The Bleed, Vol 4

THE BLEED VOLUME 4

TYPE EXPOSÉ SINIX INTERVIEW WAYFINDING SYSTEMS MOHOLY-NAGY

THE BLEED EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lorenz Sievers ASST EDITOR-­IN-­CHIEF Erika Radcliffe DEPUTY EDITOR / FACILITATOR Andrea Williams SENIOR EDITOR Greg Wilson EXECUTIVE EDITORS John Myres, Blake Gaddis, Caleb Thomas, Carla Lorraine Rowe COPY CHIEF Debbie Meyer COPY EDITORS Aaron Poppie, Caleb Thomas, Carla Lorraine Rowe, Nick Siegrist PREPRESS MANAGER John Myres

CONTENTS FEATURES

02 14 22 31

SINIX INTERVIEW Greg Wilson

WAYFINDING SYSTEMS Aaron Poppie

MOHOLY-NAGY Nick Siegrist

22

ANATOMY OF TYPE

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Aaron Poppie, Nick Siegrist, Byron Hughey

24

DISTRESSED TYPE

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Byron Hughey

26

FOUND TYPE

28

TYPE TRENDS

29

GRID SYSTEMS

LCC GRAPHIC DESIGN 2013

Erika Radcliffe

08 GRADUATES INTERVIEW Lorenz Sievers

TYPE EXPOSÉ

COLOR AND QUALITY MANAGER Charlene Buff DESIGN LAYOUT EDITORS Charlene Buff, Carlene Taylor, Byron Hughey

06 WEB DESIGN TRENDS

11

PANTONE COLOR REVIEW

19

ARCHITECTURE

35

DESIGN FOR SOCIAL ACTION

38

GREEN DESIGN

41

NEW TECHNOLOGY

45

ARTIST BIOS

Caleb Thomas & Tom Madison

John Myres

Carla Lorraine Rowe

Carlene Taylor

Erika Radcliffe

49

Andrea Williams

Byron Hughey

Erika Radcliffe

Charlene Buff

John Marberry

Blake Gaddis

DESIGN RESOURCES Greg Wilson

SINIX By: Greg Wilson

Hello, I’d like to thank you for your time, can you please introduce yourself and share what got you started in digital painting?

Hello! My name is Robert Stacy, but I’m more commonly known by the name Sinix. I am a primarily digital illustrator that focuses a lot of free time on creating youtube videos to help educate and introduce other people to the world of digital art and art theory. I didn’t grow up focused on art, but various events led me to an interest in art at around the age of 20. I was originally compelled to be a writer because of my love of storytelling, but I realized I was far too often struggling to translate a visual state of mind into words. I dabbled in comics and before I knew it, I had been bitten by the art bug. It didn’t take me long to realize that a quick sketch could tell a more subjectively personal story than a string of text ever could. The versatility of digital painting certainly lends itself well to the cause of storytelling. Traditional painting contains rich passion and expression, but lacks the flexibility and control that you want when refining an idea, concept, or story.

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What inspired you from your surroundings as you were growing up?

I grew up in the late 80s and 90s. Like most kids during that time, my childhood was filled with over-the-top action movies and unique video games. Luckily, my parents were fairly relaxed with exposing me to action-filled movies. It was also the age of VHS tapes, and if your family was as cheap as mine, you would remember that you could squeeze three pirated movies onto every VHS tape.

I loved watching my favorites on a regular basis.

Movies like Aliens, Total Recall, Robocop, and Blade Runner all heavily shaped my love for Sci-Fi and action. Of course, video games were the most popular hobby of the time. The abstractions of 8 and 16 bit media combined with the culture shock of strange international elements made most video games of the time highly memorable and highly influential on someone’s visual development.

What inspires you now, are there particular artists or genres that you feel drawn to?

I have lots of artistic inspirations. Sparth was one of the major influences that got me interested in digital painting. I feel that he has always been on the forefront of exploring digital methods and styles for painting.

His work can most recently be seen in the video game Halo 4. Ashley Wood is also a favorite artist of mine, although his work is near entirely traditional, his loose style and expressive minimalism are a huge influence in having fun with art and painting. Most of my favorite artists work in the field of concept art for the movie and game industry, but I also find it extremely helpful and important to expose myself to as many diverse genres as I can. You can learn a lot from the creative line work and color choices of French illustration, or the highly practiced realistic techniques of Chinese digital painting.

Describe your design process when trying to come up with a concept.

My design process is based heavily on the concept of accessing the stored visual library inside my head. The best way I find to do this is by making a lot of chaotic or random shapes at a very small scale and then relying on my stored visual memory to see something in the chaos.

All concepts, no matter how strange they might seem, are based on previous information and design language. If they were truly unique or original, then they would be unrecognizable as to any possible function and therefore useless

as actual concepts. Luckily enough, the concept of creating something truly “original” might not even be philosophically feasible.

What distinguishes your style from other conceptual artists?

As mentioned previously, designs come from the access of our visual library. No two people have seen the exact same things from the exact some viewpoint their entire life... so distinguishing a style has never been a goal, but it is a natural outcome. I would describe my style as very loose and minimal.

I am a big fan of accent colors and contrasting materials. Artists understand concepts such as contrast when applied to technique, but it’s also fun to apply those ideas to concepts and design theory as well. For instance, a robot might normally be associated with cold and boring metal... but you can make the idea more interesting by bringing in contrasting ideas such as warm colors and more organic materials and shapes.

I noticed you seem to be drawn to robots and mechanical paintings, what do you find most interesting about this subject?

To me, there has always been a bit more freedom toward the absurd when it comes to mechanical design. I love being able to experiment around with crazy shapes and making them believable as long as they follow some basic concept of weight, balance, and symmetry. It’s hard to sum up what makes it so much more appealing than creating organic designs, but to me it feels like the ultimate subject matter for complete design freedom and expression.

What advice would you offer artists of all talent levels looking to improve their illustration skills?

One of the most important things is to simply observe. Observe as much art as you can. Observe good art, bad art, and everything in between.

Critique everything you can and listen to the critiques of others. Simply drawing a lot can improve your motor skills and control, but being good at art is highly dependent on your abilities of recognition. Observe the world around you as well. Try to think about everything in terms of art.

Being an artist is mostly a mental exercise. That also leads me to the second most important aspect in improving, believing in your ability to improve. The importance of confidence can not be understated.

Even if you lack confidence in your current skill level, at least have confidence in the idea of improvement through practice and observation.

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WEBRESPONSIVE DESIGN TRENDS DESIGN AND MORE

Remember Us? Long Gone

By Erika Radcliffe

The latest trends in web design are a great reflection of what is happening in the ever-changing online world. As people develop new and amazing technology, the internet and website design must change as well to meet the new standards set by these wonderful new devices and the consumer demands set by them. This article will cover some of the biggest web design trends that have been emerging in 2013.

Responsive Design

There are so many new devices coming out everyday, and everyday they seem to get smaller and smaller. This awesome new technology brings up the new issue of readability of websites on extremely small screens. Responsive web design provides a wonderful solution to this problem. Responsive design allows users to better experience the web on small screens by creating websites that can actually identify and respond to the different screen sizes the site is viewed on. It is important to keep in mind though, responsive design is not just about mobile, nor is it about creating a brand new website for different devices.

Responsive design is about creating the best user-end experience no matter how the site is viewed.

Some of the key principles to live by when designing responsive sites are: 1. Build on a fluid grid 2. Use responsive images and videos

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3. Use media queries to define screen sizes and breakpoints 4. Remove non-essential content with smaller screen sizes 5. Create responsive navigation There are several main ways in which to plan a responsive site. They range anywhere from super simple to very complex coding.

Flexible Grids Designing with a flexible grid is a very simple way if you are looking for a fairly simple and quick way to design a responsive site. Within a flexible grid there are at least five components. These are: Flexible type, flexible containers, flexible margins, flexible padding and flexible images. We are not going to go into detail on these things, but there is a lot more information on these concepts on the web from many awesomely talented designers.

Media Queries Media queries are an awesome tool that allows the designer to define breakpoints in screen size. They expand the role of the “media” attribute that controls how CSS styles are applied. A basic media query would be something like media=”print”. Media queries for responsive design take this to w whole new level, allowing designers to target specific styles based on screen size, orientation and other factors.

