people I would like to thank for helping me throughout this project. Shilpa Das, for guiding me and for her continued support throughout this project. This would not have been possible without her encouragement. Thank you Shilpa,I truly enjoyed this long journey with you. Immanuel Suresh, project coordinator for his insightful feedback from time to time. I would also like to thank Rupesh Vyas for his support and guidance. I would like to extend my gratitude to TarunDeep Girdher, Anil Sinha and Tridha Gajjar for their valuable feedback on this project during the semester jury. Payal Vats, for sharing some valuable references and her feedback. My batchmates for their support and my parents for their continued motivation and support.

THE BEGINNING STUFF

CONTENTS

THE BEGINNING STUFF 2 3

THE FIRST WORD ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

STARTING OUT 9 10 11 11

THEME SELECTION PROJECT PROPOSAL INTENT APPROACH

PHASE 1 : THE SEARCH 15 17 18 20

SUBCULTURES UNDERSTANDING THE THEME THEORETICAL RESEARCH IDENTIFYING KEYWORDS

PHASE 2 : THE CONCEPT 23

FUSION

PHASE 3 : THE ELEMENT 27 28 36

CALLIGRAMS THEORETICAL RESEARCH DISPLACING FROM ITS CONTEXT

PHASE 4 : THE OUTCOME 39 40 41

APPLICATIONS CONCEPTS WEIGHING OPTIONS

PHASE 5 : THE FINAL OUTCOME 44 45 46 47 51 52 53 54 59 60 61 62 65 68 71

THE IDEA WHAT SHOULD IT CONVEY? RESEARCH Operating systems GESTURES ipad dimensions BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE APP WORKFLOWS NAMING THE GAME THE STORY WIREFRAMES DETAILED WIREFRAMES THE JOURNEY VISUAL LANGUAGE REDEFINING THE OUTCOME

THE END 74 75

CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY

THEME SELECTION PROJECT PROPOSAL INTENT APPROACH

THE INITIAL THEME SELECTION. CLASS DISCUSSION notes

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STARTING OUT

THEME SELECTION

Selecting the theme of this project was the first step. We were introduced to this elective and through a few class discussions the entire batch together arrived at a common theme of subcultures. There were a number of options we came up with, some very specific, some with wide scopes. We also listed a number of keywords that would help us decide a theme. The theme was one constraint that we were to work with but we were also told that we could choose some other constraints like - Keeping the project process oriented - A research based project - Constraints on the end product e.g. a print based outcome It was a common consensus that we would choose a theme with enough cultural content and context This would allow us to get into the depths of the subject and make the project an enriching experience.

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STARTING OUT

PROJECT PROPOSAL SUBCULTURES A subculture is defined as a group of people within a larger cultural entity having beliefs or interests varying than those of the larger cultural group. They are a subset of the larger culture. They belong to the same root culture but grow to believe in some different theories. Subcultures may be distinct or hidden. Very often subcultures are looked at as anomalies in mainstream cultures. DEFINING THE TOPIC OF RESEARCH Through this elective I would like to study and learn about a subculture that is emerging and becoming a prominent part of modern India. This hidden subculture consists of people who are conscious of the influences and reflections of cultures from different parts of the world on the traditional Indian culture. FUSION During the process of defining the topic of research, there were a few keywords that emerged. One of them seemed to sum up the topic in one word - Fusion. Fusion refers to incorporating from different entities. This meaning attached to the word defines the core idea of I want to study about the Indian culture and hence is the keyword I would be working with and around. PROCESS The process through which I will approach this project is a process of detailed research and explorations on how the idea can be formalised into a tangible form. In the process I also intend to build a set of visuals that represent this idea. At this stage, it seems most suitable to follow an exploratory process for both the method of research as well as in choosing mediums to represent the observations and the learnings.

PARAMETERS Through the initial brainstorming, the following are the broad based parameters through which I would like to study the subject at hand. 1. Identifying the changes in Indian culture, hence understanding traditional Indian culture. 2. Identity crisis of the modern Indians. 3. Causes of changes, the need to belong to the context. 4. Newer ways to keep classical arts/traditions alive. As the project progresses I plan to narrow down to a concrete idea and converge my findings into a tangible form for a glimpse into my process and conclusions of the project. POSSIBLE OUTCOMES Through a divergent process of explorations, the possible outcomes of this project may include : A series of posters visualizing the changes in Indian culture and the emergence of fusion in different aspects of the Indian culture. This possible outcome is subject to change as I proceed with the project and I hope to choose the best possible outcome of the research.

STARTING OUT

INTENT This project was aimed to be a researchoriented project with its focus on the process. It was meant to provide insights into researching a topic at hand, analyzing it and conceptualizing a deliverable based on the research. While choosing the broad theme under which we were to choose a topic of research it was a common consensus that the theme should be broad based and abstract. Through a series of group discussions, the theme that was finalized was â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Subcultures. The theme was a topic tangential to design but offered a lot of interesting subtopics for research rich in content.

STARTING OUT

APPROACH The first and the most critical challenge was to identify a topic of research under the theme. But it was also essential to understand the theme (subculture) thoroughly in order to define my own interest. The generic process that I followed for every stage during the course of this project one of divergence and convergence. The divergent stages lead me to discover newer avenues and hence plot the possibilities with which could proceed; whereas the convergent phases helped me focus and carefully screen out what exactly I wanted to take forward. Each phase of the project also involved mental visualization of a very infant level of what could be possible in the particular direction. This model for the process I followed throughout the project was based on another complex research method model. Throughout the course of the project, it moved from a divergent phase to a more converging one. The focus of each phase was derived and linked to the larger subset. As for its relevance to the project, the focus of each phase was merely moving from a macro to a micro subject. The visual below shows the brief process of the project.

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CONVERGENCE

TRANSFORMATION

DIVERGENCE

DEFINITION

DESIGN PROCESS

SUBCULTURES UNDERSTANDING THE THEME THEORETICAL RESEARCH IDENTIFYING KEYWORDS

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PHASE 1 : THE SEARCH

SUBCULTURES

At this point I realized that the stronger the base of the research, the easier it would be to focus the project in a particular direction. But the loose ends to every idea that arose had something interesting about it. It sounded more adventurous and which was initially one of the intentions of this project. “Confusion is the beginning of generating something brilliant.” –TarunDeep Girdher The above quote gave me hope to continue to discover the one thing I wanted to with this project.

INTRODUCTION

PROCESS

As a starting point, the search began with the comprehension of what a subculture actually meant and what could be regarded as a subculture. This also required a basic but a clear understanding what constitutes culture. The relation between a culture and a subculture was also established, as both the terms are closely related. Other fields such as art, tradition, lifestyle, etc. Which often are linked to culture and subcultures were also elaborated on to contextualize the subject.

Building and defining the brief was the most significant phase of the project which required mapping the subject well. It was an exercise in brainstorming and laying out different threads and directions of the theme that could be further developed.

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GUIDE VISIT 1 The first visit to the guide helped me chart out an initial research methodology. I was also introduced to newer resources such as Online journals and a few other books which added to my information collection on subcultures. The most relevant step next was to pick out keywords from the mind-map and operationalize them. By operationalizing the keywords I was able to define them more clearly and understand them better. This also gave rise to ideas that could be further elaborated on.

Elaborating on the chosen keywords gave rise to a lot of questions. These were then framed into research questions, the answers to which were ideas for what could be the possible outcomes of the project. The questions had to be specific in nature, as a focused question would direct the project in a focused area and prevent it from having loose ends.

There were three ways of looking at the subject at hand; it could be analyzed based on its: - Form - Content - Structure

SUBCULTURE Elaborating and understanding the theme

FUSION

Theoretical research

Abstract summarisation of the core idea

Identifying keywords Operationalising the keywords

One of the questions that bothered me throughout the project was- How was whatever I was doing relevant to the project? At the end of the project emerged a flow from one phase to another that linked the phases to each other forming a link between from where I started to what I ended up creating. The end product seems rather disconnected from where it all started out because of an attempt to create a very tangible output based on a rather abstract subject.

