Everything I Am by Taylor Bogle by Taylor Bogle

Copyright ÂŠ 2015 Design and organizing elements copyright ÂŠ 2015 by Taylor Bogle. Sale or printing of this work without permission is prohibited.

CONTENTS 8

FOREWORD

AUTHOR LETTER

INTRODUCTIONS

WATCHFULNESS IN THE CITIZEN

SOCIAL CAUSE POSTER

DESIGN JUSTICE SYMPOSIUM

SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOP

PASSPORT TO HUMAN RIGHTS PHILATELIC PROJECT

THANK YOU NOTES & CUSTOM STAMPS

ALL HANDS ON DECK

TYPOGRAPHY & THE UNDERGROUND

BUILD A BOX TO THINK OUT OF

102

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

104

BIBLIOGRAPHY

FOREWORD

BY STACY ASHER ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ART

In the Fall of 2015, the Advanced Graphic Design course at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln engaged in research about the role of design in creating social change. This course was an investigation of graphic design driven by research. Projects were socially and civically engaged, and focused on the production of communication systems, investigating history and theory of graphic design for social change, and the publishing of self authored work. Collaborative exercises and activities created an understanding of identity systems, social values and how to promote “justice for all” through visual communications. Deliverables for the course consisted of designed artifacts that documented, reflected, analyzed, and synthesized design research. The first half of the course integrated the series of exhibitions, lectures and presentations relating to the topic of art / design for social justice that occurred on campus through October. The second half centered around publication and experiential design, and the development of identity systems. The course outcomes provided opportunity for students to be innovative, culturally critical and potentially create social change. THEMES FOR EXPLORATION Graphic Design + Social Responsibility / Message + System + Identity Striving for Viability / Designer as Preservationist + Conservationist Designer as Witness, Ethnographer and Journalist 7

DEAR READER, When I set out to make a book about my personal design process, I did not think that I would show you everything I have placed into my sketchbooks, or all the thoughts running through my mind in the creation of each and every project. However, upon looking back at what has been created over the course of this semester and how it came about, I could not restrain myself from including most of these thoughts and sketches. In authoring such a book, I began to further understand that while I fully create each piece I craft, the work I create is not a direct reflection of me, as sometimes I believed it was. However, when we look to the process behind each project’s completion, therein lies nearly all of my heart, or at least a good reflection of who I am inside. With that said, I hesitated to release some of these thoughts to the public, as they allude to vulnerabilities, struggles and fears, not only contained in the realms of art and design, but also personally in day to day life. I suppose that’s my fault for bleeding my life experiences into my work. But in reality, isn’t that the way art is supposed to be created? Working from our hearts and life experiences to author something meaningful? In other moments, I find myself wondering if we overthink concepts and creating something with meaning to it. Maybe sometimes, we allow ourselves to create something that brings us joy, and let be enough. So that’s what I’ve done with this book. I had fun making something that shows so very much of myself. Here you’ll find thoughts reflecting my joy, sadness, fears, triumphs, past memories, current struggles, and everything in between. 8

In some ways, this is a bit of a journal telling the whole story not just of these projects, but of me as an author of these creative works and furthermore, simply of me as a human being. If you have questions or critiques about anything included in this book, feel free to contact me. If it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t clear by the amount of writing present on these pages, I love talking and would be happy to chat with you! Enjoy! TAYLOR BOGLE TAYBOGLE@GMAIL.COM

INTRODUCTION I think most designers can understand when I say the creative process can sometimes be brutal. Some days I feel as though everything around inspires me and I could create anything imaginable. This experience has a certain air of confidence that comes with it. In my case, it means that I exude optimism and tend to tell everyone around me, especially those designer friends that feel stuck in their work, that they are fantastic and everything is about to come together perfectly. At this time some of my friends with a slightly more pessimistic outlook give me a face that says, “Shut up or I will dump your chai tea down the sink,” but instead elect to shove some earbuds in and turn their heads to their computer screens, reluctantly working through their struggles. On other days, in which I can’t come up with an idea that doesn’t sound hand-crafted by a three-year-old with a propensity for cracking jokes that really don’t make sense, I have a rough time. As a former perfectionist, I struggle with the moments in which I hit a brain-block. After all the mind maps, word associations, and sketching, sometimes you still just feel stuck. Usually this means I have to go do something that will bring inspiration to me. It could be anything really, but many times, it’s as simple as taking my mind off the trouble of the project and talking to a friend. If I continue to sit and ponder too long, I begin to feel weighed down and think I’m not as creative or as good at artistic thought as I once 10

believed I was. I do not think I am the only one with a small fear that I may wake up one day and be less creative than I am now. I believe a lot of creatives worry about this, and along with this tend to chock their worth up to their talents. However, I believe we are so much more than our talents. In the spirit of opposing that tiny fear, I work through every creative struggle to make the world around me lovely. This is not for my sake, not even for the sake of those I love, but rather because I have faith in something much more than myself. My creativity, my thoughts and my love of designing are all gifts, given to me by my creator. My goal is to use these gifts and all I have been given to spread love and light to those around me. There’s an amazing comfort in knowing that even if I fail in being creative, that I am not a failure, because my worth is not simply derived from the work I create. And I think that’s how I can keep creating and making and building, because even if I should fail, it’s not the end. It simply means that I did what I could, and that was enough. You’ll see this attitude and all the ups and downs that come through my process as you progress in reading these pages. This book documents one semester of design work in my senior year of college. You will see each project in this class from initial idea to completion. More importantly, you’ll come to understand my perspective and how I reach design solutions in processing. 11