Media queries are supported on Internet Explorer (IE) 9+, Firefox 3.5+, Safari 3+, Opera 7+, as well as on most modern smartphones and other screenbased devices. Although older versions of IE don’t support media queries, all designers looking to go responsive should start using them now.

In short, responsive design is slowly becoming a necessity in today’s technological world and is something that all designers should keep in mind while creating websites.

Flat Design

The next trend we will be covering is flat design. Sounds boring, right?

Well, it actually has a lot of potential and is becoming very popular in web design. It’s honest, it’s 2D and it is simple, and sometimes simplicity is better than complexity. Flat website design is simply web design that lacks texture or gradient, dimension and skeuomorphism within the design, but these sites are still very aesthetically pleasing and functional. Flat websites are very typographically focused and only use flat colors and boxes for main content, headers and navigation. Flat design doesn’t so much focus on the decoration of fancy parts of web design; it focuses on the functional part of web design.

This type of website design is great for portfolio sites and makes navigating and digesting information on a site much easier for the user. Flat design also makes it much easier to optimize sites for different devices by making the sites more scalable due to less information within the site.

Content First Design

Content first design is another wonderful trend coming around in web design that has largely been ignored.

Content first design is simply making sure important content is presented to the user first; after all, this is why people look at websites. It isn’t for all the fancy effects, well, maybe if you are looking for inspiration it is, it is to find information that tells them about your business.

So, the two main points of content first design are: 1. Design the site around the content, don’t create the content according to the design or just fill in content when the design is finished. If you can get all of the content for a website, get it. It can be hard to design a website when you don’t know what the content really is about.

2. Present the most important information to the user first, and without making them work to get it.

Giving vital information to the user make looking through your site much easier and can help keep attention.

Confusion within a web site can frustrate the user and possibly even make them just leave a webpage. Also, when you plan to give important information first, you can create responsive site much easier. Having to eliminate a lot of needless content just to make your site responsive or mobile friendly can be a pain.

All of this being said, it is still pretty cool to make fun websites and should be done, but only if it appropriate and meets the needs of the client or site. Content first design is a great way of thinking in a world where people demand easily accessed information quickly.

These are some of the awesome and very nice trends that have been showing their faces more and more in 2013 and they can be very fun, and not to mention practical, to work with. One important thing that should be said is that responsive design is probably one of the most important “trends” that any web designer or developer should learn.

In truth, it really isn’t a trend, but an actual reality of web design that will not be changing anytime soon. Keeping pace (at least kind of) with today’s emerging technologies and trends can be an awesome challenge and fun to work with! So stick with it.

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Are You Ready?

Learning from others who’ve recently entered the professional design field provides a valuable insight to the world of graphic design. I asked three designers who’ve recently completed the Graphic Design program at Lane Community College to describe what makes their jobs interesting, challenging and rewarding. This is what they said.

Jyn Henzel

Jyn is the Graphic Designer for Springfield Creamery and Kesey Enterprises in Eugene, Oregon. Drawing upon her formal education in Graphic Design and her extensive background as a business manager and owner, Jyn’s toolbox is loaded with proven skills that serve her well. Her abilities as a designer are continually expanded and honed by the demands her position present.

Tyler Wilson

Tyler is a fine artist and Graphic Designer with over 10 years combined professional experience. He is contracted with the Springfield School District and partners in business with his brother, Greg Wilson at Close Association Production & Design, LLC. Graphic Design has captivated Tyler’s imagination from the start. With an important sense of purpose and place, Tyler has found the ability to visually communicate a very natural process.

Andrew Kim

( YOU WON’T BROWN BAG IT FOREVER )

BY LORENZ SIEVERS

Andrew is the Graphic Designer for the University of Oregon Duck Stores.

The way people work and the tools and knowledge that aid in their success fascinate him. Andrew has an educational background that includes architecture, music, photography, marketing and public relations. However, it is in Graphic Design that he finds the joy in the intersection of science and art - the joy of controlled chaos, a space in which he thrives.

What has been the greatest challenge to you as a professional designer?

[JH] Trying to stay up-to-date on new technology and budding trends.

There are amazing things going

on out there, but when you have a heavy workload; sometimes it is hard to find the time to experiment and learn new techniques. When you are swimming in a sea of projects it is easy to fall back on what you already know to complete the job. I, at times, just try to stop everything and peruse around on the Internet, read a book or magazine, or watch a documentary on art and design. Sometimes I need to clear my mind of my plans, projects, and ideas and just submerse myself in others’ creativity. It’s like taking a break to have a breath of fresh air.

[TW] Without question, it is learning to handle the creative and conceptual dry spell. Like a surfer without a wave, it can lay the foundation for wisdom

At any given time I may be working on a dozen active projects, each with their own drastically different challenges and outcome requirements, all while mentally prepping for a half-dozen more. Having production and design class assignments that overlapped one another, each with varying scale and demands, gave me a taste of things to come, readying my body, mind and spirit for the need to keep the proverbial dial on 11. Being able to juggle these well while keeping a sense of humor about it all is a vital piece of why I love that I can say that I love what I do.

[TW] Listening and hearing the client.

Holding the ability to separate emotionally from the project at hand, listening to what is requested, while harnessing the ability to still create and manifest with

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, push your limits, know when to let go, take pride in the details, remember to breathe... and growth − or lend itself to ignite a haze of self-doubt. It can be both a positive and negative experience; however, it is always the choice of moving forward that yields whether you are a designer who can persevere in the face of adversity... or you are not.

Is there a skill you learned in school that has proved to be invaluable in your development as a designer?

[AK] Without a doubt the thing that school, particularly the last couple of terms in the design program at LCC, prepared me for was the rapid pace and breadth of work in which that pace would be kept. My work at The Duck Store, while in many aspects a brand agency, is still subject to the demands of a fast-paced retail environment.

emotions, after fully hearing what is desired. For myself the greatest success is when a client is completely satisfied with the end product and knowing that I did everything I could to facilitate their need, without having a preconceived notion of what I think is best. You can learn a great deal from a customer if you are willing to put yourself on a shelf for a bit.

What tool do you use to make sure you stay on task and meet deadlines?

[AK] I can’t stress how important communication is. In my [limited] experience, anytime a project has failed or not met its deadline it is because of a breakdown in communication.

Either an e-mail gets looked over, a note gets lost, a proof is ignored or someone just isn’t well-versed in the

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tools of communication. Even worse: There are too many ways to pass on information. If communication is primarily supposed to be through our in-house job system, but a crucial spec is mentioned while on our chat software, or a piece of collateral is uploaded to our server without any connection to the job, that’s a recipe for breakdown.

notes on each project; all compiled together nicely on one spreadsheet.

projects, whether they be as small as a staff badge design or as large as a billboard.

You are a graphic designer working in a region with a population of nearly a quarter-million people. Is there enough work for everyone, including new graduates?

What advice do you have for budding designers entering the job market?

Also: Lists. Hell - even lists of lists.

I highly recommend investigating some of the many notetaking/listkeeping/organizing tools and apps out there. I used Wunderlist for a long while - having the ability to share lists with others for collaboration and communication, all while interfacing on both my phone and the website was a huge timesaver, but lately I’ve found myself using Catch more and more. It offers a lot of the same list-keeping and notetaking functions of Wunderlist, and the sync hasn’t let me down.

[JH] I think there absolutely is enough work to go around; it is just how you approach the job hunt.

With the world of Graphic Design; there are many avenues ranging from web to print based, in-house vs. telecommute; you just have to get creative in what you are looking for. I think we have an advantage in being involved in a digital work field. There are many opportunities to work with companies and clients not only in our local area, but as well as around the world with the tools available today (i.e.: E-mail, Skype, etc.).

[JH] If it wasn’t for my Excel spreadsheets, I would be lost. I have too many assorted projects that go on with no set pattern in deadlines, that I need a quick reference to keep track of all the details. I have tried planners, iCal, outlook calendar, notebooks, post-its, all the way to writing notes on my hand and arms. None of these things were efficient enough for what I needed and all the information seemed scattered. Excel enables me to organize the relevant information I need. I can easily see what is due, what my start dates were, what my deadline is, what priority level it is, and special

Do you provide any value-added services to your professional toolbox?

