The Brain: a semester of the human brain and experimential typography

the brain

a semester of the human brain and experimental typography

the brain

a semester of the human brain and experimental typography

what if you had to use your brain all semester?

brain: an apparatus with which we think we think.

-Ambrose Bierce

fall 2009 experimental typography with shane kendrick

first challenge: use one typeface the entire semester

second challenge: keep the human brain as the main subject

first assignment build a word

Step One: Choose a word I chose the word pressure for a few reasons. Mainly because I have a condition called hydrocephalus. It’s a medical condition where my body cannot release the spinal fluid pressure away from my brain. Hydrocephalus literally means water on the brain. I have a VP shunt, a medical device implanted in my ventricles, that pumps the spinal fluid away from my brain. However some times the shunt malfunctions which can become dangerous and sometimes life threatening because of the pressure on my brain. The pressure cause intense headaches, nausea, blurred vision, change in gate, and sometimes slurred words.

Step Two: Choose a typeface I chose the typeface Orator because it reminded me of the fonts I would see in the doctors offices I spent so much time in. Orator was designed by John Scheppler for IBM typewriters. It is commonly used for technical documentation and/or tabular material. It is made up of capitals and small capitals only and is monospaced.

Step Three: Start word construction I built the word pressure from 4 main materials. Wood, Plexi glass, CT scans, and nuts and bolts. The Plexi was cut and then the CT scans were sandwhiched in between. The wood cut letters were then bolted to the back for support.

second assignment create the th letter 27

Step One: Research After the first project I decided I would focus on the medical device in have inplanted in my ventricles, a VP shunt. I did extensive research on where the shunt is implanted and how exactly it directs the fluid away from my brain.

Step Two: Sketch My sketching process didn’t last long before I found my shape I was going ot build my 27th letter from. The ventricle it’s self had a beautifully simple yet complex form. It almost reminded me of a lima bean.

Step Three: Build zine Following my brain theme for the semester I had to think of a creative way to display my zine. I was inspired by clip boards that most doctors or nurses carry around on a daily work shift. I cut down a basic clip board and when I displayed my zine it was hung like a tradional clip board would hang in a hospital room.

third assignment screen printing and linocuts

Step One: Choose two opposite words I chose the words left and right for my words. I wanted to showcase how the different sides of the brain are complete opposite yet the work beautifully together.

Step Two: Sketch I then began to brainstorm words that could be associated with the right and left side of the brain. I asked different people of things that would be in their head before havinga major surgery. from there I was inspired and created two master lists.

Step Three: Screenprint I only did screenprinting for this project due to physical limitations I could not do a lino cut. So I screenprinted two different layers of color onto my own CT scans. For critique I displayed the Scans in the old x-ray machines from the JCRS in the student lounge.

life fix right relief amend

ameliorate

life fix past right future h pain t a e d relief family drugs friends amend sions

illu u nsetteling ameliorate

forthexperimental assignment music poster

Step One: Choose a song This was one of the hardest project to try and tie into my central brain theme for the semester. However i did find a song that tied into the brain. After what seemed like hours of searching youtube i found a song that opened with a quote from Willy Wonka. It mentioned the nerve center of the wanka factory, which reminded me of how the brain is the center of our nervous system.

Step Two: Sketch and layout I had multiple ideas flying through my head for this poster. It started out black with bursts of color being nerve cells made by type floating above the quote in the song. Then it evolved into this wall of color inspired by the magical boat ride in the movie.

my dear friends youthe are now about to enter nerve center to the entire wonka W o n k a factory

semester end

Experimental Typography Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design Shane Kendrick The Brain: a semester of the human brain and experimental typography Designer: Š2010 Jamie M. Sieb