vol.23 March 2022
Lock Magazine was designed by me, Natalee French, and Nayeli Buchanan in Layout 3 of the Visual Communication Project at Chemeketa Community College. This assignment
was to push us as designers and students to work on a real life simulation magazine. In
this task, we design a real-life magazine using the given template and articles. The initial process started with each student creating a magazine brand and designing a logo and
cover. From there, students began to receive critique from Professor Guido Alvarez’s on their designs. Students were able to make new iterations with the feedback and then pick the article that they were going to work on. In the first part of working on the magazine, each student laid their article/cover in the template provided. Students then received additional feedback on the next step of the magazine after showing off their first round
of layout. After the feedback groups of two people were made. The groups joined forces to design the magazine’s final product. Nayeli and I joined together to create a cohesive
magazine that contains not only each of our original layouts of the articles we picked, but
also 3 more students in the class. Together, Nayeli and I split the project into tasks and
took turns creating cohesion between all five articles in the document, creating a fullfledged magazine. After the two of us finished our entire design and feel of the magazine, we each added our original magazine name and cover to them. During the process of building and creating this magazine, I have learned many things and grew as a designer. Designing and creating the front cover pushed me in directions I haven’t ever pushed myself to. I was able to take my feeling away from the design and
be able to listen to the feedback that was being given to me from my processor. Working
with Nayeli on a project like this allowed each of us to do a real-life simulation of our design work at school. We were able to be art directors as a team, but still be able to have
personal feels and touches in the entire magazine. I hope anyone browsing this magazine can see the hard work and growth each of us has put into learning more about layout design.
Contents Design and Its Spheres of Influence Drawing in the Digital Age
A Future for Design Principles in Screen Typeography
Robert Harland
ngis eD s’ tI dna serehpS fo .ecneuflnI
This paper further expands on the concern about how we depict graphic design to explain its relationships (both “internal” and “external”) for the purposes of education, research, and practice. The initial development of this concern led to the identification of what has been described as the critical dimensions of graphic design, and this inquiry has required the analysis and proposed redefinition of the subject’s plural domains. The attempt to depict these critical dimensions, or domains, benefitted from a diagrammatic modeling exercise, discussed formally in 2007’ after having first been outlined a year earlier.’ This exercise demonstrated how the traditional definitions, from which the subject emerged and with which it became identified in the first half of the twentieth century, could be represented in diagrammatic form, creating a contemporary interpre-
tation of the subject. The present author has used the visual method of diagrams as a form of rational inquiry to illustrate the shift from traditional to contemporary ways of thinking about the graphic design (Figure 1). The traditional interpretation of graphic design in diagrammatic form by this author, seen on the left, owes much to the way urban design is shown, by Jon Lang in 2005, to have emerged from the overlap between architecture, landscape architecture, city planning and civil engineering. Whereas the contemporary model seen on the right evolved from numerous attempts by this present author since 2001 to use diagrams as an effective tool for teaching graphic design to students within and without the subject.
A diagrammatic representation of the traditional domains from which graphic design emerged (top), and an integrated model that links four key dimensions with the wider context. This model recognizes the idea, in the platonic sense, as central to an integrated “thinking and doing” process. From the diagram we can see the roots of graphic design in four very distinct but related activities: typography, illustration, photography, and print. Each of these activities has its own independent and interdependent history. This interpretation of graphic design, and the traditional definitions drawn from it, remained intact until the early 1990s•; but since then, a wider appreciation of the subject’s real potential as a profession, field, and discipline has been constrained by it. Consequently, we have seen further proliferation of and numerous alternative descriptions for what is essentially the same process of design. These new descriptions often align themselves with new technologies (e.g., the Web) or new marketing initiatives (e.g., the proliferation of the term “branding”). Not surprisingly, graphic design’s light appears to have dimmmed during this period as more specialized From the diagram we can see the roots of graphic design in four very distinct but related activities: typography, illustration, photography, and print. Each of these activities has its own independent and interdependent history. This interpretation of graphic design, and the traditional definitions drawn from it, remained intact until the early 1990s•; but since then, a wider appreciation of the subject’s real potential as a profession, field, and discipline has been constrained by it. Consequently, we have seen further proliferation of and numerous alternative descriptions for what is essentially the same process of design.
rof erutuF A ngiseD ni selpicnirP neercS
yhpargopyT anneK y ralliH
Introduction Emil Ruder (1914-1970) is distinguishable in the field of typography for developing a holistic approach to designing and teaching that encompasses philosophy, theory, and a systematic practical methodology After 25 years of teaching, Ruder published the heavily illustrated book, capturing his ideas, methods, and approach. The book represents a critical reflection on Ruder’s teaching and practice and a lifetime of accumulated knowledge. It has been published in nine languages and is now in its seventh edition. Today, more than 40 years after the book was first published, it is still widely used and referenced by education and industry practitioners alike.
Background to the Research This paper is drawn from PhD research that centers on the need for a clearer understanding of the nature and practice of typography in a screen environment and on trying to define the current and emerging design principles and methodologies that govern that practice. The research question arose from the day-to-day experience and practice of the researcher, who works both as a designer and as a lecturer in design for digital media. As a teacher and a practitioner, I have found that traditional knowledge and experience fall short of the challenges of designing and teaching typography for screen. Through experience, I have found that there are many differences between print and screen typography at both macro and micro levels, and that traditional practical methods require revision and extension to address nontraditional aspects, such as motion, sound, and interactivity presented by screen-based design. Ongoing critical reflection on these issues in the course of my daily design and teaching practice and my own educational experience have greatly influenced the motivation and point of view from which this research has developed. Through the course of trying to solve typographic design problems for screen in my own practice and through the development of teaching material for my students, I have been practically exploring this territory for some time. The requirements of PhD research presented an academically rigorous context, and a systematic methodology to further examine this territory. This paper sets out a critical discussion about how the direction of this research has been influenced by the work of Emil Ruder.