[AK] I love photography as a way of distilling a moment to its essence, as real or untruthful as that essence may be - this is sometimes a fun trick to play with still images - and so I always have a camera or three on me at all times. I’m lucky in that we have an on-staff photographer at work, but knowing that I have the skill set and aesthetics to accurately and quickly capture an image means that I can pinch hit when necessary, and many of my photos have ended up in our

[JH] Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, push your limits, know when to let go, take pride in the details, remember to breath...but most of all, just walk away from the computer from time to time; that thing can drive you crazy.

[TW] This profession can be just as enjoyable and satisfying, as it can be ruthless and cut throat; Nevertheless, Love what you do, never assume anything, always ask for clarification and continue to challenge any belief, that anyone else but you, holds the key to your limitations.

[AK] Don’t be afraid to break the mold of how things “traditionally have been done.” Certainly there is merit in finding your own design voice and being comfortable in it, but I honestly believe that finding that voice, and more importantly establishing that voice as part of your brand, takes time. Lots of it. Exposing myself to new kinds of art and new kinds of design challenges pushes me to engineer new [to me] ways of finding design solutions. I know that there are design traits that I’m known for, but this knowledge in itself forces me to explore not-known-as-me designs so I can further my tool set and increase my value to my clients.

The

PANTONE COLOR

BY ANDREA WILLIAMS

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Tyler Wilson

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Andrew Kim

Jyn Henzel

e make color choices everyday, depending on how we feel in that particular moment. Color has a profound effect on our lives, whether its what we wear from clothing to accessories or a product off the shelf.

Color evokes our emotions and how we communicate. For the past 50 years Pantone the global authority on color has been the leader in influencing the decisions we make everyday about color in the supermarket, clothing stores, car lots and for interior

furnishings. Pantone gets their color choices through exploration of the world around us. They evaluate how color trends in our everyday life make the general population respond. As a Graphic Designer, I find it imperative to stay up on the current trends Pantone offers and to stay seasoned in color theory for product and commercial designing. Pantone is a great tool to communicate colors for maximum impact and effectiveness.

They are creating a high standard

of consistency in a very inconsistent print world, with a great standardized coloring system for printers. But Pantone’s color system also carries over to a wide array for media- for example, web, fashion, and interior design.

Pantone, right now is featuring the last 50 years of different color trends from the ‘60s to ‘00s and how the world and times affect our color choices. Since 2000 Pantone has chosen a Pantone Color of the year. To make this choice they take a look at the world

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COLOR OF THE YEAR

2012 2009 2006 2003

2013 Emerald 17-5641

C M Y 99 0 69 R G B 0 155 119

2000 K 0

Tangerine Tango 17-1463

Mimosa 14-0848

Sand Dollar 13-1106

Aqua Sky 15-5217

Cerulean Blue 18-3943

for color influences that best define all design as a global unity. The influences of Pantone’s choices are a list of things including entertainment, film, travel, art, automotive, economy, fashion, jewelry, technology, industrial design, sports, and politics.

2011

Honeysuckle 18-2120

2008

Blue Iris 18-3943

2005 2002

Blue Turquoise 18-3943

True Red 18-3943

2010 2007 2004 2001

Turquoise 15-5519

Chili Pepper 19-1557

Tigerlily 18-3943

Fuchsia Rose 18-3943

[

[

“Pantone describes Emerald as radiant, multifaceted, jewel-toned”

The current Pantone color of the year is Emerald 17-5641. Pantone describes Emerald as radiant, multifaceted, jewel-toned and it promotes, balance and harmony, newlife, and healing and unity. Next time you’re out looking for your next purchase or just choosing

what to wear for the day, see how Pantone color affects you and the choices you make.

To explore more on Pantone go to: pantone.com

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wayfinding PRACTICE AND PROFESSION

T

he blindfold comes away from your eyes and you look around and see an unfamiliar urban landscape. What is there? How does it make you feel?

And where do you go from here? Is there a recognizable feature that sticks out? What clues do you look for first?

These and hundreds of other questions race through people’s conscious and subconscious minds as they make their way through the complex and highly stressful environments that we live in

today. Is this a safe place? Can I get to where I am going? Is this even the right direction? We are constantly checking and re-checking our surroundings for assurance of our place and relationship to these environments.

How much further is it? Are there any obstacles? What’s the next step? We often don’t think of these questions in the course of our daily ritual, because we are familiar with their daily answers. Out the

E

ARTICLE AND DESIGN

BY AARON POPPIE

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veryday, we have to find our way from point A to point B, and usually back again. To do this, we go through the thought process of taking in information from our environment and comparing it against our memory in order to form a cognitive map or image of the place we are in, where we are going, and how to get there.

This is the process of Wayfinding. The term, first coined by Kevin Lynch in his groundbreaking book The Image of the City(1960) states, “this image is the product both of immediate sensation and of the memory of past experience, and it is used to interpret information and to guide action.” This internal thought process called Wayfinding gets us where we are going, be it to the doctor, school, or baseball game.

Like the words on this page, it is the visual language by which we read our environment. These practical concerns of moving about our world are an essential part of Wayfinding, but finding one’s way is a greater journey than getting to the grocery store.

driveway, down Fairmont St., up Sycamore Blvd. and park three spaces down to the left. But when we go to an unfamiliar place or suddenly find ourselves in one, these questions become very evident, imposing and even terrifying. “Oh no, how many miles back was it? Which way is the road? I’m sorry I’m freaking out, I don’t even speak Dutch”. We have all been this person, and we will all be this person at some point in our lives.

People see themselves in their environment, and their environments reinforce their image of themselves.

This is an important factor to recognize in thinking about people and the ways that they navigate. In other words, if you see yourself as stressed out and in a rush, then you will be more aware of stressful and rushed things and experiences, which then reinforce your original self-image. It is a cycle that can propel a person forward or drag them down even further. Lynch is keenly aware of this and goes on to explain how the Wayfinding thought process is central to good emotional health. “A good environmental image gives it’s possessor an important sense of emotional security” in that “he can establish a harmonious relationship between himself and the outside world.”

Finding one’s way means more than your daily commute; it’s about having a direction in life and having a positive image of that direction. Everyone has to find his or her way, and everyone goes about it differently.

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I

T

herein lies the true challenge of Wayfinding. How do you navigate the world and built environment when you are blind, deaf or hearing impaired, elderly, handicapped, illiterate, have three kids and are going to school full time, on a deadline, or taking your mother to the hospital after she fell.

How do you navigate when the image that you have of yourself or what you are doing cannot be found in the world around you? These factors and a million more shape the ways we interact with our environments, and especially the way we move through them.

H

The built environment that most of us exist and live in today did not evolve with everyone in mind. It is a stressful and unfriendly place for many people who already struggle with immediate issues. In the moments passing through a space, we often focus only on the primary reason for being there, not noticing how we made the series of decisions that got us to that point.

However, it is in these moments, and ways of being, that getting where we are going is most essential, and most difficult.

OW DO YOU NAVIGATE WHEN THE IMAGE THAT YOU HAVE OF YOURSELF OR WHAT YOU ARE DOING CANNOT BE FOUND IN THE WORLD AROUND YOU?

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Margaret Robertson, an instructor and Chair of the Facilities Council at Lane Community College has observed this in the wide range of students that attend the college. Many are returning to school after many years of work to find a new career. Many struggle with financial, medical, and other issues that make education more than challenging. She explains, “we have to feel comfortable and confident and feel good about ourselves before we have any hope of going on and learning anything.” Good self-image promotes good work, and a good environmental image promotes good self-image.

t is these two primary concerns, the practical questions of navigation, and the understanding of people’s lives/behavior, that are the driving forces that first brought Wayfinding into the worlds of graphic design, architecture, and city planning. For it is within these professions that we have the capacity and responsibility to develop good Wayfinding design that can best address these complicated questions. Such as how do you design a building for a person that cannot use the stairs? How do you make signs for someone who cannot read them, and how can you design the experience to be fair and equal to everyone? Wayfinding design is the process of answering these questions by analyzing, understanding and researching in order to develop systems that guide people intentionally and help them make informed decisions.

It is the organized effort to bring structure to an increasingly cluttered and complex urban world. Wayfinding Design was first explored as a design discipline during the early 60’s and 70’s. Lynch was the first to realize this, though his observations about Wayfinding were not immediately recognized. Romedi Passini and Paul Arthur followed him some 20 years later.