HOW I PROCESS So where does my process start? Simply enough, I begin every project with research. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of my favorite components of designing. In fact, I think the learning that comes along with designing is one of the most appealing parts of this career path for me. I grew up the daughter of two educators, both with a passion for learning, which rubbed off on all of their children. I love reading and understanding new things and have a desire to help others comprehend new concepts as well. I think quality design and the way things are presented can do a lot to teach people new things. My research process begins by identifying the scope of the content of the project. If I am authoring something for myself, like this book, it begins in planning how the project will progress, making a general outline of the order and content, and then gathering, compiling and creating any part of the content that is not already complete. Once I have all the content I may need, I proceed into experimentation with the design and aesthetic qualities of the project. This is the stage in which I begin sketching, and many times, writing. To fully understand 12

just where my brain might be headed, I find I need to write things down to sort out my thoughts. In rereading what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve written, many times I notice a pattern that identifies the crux of my project, or the thesis in which I want to build my work around. From there, I can decide on a voice for my design, fitting whatever style I think it may need to take on. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lighthearted message, then the colors are fun and friendly with airy imagery and friendly typography. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a serious matter, maybe I use muted colors and I use a humanist serif that speaks in a historic and grounded manner. Through this experimentation I begin to discover what the best fit for the voice of the project would be. After deciding on the visual voice, I create the actual piece itself, designing it on paper first, then on the screen to make the best possible initial prototype. Upon reviewing the prototype, I notice the errors made, and point out any pieces that may not be working properly. Then, after correcting these issues, the design is complete and ready to print and present.

EXERCISE 01

WATCHFULNESS IN THE CITIZEN “The salvation of the state is watchfulness in the citizen.” –H.B. ALEXANDER

PROCESS This exercise encouraged our class to create something that reacts to H.B. Alexander’s quote, “The salvation of the state is watchfulness in the citizen.” After visiting the capitol and witnessing the art surrounding this phrase above its entry, I wrote a personal essay to come to a conclusion regarding the meaning of Alexander’s statement and created a typographic poster series to display the essay. Below is the essay displayed through the use of the poster series. Who is “The State”? Surely H.B. Alexander isn’t talking about a stodgy building housing all the senators and government officials right? Certainly, it isn’t the “building” he refers to here. Think about the state in practical terms of who actually supports it, who funds it, how does it work? The citizens (us), elect officials whom we trust to watch out for us (citizens) while they are in office. Politicians were never meant to be made out as crooks, they were intended to be a select voice of a thousand voices, speaking as one entity representing many so that all citizens voices were heard. We all divide ourselves based on political ideas and principles, pushing our own opinions, arguing that politicians are only

representing a few of the many. Maybe we all see the state as an issue because we all believe our way is the best way individually. But we cannot deny our personal beliefs. They are our bedrock, the cornerstone of our moral compasses. We must each maintain our own ideals and beliefs, because that’s how we have maintained our form of government. This is the grounds for the way our political offices work. Our founding fathers built this country to live in the ways they chose, escaping persecution. They wanted to be free to speak, free to believe, free to interpret the world. Because of them, we are allowed to speak freely, to live out our own truths! But with that comes a responsibility. We must look out for this right, the right to believe what we choose, the right to speak out about whatever our heart desires, the right to an opinion and to express it.

It means compromise, it means agreeing to respectfully disagree on the grounds that we must first watch out for each other and hear each other out. It means we must speak for ourselves and for each other. It means we must understand that freedom of ideas belongs to us, but also our neighbors. It means something that I have been taught in Sunday school from the time I was two, to love my neighbors, to extend my arms and embrace people for all they are whether wrong or right in my eyes. It means we must have the capacity to see beyond ourselves, and look to the issues we face together, working as one to create change that positively impacts our society, or in other words, cares for people. “The State’s” salvation lies in our

willingness to care for one another, to witness our world as it is, to see the issues at hand, to call attention to them, to enact change in a way that doesn’t infringe on others’ liberties or beliefs. I know that my words will be read in different manners based on each person’s ideas, and that, in itself, is a beautiful thing and is why I love art, as it allows each viewer to see their own truth and find their own meaning based on their experiences, what they know and whomever they are choosing to become. So I won’t tell you how I see things as clearly as I see them for myself. It is up to you to interpret these thoughts. I will however, encourage you to think about

the citizens who have, who will, and who are changing the landscape around them. These people have seen their responsibility as a citizen, as a person, to be one that extends a hand that cares for another. Their actions and all our actions affect our society. We make impacts on our world every day, big and small. Let’s think about what we’re saying, let’s think about others’ perspectives, let’s think about the future of our world and what we can do for our sons and daughters. We will make our society change in one way or another, consciously or unconsciously, so let’s choose to act in a way that lives out “watchfulness” to its full extent, because we are not only the citizens, but collectively, we are the state.

