The Stamp Box Project: Graphic Designer as Curator by Tom Bishop

The Stamp Box Project: Graphic Designer as Curator

Tom Bishop // 2014 Lincoln School of Architecture & Design // MA Design // John Stocker & Dr Neil Maycroft

Tom Bishop BA (Hons) 2014 Lincoln School of Architecture & Design MA Design John Stocker Dr Neil Maycroft Word Count: 10,989

For Lucy

Abstract: The Stamp Box Project: Graphic Designer as Curator attempts to understand and break down the relationship between the designer, client and end user. The Project itself focused on the specific relationship between the designer and end user. By upsetting this balance of power, the designers involved became responsible for the artwork that would be curated by The Stamp Box, where as the end users would be responsible for the creation of the final artwork. The Stamp Box Project explores the role democracy within design; this paper examines the role of the designer and attempts to break down the relationship the designer has with the other participants in the design process. The Project was conceived as a way to test this relationship, by upsetting the power balance between the designer and end user, the process changed from a dictatorship to a democracy. The Stamp Box Project consisted of several core belief systems and as the project progressed, the understanding of the role of each belief system developed. Explored in this paper are the core systems that help make up and define the work of The Stamp Box Project; Craft, Interpretation, Social and User centred design. Each of these topics is discussed at length with corresponding arguments from practitioners and thinkers who specialise in that area. It is important to put the work of The Stamp Box Project into context as the work produced through collaboration helps to define and examine the roles of the designer and end user.

Contents: I. Introduction 1.1: Overview 1.2: Process 1.3: Results 1.4: Definition of Terms II. Craft 2.1: Making Things 2.1.1 Origins 2.1.2 Tools 2.2: Unmaking Things 2.2.1 Play 2.2.2 The Language Game Theory 2.2.3 Hacking 2.2.3.1 Phonebloks & Lego® 2.3: Art and Visual Language 2.3.1 What is an Artist 2.3.2 Two in One 2.3.3 Quale 2.3.4 Language 2.4: Case Studies 2.4.1 Paul Elliman 2.4.2 Erik Spiekermann 2.4.3 Anthony Burrill 2.4.4 Big Active – Beck Album Cover

IV. Social 4.1: Audience Involvement 4.2: Work and Play V. User Centred Design: Stamp Box Print Co. 5.1: The Stamp Box Project 5.2: Phase One 5.3: Phase Two 5.3.1 Conversion 5.3.2 Milling The Stamps 5.3.3 The Workshop 5.3.4 Testing 5.4: Phase Three VI. Conclusion VII. Bibliography VIII. List of Illustrations IX. Appendices

III. Interpretation 3.1: Designing for Others 3.2: Visual Language 3.3: What Do People See? 3.4: Case Study: Neasden Control Centre 5

‘An artist is a man who digests his own subjective impressions and knows how to find a general objective meaning from them, and how to express them in a convincing form.’ – Maxim Gorky in Munari, 1966

‘The designer… re-establishes the long-lost contact between art and the public, between living people and art as a living thing.’ – Munari, 1966

Chapter I: Introduction 1.1: Overview The Stamp Box Project was influenced by the idea of collaboration and the role of democracy within design. The origins of the project lie within the overarching theme of the Magna Carta, drawing parallels between the role of democracy in modern society and the relationships that make up the design process with the big three contributors, the designer, client and the end user. To test the relationship the project focused on two of the big three, the relationship between the designer and the end user. In order to aid this area of inquiry, the project developed as a process that would upset the balance of power between the two parties. 6

1.2: Process

1.3: Results

The Stamp Box Project was dependent on the input of groups of designers and users working together to create new artwork. The project was separated into three main phases; a group of collaborators used the first phase to generate artwork. The second phase took this artwork and converted it into the woodblocks. The third phase curated the woodblocks inside The Stamp Box, to engage new collaborators in an attempt to create new artwork with the artwork of others.

By recording and documenting the process, the different phases of collaboration help to understand the balance of power and more importantly how this power can be divided up amongst a group of collaborators. Redistributing the power from the designer to the end user has the effect of taking the control away from the designer and giving it to the end user. To develop a deeper understanding of the project there are specific areas of interest focused on throughout this piece of writing, including:

During the project, a number of workshops were run in order to create as many stamp variants as possible, providing a generous choice of different subjects and sizes for the collaborators to interact with when using the woodblocks to create their own artwork.