Buliding a conceptual model Possible research topics

CALLIGRAMS

OUTCOME

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SUBCULTURES

UNDERSTANDING THE THEME DEFINITIONS In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people within a culture (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong. A subculture is a subversion to normalcy. They can be perceived as negative due to their nature of criticism to the dominant societal standard. - Dick Hebdige, Subculture the Meaning of Style

Subcultures are different from countercultures due their distinguished level of immersion in society. - Ken Gelder

An ethnic, regional, economic, or social group exhibiting characteristic patterns of behavior sufficient to distinguish it from others within an embracing culture or society. - Merriam Webster Dictionary

A term used to focus attention not only on the wide diversity of norms to be found in many societies but on the normative aspects of deviant behavior. Cultural variants displayed by certain segments of the population. Subcultures are distinguished not by one or two isolated traits-they constitute relatively cohesive cultural systems. They are worlds within the larger world of our national culture. - Mirra Komarovsky and S. S. Sargent, Research into Subcultural Influences upon Personality

Shared learned behaviors such as class, race, occupation, residence, and region which are common to a specific group or category are called subcultures. - Kimball Young and Raymond W. Mack, Sociology and Social Life, New York

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SUBCULTURES

THEORETICAL RESEARCH THE RISE AND DECLINE OF A SUBCULTURE Cohen has suggested that a new subculture arises when it provides a solution to certain problems of adjustment shared among a community of individuals. This concept is tested against the history of a drug subculture in Kentucky, and found to apply to it. In his discussion of delinquent gangs, Cohen proposed a new question, how do subcultures begin and become established, and an answer: “a subculture owes its existence to the fact that it provides a solution to certain problems of adjustment shared among a community of individuals.” While his theory has been widely discussed, criticised, and to some extent tested in the context of delinquency and crime, there have not been, to this writer’s knowledge, any attempts to apply it to the appearance of a new subculture. One reason for this absence of applications is that by the time a subculture can be recognized as such its beginnings are lost in time, and cannot be observed. In principle, the historical method can be used to reconstruct its development, and this paper aims to provide an example of this method by describing the life of one subculture, and comparing it with Cohen’s theoretical formulation. A subculture may be said to consist in “a set of common understandings, common sentiments, and common loyalties.” John O’Donnell Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the Society for the Study of Social Problems

3 KEY USAGES OF SUBCULTURES Subcultures refer to certain universal tendencies that seem to occur in all societies. They underlie culture, precede it, and set limits to the range of its variation. The term is often used to point to the normative systems of groups smaller than a society, to give emphasis to the ways these groups differ in such things as language, values, religion, diet, and style of life from the larger society of which they are a part of.

In addition to a cultural dimension, this third usage introduces a social-psychological dimension, for there is direct reference to the personality factors involved in the development and maintenance of the norms. Personality tendencies are shown to be involved in the creation of subcultures. Culture and personality are always empirically tied together. The term subculture, when used in the third way described here, raises to a position of prominence one particular kind of dynamic linkage between norms and personality: the creation of a series of inverse or counter values.

HIDDEN SUBCULTURES Identifying subcultures often consists of the study of symbolism attached to clothing, music and other visible affectations by members of subcultures, and the ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture. Subcultures can exist at different levels in a cultural construct. The existence of multiple cultures can either complement each other or even compete with the larger domain.

THE FOURTH PROPOSED USAGE Having studied the above three usages of the term subculture, a fourth projection of the terms seemed to be missing. The term subculture did not seem to look at a hidden aspect of society, the aspect of fusion. The term fusion has been described as a positive amalgamation of ideas and elements from distinct cultures or spheres within a culture that gives rise to a train of thought which is often progressive in nature.

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Sociology of Deviance Theorists also see deviancy as a sociological matter, explaining different variations within a culture/social framework - as a kind of examination of problems surrounding individuality. This approach faces theoretical problems - deviancy as a way of life to be explained. Cohen and Cloward and Ohlin compared: - Downes D (1966) The Delinquent Solution; a study in subcultural theory, London

Cohen A

Cloward and Ohlin

Delinquent subculture as a ‘way of life’, a parent subculture with variant sub-subcultures.

3 distinct delinquent subcultures -retreatist, conflict and criminal. Virtually the same as Cohen’s ‘variants’.

‘Strain’ arises from middle-class standards applied to the working class. Results in ‘statusfrustration’ ( hence characteristics of negativity, maliciousness etc).

Anomie as in Merton produces ‘differential opportunities’ for BOTH legitimate and illegitimate means (not everyone is accepted into criminal or conflict subcultures, for example).

‘Reaction-formation ’explains delinquents’ response to dominant culture.

Alienation prevents guilt -instead, social order and a perception of its hypocrisy are blamed.

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SUBCULTURES

IDENTIFYING KEYWORDS

A new subculture arises when it provides a solution to certain problems of adjustment shared among a community of individuals. - Albert K. Cohen

The evolution of the written word/alphabets Evolution of both form and content The need to present the written word with visual pleasure Fusion of the visual and the written word - Calligrams

Looking at the emergence of a new fused culture that borrows from Indian and Western cultures to form a modern contemporary culture.

Fusion Desi

Resistance Tradition Culture

Way of Thinking Trend The Written Word Independent Painting Styles Reactive Music

Self contained values differ from those of the wider culture within which the sub-culture exists, they may not necessarily (or consciously) be in opposition. However, what such values represent is an â&#x20AC;&#x153;independentâ&#x20AC;? product of - and solution to - the problems faced by people in their everyday lives.

The subculture in focus is the one in which people are conscious of INFLUENCES and REFLECTIONS of different cultures on each other.

Distinct or Hidden

SUBCULTURE

FUSION

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PHASE 2 : THE CONCEPT

FUSION DEFINITIONS

FUSION AND PROGRESS

Fusion refers to mixing elements from distinct entities to form a new element. It often gives rise to newer ideas.

Fusion of different cultural elements and the intent of people belonging to a certain culture to fuse elements of their culture with other implies the need of something new..

Most often the term subculture is associated with resistance and opposition. This concept is an attempt at looking at subcultures as not necessarily oppositional.

This desire to create something new can be looked at as a progressive thought. A certain sect within a culture is always looking beyond.. A few examples of such thought could be fusion music(the rise of Indian fusion music which merges elements from Indian classical music and Western music); Fashion clothing, Contemporary art (painting styles that borrow from different art genres).

FUSION AND THE WRITTEN WORD Merging the written word along with supporting visuals has always been fund to be effective. This project looks at using a concept that fuses the written word with related visuals to create a set of new visuals.

After reading up and understanding the theme I was working with it was time to select a sub-theme that would determine the topic of research. This in between step was one of the most challenging phases of the project. The idea of hidden subcultures interested me. It was about identifying hidden elements and ways of thinking within the social construct we thrive in. The progressive nature of fusion culture interested me the most. I felt that this would give rise to many new ideas and held a lot of scope for experimentation.

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SUBCULTURES Distinct or Hidden Trend or a way of thinking The subculture in focus is the one in which people are conscious of influences and reflections of different cultures on each other.

FUSION Influences leading to the emergence of a fused culture Incorporating from different entities

DESI Elements from both Indian and western cultures fused to form a new kind of contemporary modern culture.

Multiple interpretations of fusion Pinning down elements that are a result of fusion and that interest me

MUSIC

THE WRITTEN WORD

A medium of expression (form and content)

Evolution of the form and content of the written word.

Influences on the evolution of the medium and content through time

The need to present the written word with visual pleasure

PAINTING STYLES

Fusion of the visual and the written word- Calligrams

Influences on the evolution of Indian art

CALLIGRAMS

CALLIGRAMS THEORETICAL RESEARCH DISPLACING FROM ITS CONTEXT

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PHASE 3 : THE ELEMENT

CALLIGRAMS DEFINITIONS A poem, phrase or a word in which the typeface, calligraphy or handwriting is arranged in a way that it creates a visual image. The text and the illustrations are given equal weight. Claudel put it simply as: “Words have a soul.” Apollinaire coined the word ‘calligrams’ for poems where there was a ‘perfect equation between matter and manner’, where the

BRAINSTORMING ON CALLIGRAMS

shape of the words on the page gave a second dimension to the meaning. But ‘calligrams’ already were written by the Ancient Greeks; it was not what he did that was new but the spirit in which it was done. Massin claims that the complete ‘liberation of the letter’ should now be possible through electronic composition.

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CALLIGRAMS

THEORETICAL RESEARCH Apollinaire and the International Avant-garde

Letter and Image by ROBERT Massin

By Willard Bohn

In Apollinaire and the International Avantgarde, William Bohn, perhaps North America’s foremost Apollinaire scholar, has entered into a heretofore unchartered area of research: the centrality of Guillaume Apollinaire in the avantgarde movements in Europe (outside of France) and the Americas. Hailed all over the world as the founder of modern aesthetics and as the poet of daily, urban experience where life and poetry merge in a total work of art, admired for his insights into Cubist art, Apollinaire was regularly contacted by others as his celebrity grew. It was the impact of his innovative poems and art criticism, difficult to classify and characterize, that caught the attention of the world’s literati. Apollinaire was viewed as a representative of modern French tendencies in poetry, namely visual poems, calligrams, and the typographical derangement of the text.