EXERCISE 02

SOCIAL CAUSE POSTERS WITH JUSTIN KEMERLING “Make someone else care about an issue that’s important to you.” –JUSTIN KEMERLING

PROCESS Justin Kemerling came by to teach us the importance of mind maps, and some various ways to brainstorm. After he finished presenting, we were assigned a project. The brief: To make someone else care about an issue that’s important to us. Justin Kemerling stepped into our classroom one morning. It was clear he wasn’t sure where he was supposed to be. However, we didn’t know anything about him, other than the fact that he was a designer Stacy Asher, our teacher, found admirable. Naturally, as a class of college students, we didn’t even address him upon his entrance, uncertain of who this man might be. Eventually, he returned with Stacy and began setting up his presentation. After a brief introduction, we began. We each introduced ourselves and told him, on a scale of 1 to 10, how comfortable or experienced we were with graphic design. Few of us said anything near the 10 mark, most stuck around 4 or 5. Personally, I think I said something like 7 or 8, which turned out to seem like an overconfident vote next to the uncertainty of my classmates’

answers. Kemerling appreciated the variety, and began his presentation on what he does and the creation of dynamic designs. After his brief talk, we began working with him in brainstorming. He handed each of us a pad of sticky notes, some tabloid paper and told us, “Make someone else care about an issue that’s important to you.” A daunting task, certainly, but he broke it down into steps. First, we were to identify what it was we wanted to talk about, or what truly was important to us using the sticky notes. After writing down important things for about fifteen minutes or so, we were instructed to mind-map for a while, getting our brain going on three specific topics. These would be the topics we would run with in our poster creation.

LESSONS FROM THE MASTER Kemerling taught us some of his personal brainstorming techniques. We were first instructed to write down things we found important on individual sticky notes, then after narrowing these results down, to create two or three focused mind-maps to lead our sketching process.

BRAINSTORMING The topic I settled on was that of “toxic charity,” defined loosely as, “giving or making charitable donations in unhelpful ways that inhibit those in need from helping themselves.” For example, in several countries, donations of second-hand or gently used clothing frequently occur, a seemingly good thing to do. However, in countries that possess an independent textile industry, this may lead to a rather unfortunate economic situation.

INITIAL ITERATIONS

FINAL POSTER In creating this poster, I decided to focus primarily on the issues going on in Haiti. I have several friends who have gone on mission trips to orphanages there and have witnessed these problems themselves. In addition, this semester I studied about Haiti in another course entitled, “Human Rights, Social Justice, and the Media.” Haiti is one of the poorest countries worldwide, with one of the highest human trafficking rates, however, they did not receive much aid until the earthquake hit, causing an outpouring of money to solve the newly created troubles. First aid was an immediate concern at that time, and the rebuilding of some structures.This was helpful, but with a 24-hour news cycle, it’s fairly easy for people to pull support because something new catches their attention. Since the earthquake, problems in Haiti that have always been present, escalated alongside the troubles caused by the earthquake itself.Without the support and guidance of the rest of the world, Haiti may be left with a failing economy and extreme human rights violations. This poster is meant to call attention to the real, pressing needs that are not easily solved, but need to be. It asks people to consider donating to the long-term redirection and solution to these issues rather than short-term ways to solve these troubles. It echoes the “No shirt, no shoes, no service” signs that most Americans are familiar with, further describing the issues that still need to be solved in Haiti. In addition, it gives the audience a place to go to help solve the problem.

EXERCISE 03

DESIGN + JUSTICE SYMPOSIUM “Power to the people!” –EMORY DOUGLAS

SYMPOSIUM OVERVIEW The Design + Social Justice Symposium was held at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from September 15–16, 2015. This symposium brought in creative minds like Emory Douglas, AIGA medalist and artist for the Black Panther movement’s underground newspapers. Douglas’s artwork was displayed in the Sheldon Museum of Art along with a variety of other artists’ work inspired by civil rights movements and issues. In addition, Billy X Jennings’ underground newspaper collection from the 1960s and 70s was displayed at Love Library alongside portraits of the Black Panther party members by Suzun Lucia Lamaina, and social justice poster artwork by Justin Kemerling. These exhibitions continued far after the symposium ended, and provided students and community members the opportunity to look at art that spurred social changes. In addition to these exhibitions, several events occurred that started a conversation about the role art and design can play in social change. Emory Douglas gave a lecture over his past and current design work, a free screen printing workshop took place, and a panel discussion was held with Jennings, Douglas, Lamaina and Kemerling. These events and exhibitions encouraged multidisciplinary discussions about social change and inspired multi-college participation. Douglas’s lecture was full nearly 20 minutes before it began, leaving many outside of the lecture hall. Most of these events had a similar response.

REVOLUTIONARY GRAIN Suzun Lucia Lamainaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s portraits of the Black Panther party on display in Love Library.

THE UNDERGROUND Newspapers from the collection of Billy X Jennings on display at Love Library.

WORDS FROM EMORY DOUGLAS The battle cry “Culture Is A Weapon” is a powerful tool in all of its expressions and forms it has the power to transform the Colonization Of The Imagination. It is a reflection of our history of resistance and a product of that history. Like the flower is a product of the seed. “Culture Is a Weapon” at this time in history is the manifestation of the extreme reactionary times in the world we are living in today. As a definition it is not absolute but a continuation of expressions and interpretations, compassion, love, beauty, pain and suffering that one feels and observes that penetrate the souls of the resistance via the resistors (We The People) against all forms of cruel and unjust authority. “Culture Is A Weapon” as a concept it is the creative vehicle to communicate genuine truths about social concerns truths you will never hear expressed by any reactionary or bureaucrat. It is our duty as the makers of The Arts Of Resistance to always recognize the oppression of others. The goal should be to make the message clear so that even a child can understand it. Don’t be fooled by deception. Know the rules before you break them. Don’t lose sight of what the goal is. ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

EXERCISE 04

SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOP Revolution is a process, not an event.