But, it was not until the Society of Environmental Graphic Designers (SEGD) held their first conference in 1980 that Wayfinding, and it’s profession of Environmental Graphic Design, found their way into mainstream recognition in the design community. The SEGD is still the driving organization behind Wayfinding Design today as it was then.

Comprised of 1,500 members worldwide they continue to educate and inspire new

designers interested in the field. They hold yearly conferences that offer the latest strategies and trends in the market so that members can stay as current as possible. This is essential for good Wayfinding Design, for in this technology age where industry standards can change as quickly as the flavor of the month, the designer must be at the forefront.

However, as quickly as the technology and techniques for Wayfinding may fluctuate, the processes and goals for Wayfinding Design remain unchanged since its inception. With variation, most Wayfinding projects follow a similar hierarchy of processes that involves a series of sub-steps that take the project from beginning to installation. These overarching processes are Planning, Design and Installation.

planning design installation These separate but interrelated processes are necessary for the goals of Wayfinding Design to be realized. Planning involves strategic research of the site and the specific design questions associated with it. The formulation of budgets and design standards that outline the main design problem of the site also take place during the Planning process. Different sign types and locations for the system are identified and catalogued. The design process is the creative outpouring of all possible ways to envision the Wayfinding system through the use of visual, environmental and interactive techniques.

It is the time to incorporate any branding techniques for the site into the signage system. Different color combinations, sign materials, treatments and other practical concerns of the site are considered and tested.

They are guided, and in sync with, the information gathered in the planning process. Once final sign layouts have been through the necessary approval process they are sent to a production team, either in house or to a vendor who specializes in the materials to be produced. The installation process is the coordination between the designer, production team, and installation team. Together they bring the project to fruition and make it ready for public use.

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ayfinding systems large and

small are essential to living in the modern world. They assure us of our place, both physically and mentally.

They help us to locate ourselves in the dense urban landscape of skyscrapers or in the sprawling suburbs surrounding them. They tell us when we have arrived and when we have left. They are the moments in between moments and move us from our potential to our actual. Without them we would be lost in a maze of our own creation. The need for Wayfinding systems is necessary now more than ever as we continue to build and expand our physical spaces as well as our mental ones. With Wayfinding, we are better prepared to pick our way through the infinite number of possible outcomes that are only seconds into our future or decades away.

Finding your way is about going to grandma’s house, finding your way is about selecting a career, finding your way is human.

DESIGN MEETS METAL Eugene is seeing a modern architecture boom. What does this mean for graphic designers?

What have we already seen?

STORY AND PHOTOS BY BYRON HUGHEY

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“I couldn’t read an architectural plan, I didn’t know what anyone was talking about, and I couldn’t handle it… but I fell in love with this process of integrating graphics into architecture because I didn’t know what I was doing.”

Wayne L. Morse united states Courthouse built 2004-2006

METAL IN THE TREES The city of Eugene evokes many associations and visuals. Celebration of the natural and spiritual is commonplace in the art and architecture of the area.

However, within the last ten years, a new trend has emerged. Metal and glass are replacing brick and wood as construction materials. Archways and balconies removed in favor of geometric forms.

LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE’s DOWNTOWN CENTER BUILt 2010-2013

MATTHEW KNIGHT ARENA built 2009-2011 p.20

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A town of holistic thought and aesthetics is beginning to once again include the structure and pragmatism of modern architects.

Starting with the Wayne L. Morse Federal Courthouse in 2006, the city has seen a rising tide of modern construction.

The largest institutions of Eugene have looked to more modernist traditions and styles to design many of the city’s newest landmarks. The trend has continued with the construction of Matthew Knight Arena and the John E. Jaqua Center for Student Athletes, both on the University of Oregon campus; Lane Community College’s Downtown Campus and housing project located in downtown and EWEB’s stark new operations center in West Eugene.

What does the modern architecture boom mean for designers?

built 2008-2010 Otl Aicher’s 1972 Olympic symbols on glass

Paula Scher

A New Pallette For any designer, context is the cornerstone of a good concept. These new buildings have created inspirations and avenues for designers to explore. Minimalism, abstraction and gestalt design are pervasive in the architecture of these structures, allowing designers to interface with the city of Eugene in new and exciting ways.

Room Markers and mural

Within each of these buildings, the classic elements of both modern architecture and graphic design are explored. Repetition, consistency of form, clean lines, symbolism and abstraction are all present. Additionally, color and texture are utilized in unique and interesting ways that allow designers to reimagine the use of these elements.

Trend or Temporary?

With each of these new buildings and the art pieces that accompany them, the designers of Eugene must ask if modern construction and design are new cultural aesthetics to embrace, or if this is simply a recent trend. Each new building solidifies modernism as a local movement that designers need to be prepared for.

Exploring the design ethos of any of these buildings can prepare graphic designers to come up with intelligent, thoughtful design that feels contextual in emerging and established structures throughout the city.

The John E. Jaqua Center was built with Eugene’s culture and environment in mind, while emphasizing the purpose of the building internally. With a glass and metal facade, the building emphasizes themes of water, rain and reflection. The building has a stark metallic appearance upon first glance.

A playful typographic logo illustrates the front of the building, creating a more inviting element outside of the structure.

Entrants are immediately greeted with a warmer, richer interior that blends with highlights of glass and metal. The building introduces new design elements that create visible contrasts, including use of bright, vibrant colors for highlights and wood floors that tie the building to the Eugene area’s history with timber. The variety of textures create a depth through the building that invites visitors to explore further.

Typography is used throughout the interior as a contrast to the straight lines and geometric shapes of the exterior. Serifed type is engraved into the wood floors to spell out different words. Type is also integrated into tributes and awards cases, creating more cues to explore the building and design.

TYPOGRAPHIC FLOOR ENGRAVINGS

Additionally, the grid-based symbols from the 1972 Olympics, designed by Otl Aicher, are used on frosted glass panels for the study rooms. Recognition of athletes, coaches and sports traditions is used throughout the designs within the building.

RECORDS & HISTORY

The building calls upon many modern design traditions and integrates them seamlessly. The curiosity bred by the design of the building and typography is the reaction every designer should aim for, regardless of the style or context.

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TYPOGRAPHY apex

stress stroke

beak bowl counter

cross stroke

finial

ascender

median x-height

shoulder

ascender ht. caps height

baseline

spur terminal

serif

bracket

Choosing the appropriate typeface is important in making sure that you are addressing the target audience with the appropriate spokesperson. How one hears a “voice” in type is highly subjective. The suggestions here are offered as a rudimentary baseline for consideration.

old style low to medium contrast, thick to thin strokes

typically more rounded, organic shapes

oblique stress

small eye, sometimes with angled crossbar

medium to tall X-height

medium to wide set width rounded, bracketed serifs, often with concave or “cupped” feet.

transitional greater contrast, thick to thin strokes

vertical stress

shapes more machine slightly larger eye.

medium to tall X-heightt

medium to wide set width bracketed serifs, typically with

modern high contrast between thick and thin strokes

typically more rightangled, precise shapes larger, more open eye.

vertical stress

often short to medium X-height relative to cap height

narrower set width mostly unbracketed, square serifs which are typically quite thin

eqyptian or slab serif less contrast between thick and thin strokes

vertical or slightly oblique stress

typically more rightangled, precise shapes

M

large eye, with crossbar often near center medium to tall X-height compared to cap height

medium set width

mostly unbracketed, square serifs,

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stem

descender

descender ht.

By Caleb Thomas and Tom Madison

Old Style has its origins in Italian renaissance printing Though efforts were made to use examples from Roman engravings and early Roman manuscripts to create a “true Roman type,” it was actually a hybrid of regional styles that culminated in the visually balanced typography that survives today. Old style typefaces provide an air of tradition in books, magazines and legal documents.

Its voice is literary, scholarly and mature.

Humanist Sans Serif typefaces were created in response to the geometric sans serif type that emerged on the market in the 1920s and 30s. Traditionalists created sans serif type that had classical proportion and hinted at the calligraphic strokes of scribes (hence the term humanist). Its voice is friendly and feminine with an air of professionalism. This genre is often used for health and helping professions as well as beauty products.

Transitional typefaces have a crisper, more machine-like quality. With the vertical stress and better clarity due to more open bowls and larger eyes, this type gives the page a lightness of color and therefore a brighter, perhaps more feminine voice. Still scholarly and sophisticated (lose the ascot and English accent and move from Cambridge to Stanford), this type works well for books, magazines and documents of nearly every ilk for nearly every audience.