Robert Massin is a French graphic designer, art director and typographer who is notable for his innovative experimentation with expressive forms of typographic composition. Most people accept the written word merely as a vehicle for the information they want to convey. This book deals with those few minds who, down the ages, have found the written word itself arresting enough for both medium and subject This is an unusual anthology, a large book massively illustrated from eclectic sources-from the Moslem creed in the Cufic alphabet to strip cartoons. Appropriately enough, the text and the illustrations are given equal weight. Massin divides the ground between the word and the image into three main sections: the symbolic letter-the letter as a quasi mystical guarantee of the continuity of knowledge throughout the centuries, figured verse and calligrams, and the written symbol in painting. Apollinaire coined the word ‘calligrams’ for poems where there was a ‘perfect equation between matter and manner’, where the shape of the words on the page gave a second dimension to the meaning. But ‘calligrams’ already were written by the Ancient Greeks; it was not what he did that was new but the spirit in which it was done. Massin claims that the complete ‘liberation of the letter’ should now be possible through electronic composition.

CALLIGRAMmes - by apollinaire A collection of visual poems, calligrams and derangement of text

examples from ‘calligrammes’

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Language unleashed

BY Richard Hollis, EYE MAGAZINE (SPRING 1995)

Massin’s pioneering book designs of the 1960s used graphic devices to make the spoken word visible and enhance the text’s meaning

Design history celebrates key works. Some have an immediate influence, marking a leap in the profession and identifying a period. Others, remarkable for their innovation and brilliance, have no immediate successors. Such is the case with the book La Cantatrice chauve (The Bald Prima Donna). Designed by Massin (who stopped using his first name, Robert, in the 1950s), this visual record of a theatrical production of Eugène Ionesco’s play published in Paris in 1964 is acknowledged in every account of the period’s design and typography. Created in the later stages of ore-digital graphics, La Cantatrice chauve is conspicuous for its sustained integration of image and word as an expression of the text. Only today, with the designer’s freedom to manipulate text and image on the screen, can we begin to understand its long-dormant legacy. Beginning work as a designer soon after the Second World War, Massin belongs to that generation whose output has spanned two technological revolutions: in typesetting, from hot-metal, through photo setting to digitization; in printing, from letterpress to lithography. Following a period of involvement with the book clubs’ productions of the 1950s – one of France’s distinct contributions to graphic design – Massin was for over 20 years art director of Gallimard, the publishers responsible for La Cantatrice chauve. Much-thumbed copies of his compendium Letter and Image (La Lettre et l’image) can be found on the shelves of many design studios. Here, Massin shares with the reader his enthusiasm for the diversity of letter forms: in monastery manuscripts, press advertisements, Cubist collages, Arabic calligraphy, Dadaist typography, all kinds of book covers – indeed, wherever the author looked and pointed his camera. Gallimard has produced several new editions since the book first appeared in 1970. At a time when Helvetica and Univers were the norm, it raised questions about the expressive power of letter forms, a subject considered academic and amateur by many designers. But at the height of structuralist concern with the text, semiologists took note, and the book prompted Roland Barthes to write an essay of admiring bewilderment. The letter was a

“contradictory signifier” – on the one hand it was precise, so that we talk about the “letter of the law;” on the other it released an endless flow of symbol and metaphor. The letter seemed to have its own meaning, independent of the text. New typefaces were of no interest to Massin and his colleagues. They wanted to “faire du neuf avec de l’ancien,” to make something new with the old. Massin displayed his skill with eccentric type forms, supplying each variation of the tale with a heading which suggests the narrative form that follows. Derived from the content, the type style becomes part of the expression of the text’s meaning. The letters are not decoration, but unified text and illustration. Massin’s Exercices de style was a further demonstration of Faucheux’s idea of “making connections between the text and its graphic expression.” Even Massin himself is amazed at the hours spent on the design work, mostly at night. Using photostats of the photographs and projecting proofs of the type, all set in one text size, through an epidiascope, Massin drew same-size layouts for each double-page spread

on tracing paper. “Posterised,” black and white, halftone-free like the text, the images were combined with the type, giving a consistent graphic unity and more importantly helping to integrate the representation of what spectators saw and heard at a performance. It was at this time, in the 1960s, that designers first gained control over print production (a process completed with the Macintosh). After La Cantatrice chauve Massin produced a “vocal callligram” of Edith Piaf’s song “La Foule” (“the crowd”), aiming “to offer a reconstruction both of the sound curve and of the volume, range and timbre of the voice.” Here the distorted lettering was “obtained by using sheets of latex printed in advance in Cheltenham Bold.”

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The first lesson we can learn from Massin: that the reader “reads” something in the image of the words. If it is the word which carries meaning, then the writer is the designer of the message. Designers, in the end, only arrange how the message is delivered, which (not only in a book) can take place through a déroulement in time. Designers are susceptible to changes in style, and because it impinges on the content of the message, style should be derived from its content and determined by its context. “Making the new with the new” has always created style, as we can see today with the Macintosh. But Massin’s warning is about fashion, and he cites Cocteau’s definition: “Fashion is what goes out of fashion.”

50 Word Games for Literature Class

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Picturing Words

Associative Typography and the Picture Book

by Ruth Rice

by Rathna Ramanathan

However, even those who consider such matters at best peripheral will find something to admire in these word games. The sheer gamesmanship will engage many students, probably increase interest in words and possibly in literature. Outstanding examples include games based on coinages in Shakespeare, puns, idioms, and authors with meaningful last names. A few games stimulate students to create such forms as couplets and calligrams. Others require simple research.

Abstract

As the author points out, many of the games require little prior knowledge: Word and letter clues help as much as recall. For this reason, puzzles and other activities can be used to create interest in a theme or motif to be explored in literature. Possibilities include games focusing on quotations about death, seasons in poetry and fiction, colors in quotations and famous animal characters.

This paper discusses the use of typography as both word and image to tell a story. It uses varied case studies ranging from European graphic design history to contemporary Indian examples by Tara Books, India’s wellknown avant-garde publisher to explore how expressive type can convey sound, texture, movement, colour, atmosphere and emotion. Associative typography can allow children (and adults) to discover unexpected meanings and associations in language. While traditional books are created with linear story telling, associative type can allow us to explore the page spatially, leading to new relationships between reader and the book. This talk uses historical examples as well as three Indian picture books designed by Rathna Ramanathan– Tiger on a Tree, Anything but a Grabooberry and In the Land of Punctuation - to make its case. Introduction

When designing children’s books, the relationship between the visual and associative aspects of typography and the production of meaning in a printed book has been the focus of my work. Johanna Drucker (1984) noted that ‘writing produces a visual image: the shapes, sizes and placement of letters on a page contribute to the message produced, creating statements which cannot always be rendered in spoken language’ (Drucker, 1984:8). Living and working in India, as a designer, one quickly realises that the word is immediately and inseparably both visual and verbal, text and image, written and spoken. In my practice as a book designer, I have been interested by these connections between spoken and written language and typography. Using type play and the concept of the metaphor, I have aimed to push against the conventional use and meaning of words to explore the visual dimensions of language. Associative Typography and the Structure of the Page

Typography within the book can be employed in two ways. It can provide structure both in the organization of the text and in the placement of various signposts (from preliminary pages to running heads) that help the reader navigate the book. There is also an associative use of typography (or whatUpdike (1922) referred to as ‘allusive’ typography) that reflects the ideas

represented in the text. A well-designed book shows a harmonious balance between the structural (direct) and associative (indirect) aspects of typography. The purpose of traditional book typography is to communicate the author’s message in a legible, readable manner without drawing attention to itself. This means inviting the reader into the text and clarifying the structure and order of the text so the reader can navigate the book with ease, as well as linking the text harmoniously with other elements in the book (including illustrations,captions etc.). On the other hand, associative typography is concerned with the meaning and interpretation of the text and its representation using the visual, verbal and spatial aspects of typography. In both

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cases, the use of typography is intentional and driven by the content and is not just a stylistic affectation. The use of associative typography within the book is not new. My own work has been inspired by a range of historical sources from European graphic design. Very briefly, these include movements such as the Futurists, Dada and the Constructivists as well as individuals such as H N Werkman, El Lissitzky, Rodchenko, Theo Van Doesburg and Kurt Schiwtters. It is impossible to sum up the practices of these giants for whom typography was an important aspect of their avant-garde practice so I will contextualise them in relation to the picture books I designed for Tara Books. Tara Books & the Form of the Book

For over a decade, Tara Books has worked hard at evolving a distinctive culture of the book. The company has aimed to build a list which is selective, yet diverse,keeping content rooted but universal. An important aspect of the mission is exploration and play with the form of the books. Tiger on a Tree(1997): The Spatial Page and Active Typography

In mainstream children’s publishing, books often evolve in the conventional way – the text is written first, the illustration is done in relation to the text and the designer comes in at the end to put these together. The work of a book designer differs from that of a poster designer in a significant way. Unlike a poster which is entirely two-dimensional and makes an immediate impact, a book reveals itself in a time-related sequence. This is was an important consideration in the design of the book. During the designing of this book I was in London studying for my MA in Communication Design and in the process of researching my thesis on book design and typography, I came across the Italian Futurist movement and its founder, the Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. Futurist literary theory was intent upon increasing the expressivity of language and used the concept of the New Typography. Since 1905, Marinetti had promoted from the pages of his magazine Poesia (Poetry) the idea of verso libero (free-verse), which was intended to break the uniformity of syntax of the literature of the past. Then, just after the launch of the Futurist movement, verso libero evolved into the parole in libertà (words-in-freedom).