SCREEN PRINTING REFLECTIONS Perhaps the most interactive portion of the symposium allowed the general public to try their hand at screenprinting. A variety of screens were created that reflected the theme of the symposium. One read “Revolution is a process, not an event” on it. Another stated, “Justice is a right,” and the third simply said, “Design Justice.” The event was well received, with a plaza full of people in line to screenprint on tshirts, sweatshirts and jackets. I had never before attempted any kind of screen printing, so it was really quite fun to jump in and try something new. The day of the workshop, those of us in Advanced Graphic Design made signs, hung them, and organized the other materials necessary for the workshop. There were nearly 150 or more tshirts to be sorted into various stacks, organized by size and/or color. Following the set-up, we were given quick instruction on the proper way to screen print. Others were more versed in this process than myself, and those were the people who took charge in leading and helping people to screen print later on. People began to arrive soon enough. Eventually we had a line probably at least 25 people long at each station. It was a little hectic, but a lot of fun. It allowed people to create something of their own that inspired social change and most of all it was fun!

DESIGN JUSTICE Sam Stephan hangs a freshly screenprinted tshirt on the clothesline to dry.

PROJECT 01

PASSPORT TO HUMAN RIGHTS PHILATELIC PROJECT “To deny people their human rights, is to challenge their humanity.” –NELSON MANDELA 51

HUMAN RIGHTS CUSTOM STAMPS It seemed that a huge theme of this semester was to think less about myself, and more about other people. I would not say I am an extremely selfish person, but I have my selfish moments. This semester forced me to think far beyond myself and my own needs. In many of my classes, I was encouraged to think about what is going on in the world past what currently affects me. It was interesting in many ways because the more I learned about the different areas of the world and the problems going on, the more I wanted to do something, but at a certain point, the problems became too large. I began thinking to myself, “Well yes, this problem needs to be solved, but what could I do about that? I’m just one person.” I think a lot of people fall into the spiraling thought that what they have to do or say has no affect on anyone anywhere. I have never been one to believe that though. I think that each person we meet, with each statement said and action performed, affects something in our world. We all hold purpose. I think we all affect each other in more ways we could imagine.These small interactions create our cultures, and inspire our morals and values. The way we treat each other each and every day create the true social movements, but sometimes those small things are spurred on by the things we see around us, which often includes design. With this in mind, I realized that my actions and who I am as a person may always speak louder than my art, but that my art can inspire a variety of actions. 52

These thoughts led the progression of this project. The goal of this assignment was to create a set of stamps inspiring social change and identifying a specific human right included in the Passport to Human Rights by Amnesty International.

HUMAN RIGHTS Eleanor Roosevelt holds the Universal Declaration of Human Rights created by the United Nations in 1948.

HUMAN RIGHTS ARTICLES THAT INTERESTED ME 04 Slavery or servitude 12 Privacy Infringement 15 Nationality Rights 18 Freedom of Religion 19 Freedom of Opinion 26 Right to Education

After some research, I chose to do my stamp project over the right to education. As the daughter of two educational professionals, I felt a personal connection to this issue.

VISUAL RESEARCH

TOPIC RESEARCH I decided to create a visual timeline stamp system of the United States Public Education system. However, I had to identify what the topics of my stamps would be due to the large variety of educational reforms in the United States. The following is a list of topics I came up with in my research. 1647

Old Deluder Satan Act–Required formal schooling because parents and masters neglected to teach children under the previous law.This was enforced so they would be able to read the Bible and therefore, elude Satan.Towns with 50 families would hire a schoolmaster to teach the basics. Towns with 100 or more families need a grammar teacher for college preparatory purposes. Smaller communities utilized dame schools, which were mothers that taught in their kitchens, or traveling schoolmasters.

1830

Illegal to teach slaves to read or write, and forbidden for slaves to learn. Still five percent of slaves went to great personal risk and became literate, taught by slaveowners, masters, or other educated individuals.

1837

Horace Mann was one of the very first people to advocate for free public education for all people. Prior to this it was free to the poor only and the rich paid their way. In 1837, Mann created the very first state board of education in Massachusetts, which would go on to push the Common School Movement.

1887

“Kill the Indian, Save the Man” was established, which forced Native Americans to conform to traditionally colonial American values and lifestyles.

1905

The Supreme Court rules that California must allow for the children of Chinese immigrants to have the ability to attend school.

1918

The Compulsory Education Law was passed nationally requiring that all children must attend school for three out of twelve months of the year. If they did not attend, their families were fined, however, if a job was the purpose behind their missing attendance, the business was required by law to pay the fine.

1932

A survey conducted in 1932, showed that 3/4 of the surveyed schools were using intelligence testing to determine academic tracks for students. This meant that children were being categorized according to their test scores dictating what they could learn.

1954

The Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were â&#x20AC;&#x153;inherently unequalâ&#x20AC;? and must be abolished in the case between Brown v. Board of Education. This granted the ability for African Americans to attend the same schools as caucasians, however the integration didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen until about three years later in 1957. Many may remember this integration occuring in Little Rock, AR.

1972

Title IX dictated that it was illegal to discriminate on the basis of sex in public schools.This specifically regarded: school athletics, financial aid, career counseling, admission practices and the treatment of students. Primarily, this act allowed for women to be treated as equals in the public school system.