Realist Sans Serif type is very practical and no-nonsense. Its voice is that of documentary-style narration. The voice is rational, androgynous, perhaps erring on the side of the masculine. It is used to convey information professionally or governmentally. Road signs, wayfinding systems in airports and government buildings employ this type to convey information clearly. One can borrow that quality in an advertisement to make a statement seem factual.

realist sans serif

Modern typefaces (in the Victorian sense) tend to be more elegant, sophisticated, even suggesting affluence—perhaps an effeminate voice of higher society—with its elegant, high contrast of thick to thin strokes, slender, often bracketless serifs and tall, thin aspect ratio. Modern typefaces find their voices being used to sell jewelry, designer clothes and high fashion.

Geometric Sans Serif type is built from circles, squares and triangles in the tradition of the Bauhaus. Geometric type is almost always monoline, where all strokes have a uniform thickness, which sacrifices humanism for clarity. The voice is almost mechanical, however, it can be used to add a level of sophistication to a design. Engineering and architecture firms use this type, but it can also be used to give a modern austerity to everything from art galleries to hair salons.

geometric sans serif

Egyptian or Slab Serif typefaces are members of the family of “fat faces,” slab serif fonts that arose from the need for competition in the marketplace during the Industrial revolution. Slab serif typefaces have a very masculine voice, stating things in strong but sophisticated terms. This combination of a strong but rational feel lends itself well to headers and subheads in publications ranging from technology to sports.

The purpose of script type is to imitate hand lettering (though computergenerated versions may not actually be possible to produce by hand). Italics are one of the earliest examples of printed typography that imitates a specific Roman script. Script is feminine in voice and used exclusively as headers and subheads for publications that typically have something to with beauty, elegance, the arts, or romance.

humanist sans serif low to medium contrast, thick to thin strokes

typically more organic shapes large eye with cross-bar near center

vertical or slightly oblique stress

medium to tall X-height

medium to wide set width M is splayed sans serif, sometimes entasis to stroke termini

typically low contrast, thick to thin strokes

typically square, mechanical shapes

vertical stress

large eye with cross-bar near center

medium to tall X-height

narrow to medium set width sans serif, typically without entasis.

little or no contrast, thick to thin strokes

vertical stress if any

letterforms based on geometric shapes large eye with cross-bar near center medium to tall X-height, variable cap height

medium to wide set width M is splayed sans serif, typically without entasis.

script Script typography is based upon hand written type and can take many forms. Example here is snell roundhand.

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TYPOGRAPHY

UNCLE JOHNNY’S QUICK-N-DIRTY METHOD

DISTRESSED TYPE: it’s no longer a dirty word.

John Myres Distressed type as a typographical trend is not new. It has been part of

the design landscape since the first piece of metal type was damaged or the first piece of wood type ever became worn down. These grainy, eroded, banged-up letterforms, which mostly exist because of errors in the printing process, have become an inspiration for digital type designers ever since.

When distressed type, or ‘grunge type’ as it is often called, came into vogue, distress may very well have summed up the reaction. Typography professors everywhere cursed and swore at the prevalence of this new style and its devil-may-care attitude towards traditional type construction. Some designers quickly adopted distressed type and explored its possibilities. Other designers loudly protested it, calling it the ‘acid wash jeans’ of typography, a label that did in fact damage the reputation of distressed type. Yet it has managed to continue to stay relevant in the current design lexicon. It has become a frequently used element of contemporary commercial design, appearing everywhere including Batman movies and Burger King ads. It retains its unique appeal.

Distressed type as a typographical trend is not rare. A Google search for “distressed type” will yield dozens of results for different distressed typefaces and images of these typefaces in action. Part of the reason distressed typefaces are so abundant has to do with the way

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they are generally made, a process which involves taking a pre-existing typeface and “roughing it up” through any number of means. This can be done digitally by altering or adding noise and “dirt” to the letterforms’ vector information. There are also hands-on methods that can be employed that involve printing out letterforms, distressing them by hand and scanning them in again for reuse.

In this feature I’ll show you one quick and dirty method for creating your own distressed typeface and show you some of the basic steps to prepare your letterforms for transfer to font creation software such as FontLab.

First, we should be clear about our vocabulary. ‘Distressed type’ as the

term is being used here is generic to encompass a few differing trends in the deconstruction of letter forms. There are at least three classifications of this kind of type treatment.

Distressed Type Generally speaking, distressed typefaces are adaptations of pre-existing typefaces whose noise and scratches have been imbued in a subtractive method, that is, the outer boundaries of the letterforms are largely retained, but the the internal space has been dinged and damaged.

Grunge Type Generally speaking, grunge typefaces tend to be adaptations of other

typefaces, but the noise and distortion is mostly added to the letterform, as with a dirty typewriter. The additional vector noise protrudes out from the edges of the letterform.

Eroded/Corroded Type These typefaces tend to take letterforms and make changes to the vector information to create odd, broken, distorted, and sometimes crippledlooking letters.

Distressed type as a phenomenon is not unique, but the multiplicity

of its forms suggests that the field is still wide open for a graphic creative looking to express their own aesthetic within the framework of existing type.

For enterprising designers, having the skill to create custom typography that suits the look and feel of a client while conveying their essence in type can be marketable and impressive.

If you have the interest, or have ever seen distressed type and thought “I could do that”, you can. There are many different ways to do it. In the inset on the next page, there are step-by-step instructions documenting my process.

Now, go out there, and get your hands dirty!

for creating distressed type.

step one:

Open up Illustrator, (or equivalent) and create a fairly large artboard. I suggest this so that you can work with letterforms at a large enough point size so that the distressed treatment can achieve a higher level of subtlety. Select a font you’d like to distress (I’ve chosen Arial Black for this exercise) and type out the characters you want: you might choose to do the entire character set or just an A-Z 0-9 character set. Leave enough space between the letters so you can easy select their vector points later on. Then select a distressed/grunge pattern of some sort, make a mask with it, or live trace and expand its vector information if necessary. Set it next to the characters you’ve typed out, as in screenshot 1.

screenshot 1

step two:

Move the distressed pattern over top of the letterforms, and resize it to cover them all, as in the top artboard in screenshot 2. Select the distressed pattern and change its color to white, as in the bottom artboard in screenshot 2. You will be able to see what your distressed letterforms will look like.

Here’s where you have options. Ideally one would convert the type to outlines, then use the pathfinder to subtract the distressed texture from the letterforms. However you can’t subtract the top vectors from the complete set of letters at once, it only works one letter at a time. This can be tedious, so what I suggest at this stage, (part of what makes the method quick and dirty) is to export the bottom artboard from screenshot 2 as a 600 ppi jpg. You’re going to be live tracing this image in step three, so It’s important to export the image at a resolution high enough to allow you more control over the subtleties of your final result.

screenshot 2

step three: Open a new Illustrator document and place the

exported image onto it. Live trace it, which may take some time, and zoom in close enough so you can see what results you get from the live trace, and play around with it until you feel good about how it looks. True, live tracing does not always capture every nuance of the image it traces, but for the purposes of having easily editable vector information, it will serve your needs fine. Expand the points, then use the magic wand tool to select all the white from the image background, as in screenshot 3. Delete it and you will be left with just the vector informations for each letterform.

screenshot 3

step four: Create a small artboard off to the side where

individual letterforms can be selected and moved in preparation for further stages of font development, as in screenshot 4. If you plan to take these distressed letterforms and place them into FontLab or equivalent font creation software, this will be very helpful. If you just want to have the character set available to be cut and pasted into documents as needed, then you can save the .ai document, and voila! You’ve got distressed type ready to go.

For more information about the process of font creation, go to the Bleed Magazine’s blog at: thebleed2013.blogspot.com

screenshot 4

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TYPOGRAPHY

FOUND TYPE

A Personal Journey and Experiment Carla Lorraine Rowe Since typography is the foundation upon which an image or graphic rides, I set out on a journey of a personal nature to find a meaningful way of self-expression by utilizing letterforms in a different and creative way.