I was particularly inspired by the Futurist reference to speed, movement and sound of the word. In the process of designing the book, the first step was to remove the illustration’s conventional borders and play with the scale of the illustrations. This helped free the page. To this were added Anushka Ravishankar’s words employing typography to run, bounce and jump off the page following the little tiger’s adventures. Anything but a Grabooberry(2004) and Suggestive Typography

Guillame Apollinaire was a French Surrealist poet who was born in 1880. Apollinaire’s most famous work was Calligrammes, a collection of concrete poetry in which the visual arrangement of the words (typography and layout) are employed to convey meaning. In concrete poetry, the typographical arrangement of words is as important in conveying the idea as the conventional elements of a poem such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme etc. Examples of his work include La Mandoline l’oeillet et le Bambou (Mandolin, Eyelet and Bamboo), La Colombe poignardmée et le jet d’eau (The dove and the stabbed waterjet) and Il Pleut (It rains) where type runs vertically down a page assimilating raindrops. Here the word is viewed rather than simply read. So the reader takes not the literal or semantic meaning of the word but play with its graphic visual sense. In his book Type Primer John Kane (2002) illustrates the possibilities of this using one typeface: Helvetica. He finds typographic equivalents for words using simple choices such as size, weight, position on a page all of which can be used to strengthen the representation of concepts, objects, and actions that words describe.

Rathna’s work has been especially insightful more so because she too uses wordplay to generate visuals for a similar target group. It was very encouraging to find out about someone’s work in the similar context.

For some time, I have been interested in El Lissitzky’s work About 2 Squares. When it was first published in Berlin in 1922, About 2 Squares, presented a radical rethinking of what a book was, demonstrating a new way of organizing typography on a page and relating it to visual images. The MIT Press refers to this book as ‘among the most important publications in the history of the avant-garde in typography and graphic design’. Lissitzky uses typography as his main tool, using it to determine, shape and order the layout of the compositions he creates. The text is suddenly optically expressive, and typography is used to represent verbal and emotional content.

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Anything but a Grabooberry is India’s first children’s book that features the designer as an author and uses typeplay as illustration. I began by setting the text, page by page like a typographic puzzle, using size, position, scale, colour and texture to bring out the expressive nature of the words. The real success of the book comes from my interaction with a group of children aged 6 to 8 years old. Their reading of the words on the page helped me fine-tune the design and push its expressiveness. Conclusion

There are four main guiding principles in the use of associative typography. First, the importance of working with associative typography is to use it intentionally in relation to the content rather than simply as a stylistic application. This requires an acknowledgment of the context and an interpretation of the author’s message – preferably in dialogue with the author. Second, as Ellen Lupton, famously noted, ‘typography is what language looks like’ and nowhere is this more evident than in associative type. Associative typography is the real acknowledgment of the materiality of language and its potential to function as an image rather than as just a neutral vehicle that conveys meaning. Third, is that the book, like the rest of graphic design, never resides in isolation. It is a product of a literary but also social, cultural, economic and political context. And finally, that when you work in collaboration to communicate in an indirect rather than direct way, this can lead to unique and memorable reader experiences.

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Concrete Poetry in Digital Media Its Predecessors, its Presence and its Future by Roberto Simanowski

How does concrete poetry develop in digital media? What is its intention? What is the meaning behind it? Does the play with the symbolic orders of language question social patterns as in concrete poetry in the 1960s? Does it rather aim to free the word from its representational, designational function towards the “pure visual”? And how should one approach it? With a meaning driven soul asking for the message behind the technical effect and disparaging any brainless muscle flexing? With a spectacle driven soul enjoying all the cool stuff you can do with programming and embracing de “pure code” as new avant-garde? This essay discusses the aesthetic concept of concrete poetry and places the subject into the ongoing discussion of “software-art” and the aesthetic of the spectacle. It begins with a look back to the predecessors of concrete poetry in print media before introducing to examples of concrete poetry in digital media. Concrete Poetry in Print Media

The fusion of the visual and the literary is always an existent though rarely recognized aspect of the history of books and writing. As early as antiquity there has been text, which developed an additional meaning by the way it 1. Concrete Poetry in Print Media was presented. of the

through a maze, thereby adding the labyrinth metaphor to the message of the text itself. Our example from the Baroque represents a coherent labyrinth with a clear way forward to the destination. In the figurative poems the text shapes a certain figure, in religious context often a cross, in Baroque secular figures as well as here a goblet as a wedding poem for a couple from Bremen in 1637. This poem is an early version of interactive writing, which invites the reader either to turn around the paper or their head in order to perceive the text. The deeper wit of this playing with form lies in the fact that after this performance one feels dizzy as if one had just drank a goblet full of wine. The philosophy behind this playing with form, behind this shift towards typography, is to free the word from its pure representational, designational function. While in literature the physicality of language –such as its graphical aspects– normally is neglected and even considered to poison the authority of the text, here the visual form of the word was used as an additional meaning. The word not only represents an object it presents it on the visual level. The goblet is to be seen before one even starts to read.

This attention towards the visual materiality of language increased between 1910 and the 1920’s when Futurists such as Marinetti[8] or Dadaists such as Tristan Tzara or Kurt The fusion of In thethe visual and the literary is always an existent though aspect so-called labyrinth poems the text linerarely recognized Schwitters undertook their typographic history of books and writing. earlythe as antiquity there haspath been text, which developed an winds its wayAsover paper like the experimentation. Such experiments on the

additional meaning by the way it was presented.

Johann1674, Kankel, 1674, Stockholm To the wedding of Bremen citizens Meimar Schöne and Fenneke Wolters in 1637, Bremen JOHANN KANKEL, STOCKHOLM

In the so-called labyrinth poems the text line winds its way over the paper like the

through a maze, thereby adding the labyrinth metaphor to the message of the text itself. Our exam

from the Baroque represents a coherent labyrinth with a clear way forward to the destination. In

physical level of language were dismissed by Surrealism, which experimented with language only on the level of mental representation. The area of experimental typography was reopened in the 1950’s and 60’s, now entitled Concrete Poetry. The unifying element of concrete poems is that one cannot read them aloud. In oral form they would lose their design, they are to see or, as Franz Mon entitled one of his essays on concrete poetry, they are “Poesie der Fläche” (poetry of space).Concrete poetry is concrete in its vividness in contrast to the abstraction of a term. Thus, concrete poetry deals with the relation between the visible form and the intellectual substance of words. It is visual not because it would apply images but because it adds the optical gesture of the word to its semantic meaning – as completion, expansion, or negation. The intermedial aspect does not lie in the change of the medium but in the change of perception, from the semiotic system of reading typical for literature to the semiotic system of viewing typical for art. Concrete Poetry in Digital Media

Within the digital realm concrete poetry gains two more levels of expression. While concrete poetry in print combines linguistic and graphic qualities of letters, in digital media time and interaction are two additional ways of expression. Letters can appear, move, disappear, and they can do all this in reaction to the perceiver’s input. In such an environment the worm finally can eat the apple –and since digital technology has no real concept of end and death, the worm can eat the apple again and again. The Argentinian Ana María Uribe is an example for the personal continuity within the shift of concrete poetry from analog to digital media. She proceeded from Typoems, as she calls her concrete poems in print, to Anipoems, her name for animated pieces of concrete poetry, which combine an elegant minimalism with a refreshing humor. Concrete poetry has been accused of being an autistic language and therefore of being incapable of having an impact on the reader’s consciousness. Thus, concrete poetry seems to be useless in terms of political interventions. The counter argument is that focusing on the text’s materiality implies a reflection on the use of language. It increases our sensitivity to discover and reject all attempts of language instrumentalization.