1974

In 1974, the Supreme Court ruled that schools in the Detriot area must be desegregated across school districts, after realizing that Detroit still remained a segregated area. A plan was implemented to desegregate the schools, but ultimately resulted mostly in inner city schools of color and wealthier white suburban school districts.

1998

California Proposition 227 passed in 1998, making bilingual education illegal in California. Students who are not fluent English speakers receive one year of coursework in a slower-speaking classroom before being integrated into a regular classroom. This proposition is still in place, though highly contested.

2001

No Child Left Behind was an initiative and act that passed in 2001. It required all states to perform yearly standardized assessments in order to recieve federal funding for their school districts.

2004

The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA) was passed in 2004. This ensures access to services for children with disabilities, and involves such things as special education, procedural safeguards, and additional authority for school personell.

2009

The common core initiative was implemented in 2009 and sets standards for each grade level nationally for core subjects like language arts and math. This ensures that each state is on the same page as far as learning requirements.

DESIGN PROCESSING In processing of my ideas, I found a few more sources of inspiration for my timeline idea, some color and look inspiration, and the New England Primer, basically the very first textbook, provided me with inspiration for my typography. MORE STAMP INSPIRATION

CHILD-FRIENDLY / COLOR INSPIRATION 60

THE HISTORY OF THE

U.S. PUBLIC

EDUCATION

SYSTEM

1647

OLD ELUDER

D SATAN

ACT

The Old Deluder Satan Act was a law passed in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1647. It required that all towns with 50 families have a schoolmaster, and towns of 100 or more families must have a grammar teacher.This was to ensure children could read and write, therefore having the ability to elude Satan by reading their Bibles.

1905

1830

FOR

BID

DEN TO TEACH SLAVES

In 1830, it was illegal to teach slaves to read or write, and forbidden for slaves to learn. Still five percent of slaves went to great personal risk and became literate, taught by slaveowners, masters, or other educated individuals.

HORACE

1837 MANN FREE PUBLIC

1887

SCHOOLING

KILL

THE INDIAN

SAVE THE MAN

1954 1918 1932

In 1905, the Supreme Court rules that California must allow for the children of Chinese immigrants to have the ability to attend school.

In 1918, a law was passed nationally requiring that all children must attend school for three out of twelve months of the year. If they did not attend, their families were fined, however, if a job was the purpose behind their missing attendance, the business was required by law to pay the fine.

A survey conducted in 1932, showed that 3/4 of the surveyed schools were using intelligence testing to determine academic tracks for students.This meant that children were being categorized according to their test scores dictating what they could learn.

In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were “inherently unequal” and must be abolished in the case between Brown v. Board of Education. This granted the ability for African Americans to attend the same schools as caucasians, however the integration didn’t happen until about three years later in 1957. Many may remember this integration occuring in Little Rock, AR.

2001

1974 1972 Title IX dictated that it was illegal to discriminate on the basis of sex in public schools. This specifically regarded: school athletics, financial aid, career counseling, admission practices and the treatment of students. Primarily, this act allowed for women to be treated as equals in the public school system.

2004

1998 In 1974, the Supreme Court ruled that schools in the Detriot area must be desegregated across school districts, after realizing that Detroit still remained a segregated area.A plan was implemented to desegregate the schools, but ultimately resulted mostly in inner city schools of color and wealthier white suburban school districts.

2009

California Proposition 227 passed in 1998, making bilingual education illegal in California. Students who are not fluent English speakers receive one year of coursework in a slower-speaking classroom before being integrated into a regular classroom.This proposition is still in place, though highly contested.

HUMAN RIGHT NO.

No Child Left Behind was an initiative and act that passed in 2001. It required all states to perform yearly standardized assessments in order to recieve federal funding for their school districts.

EVERYONE

HAS THE RIGHT TO

EDUCATION

EXERCISE 05

THANK YOU NOTES & CUSTOMIZED STAMPS “The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.” –FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

THANK YOU NOTES This is the note on the back of the postcard that will be sent to all those who helped with the symposium and contributed to my design projects in some way this semester: I sincerely appreciate your support and knowledgeable advice offered regarding social justice. My hope is that across the world, we continue to see improvements in the quality and equality of the systems educating our children. Each child should grow up with the opportunity to discover the world beyond their understanding, providing a sense of hope for their futures and empowering people to change their lives for the better. Throughout this project I have learned the path the U.S. has taken on our road toward educational equality. Though it is rough, we have been incredibily successful in maintaining this priority and continuously improving it. Although we still have much to do, we have a great opportunity to review our history in order to look further into the ways in which we can continue to spur change. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;TAYLOR BOGLE

EXERCISE 06

ALL HANDS ON DECK “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” –NELSON MANDELA

SLIDE DECK PROCESS In the creation of my philatelic project, I did a lot of research and planning to decide exactly what I wanted my stamps to communicate. Their production was rooted primarily in my beginning research, visually and historically. Eventually, it led to this presentation, in which I stated my communication goals and my conceptual framework for the project. From here, I moved toward production of my stamp set.