If you are observant when careening through the universe, whether it be strolling about the pastoral environs of a rural community or stuck in traffic amid urban chaos and cacophony, you may notice that letterforms abound in many shapes and sizes. I am not speaking of signage that proclaims in stuttering neon glory to “Eat at Joe’s” or “Buy One Bag of Chicken Manure and Get Another One for Free!” in tired, worn out Papyrus; but of 3-dimensional objects that are solid in their physicality and representational of letterforms.

So, my exploration consists of turning mostly mundane 3-D objects seen (but usually not noticed) everyday objects into type as a manufacture of letterforms in a non-conventional way. I’m not talking about photographed ‘typefaces’ comprised of nuts and bolts, or the ring of a toilet seat, or an alphabet constructed of a carpenter’s accoutrement.

This is an amalgamation of “found type’ and photography, and, of course, Adobe Photoshop; a reconstruction of form by mixing up parts of the everyday landscape to create a an unusual variety of letterforms. After all (according to book artist and instructor Susan Lowdermilk) – type is real – not just a symbol.

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TYPOGRAPHY

TRENDS in typography

by Carlene Taylor

We have all seen the fluctuations of type over time. The trends come and go. Some stay for a while. They are either pulled from the past or newly created. Some come and go in the blink of an eye. “The world of typography is a lot like the fashion industry. There are timeless looks that never go out of style, but its the hot newcomers that really know how to turn heads,” said Kerry Jones of Snark and Pepper. We all know that typography is much more than letters on a page. Typography alone can create an amazing piece of art. In the last couple of years it seems that typographical usage has gone back

to basics. People are using old typefaces in new exciting ways, giving them new life and expanding their horizons.

Slab serifs are being used in big ways (literally) to make bold statements in some suave companies. It’s in your face but gives a clear straight forward message. These types coupled with that beautiful white space that we all hold so dear to our hearts make a classic design that will never go out of style.

Another trend that seems to be emerging is handmade type, especially seen on the web. These typefaces are a

n industry. io h s fa e th t like raphy is a lo g t its o p ty f o d of style, bu t u o The worl o g r e v at ne ads. less looks th e m ti re a w to turn he o h There w o n k y reall omers that c w e n t o h the

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way for hipster-designers and artists to showcase additional creativity in their work. These typefaces add a personal touch and generally more of an organic and earthy feel. However, they might not be the best for the face of a Fortune 500 company.

Let’s not forget about the classic sans-serif bold, mixed with the sans-serif thin. This trend especially has become popular in recent years, and why not when almighty Apple is leading the way, with its clean Myriad Pro sitting gracefully in a sea of white space. Its strong contrast and continuity is a staple that won’t be going away anytime soon.

As designers it’s important to remember that the types we choose have their own voice. Some are classier than others and will continue to stand the test of time. Some will be flashy and cutting edge for a few years but then quickly become outdated.

TYPO GRA PHY And Grids

TYPOGRAPHY

GRID SYSTEMS Josef Müller Brockmann and Typography

By Erika Radcliffe

Grids permeate design.Graphic design, typography and grid systems all come hand in hand and support each other greatly. Whether you can see them or not, grid systems are the backbone of good design. In this article, we will talk about one of the masters of typographic grids, Josef Müller Brockmann, the work he has dones with grid systems, and the theories and principles of grid systems.

Josef Müller Brockmann was a Swiss designer born in 1914 who was strongly influenced by the De Stijl, Constructivism and Bauhaus design movements. He is also one of the most well-known and easily recognized Swiss designer from his timeand was an advocate for grids and typography. In 1981 he first published his book “Grid Systems in Graphic Design: A Visual Communication Manual for Graphic Designers.” This book covered many theories and principles of grid systems in typography and design.

Grid systems can imply a lot of ideals a designer would like to portray when used with typography. Some of the

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implications are: the will to systematize and clarify, to cultivate objectivity, to rationalize the creative and technical production processes and to achieve architectural dominion over surface and space. These are just some of the implications that Brockmann has laid out in his book. The grid system is a wonderful tool to use, but, as quoted

by Brockmann….

“The grid system is an aid, not a guarantee. It permits a number of possible uses and each designer can look for a solution appropriate to his personal style. But one must learn how to use the grid; it is an art that requires practice.”

Typography used with grids creates a very powerful method of conveying organized and interesting information.

When using grids, you can organize columns, margins, body type and headers in ways that are interesting and systematic. And with grids, you can really analyze the way you would like an eye to travel around a page while reading the copy. Brockmann looked

at grids and all the elements within a grid (and within type) very specifically, taking in mind every element of typography. He also laid out many different variations a grids that can be used by designers like 8 grid fields, 20 grid fields and 32 gird fields, keeping in mind the mathematical structure and reasoning as to why a designer may want to use a specific type of grid. For example, Brockmann explains that the 32 grid field may be best used when there are many small illustrations that need to be used. He also discusses combining sections of the 32-grid field to create larger blocks for type.

Grandmasters of Design: László Moholy-Nagy

In short, grid systems may sound like they lack flexibility and are strict and boring but they are quite the opposite.

As shown by Josef Müller Brockmann, grid systems are an amazingly versatile tool for any designer. If you want g great typographic layout, a grid system is not magically going to make your typographic layout a work of wonder, it takes practice, experience and familiarity with a grid to really create a great layout.

After gaining his roots in Constructivism he was influenced by the concept that the holistic synthesis of art and social existence is achieved through “total art.” Through these two foundations he became the philosophical bridge between industrial-machine aesthetics and humanist design. Moholy-Nagy reconciled these two, not by reducing the human to a personified machine, but through systematic scientific appropriation of the visual world.

by Nicholas Siegrist

Light, space, motion. These were the brushes that László Moholy-Nagy utilized throughout his storied career. He called himself “The Light Painter” when he taught at The Bauhaus, embracing new materials and processes with exuberance, never stopping the experimentation of the avant-garde. His work spanned photography, architecture, typography, sculpture, and film.

Called into service in World War I by the Austro-Hungarian army.

Moholy-Nagy suffered shrapnel wounds and a shattered hand as an artillery soldier. While recovering, he begins drawing and painting.

The Bauhaus, Dessau

Exhibited the Light-Space Modulator at the International Werkbund in Paris.

Moholy-Nagy’s Bauhaus years (1923-1928) were decisive in his artistic journey.

The school was becoming known internationally, which enabled MoholyNagy to interact with a variety of other artists in the avant-garde. Through his teaching, he developed and expanded his social values and crystallized his pedagogical style that would inform his career in years to come. Additionally, he had access to new industrial materials and facilities to experiment with them.

His art at this time consisted of painting on plastics, camera photographs, photograms, and Dada photomontages.

After the war, influenced heavily by the Constructivists Malevitch and Lissitzky.

Joins the Berlin Dada group and contributes to the publications MA, De Stijl, and Cahiers d’art.

THE LIGHT PAINTER

1895 1914-1921

1937-1946

After seeing Moholy-Nagy’s exhibition of photograms in Berlin, Walter Gropius asks him to come teach at The Bauhaus.

“And this reality of our century is technology: the invention, construction, and maintenance of machines.

To use machinery is to act in the spirit of our century…It is the art of Constructivism…In it the pure form of nature finds expression - unbroken color, the rhythm of space, the balance of form…It is independent of picture frame and pedestal. It extends to industry and architecture, object and relationships.

Constructivism is the socialism of seeing.”

“It is my conviction that mathematically harmonious forms, precisely executed, are full of emotional quality and that they create a perfect balance between emotion and intellect.”

MOTION IN SPACE

School of Design, Chicago

BAUHAUS

Born in Bácsbarsód, Hungary

1922-1936

In 1937, a group of Chicago businessmen (including Walter Paepcke) called on Gropius to form a school in the model of The Bauhaus. Gropius turned down the offer but recommended MoholyNagy as director. The school went through closings and several names but remained under Moholy-Nagy’s singular instruction until 1945, when he was diagnosed with leukemia. He was producing paintings, photograms, sculptures, and films until his death, one year later, at the age of 51.

László Moholy Nagy

László Moholy-Nagy’s lasting contributions to the design world are unknowable but a few of the personalities he is documented with influencing are: Robert Brownjohn’s film design, Marianne Brandt’s product design, Charles and Ray Eames’ architecture, Herbert Bayer’s page layout and typography, György Kepes’ photography and light experiments, The Institute of Design in Chicago (formerly The School of Design/New Bauhaus), and the entire movement known as Geometric Abstraction.