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“By the isolation of words from the usual setting of language,” as the German scholar Gisela Dischner points out, “the natural way of speaking suddenly appears in a different light, questionable, incomprehensible. The intended patterns of language are being undermined.” The American scholar Johanna Drucker states the same intention for the typographic experiments of Dadaism, which “was concerned with opposing the established social order through subverting the dominant conventions of the rules of representation.”In this perspective, the deconstructive play with the symbolic orders of language is considered to question social patterns and even to have a revolutionary potential. The revolutionary pathos of concrete poetry in the 50’s and 60’s will hardly be found in our days. Since the arrival of postmodern philosophy, grand narrations of enlightenment and revolution are not very popular anymore. The postmodern condition caused disillusion and a resignation from ideologies and emphatic messages towards individual, sensual and playful settings. The aesthetic consequence of such cultural disposition may be that the focus of art shifts to form as it did in mannerism – another phenomenon of crisis in history Considering cultural tendencies Andrew Darley notes –as mentioned earlier– in his book on Visual Digital Culture “a shift away from prior modes of spectator experience based on symbolic concerns towards recipients who are seeking intensities of direct sensual stimulation.”

If the transfer of attention from semantics to the surface spectacle is the cultural context of digital concrete poetry, it should be of no surprise that often enough the play with material is only focused on impressive effects, flexing ‘technical muscles.’ In these cases language celebrates itself –as it does in mannerism. In the digital realm language is of course more than the word seen on the screen. The language of digital media is composed of letters, links, colors, shapes and action, which is all based on the code beneath the screen. The language of digital media is the program; which is why Lev Manovich sees the “software artist” as the new type of artist.

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Since the medium itself seems to foster such an attitude towards surface reading and seems to favor curiosity, which for example cares for what is promised behind every link rather than for what is to be discovered between the lines and signs. To what extent this assumption is true, how we as scholars are supposed to approach an aesthetic of “surface play and sensation,” and how we, under such circumstances, keep our pedagogical commitment to help improve reading competence, demands a thorough discussion. This discussion will have to answer not only question about aesthetics but about culture and societal values.

PHASE 3 : THE ELEMENT

DISPLACING FROM ITS CONTEXT “The sheer craftsmanship will engage many students, probably increase interest in words and possibly in literature. Word and letter clues help as much as recall. For this reason, puzzles and other activities can be used to create interest in a theme or motif to be explored.” - Ruth Rice. Portland, Maine The English Journel

The purpose of the outcome is to see how this concept can be used a learning tool. For the purpose of demonstration, The game uses human body systems as its content but the project scope of this project is much wider. It can be simply visualised as the’ window’ through which one can look at the world as calligrams (layers of information).

APPLICATIONS CONCEPTS WEIGHING OPTIONS

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APPLICATIONS

THE OBJECTIVE The idea is to use the research on calligrams to create something that uses the concept of Calligrams as a tool to enhance understanding and grasping of information. This borders on the lines of experimental, but the attempt is to try and understand if merging text within simple visual forms can generate interest in the information and maybe also strengthen memory.

In the process of deciding the application of the research on calligrams emerged a few concept which were primarily based on the presumption that the use of calligrams would be as a tool. Calligrams as we know were used for a number of reasons in different parts of the world. They are known to have both aesthetic as well as functional uses.

Another important prerequisite the concept is based on is that the target audience is well acquainted with letter-forms and has basic knowledge of the structure of letter-forms.

A probable theory could be that a calligram can be the perfect balance between a visual and the words. The result of merging a word with a related visual could create a visual that has equal features of a visual and words and would lead to equal perceptions of the visual and the word.

Explore calligrams as a tool

Generate interest in information

Spellings

Experimental

OBJECTIVE

Increase accuracy of knowledge Strengthen creativity

Better memory

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OUTCOME

CONCEPTS

An analogue word puzzle comprising of interlocking blocks/ mouldable pieces that is a learning tool for kids. Puzzles with specific themes and fixed content.

An analogue word puzzle with interlocking blocks

APPLICATIONS

Posters to mapping the use of visuals and words

A series of posters documenting the history of calligrams and projecting their possible applications.

A visual aid for kids to learn alphabets Utilising the visual value of calligrams design a visual aid for kids/adult school learners to learn latin alphabets.

A touch screen based app for kids

Using the features of the touch screen technology, design a educational app for kids using calligrams as a medium to make information more visual, hence enhancing memory and perception.

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OUTCOME

WEIGHING OPTIONS

The ideas included game types like puzzles and building blocks in the analogue form. The challenge would be to construct a puzzle keeping the basic structure of letter-form recognisable.

This particular idea required a lot of in-depth research on calligrams. But it would be very challenging because of the lack of information and unavailable resources. The outcome would be a print based series of posters.

This particular option was based on the pre requisite that the target group would be familiar with the structure of the alphabet and it contradicted its purpose. But it projected scope in terms of developing an aid of this sort as it woulld an unique approach to merge the visual and the alphabet and see how that would affect the learning.

A digital tool seemed more appropriate as the digital medium allows more freedom with respect to tweaking the structures and experimentation. The most useful feature of the digital medium was the zoom factor which would allow layering of information and also a well directed flow in interaction (one thing at a time). The layering of information facilitated hierarchy of information which become essential when there is too much information to convey. It was hence decided to use a digital medium and a tablet based app seemed to be the closest match to the required platform for a tool of this sort. A tablet had enough working area and a good size for visual pleasure.

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THE IDEA

The idea is to use the research on calligrams to create an interactive digital tool that uses the concept of calligrams as a tool/medium to enhance understanding and grasping of information. This digital tool could be developed into an application meant for touch devices like the tablet or the touch-phone. This borders on the lines of experimental, but the attempt is to try and understand if merging text within simple visual forms can generate interest in the information and maybe also strengthen memory.

Another important prerequisite the concept is based on is that the target audience is well acquainted with letterforms and has basic knowledge of the structure of letter-forms.

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WHAT SHOULD IT CONVEY?

One of the biggest questions at this stage was what sort of information should the app convey.? What should be the content? After a lot of thought and a guide visit, I decided that the content I wanted to deal with would be something I always had a problem grasping. This was a personal choice but further into the project I also looked at the possible other kins of content that could use this concept. Throughout school I always loved diagrams and wished they were better and more explanatory. These would be the way I memorised things and had better recollection when I drew my own pictorial notes. This lead to the decision of using content from school textbooks. My aim was to make this content more visual and easy to remember. Hence, for the purpose of this particular prototype I used a few science diagrams, Mostly digrams of the human body systems but the scope of this particular idea is much more widespread and can use different kind of content.

EXAMPLES OF IMAGERY CHILDREN ARE USUALLY EXPOSED TO

Given a situation of enough time and resources, this could very well be developed into a tool for school children to learn from with immense visual content and information they need to remember. This could be a series of apps with different content based themes.

RELEVANCE The images below are examples of how explanatory diagrams look like in school textbooks. This is the kind of poor visual imagery children are exposed to at a very elementary level. The proposition is that if they are exposed to more creative visuals which can catalyse imagination of the actual and also fuse related information with it, the chances are they will remember it better. This concept of looking at anything and everything as calligrams is a tool that can be used to make information of any kind more visual and interesting.

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RESEARCH

Tablet computer OR SIMPLY THE TABLET A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a onepiece mobile computer, primarily operated by touch-screen (the user’s finger essentially functions as the mouse and cursor, removing the need for the physical hardware components (i.e., mouse and keyboard) necessary for a desktop or laptop computer and, an on-screen, hide-able virtual keyboard is integrated into the display). Available in a variety of sizes, even the smallest touch-screens are much larger than those of a smart phone or personal digital assistant Alan Kay’s Dynabook described an information tablet in 1972 as “A personal computer for children of all ages”. The paper proposes a touch screen as a possible alternative means of input for the device.

Touch user interface A key and common component among tablet computers is touch input. This allows the user to navigate easily and intuitively and type with a virtual keyboard on the screen. The event processing of the operating system must respond to touches rather than clicks of a keyboard or mouse, which allows integrated hand-eye operation, a natural part of the somatosensory system. Although the device implementation differs from more traditional PCs or laptops, tablets are disrupting the current vendor sales by weakening traditional laptop PC sales in favor of the current tablet computers. This is even more true of the “finger driven multi-touch” interface of the more recent tablet computers, which often emulate the way actual objects behave. Touch-screen hardware

The first commercial portable electronic tablets appeared at the end of the 20th century. In 2010, Apple Inc. released the iPad which became the first mobile computer tablet to achieve worldwide commercial success. The iPad used technology similar to Apple’s iPhone. Other manufacturers have produced tablets of their own including Samsung, HTC, Motorola, RIM, Sony, Amazon, HP, Microsoft, Google, Asus, Toshiba, and Archos. Tablets use a variety of operating systems such as iOS (Apple), Android (Google), Windows (Microsoft), and QNX (RIM).