COMMUNICATION GOALS FOR THIS PROJECT INCLUDED: 1. Expressing the History of the US Public Education System 2. Emphasizing a connection between our history and struggles that other countries are currently going through 3. Encouraging support of both the US Public Schools, and education initiatives worldwide 73

EXERCISE 07

TYPOGRAPHY AND THE UNDERGROUND

REFLECTION WRITING The reading from Heller’s book spoke of Avant Garde publication design used to disseminate information about “unholy” things. One of the main points Heller makes about Avant Garde publications were that they would not appeal to the masses. These designs were made for a select niche, or specific group which embraced such things as the art called attention to.This was relevant when looking to the underground newspaper collection of Billy X Jennings. Leafing through these different articles and issues, there are particularly specific audiences for each publication. For example, the Berkeley Tribe had many articles and ads regarding college students, so perhaps that was their primary focus in creating the paper. The Black Panther papers were disseminated largely to Black Panther party members and their structure and content echoes the specificity of that group. This is not to say that members outside of these groups were not permitted or welcome to read and look at these publications, but rather that the language, both visually and written, may be best understood by someone from that specific group of which it was created for. Another point Heller makes is that they “must make noise.” In the examples we looked at, this was clear to see. These papers used type and imagery, drawn, photographed, and set, to call attention to issues going on in their groups and to emphasize the point behind the writing. This is seen in many of the papers, some more effectively than others. One of the best examples of using type and imagery to enhance the experience of the audience in reading and understanding the content, is in The Oracle, Volume One, Number Eight. This paper has a variety of hand-drawn type examples, as well as illustrated imagery. There are also several examples of type being set in specific ways to change the 78

experience of the reader and “make greater noise.” One of the best examples I saw of the way type was set to disrupt was on page five. The story, or article, itself speaks to the idea that America is somewhat of a disgrace, using examples of Columbus not actually discovering America, our founding fathers changing the entire structure of Native American life, and making this the way that they wanted them to be instead of living in peace with the natives. The most summarizing line of the article might be, “This is a land named after rapists and racists… this is a land named after its conquered… their land once winnowed in cycles and breaths now seized in one annual leap by America in search of gold.” Shortly after this, the text begins to break up from paragraph form to single lines, indented and spaced somewhat randomly. This portion of the text is perhaps the most visually imaginable portion. I believe the text was placed in this way in order for the reader to meditate on the words and envision this world they were writing of in their minds. The breakage encourages more thought to take place and disrupts the normal reading pattern, further “making noise” as Heller calls attention to it.

THE UNDERGROUND UNL students view newspapers from Billy X 81 Jennings Collection.

PROJECT 02

BUILD A BOX TO THINK OUT OF “ We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. ” –MR. FRED ROGERS

THE BOX PROJECT We were asked to create a box inspired by Mr. Rogers, that promotes well-being in society. After the heaviness of all that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d produced earlier, I was excited for some time to simply have some fun. However, I ran into more roadblocks than one might think. Mr. Rogers is quite the philosopher for a friendly tv show neighbor. For this project, I did a large amount of research on who he was exactly, as a person, as an activist, and in many ways, an artist in his own right. I found a great deal of genuineness to him, which made my work even harder. How is it that I can make a box, a large wooden hard box, genuine and warm and loving, just like him? That was a large part of the challenge. Along with this, I wondered how I was to infuse it with my own personality as well. Mr. Rogers and I have similar ideaologies about life in so many ways, but I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want his voice to become the only voice for this project. I wrestled with ownership of the artistic voice, until I made a decision which gave me hardly an ownership of the design itself at all.

Kind. ORIGINAL INSPIRATION When initially beginning this project, I was hung up on the idea that I’d go ahead and do quotes from Mr. Rogers neighborhood, with cute illustrations inspired by the puppetry on the show. However, upon further review of this, I decided against it. The ideas were too contrived. I didn’t go through proper brainstorming to come up with it. I simply had forced the decision that I was going to make myself happy by doing some handlettering of Mr. Rogers’ quotes, and yet, it was so boring, so expected. I wasn’t happy with the idea. It wasn’t good enough yet. So I abandoned it, which led to a LOT of writing to explore where my creative thoughts could take me. I needed a new idea. One that came from a genuine place inspired by Mr. Rogers.

WRITING PROCESS The box project brought a lot of writing, building and crafting. All the writing pieces are various snippets from my sketchbooks regarding Mr. Rogers and general plans about the project. Take a look at this writing and the photo documentation of the project. This portion pertains to a series of quotations from Mr. Rogers, responding to them from my personal perspective. “I wonder if we might pledge ourselves to remember what life is really all about—not to be afraid that we’re less flashy than the next, not to worry that our influence is not that of a tornado, but rather that of a grain of sand in an oyster! Do we have that kind of patience?” Mr. Rogers was a complex guy. Just looking at what he had to say and all the things he was passionate about, we see the tip of the iceberg of what was growing “in the garden of his mind.” His personal philosophy about life is astounding, and yet so simple. Why would we begin to believe we weren’t allowed to be ourselves, to feel with our whole hearts? Why would we ever let anyone else come in between our self-confidence and value? Why are we so

shaky on understanding our own personal worth? Why do we base our worth on things like our abilities, our influence, our successes? Who told us we weren’t valuable? Who told us we were ever worth les than diamonds, rubies, pearls, gold? Did anyone tell us that initially? When did we become sensitive to society’s roars and demands of perfection and insistence on excellence? So why isn’t what Mr. Rogers says common sense? Why is this thought that we’re likeable as we are and that our value isn’t determined by the things we do so unnatural? Maybe it’s our human nature. Maybe it’s based on our qualities endowed to us by a Creator that begs for us to seek Him. Maybe we’re made to love and be loved, so we ask for approval, seeking something much deeper, much more meaningful than simply someone telling us that we’re valuable to them in some form.