As our world moves closer to a synthesis of human and machine, we, as designers would do well to adhere to MoholyNagy’s prophetic words, “The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as the pen.”

REFERENCES

Haus, Andreas. Moholy-Nagy: Photographs and Photograms. New York: Pantheon, 1980. Print.

Kostelanetz, Richard. Moholy=Nagy. New York: Praeger, 1970. Print.

Meggs, Phillip, and Alston Purvis. History of Graphic Design. New York: John Wiley, 2005. Print.

Moholy-Nagy, Sibyl. Experiment in Totality.

Cambridge: M.I.T. Press, 1950. Print.

Pfeiffer, Ingrid, and Max Hollein. Laszlo MoholyNagy Retrospective. Munich: Prestel, 2009. Print.

“His (Moholy-Nagy) greatest effort as an artist was devoted to the conquest of space. His genius ventured into all realms of science and art to unriddle the phenomena of space and light. In painting, sculpture and architecture, in theater and industrial design, in photography and film, advertising and typography, he incessantly strove to interpret space in its relation to time, this is, motion in space.”

Walter Gropius, 1950

DESIGN FOR SOCIAL ACTION AN OVERVIEW OF SOCIAL ISSUES IN WHICH DESIGN CAN MAKE THE DEEPEST IMPACT FOR CHANGE

BY ERIKA RADCLIFFE

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“Some call it design for the greater good. Others call it social design. Whatever you call it, it’s clear that an altruistic impulse is on the rise in the design community.” -Andrew Shea Design is a powerful tool to catalyze change and spread ideas in today’s culture. As the messages, advertisements, images and experiences we create move through and influence the minds, hands, and hearts of the people within our communities and countries we have an amazing opportunity to cultivate change. In order for our world to survive we must encourage sustainable, social and economic change to be made and integrated into the many cultures of our society. The idea of sustainable design and design for social change has been a more and more popular ideal that many designers have decided to integrate into their businesses and firms and integrate into their standards of living and working. Within this article, four key areas in which we can help influence better values as graphic designers; these key areas are located within our environment, society, economy, and culture. Organizing our direction and purpose is a great way to start to create a framework that designers can work in to cultivate social change. Here is a brief explanation of the actions and issues covered by each area of action.

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Environmental Protection

Actions and issues that affect out natural world, such as climate change, pollution and the overuse/restoration of our natural resources.

Social Equity

Actions and issues that affect any and all aspects of our society such as poverty, injustice, violence, education, healthcare, housing and human rights.

Economic Health

Actions and issues that affect how people meet their basic needs, gain money, and define good economic growth and personal success within the economy.

Cultural Vitality

Actions and Issues that affect how communities create their identities, preserve and create traditions, and develop commonly accepted values.

Environmental protection, social equity, economic health and cultural vitality are issues where the messages designers promote and create have the deepest impact on the accepted values of today’s culture.

Within each of these categories, there are many opportunities for designers to present and pass along important information, values, messages, and systems to the world as well as connecting people with these ideas. We can also expose those entities that work against good environmental/social/ economic/cultural values and promote entities working towards establishing these good values. Here are some of

the ways in which design can visualize and communicate information and lifestyles to the population they reach: In relation to environmental protection, design has the ability to organize complex information and present it in an understandable and relevant manner to their audience. Spreading ideas, facts and solutions that integrate environmental factors in every aspect of our society can help to overcome natural resource restraints and provide alternate routes to the dangerous paths we are already on.

In relation to social equity, design can create and spread information and messages based on the ideas of inclusion, equality, and human empathy to promote harmonious conditions for all human beings to live in.

In relation to economic health, design can help invent and spread new economic perspectives and new economic and business models appropriate for the needs of everyone today. By spreading these ideas and models design can help to set a new foundation for a more sustainable economic world. Investigating, analyzing and visualizing economic issues and presenting the facts through good design can help to create opportunities and value for people and companies through all of the keys to sustainability.

In relation to cultural vitality, design can connect people with cultural ideals, influence change in social behaviors, and shift mindsets held by communities.

The transformative power of design can help to shape new cultural values and create a deeper understanding of sustainability that assures people, nations and cultures assimilate the ideas of sustainability.

or focusing our creative talents on working for businesses that support environmental sustainability and are dedicated to helping inform and change the world’s current sustainable practices.

By spreading imagery and messages related to the good values within these four essential areas, designers of all kinds can help to promote and create awareness, equality and change in the world. Within each area there is a lot of information to take in and consider, whether you are a print, web, or product designer. Here is some information about what we should learn, consider and understand as designers interested in working toward social change.

Social Equity: Understand and support basic human rights, the impact that big business has on communities around the world, safe and fair labor laws and basic needs, such as fair pay, healthcare and benefits. Learning about the issues surrounding people in our society can help us create informed messages that can respond to the needs of all people, celebrate the beauty of all people in the world, spread messages of equality and spread information that some may not have access to and support healthy and happy lives for all. Designers can connect problems from all aspects of society to inform others on how to create better conditions for the people of a community to live in and thrive.

Environmental Protection: Be informed about how to make positive changes and influence more sustainable lifestyles within our natural environment.

Designers should learn and inform about how our choices and behaviors impact our environment. This includes considering the entire lifecycles of the things we make and the intended and unintended ecological consequences of the choices we make that require extraction of raw materials from nature, the conversion of those materials into final products and the use, reuse, transportation, toxicity and disposal of the materials we create. Integrating these practices into our everyday work life, and choosing these routes for our clients can make a big difference in the amount of resources used and waste produced. We can also communicate these ideas to the populace by donating

Economic Health: Learning about the current state of our economy is the first step to informed design for economic issues and change. Learn about and understand sound business values for short and long term goals for sustainability, environmental awareness, efficiency, competitive advantage, profitability, brand equity and employee moral. Be informed about what social action groups help spread messages about equitable systems of corporate ownership and governance. And learn about locally owned businesses and co-ops and the importance of keeping money within

and supporting the growth local communities and economies.

Cultural Vitality: Identify, support and promote the uniqueness of different cultures and recognize the importance of cultural diversity and ecological diversity to human communities in our world. Recognizing and accepting the many historical and current cultural practices in our communities can help designers create messages that are culturally relevant and help to support and promote desirable cultural visions that compel people to want to live sustainably and harmoniously with the environment and their fellow human beings.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the AIGI for laying out these principles in their document “The Living Principles of Design.” Designers have the ability to clearly communicate information, messages and spread attention-grabbing graphics that will inform people of the issues, dangers, risks and downfalls to many of our current ways of living. We can choose to work towards the greater good and support cultural, economic, social and environmental change by incorporating these ideas into our personal mindsets, everyday business practices and personal work or through designing for social action groups and non-profit businesses. Whether you design for pay, personal call to duty or as charity work, these are all worthy causes to give time and energy to. And you get warm fuzzy feelings inside when you finish a project and see lives change for the better!

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it’s not easy being

GREEN

By Charlene Buff

Everywhere you look someone is claiming to be green.

Words like sustainable, all natural, organic and eco-friendly are popping up on brands, advertisements and packages everywhere. Adorned with insignia of FSC, Rainforest Alliance, Energy Star, LEED, USDA Organic, Whole Trade and so on. Right now there are over 400 green certification systems vying for the attention of Earth conscious consumers. So you may be asking yourself, how do I jump on this bandwagon?

It isn’t easy, but it is possible.

It is projected that by the year 2020, all Graphic Designers will be Green Graphic Designers. The choice between recycled and non-recycled stock, soy based or regular ink and renewable or non-renewable energy will no be an option. Being a Green Graphic Designer is about being an

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agent for positive change, as designers we are in the position to shift not only our own actions but also the actions of others. We can use this power of influence to shift the status quo toward sustainable solutions and educate clients and consumers about social and environmental responsibility. So where do we start? continued on next page

Design Backwards In the book Green Graphic Design written

by Brian Dougherty, Green Graphic Designer and owner of Celery Design, he offers sage advice for designers: “Designing backwards” is a process by which designers take a mental journey, starting from a design project’s ultimate destination and working backwards until we arrive back at the design studio.

It is a multiphase brainstorm process, really. Along the way, designers gain knowledge that informs the choices we make. The knowledge enables us to creatively avoid most of the roadblocks that might prevent green solutions from continuing downstream.”