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Emil Ruder and His Method The broad nature of this PhD research subject (design principles for typography) and the emergent nature of the field (screen typography) required a contextual examination that encompassed a critical review of both relevant literature and contemporary practice.During the analysis of findings, Emil Ruder ‘s practical methodology for designing typography emerged, proving to be particularly relevant to this research. Four main reasons for Ruder ‘s significance became apparent and form the basis of discussion in this paper: • The location of Ruder ‘s book within the broader canon of literature on typography and design principles, and how it is referenced by and linked to the literature as a whole; • The distinctive nature of Ruder’s book and practice methodology among those in the field; • The renewed interest in modernism, and how Ruder represents a paradigm of modernist aesthetics and methodology; • The relevance of Ruder’s approach to screen media.
3
Pam Schenk
gniwarD a ni latigiD egA
is still important, and many senior designers are era srengised roines ynam ...“ ability concerned that the creativity of young designers will be y tivitaerc eht taht denrecnoc impaired if they are not encouraged to learn to draw. eb lliw srengised gnuoy fo The Study ton era yeht fi deriapmi ”.ward ot nrael ot degaruocne In the mid-1980s the author conducted an extensive re-
Introduction Once largely dependent on the drawing abilities of designers, the design process has been almost totally transformed by the use of digital media, including systems that might be seen to replace the need for drawing ability. However, a recent investigation has confirmed that traditional, paper-based forms of drawing are still used by many designers and are particularly crucial as an aid to creative thinking. Conducted as the final phase in a longterm study of the role of drawing in design, the main aim of this investigation has been to determine the extent to which the use of drawing-which typified designerly practice when the long-term study began-is still evident today. Recent accounts by a number of senior textile and visual communication designers of their use of drawing demonstrate that they not only still rely on quick, informal sketching to stimulate new ideas, but they also believe that the visual literacy and visual memory that inspires these ideas is developed by an early and continuing use of drawing. They seem to believe that an adaptable use of drawing and the acquisition of drawing
search project to investigate and characterize the role of drawing in the design process.1 The choice of graphic design as the primary focus for this project proved fortunate because the results of the research indicated that drawing was used extensively in every phase of the design process and, based on these results, it was possible to construct a detailed model of drawing activity. However, even as the project was nearing completion, the pervasive introduction of computers into the design studio began to have a profound effect on the role of drawing, and when the initial research project was completed, the author decided to extend the investigation to monitor changes in designerly practice with particular reference to the effects of digital technology on drawing. During the ensuing long-term research program, conducted at regular intervals during the intervening period, the investigation was broadened to include other design disciplines, including the new visual communication specializations that proliferated as a result of the opportunities provided by the new technology (e.g., interactive media design and digital animation). More recently, product design and textile design have also been included in the study. In the final project, intended to complete the research program by taking stock of current practice, the author focused on two groups of
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designersnamely, visual communication designers, for whom the use of digital media has long been ubiquitous, and textile designers. A somewhat slower adoption of computer-aided design (CAD) in tex tile design than in other disciplines has meant that traditional drawing methods are still used by many textile designers,2 and drawing maintains a significant place in textile design education’. Therefore, a comparative analysis of the drawing practices of these two groups has proven both timely and instructive.
latigid fo tceffe ehT “ ngised eht no y golonhcet ylluf eb ot tey sah ssecorp ”...dootsrednu
The effect of digital technology on the design process has yet to be fully understood,’ particularly with regard to the application of hybrid and convergent drawing systems.’ While numerous visual communication designers extol the virtues of “hand-drawn” methods/ some new approaches merge the digital with traditional forms of drawing.7 Although educators must be alert to the ways younger textile designers, for example, are now required to integrate new technology into their practice to identify new opportu nities for design,’ continuing to monitor whether and how traditional paper-based forms of drawing are also to be integrated remains important, as does facilitating opportunities, where appropriate, to achieve such integration.
particularly with regard to their use of drawing. Since the inception of this study, the author has elicited the views of hundreds of designers and more than a hundred academics, plus those of numerous students. In addition, she has analyzed well over a thousand drawings by designers, as well as numerous sketchbooks and notebooks, and has regularly monitored both studio practice and design degree shows. She has visited more than 50 design consultancies/groups in the United Kingdom, ranging from those in major corporations employing large numbers of designers, to medium and small enterprises with just a small number of designers, The latter have included some of the most influential and innovative organiza tions of their era.9
Monitoring Change
Although ambitious in scope, the research program also needed to be both intuitive and reflexive in conduct, so that the author could ascertain the essentials of drawing practice in a wide range of studio environments and with a varied sample of design professionals. The implicit and tacit understanding of designers regarding their own practice is recognized as difficult to inter pret.10 However, interviewing designers and observing them at work has proven to be an effective way to elicit both their personal approach to drawing and their experience of the requirements of working for industry. Similarly, analyzing the drawings produced, particularly in dialogue with the designer, yields still further information. A semi-structured interview approach combines con sistent investigation of predetermined topics with the opportunity to explore new lines of enquiry.11 Whenever possible, each round of interviews and discussions was conducted at the respondent’s workplace, where the activity of drawing could be witnessed and examples of drawings were available for reference, recording, and
A consistent aim throughout the long-term study was to inves tigate and analyze the individual designer’s experience of designing in the commercial environment,
STIDERC ART DIRECTORS
COLLABORATORS
NATALEE FRENCH 2nd Year VC Student
KAILEE JONES NAYELI BUCHANAN
VC LAYOUT 3 WINTER TERM 2022
Chemeketa Commnity College Visual Communications Program. Layout 3