ORIGINAL SKETCHES This was part of a collection of sketches from the first concept for the box..

“It’s really easy to fall into the trap of believing that what we do is more important than what we are. Of course, it’s the opposite that’s true: What we are ultimately determines what we do! I think I’ve struggled with this project far too long to be unable to understand where my mind is leading me. Maybe it isn’t my mind’s fault. Maybe I’ve just lost steam or there aren’t any ideas “coming to me.” As Elizabeth Gilbert might say, none of the ideas want to land on me and they don’t see it fit that I be their discoverer. I don’t know that I believe ideas are able to make up their minds, and instead of growing from thoughts of our own, float through the universe, fully independent, but to each his own. Who am I to say that’s not, at the very least, the best way to foster creativity, and not feel like a disappointment to everyone and yourself when you have trouble figuring things out? But for my sake, I simply believe something is brewing in the back of my mind, it’s just not fully prepped enough to come to the front. So here I am, writing out my thoughts to encourage it to near completion.

THOUGHTS WHILE IN BUILDING PROCESS This box project may be so difficult for me because I find myself truly relation to Mr. Rogers in a highly philosophical way. I don’t think that’s because our thoughts so happened to be rooted nearly identically, or that I watched his show so often that it effectively “brainwashed” me into good behavior. Rather, I think that we both have something bigger in common. I think we’re both rooted in faith. However, Mr. Rogers is different than me, because I feel like that’s not something he hesitated to speak about. At the same time, we don’t see Mr. Rogers consistently referencing the Bible on his television show, but his lessons are such that I believe, are initially inspired by God and God’s Word. Perhaps this is why things resonate with me so deeply. Mr. Rogers was a minister, let’s not forget that. But Mr. Rogers ministry was something much different than the traditional Pastoral role. His ministry reached out on television, but it wasn’t like the traditional televangelist either. Rather, it told stories with morals, sang songs about embracing feelings, and talked about solving problems. The solutions were practical to all, not because Mr. Rogers didn’t believe things others may deem impractical, like prayer didn’t work,

but because he was speaking to an audience of children. Not that children can’t believe in the existence of God, I know many that do, but maybe that children, more so than any other group of people, need something tangible in terms of problem solving. They need someone to teach them how to deal with anger, sadness and jealousy. They need someone to help them be hopeful, and encourage them to be certain of who they are. They need to feel loved and cared for in the simplest, and perhaps, the most complex, ways. I think most of these needs we have as children, are a reflection of needs we have today as well. As an adult, my heart still yearns for love and encouragement. For approval that I’m doing well, for someone to tell me I’m a good person and that I simply don’t need to worry. Life may have the same bumps and blows to confidence and pride regardless of these affirmative statements, but at least I’d have an awesome support system to get me through things if everyone I encountered was so kind as to offer those things freely. I’m not the only one who thinks that we need what we needed as children. Mr.

Rogers often says things like, “Whether we’re a preschooler, or young teen, a graduating senior or a retired person, we human beings all want to know that we’re acceptable, that our being alive somehow makes a difference in the lives of others.” Under that quote on a bookmarked webpage reads another that says, “Who we are in the present includes who we were in the past.” So if we’re the same person we once were, but maybe not, rather, let’s word it as, we are a conglomerate of everything we have once found ourselves to be and defined or identified our person. So when we’re thinking about ourselves, what do these things mean? We do change as we grow up, right? We learn and grow and become different people, of course! But when it comes down to it, I truly believe for many, that our values, morals and most of our personality traits remain the same as they once did, either more potent or diluted based on experiences we’ve had on the way to where we are now.

soul, out on display, not because Mr. Rogers asked our class to. But because that’s what it means to be truly authentic. What else would I want to be as an artist aside from truly authentic and genuine? Maybe this is hard for me because I think it’s a very rare thing that I create for myself. Usually, I create for others and show other personalities or hope people can find a piece of themselves somewhere in my work. But this might just need to be in the nature of Fred Rogers, unapologetically itself, maybe a little weird, but absolutely genuine. My box will be a reflection of what it means to be human, vulnerable and reliant, but not interpreted in a negative fashion. Rather, I will focus on the nature we possess in being ourselves fully from start to finish and think about how that affects the way those around us interact with us.

Maybe as we grow, we just learn that things are what we allow them to be.We are how we react.What this project means to me, is that maybe I need to put myself, heart and

THOUGHT DEVELOPMENT As the thoughts I wrote out spilled out onto paper, I began to see somewhat of a pattern and new conceptual approach. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another thought I had scrawled in my sketchbook: We have to rely on others for: Love, Hope, Encouragement,Variety, Freedom, To remind us of who we are, Security, Safety, Contribution, Identity, Significance, Appreciation, Growth, Purpose, Recognition These are the same things we needed as children, with different methods of fulfillment as we get older. Highlights: Love, Hope/Encouragement,Variety, Freedom, Security/Certainty (of self/of person?), Identity, Significance/Purpose, Growth

From there, I narrowed down these needs and created iconography for each. The needs I chose were: Love, Encouragement, Certainty, Purpose, Growth