Designer + Printer = BFF The partnership between designer and printer is the key to our success as Green Graphic Designers. As partners with printers we have an opportunity and responsibility to act as agents of change through the physical materials & production practices we use as well as the standards we set for our selves as businesses. The choices we make as designers rely heavily on the capabilities and resources made available.

New Technology Form Doesn’t Always Follow Function

By John Marberry

Green certified printers are becoming increasingly more common, the rubric used to assess printers interested in the certification is long and rigorous but well worth the extra attention to important details. The assessment used by Printing Industries of America focuses on 10 major areas of interest: Corporate Environmental Management, Environmental Leadership, Energy, Water, Waste Paper, Non-Hazardous/ Non-Paper Solid Waste, Inks/Coatings/ Solvents, VOC’s/HAP’s/Hazardous Materials Procedures, Shipping/ Transportation and Building & Grounds. Although this may seem like a lot of heavy material to cover, rest assured that this is a voluntary assessment so most if not all of the criteria has been considered and met by the printer far before the assessment takes place. That is the beauty of the Green Designer/Green Printer relationship, we all share the same values toward minimizing how much our industry treads on the Earth.

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Technology Will Change Design.

Lytro

Lytro is the greatest technology to hit the world of photography since the 1800’s.

The Lytro looks and functions like no other camera. The look is that of a sleek modern brushed aluminum and rubber square tube that resembles a spyglass more than a camera by any of our current camera shapes. The shape is not so hard for us to adapt to, now that most phones double as a camera these days. The technology and functionality of the Lytro takes more time to get your head around if you are stuck in the groove of comparing it to how your current camera may capture images. So in basic terms, the cameras as you have known for over a century capture images by recording the light of a single two dimensional plane. This basic

The above images share the same source image and show only two of the infinite choices of available focal points.

idea holds true for both images captured on old school analog film or the current standard of a digital processor. Here is what the Lytro does. It captures the images that occur within a light field. In other words, it records every ray of light within the space that can be viewed through its lens. That is, every ray of light in every possible direction within the cameras light field. I know what you are thinking, and yes you are right, that’s basically what happens when our eyes and brain work,

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Augmented Reality

but with the Lytro you can share that image and allow others to readjust the point of focus (depth of field).

Now that sounds like a lot of fun and might make you and your images very popular with your friends on social media, but how do we foresee the impact on the design world. When a design team is huddled around a monitor in search of the perfect depth of field for an image to be used in print, whether it is a book or magazine cover, product advertisement or really any design project in need of an image, you no longer need to have the photographer capture that image in perfect light from multiple depths of field. Simply use your Lytro camera and change your depth of field with the click of a mouse.

What a great time saver.This will also be a great tool to teach the concept of depth of field to new designers and photographers, allowing them to experiment with a single image until they have that “Aha” moment when the concept is firmly recorded in their mind.

I do not see this new technology as something that will retire the use of two dimensional cameras; rather it will become another tool to be used in the right situations.

O.L.E.D. Organic LED (OLED) is not necessarily a new technology. However, the advancements in the substrates that the OLED is fabricated on is based on the new technology portion of this story.

OLED’s have normally been fabricated on a glass substrate, but now with companies like Corning creating technologies like Gorilla Glass, beautifully clear and ultrastrong glass that we find in Apples iPhone.

Corning has now introduced a new ultrathin flexible glass substrate.

Corning Willow Glass will help enable thin, light, and cost-efficient applications to today’s slim displays and the smart surfaces of the future. The thinness, strength and flexibility of the glass has the potential to enable displays to be “wrapped” around a device or structure. Additionally, Corning Willow Glass can be processed at temperatures up to 500° C. High temperature processing capability is essential for today’s high-end displays, and is a processing condition that cannot be supported with polymer films. Corning Willow Glass will enable the industry to pursue hightemperature, continuous “roll-to-roll” processes – similar to how newsprint is produced - that have been impossible until now.

It will support thinner backplanes and color filters for both Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED) and liquid crystal displays (LCD) in high -performance, portable devices such as smart phones, tablets, and notebook computers. This new, ultra-slim

Above Right, shows O.L.E.D. fabricated on the ultra thin Willow Glass from Corning.

Above Left, The flexibility of Willow Glass will allow a cost effective fabrication of future flexible displays.

flexible glass will also help develop conformable (curved) displays for immersive viewing or mounting on non-flat surfaces.

As our society has evolved and technologies continue to improve, the dreams of yesteryear are becoming the realities of the present. It is exciting to try to imagine what the possibilities our future will bring and how it will affect the design world. From a substrate standpoint, evolving from the cave wall to stone tablets, then moving on to vellum, papyrus, chalkboards, Etch-ASketch, computers, Kindles, and iPads, this thin flexible technology has a great opportunity to help us move further toward our future.

The new substrate possibilities are sure to affect our world as designers. Our advertisements and other design creations will be applied to a fresh new canvas that will have the possibility of being editable at a moment’s notice as well as having an interactive user experience. Think of coffee cups that display email updates on the side of the cup!

Now this is a technology that covers a huge array of sensory possibilities, so for the sake of simplicity and relevance to design, let’s look at the visual side of augmented reality.

Imagine approaching a bus stop in a foreign country and the transit map becomes viewable in your native language. Restaurant menus are translated instantly; in fact, anything you want to read can be translated simply by looking at it. How can this be?

Translation is only one service that augmented reality (AR) and Google have developed. Google Glass is one of the technologies in the advancement of AR, and still it is just a techy novelty. For those that have a spare $1500, you could be one of the first to experience this wild visual ride. Look how much you save by wearing the very stylish Google Glass! No need to carry a camera, video camera or even a GPS unit; it’s all right there and voice activated for your convenience.

If you thought it was a little strange to hear people talking on the phone with a Bluetooth headset, wait until you hear a shopper in the vegetable section of your local grocery store saying, “Glass, what is this vegetable?” or “Glass, take a picture”.

This will definitely be a technology that will require some getting used to, but it may also become a great marketing platform.

As our technology becomes smaller, thinner, lighter, there are possibilities even to mix some of the technologies. Every piece of marketing material generated will have the opportunity to become an interactive medium and communicate much more than what can be viewed on say an 8.5”x11” page. It’s like QR codes on steroids; no smartphone needed, just look at it and ask for more information.

The future of AR is endless and becoming more accessible and affordable. It too has a future as the next big thing, at least for a brief life.

My imagination takes me to a time when I just need to pop in my AR contact lenses, made with the next greatest flexible glass after Willow Glass, and I am ready for more interactivity with all the media that surrounds me. I will sit staring at my Starbucks coffee cup, reading my email and a few articles from The Wall Street Journal that appears on any surface I desire. Or maybe I will just choose to style my designer frames and have everything pop up on my heads-up display.

I am not sure what the future holds for us as citizens of this time or how it will affect us as designers, just as our predecessors had no idea how life would change as they peered into the future. I do know that as designers we will always remember our history and adapt as fast as humanly possible.

Designers will continue to adapt to any new technology and find new methods to create the next big thing. Flexible OLED may be that thing.

Right, Google Glass may not be a fashion statement yet, but is definitely an interesting portal of information acquisition.

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.. .

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ANDREA WILLIAMS

CARLA LORRAINE ROWE

DEBBIE MEYER

BLAKE GADDIS

CARLENE TAYLOR

CALEB THOMAS

JOHN MYRES

TAMI PITT

DESIGN RESOURCES BY: GREG WILSON

Design commentary, Tutorials and Resources

SINIX DESIGN

LORENZ SIEVERS

youtube.com/user/sinixdesign

GREG WILSON

NICHOLAS SIEGRIST

FREE PHOTOS

CUSTOM BRUSHES

FREE TEXTURES

Publicdomainpictures.net

PSbrushes.net

CGtextures.com

commons.wikimedia.org

Deviantart.com

Textureking.com

sxc.hu

Brushking.eu

Freestocktextures.com

DESIGN INSPIRATION Deviantart.com

WEEKLY PODCASTS Design Matters Itunes

Computerarts.co.uk Youthedesigner.com Thisiscolossal.com

DESIGN TUTORIALS Gomediazine.com PSD.tutsplus.com

Adventures In Design Itunes

Smashingmagazine.com

Go Media gomediazine.com/tag/podcast

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until it comes in bottle, you can always call on us.

the at LaneCC madisont@lanecc.edu