heme d Theme// //Conclusion Conclusion// rd Theme // Conclusion
Visual IndexIndex // // Visual // Visual Index
Bibliography // // Bibliography // Bibliography
Credits and Acknowledgements // Credits and Acknowledgements // Credits and Acknowledgements
ANTI means yes.yes. ANTI Mea means Culpa A design thesis A design thesis by Betsy Medvedovsky by Betsy Medvedovsky I have made too many beautiful things that no one got.
I have made too many clever things that made no sense. Artium Baccalaureatus, Linguistics Artium Linguisticspoints that were convoluted and lost. I have Baccalaureatus, made too many interesting Minor in Languages and Literature MinorRussian in Russian Languages and Literature University of Chicago University of Chicago May 2004 May 2004
Introduction
©Betsy Medvedovsky ©Betsy Since I Medvedovsky started doing design, I!ve always felt compelled to break form, push
it to the limit, see what would happen, do it like it hadn!t been done before, A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Atothesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the think up something weirder and crazier than everyone else had.degree It!s a of Master of Fine Arts, Communications Design Master of Fine Arts, Communications Design dirty compulsion, an impulse I can!t control. School of Art and Design School of Art and Design Pratt Institute Pratt Institute leads to beautiful graphic experiments, fun visual work. But too often, I!ve MayIt2011 May 2011 broken the form too well, exploded past the limits too far: the work becomes too personal, a formal exploration that can no Received and incomprehensible, approved: Received and approved: longer hold content. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ As much asAdvisor, I!m interested in form, I am a graphic designer. That is: I want Primary Thesis Edvin Yegir Primary Thesis Advisor, Edvin Yegir Yet I am addicted to exploration. At to communicate with people visually.
heart this thesis is about trying to reconcile these two needs: a need for _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ simple communication and a need for the new. A need for the standard and Secondary Thesis Advisor, Manuel Miranda! Secondary Thesis Advisor, Manuel Miranda! a need for originality. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Secondary Anti. Thesis Advisor, Mark Sanders! Secondary Thesis Advisor, Mark Sanders! Anti-hero. Anti-matter. Anti-particle. Anti-climax. These words are formed
with the prefix “anti-” that means not antagonistic or opposing, but “identical _____________________________________________________________ to in formJeff or function, but lacking, opposite or contrary in essential Chairperson, Bellantoni _____________________________________________________________ respects.” They!re common English words everyone knows; anti- itself is a Chairperson, Jeff Bellantoni highly productive affix, meaning in the right context, any word might get _____________________________________________________________ anti!d by a speaker. Anti- combines the familiar with the new, becomes the MFA_____________________________________________________________ Candidate, Betsy Medvedovsky expected with a Betsy twist. Like an anti-hero, design can be slightly off—yet still MFA Candidate, Medvedovsky recognizable as the main protagonist. A protagonist unlike what we!ve seen before. Drawing from this definition of “anti-”, I formalize a strategy I call ANTI, which uses familiar forms, formats and tropes, but breaks them in some