Resistive touch-screens are passive and can respond to any kind of pressure on the screen. They allow a high level of precision, but may require calibration to be accurate. Because of the high resolution of detection, a stylus or fingernail is often used for resistive screens. Limited possibilities exist for implementing multi-touch on a resistive touch-screen. As modern tablet computers tend to make heavy use of multi-touch, this technology has faded out on high-end devices where it has been replaced by capacitive touch-screens. Capacitive touch-screens tend to be less

accurate, but more responsive than resistive screens. They require a conductive material, such as a finger tip for input and are more prominent on the smaller scale “tablet computer” devices for ease of use, which generally do not use a stylus, and need multitouch capabilities. Other touch technology used in tablets include: Palm recognition

It prevents inadvertent palms or other contacts from disrupting the pen’s input. Multi-touch capabilities

This can recognize multiple simultaneous finger touches, allowing for enhanced manipulation of on-screen objects.

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Operating systems Android

Android DESIGN GUIDELINES

Android is the world’s most popular mobile platform. Millions of people already use Android because it makes your mobile device so much more powerful and useful. On Android, the home screen, web browser, email and everything in between are designed to make your life easier. Android is open,and allows you to create a unique mobile experience. The goal of the Android Open Source Project is to create a successful real world product that improves the mobile experience for end users.

http://developer.android.com/index.html

It is developed by the Open Handset Alliance, led by Google. Google financially backed the initial developer of the software, Android Inc., and later purchased it in 2005 and was unveiled in 2007. Google releases the Android code as open-source. Google Play is an online software store developed by Google for Android devices.

The design of Android S focused around three overarching goals, which apply to our core apps Enchant me

Beauty is more than skin deep. Android apps are sleek and aesthetically pleasing on multiple levels. Transitions are fast and clear; layout and typography are crisp and meaningful. App icons are works of art in their own right. Just like a well-made tool, your app should strive to combine beauty, simplicity and purpose to create a magical experience that is effortless and powerful. Simplify my life

Android apps make life easier and are easy to understand. When people use your app for the first time, they should intuitively grasp the most important features. The design work doesn’t stop at the first use, though. Android apps remove ongoing chores like file management and syncing. Simple tasks never require complex procedures, and complex tasks are tailored to the human hand and mind. People of all ages and cultures feel firmly in control, and are never overwhelmed by too many choices or irrelevant flash. Make me amazing

It’s not enough to make an app that is easy to use. Android apps empower people to try new things and to use apps in inventive new ways. Android lets people combine applications into new workflows through multitasking, notifications, and sharing across apps. At the same time, your app should feel personal, giving people access to superb technology with clarity and grace.

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ANDROID DESIGN PRINCIPLES Delight me in surprising ways Real objects are more fun than buttons and menus Let me make it mine Get to know me Keep it brief Pictures are faster than words Decide for me but let me have the final say Only show what I need when I need it I should always know where I am Never lose my stuff If it looks the same, it should act the same Only interrupt me if it’s important Give me tricks that work everywhere It’s not my fault Sprinkle encouragement Do the heavy lifting for me Make important things fast

UI Overview Android’s system UI provides the framework on top of which you build your app. Important aspects include the Home screen experience, global device navigation, and notifications. The design of the app plays an important part in keeping the overall Android experience consistent and enjoyable to use.

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iOS

ios DESIGN GUIDELINES

The world’s most advanced mobile operating system. It has an easy-to-use interface, amazing features, and rock-solid stability, iOS is the foundation of iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Its revolutionary Multi‑Touch interface in iOS is designed for the finger. The simple, beautiful Home screen is the easiest place to start. Everything you touch is easy, intuitive, and fun.

http://developer.apple.com/library

iOS Human Interface Guidelines describes the guidelines and principles that help you design a superlative user interface and user experience for your iOS app. SOME DESIGN MANTRAS

Great iOS Apps Embrace the Platform and HI Design Principles. Great App Design Begins with Some Clear Definitions. When you’re starting with an idea for an app, it’s crucial to decide precisely which features you intend to deliver, and to whom. A Great User Experience Is Rooted in Your Attention to Detail. It’s essential to keep the user experience uppermost in your mind as you design every aspect of your app, from the way you enable a task, to the way your app starts and stops, to the way you use a button. Discover the guidelines that influence the look and behavior of your app, in matters both general and specific. All Apps Need at Least Some Custom Artwork. Even if your app enables a serious, productive task and uses only standard user interface elements, you still need to provide a beautiful, custom app icon that people will enjoy seeing in the App Store and on their Home screens. Whether your app includes significant amounts of custom artwork, or only a little, you need to know which icons and images are required and how to create them appropriately.

HUMAN INTERFACE PRINCIPLES Preferences Are Available in Settings

People set certain preferences for an iOS app in the built-in Settings app. They must switch away from the current app when they want to access those preferences in Settings. Preferences in the Settings app are of the “set once and rarely change” type. A great user interface follows human interface design principles that are based on the way people—users—think and work, not on the capabilities of the device. A UI that is unattractive, convoluted, or illogical can make even a great app seem like a chore to use. But a beautiful, intuitive, compelling UI enhances an app’s functionality and inspires a positive emotional attachment in users. Aesthetic Integrity

Aesthetic integrity is not a measure of how beautiful an app is. It’s a measure of how well the appearance of the app integrates with its function. Consistency

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metaphors for objects and actions in the real world, users quickly grasp how to use the app. The classic example of a software metaphor is the folder: People put things in folders in the real world, so they immediately understand the idea of putting files into folders on a computer. The most appropriate metaphors suggest a usage or experience without enforcing the limitations of the real-world object or action on which they’re based. User Control

People, not apps, should initiate and control actions. Although an app can suggest a course of action or warn about dangerous consequences, it’s usually a mistake for the app to take decision-making away from the user. The best apps find the correct balance between giving people the capabilities they need while helping them avoid dangerous outcomes.

IOS DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Consistency in the interface allows people to transfer their knowledge and skills from one app to another. A consistent app is not a slavish copy of other apps. Rather, it is an app that takes advantage of the standards and paradigms people are comfortable with.

iOS devices share several unique characteristics that influence the user experience of all apps that run on them. The most successful apps embrace these characteristics and provide a user experience that integrates with the device they’re running on.

Direct Manipulation

Display Is Paramount, Regardless of Size

When people directly manipulate onscreen objects instead of using separate controls to manipulate them, they’re more engaged with the task and they more readily understand the results of their actions. iOS users enjoy a heightened sense of direct manipulation because of the Multi-Touch interface. Using gestures gives people a greater affinity for, and sense of control over, the objects they see onscreen, because they’re able to touch them without using an intermediary, such as a mouse. Feedback

Feedback acknowledges people’s actions and assures them that processing is occurring. People expect immediate feedback when they operate a control, and they appreciate status updates during lengthy operations. The built-in iOS apps respond to every user action with some perceptible change. Metaphors

When virtual objects and actions in an app are

The display of an iOS-based device is at the heart of the user’s experience. Different iOSbased devices can have displays of different dimensions and resolutions, but in all devices the display affects the user experience in the same ways: - 44 x 44 points is the comfortable minimum size of a tappable UI element. - People are very aware of the quality of app artwork. - The display encourages people to forget about the device and to focus on their content or task. Onscreen User Help Is Minimal

iOS-based apps are intuitive and easy to use, so people don’t need onscreen help content to tell them how to use the device or the apps Apps Respond to Gestures, Not Clicks

The Multi-Touch interface gives people a sense of immediate connection with their devices and enhances their sense of direct manipulation of onscreen objects.

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GESTURES

In an app that encourages an immersive task, such as a game, users expect a beautiful appearance that promises fun and encourages discovery. Although people don’t expect to

accomplish a serious or productive task in a game, they still expect the game’s appearance to integrate with the experience.