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To house the vast collection of stamps and to provide transportation as well as a printing area for collaborators to ink up and print on, The Stamp Box was created. As the project progressed, Stamp Box Print Co. became the face of the project. Stamp Box branded briefs; presentations, websites and a blog helping to promote the work created and draw attention to the process of collaboration beyond the context of the university. After the artwork created during the first phase of collaboration had been processed into new woodblocks, they were curated inside The Stamp Box, ready to be taken to the future collaborative workshops. Phase three invited a new group of collaborators to take part, opening up the contents of The Stamp Box and allowing the participants to create new artwork from the work of others.

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The role of the Craftsman, looking at how the project been influenced by the thinking of other craftsmen and artists who embrace the notion of Anti-Craftsmanship, those who’s work relies on the unknown and the role chance plays in their design work. The social aspects of the project, linking the initial starting point of The Magna Carta and the idea of democracy into the rest of the project. The project attempted to get the collaborators actively and socially involved in the creation process. This was achieved through various collaboration events that were held to create the initial drawings for the woodblocks. The woodblocks were then used by another group of collaborators, who used the various stamps to create new artwork. The role interpretation has had throughout the project, with various collaborators through different stages using stamps in unique and unexpected ways. The separation of the stages has helped the project, as designers who worked on the creation of the initial stamp artwork would have no involvement as to how the stamps would be used by the wider community during the creation of new artwork. 7

1.4: Definition of Terms Taken from The Oxford Dictionary of English, (2010) & The Columbia Dictionary of Modern Literary and Cultural Criticism, (1995)

Art: (/ɑːt/) noun [mass noun]. the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

Quale: (/ˈkwälēə/) noun. (plural qualia) philosophy – A quality or property as perceived or experienced by a person.

Artist: (/ˈɑː.tɪst/) noun. 1. A person who creates paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby. 2. A person who performs any of the creative arts such as a sculptor, filmmaker, actor or dancer.

Metanarrative: (/ˈmet.ə.ˈnær.ə.tɪv/) noun. a grand narrative common to all. The term refers, in critical theory and particularly in postmodernism, to a comprehensive explanation, a narrative about narratives of historical meaning, experience or knowledge, which offers a society legitimation through the anticipated completion of a (as yet unrealised) master idea.

Design: (/dɪˈzaɪn/) noun. a plan or drawing produced to show the look and function or workings of a building, garment or other object before it is made.

Anti-Craft: Anti- (/æn.ti-/) prefix. opposed to; against anti-aircraft. 2. Acting as a rival.

Designer: (/dɪˈzaɪ.nər/) noun. a person who plans the look or workings of something prior to it being made, by preparing drawings or plans. Craft: (/krɑːft/) noun. an activity involving skill in making things by hand. Works or objects made by hand. verb. exercise skill in making (something).

Chapter II: Craft 2.1: Making Things 2.1.1: Origins In his book The Craftsman (2009), Richard Sennett discusses the role of various craftsmen through the ages. Arguing that all craft should be fulfilling and that craftsmen, whether these are people working in a workshop, a laboratory or in a recording studio, they all strive to produce meaningful work for its own sake. Sennett argues that the role of the craftsman is intrinsically linked to the social and political world (Sennett, 2009). In his book Together (2013), Sennett talks about the modern age of craft, ushered in shortly after the end of the American Civil War, the end of the war witnessed the abolition of slavery in America (Sennett, 2013). During this time, former slaves were in danger of becoming underprivileged farm hands and forced to work for their old masters again. Former slaves would take the crafting skills they had learned whilst in captivity and begin to exercise these skills without their masters overseeing.

This racial recovery started to reshape the workshop; tools were developed to allow women to take up crafts that were previously seen as a male pursuit, allowing for more diversity and gender equality throughout the workplace. Women could now take part in cheese making, typically a male dominated craft, with men being taught how to repair and operate sewing machines, bringing them into what was traditionally seen as a female sector. The workshop became essential to the family value of continuity, a place where whole families worked as artisans, with sons working alongside their fathers as potters and daughters working as weavers alongside their mothers, passing these skills down through generations. This approach can still be seen today, with family run businesses being held in the family for generations, each generation safeguarding it for the next.

2.1.2: Tools As previously mentioned, a craftsman’s tools were an integral part of the workshop and the development of tools for women helped spread the teachings and methodology of different crafts allowing masters to take on a wider range of apprentices. The tools of a craftsman are designed to be fit for purpose and to do a specific job, in many professions; an apprentice would make their own tools in the transition to master from apprentice. The proverb ‘a poor workman blames his tools’ (Unknown) stems from this traditional practice. The role of the craftsman aligns itself well with The Stamp Box Project, each phase allows collaborators to be involved in the creation of some form of artwork, although the collaborators may not be skilled craftsmen; the work they produce should still be considered viable pieces of design. The Stamp Box Project was intended to be a serious piece of design with a light-hearted approach. The work generated throughout the project reflects the importance of the relationship between the designer and end user, whereas the experiences each collaborator has with the project should be enjoyable in order to encourage creativity. Sennett’s argument that ‘nearly anyone can become a good craftsman.’ supports this approach, with Sennett continuing to say that, ‘the rhythm of routine in craftsmanship draws on the childhood experience of play and nearly all children play well.’ (Sennett, 2009).