SKETCHBOOK SAMPLES

ICONOGRAPHY

BOX PROJECT THESIS Initially, the hope for this project was that we would use this opportunity to promote well-being to those around us. As I began working and structuring my concept, I thought through the things Mr. Rogers advocated for, things like kindness, friendliness, love, hope, and emotional intelligence. Of course the beginning was a struggle because when we think of all of these things, we don’t think of something, rather, we think of someone. So trying to make a box that possesses and promotes these qualities was interesting. Fred Rogers did not only promote the basic idea of being a good person, but also thought a great deal about mental health and what it meant for individuals to understand that who they are is important, but also to spread that message on to others around them. To know that we don’t have to be everyone else’s definition of brilliant or be some form of perfection, we simply need to be ourselves without worry over influencing the world or focusing too much on what we do. We make the world a beautiful place, just by being ourselves and encouraging others to be themselves. With these ideologies in mind, I began to think about the needs of each individual and how, as we grow, those needs remain the same, though their forms of fulfillment differ. I decided to focus on 5 fundamental needs. These were chosen through comparison of research to Fred Rogers’ writings and quotes. Ultimately, I found the following needs to be of the most common variety: Love, Encouragement, Growth, Certainty and Purpose. I represented these needs through a series of iconography, created after visually researching and drawing a variety of symbols with multiple different meanings. I discovered the ways that iconographic systems can appear formal or laid-back, happy or on-edge, and complexity versus simplicity. I chose to make mine fairly simple, with a little bit of character. It is very tempting to make symbols that are as perfect as possible. However, if we are talking about the needs of people, whom I believe to be imperfect but still loveable, I felt my icons should reflect that as well. When looking closely, you’ll see that they heart isn’t perfectly symmetrical, the arrow has some curve to its tip, the speech bubble has an optimistic and friendly curve to the edges. All of the symbols have qualities of their own, further giving them meaning.

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Furthermore, I have designed this to be an experience, in which a whole community participates because as a system, these pieces work together to make the box uniquely designed. Each person steps through the process of needs differently. When first experimenting, I thought I would make this system work in a linear fashion, where needs are fulfilled in a process, however, upon further thought, it occurred to me that many times, if not most, these needs are not provided to us in a specific order. They simply come through the community surrounding us, when we need them most. When I am uncertain about myself, I receive encouragement and love, when I find purpose and give encouragement and love, I find that I grow as a person. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the beauty of it. We all experience these needs and fulfill them in different ways through cooperation as human beings. I believe this reflects the type of culture Mr. Rogers worked to foster in our generation. One that notices what we need as individuals, and upon noticing, understands that other people might just need the exact same thing. Often times the only thing we need to do is be there for one another, and that is enough to provide things like love and encouragement, to inspire growth, make you certain of who you are and help you feel that who you are and what you do has purpose.

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CONCLUDING THOUGHTS This has been an intense semester, but I’ve learned so much about who I am as a designer and I think I’ve developed my artistic voice as well. Prior to this semester I couldn’t say that I knew anything about building a wooden box, making postage stamps or screenprinting, but here I am now. I’ve created all of those things. I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in art school and as a designer is that you simply cannot tell yourself that the tough things or the scary, seemingly impossible things are things you can’t try. In my experience, the only thing that ever stood in between me and completing these crazy ideas I come up with, aside from time and money (you know, college student troubles), is fear. Fear can cripple you in your creativity. I think there’s a lot of fear in art. We’re all worried about what others have to say and their critiques of our work, because our work is often a reflection of ourselves. Sometimes we craft things that seem to be a part of us and when someone tells us it’s not good we begin to believe that we’re also not so good. So if there’s any advice that a senior art major can give to anyone out there that’s trying to become successful in any artistic field, it would be that you are not defined by the pieces you create.You are so much more than that. Personally, I believe that I am defined through Christ. I think God is an artist, and He made me. I’m one of His pieces, but I don’t define who He is. However, I am an expression of His. I believe all of us are. Knowing this, when I approach a design situation, it’s more than just another project. It’s an opportunity to use the gifts and talents that my Creator gave me, when He created me, to make something beautiful. I am here to make another expression of Him, through my actions and my life. That’s why I didn’t feel proper in only focusing on one aspect of myself, a designer, in this book.We’re all more than just our career paths. Like Mr. Rogers says, almost as an echo to my understanding of life, “It’s really easy to fall into the trap of believing that what we do is more important than what we are. Of course it’s the opposite that’s true: What we are ultimately determines what we do!”

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ACKNOWLEGEMENTS Thank you to the following sources for your information, guidance, assistance and help in the production of this book, and/or your time with our class. Stacy Asher, Professor Eva Lube, Photography James Lindsay, Photography Huy Tran, Photography H.B. Alexander, Philosopher Justin Kemerling,Visiting Mentor/Artist Emory Douglas,Visiting Mentor/Artist Mr. Fred Rogers, Inspiration / Philosopher All of my classmates for being so great to work with and learn from! Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re an inspiration to me. Any image sources I may have neglected to mention, additionally the sources of information for the Philatelic project or the Box Project. Thank YOU! The reader! You made it through all 105 pages! Thanks for checking out my book.

If you have any concerns/questions/comments, please contact me by email: taybogle@gmail.com

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I work to make the world around me lovely. Not for my sake, not even for the sake of those I love, but rather because I have faith in something much more than myself. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an amazing comfort in knowing that even if my creativity should someday leave me, that I am not a failure, because my worth is not simply derived from the work I create. And I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how I can keep creating and making and building, because even if I should fail, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the end. It simply means that I did what I could, and that was enough. My creativity, my thoughts and my love of designing is a gift, and I want to use this gift and all the gifts I have been given to spread love and light to those around me.

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