Tap

Drag

To press or select a control or item

To scroll or pan To drag an element

Swipe

Pinch

With one finger, to reveal the delete button in a table-view row, the hidden view in a split view (iPad only)

Pinch open to zoom in Pinch close to zoom out

With four fingers to switch between apps on iPad

Flick

Double Tap

To scroll or pan quickly

To zoom in and centre a block of content or image To zoom out(if already zoomed in)

Touch and Hold

Shake

In editable or selectable text, to display a magnified view for cursor positioning

To initiate an undo or redo action

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ipad dimensions

Navigation bar

Navigation bar for drilling down through hierarchical content. It also enables navigation through an information hierarchy and, optionally, management of screen contents. Tab bar

Tab bar for displaying different peer groups of content or functionality. Status bar

The status bar displays important information about the device and the current environment.

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BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE APP STRUCTURE INTRODUCTION

Visual tour of what the game is about - Rotating visual of the systems overlapped - Small animation showing how to play - Visuals + Instructions

CHOOSE YOUR SYSTEM

Choose from the different systems of the body - Digestive - Respiratory - Nervous and sensory - Skeletal - Reproductive - Endocrine and hormonal - Circulatory - Muscular - Excretory SEE HOW MUCH YOU HAVE DISCOVERED

A view that shows how much of each of the systems you have unlocked/discovered -Stars/points you have earned -Scoreboard

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Options to replay the level and score better (iterative) Pause and play options to continue from where the player left earlier All words are from left to right (especially for calligrams)

What are my typical users most likely going to want to do in my app?

To learn the human body systems To relate visuals to words i.e. parts of the system to their names Spellings Order of the parts of a system (top to bottom) Discover the body structure part by part and also in relation to the rest of the body systems WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS APP?

Educational aid Simplistic diagrams Better than most textbooks Colour rich For beginners/learners Combination of the basic diagrammatic framework and words that leads to the complete picture

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

GAME FLOW

The game flow is the most basic and first step at splitting the idea of the game into a step by step interaction. The flowchart below shows the basic user journey and some key elements and features of the screens. It describes the major screens a user experiences through his/her interaction with the app.

This basic flow does not describe any details about the possibilities and variations of the interaction but only key elements. Charting out the different possible interactions was the next step.

Flash screen Name of the game Made by (name of the studio), etc.

Introduction Homescreen Instructions Settings, etc.

Resume last game

Game Screen

Choose your system

New game

Choose to see the scoreboard Choose level

See previous scores

Save last game

Exit New score

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PHASE 5 : THE FINAL OUTCOME

WORKFLOWS

After defining a basic skeleton of the app and narrowing down the content of the app, it was time to decide what the user journey would be like. The transition from screen to screen was an important of the user experience. After listing down the major screens, I created several

work-flows. These were basic flowcharts that described the possible interactions of the user with the app. Below are some of the iterations of work-flow. These were attempts at figuring out the flow of the app.

WORK FLOW START UP Name of the developing studio, Loading,etc.

INTRODUCTION Name of the game, Version,etc

HOMESCREEN 2 Options, Instructions Settings, etc.

Settings

Choose your system

New game

Resume last game

Exit

Detailed screen

Pop-up List of options

Game screen

Pop-up Save game option

Scoreboard

An option on the action bar

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

WORK FLOW START UP Name of the developing studio, Loading,etc.

INTRODUCTION Name of the game, Version,etc

HOMESCREEN 2 Options, Instructions Settings, etc.

Settings

New game

Resume last game

Detailed screen

Game screen

Action bar A hidden pop-up feature that links all major screens with actions common to all screens. This prevents cluttering the screen with a pool of buttons.

PAUSE/PLAY

EXIT

SCOREBOARD

SAVE

CHANGE SYSTEM

THE INSIDES OF THE GAME After looking at the overall flow of the app, I tried to figure out the interaction for the game itself or more precisely the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interaction with the main game screen. Below are a few examples of the different steps involved in playing the game. Different kinds of interactions with varying complexities. The simpler and more intuitive the interaction the more engaging the app.

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

FINAL WORK FLOW

START UP Name of the developing studio, Loading,etc.

INTRODUCTION Name of the game, Version,etc

HOMESCREEN 2 Options, Instructions Settings, etc.

Settings

Action bar

PAUSE/PLAY

EXIT

Detailed screen

Resume last game

New game

SCOREBOARD

Game screen

SAVE

CHANGE SYSTEM

Game screen

Cue appears on the screen with a pool of letters with an optional hint. Blank boxes for the expected word with the right number of blanks. Select with a single tap the alphabets and form the word. Word floats up to the cue (auto zoom in for clearer view). Arrange the word to fit the cue. Create the calligram and move to the next cue!

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

PHASE 5 : THE FINAL OUTCOME

NAMING THE GAME THE NEED FOR A STORY The name of the game is the stepping stone to developing the visual style of the game. And the elements of the visual language would be developed based on the initial logo and the look of the game.

elements for the game and the smaller elements that were part of the game screens. The name of the game also had to be generic and simple enough to create a story around. It had to summarise the game.

Naming the game was also part of creating a story for the game. The story would create

Discover

TAG Versatile

Label Simple Catchy

Generic

WHAT SHOULD HE NAME OF THE GAME CONVEY?

Memory game Puzzle

Vocab of the target group Words Alphabets

Letters

KNOWLEDGE RUN BODYWISE WISEBEE

INFOCITY SEARCHIT INFORUN

NAMING THE GAME

TAG-IT

TAG N LEARN

TWIST N TAG

WORDBODY

MAZE

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PHASE 5 : THE FINAL OUTCOME

THE STORY BEHIND THE SCENES

THE STORY

To make the app more interesting it was decided to give the game a story, an engaging element for the game. The true need for the story was felt when I started naming the game.

After working on the concept of calligram as a tool a very interesting stry brewed in my mind. It almost seemed like calligrams had now become like a window for me to look at the world around me. Developing this idea further lead to the story behind the game.

The name ‘maze’ was finalised as the name of the game. This name had an element of mystery to it and also was easy to create a story with. It conveyed that the game is a puzzle and that the user would have to find their way through the game. One of the advantages was that it did not have prior connotations to it like in case of ‘Tag it’ which could be very well confused with the tagging action on facebook or twitter.

The game was about a child looking through the window of a calligram to solve the maze of the body, discovering his/her way through. This helped generate interesting yet simple visuals for the game. The story didn’t seem to overpower the content of the game which was very essential and also was generic and could be used for any kind of content e.g. if in another case, the game had to have another theme.

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

PHASE 5 : THE FINAL OUTCOME

WIREFRAMES

Wireframes were made to block spaces and look at the function of the app more objectively. It helps in deciding the functionality and the interaction without actually bothering about the content. Wireframes are a good tool to refine the form and funtion of any web based application. It also helped me understand the size I was working with. Narrowing down the design to pixels helped me understand deeper problems like the optimum size of any button on screen so that it can be easily accessed. Moreover, wireframing helped looking at all the screens and the transitions from one to another in terms of shiftin spaces and maintaining a common thread for certain common functions throught the app.

Basic elements on the screen iPad dimensions (Potrait) from top to bottom Status bar-20 px Navigation bar-44 px Launch image-768x1004 px Tab bar-49 px

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

PHASE 5 : THE FINAL OUTCOME

DETAILED WIREFRAMES After the initial sketches and brainstorming I started off with a few more accurate and detailed wireframes. I used an online tool called Blasamiq Mockups. This is a easy to use tool with drag and drop components that generate sketchy wireframes that help focus on the functionality.

Homescreen of the game with a menu to choose from.

Touch menu Each tab has an icon and a click-able tab area contained in a transparent background over the background image.

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

Choosing systems and levels A complete selection menu for the system (Digestive, Respiratory, etc.)

Settings Tiled menu for settings. An icon for each setting.

A radio button to select difficulty level.

The Game Screen Maximum play area displaying maximum possible details. Easy access play/pause, resume and exit buttons.

Level completed A pop screen when the level is completed with a continue to the next system button.

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

The Launchscreen The page s the screen leading up to the homescreen.

The Scoreboard To keep the score of the overall progress in the game. Score for each system in a tiled menu.

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

PHASE 5 : THE FINAL OUTCOME

THE JOURNEY

Below is a visual description of the user journey for the game. Its a step by step description of how the user should interact with the game. The mock-ups donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use the final visual language but initial ideas for the same.

The main menu with icons for different task. The screen from which you can direct to different screens such as the game screen, settings, modes,etc

The loading screen of the application containing the icon of the app with a progress bar.

The game screen. Engaging visual where a kid sees his/her own body through a window(to create the calligram). the visual cue appears. The hint is a small bar that can be dragged from the side.

The correct word is dragged to the visual cue.

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

The user selects the appropriate set of alphabets in the right order from a pool of alphabets to create the label for the part of the body.

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

The game has a navigation bar that allows the user to pause at any stage and even shift between modes.

The next cue then appears to continue playing.

OBSERVATIONS Visualising the user journey step by step using detailed screens helped in understanding minor details about the functionality of the app and also helped refining the user experience.

At this stage, I was worried about the outcome of the project. I had an idea in place and some visualisations of the same but due to the constraints of resources and time creating something to materialise the idea was a major challenge. I am fortunate to have had a discussion with Rupesh and Payal at this point to give my idea a justifiable form.

This was the exact way the game was to be played and this step was very essential in putting the idea in an actual model. This crucial step was when all the planning was to be executed and later fleshed out with the visual appeal. But this raw visualisation was the first step to see how the app would turn out. The visual appeal was not part of this visualisation as it was purely meant to study and refine the functionality. Developing rich visuals was the next step.

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

PHASE 5 : THE FINAL OUTCOME

VISUAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPING VISUALS The visual style of the app was based on the story around which the app was developed. The style was to be colourful and simple. I tried out different combinations for the backgrounds that created a number of explorations.

Another important thing that must be specified here is that developing the visual style was not the core part of this project. A major part of the project involved conceptualising the app from the research I had done. Hence, the final visual do pose scope for improvement but, below are a few visuals I developed in the possible time frame.

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

A pear shaped organ that part of digestion.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

The part of the alimentary canal that connects the throat to the stomach.

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

FINAL VISUAL STYLE Below is an example of the final visual style of the app It was decided that the app would have a dark textured background in order to emphasize the main focus of the game. Also ‘the window’ had a different treatment to differentiate between the surroundings and the body.

This further emphasised the calligram is being used as a tool. It also made clear that the body didn’t actually look like this but the view is treated in a way to make the concept clearer and the tool more efficient.

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

PHASE 5 : THE FINAL OUTCOME

REDEFINING THE OUTCOME MEETING WITH RUPESH VYAS

REDEFINING THE OUTCOME

Throughout the course of the project, presenting the concept and the idea behind the visual tool had been a struggle. The bigger plan was to develop this into an app meant for a platform like a tab or even a phone. But with this plan came the following requirements,

Through discussions with my guide, Shilpa, Mr. Rupesh Vyas and a few other people who have had experience in designing apps before, it seemed best that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the ideaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for the app be documented in the form of a kind of a manual for somebody to use it to develop the app into a real project. The app would remain hypothetical in the scope of this project.

- Studying existing platforms like Android, IOS, Windows 8,etc. and their guidelines. - Choosing a suitable platform to launch such an idea. - Collaborating with a UX designer/expert in order to design a good app. All of the above requirements were most likely to be the future scope of this project and were also beyond the time frame of this project. Hence, I decided to choose a medium to present the idea/concept of this visual tool rather than develop it into functional app, with the hope that it will provide a good opportunity to someone with the interest and expertise to develop it and give it life.

THE CHALLENGES Since the final outcome now would be a manual for anyone who would be interested in learning about or developing this idea, the challenge is to communicate the idea at all levels. The different levels at which this idea would be communicated were: - The gist of the app - The smaller details that add value - An overall flow of the app Simulating gestures to communicate the flow of the actions in a written document also seemed fairly challenging.

CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY

THE END

CONCLUSION

ENDING THE JOURNEY This project has been a long journey which has finally come to an end. The journey had a lot of ups and downs, many things changed as the project went along. This piece of conclusion is the most difficult thing I have written in a long time. It has been a very enriching experience and I learnt a lot. A lot of basics about a lot of things - Research, Apps, Design and many more things. The process that I followed for this project was entirely new and not very traditional design approach. This also meant that the output was not a very refined design output but something that combined the research into a form that could be used. This transition was very difficult to arrive at. This project made me rediscover the joys of reading. Making notes and connecting different pieces of writing and ideas was a crucial part of this. It made me read a lot. I always felt that what I had read wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough. Structuring free flowing ideas and weighing options was a challenging and also a very important part of the project. This determined the output of the project. On a concluding note, this journey has been a holistic learning experience that I will cherish forever.

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

THE END

BIBLIOGRAPHY ONLINE JOURNALS JSTOR

A non-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive.

Concrete Poetry in Digital Media- Its Predecessors, its Presence and its Future By Roberto Simanowski Published in Dichtung- Digital 3, 2004 www.dichtung-digital.com/2003/4-ikonen.html

Moving text in avant-garde poetry- Towards a poetics of textual motion by Teemu Ikonen www.dichtung-digital.com/2003/4-ikonen.htm

Letter and Image

By MassinReview ByAnnette GadneyLeonardo, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Summer, 1972), Published by The MIT Press http://www.jstor.org/stable/1572403 Accessed on 12/07/2012 03:04

Picturing Words- Associative Typography and the Picture Book

By Rathna Ramanathan Typography Day 2012 Archives http://www.typoday.in/2012/spk_papers/rathna-ramanathan-typographyday2012.pdf

50 Word Games for Literature Class

by Ruth Rice The English Journal, Vol. 66, No. 6 (Sep., 1977), Published by: National Council of Teachers of English http://www.jstor.org/stable/815377 Accessed on 12/07/2012 02:59

Apollinaire and the International Avant-garde

By Willard Bohn Review by: Adelia V. Williams The French Review, Vol. 72, No. 5 (Apr 1999), Published by the American Association of Teachers of French http://www.jstor.org/stable/398370 Accessed n 12/07/2012 03:06

Contraculture and Subculture

By J. Milton Yinger American Sociological Review, Vol. 25, No. 5 (Oct., 1960), Published by: American Sociological Association http://www.jstor.org/stable/2090136 Accessed on 12/10/2012 08:17

Deviance and Social Control By Chris.Livesey Subcultural Theories www.sociology.org.uk

The Rise and Decline of a Subculture

By John A. Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell Reviewed by Social Problems, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Summer, 1967) Published by University of California Press on behalf of the Society for the Study of Social Problems http://www.jstor.org/stable/798871 Accessed on 12/10/2012 08:20

BOOKS The Visible Word. Experimental Typography and Modern Art By Johanna Drucker, 1909-1923 Published by the University of Chicago Press 1994 Islamic Art and Beyond- Constructing the Study of Islamic Art By Oleg Grabar Chapter 13: The Aesthetics of Islamic Art Beauty and Islam- Aesthetics in Islamic Art and Architecture By Valérie Gonzalez Pubished by the Institute of Ismaili Studies Treasures of Islam By Philip Bamborough Published by the Blandford Press, 1976

WEBSITE/WEBLINKS Learning games for preschool to kindergarten Ipad on the itunes app store http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/learning-games-for-preschool/id509343934?mt=8 Baby™ Iphone, ipod touch and ipad on the itunes app store http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/baby/id429185051?mt=8 Playtime with dora the explorer Iphone, ipod touch and ipad on the itunes app store http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/playtime-dora-explorer/id512990046?mt=8# Toca kitchen Iphone, ipod touch and ipad on the itunes app store http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/toca-kitchen/id476553281?mt=8 Fundación maría josé - posters On the behance network http://www.behance.net/gallery/fundacion-maria-jos-posters/5349023 Sociological theories to explain deviance http://ww2.valdosta.edu/~klowney/devtheories.htm Subcultural theory http://www.arasite.org/subclths.html Ux archive http://uxarchive.com/ Exljbris font foundry http://www.exljbris.com/ Free font alegreya by juan pablo del peral | font squirrel http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/alegreya

STUDIO 1/ ASMINA SHAIKH/GDPD GRAPHIC DESIGN/2012

Free font gentium basic by sil international | font squirrel http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/gentium-basic Eye magazine | Feature | Language unleashed http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/language-unleashed Robert massin ÂŤ xponto http://xponto.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/robert-massin/ Eye magazine | Feature | The designer as author http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/the-designer-as-author Oxford referencing system :: academic skills resources http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/refbib.html Branching narrative from borges to the hypertext | experimental game design http://mycours.es/gamedesign2012/48-2/branching-narrative-from-borges-to-the-hypertext/ Agnitus - games for learning Ipad on the itunes app store https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/learning-games-for-preschool/id509343934?mt=8 Robert massin Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/robert_massin Letter and image By Massin Google books http://books.google.co.in/books?id=zaknaqaaiaaj&source=gbs_book_other_versions Dalton maag http://www.daltonmaag.com/portfolio/all/ Android - discover android http://www.android.com/about/ New in android | android developers http://developer.android.com/design/patterns/new.html Android open source http://source.android.com/ Apple | Ipad - ios http://www.apple.com/ipad/ios/ Anything but a grabooberry | Rathna ramanathan Minus 9 design http://www.m9design.com/things/books-and-booklets/anything-but-a-grabooberry-2