2.2 Un-Making Things

2.2.2 The Language Game Theory

2.2.1 Play

In his book The Postmodern Condition: A report on Knowledge (1984), Jean-François Lyotard proposed an alternative to the metanarrative system. Instead of referring to itself or the conventions of its genre, as is the case with a metanarrative system, The Language Game theory includes all forms of knowledge. By taking into account these other forms of knowledge, each theory and approach can complement each other as they share the same structure or understanding and to some extent are free to change the rules of the game.

As discussed previously, Sennett’s claim that the role of play is essential to the process of design supports the work of The Stamp Box Project. Sennett describes how the activity of play is composed of two parts, firstly, the rules of play are established and agreed upon by all parties, ‘In competitive games, rules are set before players begin to act; once conventions are established, players become their servants.’ (Sennett, 2009), much like the rules of language (See section 2.2.2: Language Games Theory). The second part of Sennett’s disambiguation of play discusses how the role of experimentation and experience, is an important part of understanding the properties of a material, ‘In a more open field of play… sensory stimulation dominates; the child plays around… experiments… the dialog with material and object begins.’ (Sennett, 2009). Throughout the process of The Stamp Box Project, this experimentation can be observed, with collaborators testing the marks left by the woodblocks before applying them to their artwork. As the collaborators became accustomed to using the woodblocks, the experimentation lessened and the collaborators became more confident in composing their work before printing took place.

To understand the how language games operate amongst a complex structure of theories and genre’s, the theory can be compared to the game of chess. For example; whilst a player who doesn’t know the rules of the game would not understand the significance of the different moves a piece can make across the board, when the player begins to learn and practice, they will learn that each move has a specific significance. As different moves are possible, the story begins to take shape around the understanding both players have of the game. The players can move their pieces differently but they will understand their opponent’s moves because they both know the structure in which they are playing (Lyotard, 1984). Postmodern design moves away from the idea of universal design, incorporating The Language Game into its methodology. By incorporating the views of various participants the designer can tailor an experience to a specific group of users. This methodology also allows the designer to have their voice heard through their design work. 11

2.2.3 Hacking Generally thought of as a negative activity, the sub-culture and process of hacking refers to the modification of products beyond what the original designer had intended. The process often explores the limits of what is possible with a specific material or product, usually taking place in a playful manner. Hacking takes place to improve a specific function of the original design, often exploiting features overlooked by the original designer. The hacker usually builds, rebuilds or modifies an existing product in order to improve the functionality or expand the lifespan of an obsolete product. Hacks are often seen to have a positive influence on the world of design, tailoring a specific product to the individual, a trend that has recently seen major brands producing the ‘bare bones’ of a product with the intention that the buyer will flesh it out through customisation and personalisation. An example of how hacking has been adopted by crafters around the world is Ikea Hacking, exploiting the modular systems that are a key feature of Ikea furniture and creating something new, often combining many the Ikea products in the process. Ikea is a Swedish furniture company founded in 1943, specialising in easy to assemble flat-pack furniture. The simplistic user-centred approach led to the increase of flat-pack furniture sales and its acceptance into popular culture. Today according to Reuters, Ikea is the world’s largest furniture retailer, with 287 stores in 26 countries (Zuvela, 2008). 12

Ikea Hacking is an Internet phenomenon in which a community of hackers provides digital instructions for anyone to hack Ikea flat-pack furniture, producing modified designs and using the components in a way that Ikea had not intended. By exploiting the principles of Ikea’s methodology of selling low cost, easy to assemble flat-pack furniture and the modular nature of the components, hackers are able to combine many of these products together, subverting the original intent of the designer. The hacks themselves provide anyone who has enough time or patience the chance to easily create a personalised piece of furniture, without the need for advanced tools or training. Many of the hacks that populate the site require nothing more than a screwdriver or in some cases a drill, this allows even the novice hacker the opportunity to create.

2.2.3.1 Phonebloks & LEGO ® Companies are now taking this trend on board and using initiative to create products that’s main focus is personalisation. Much like The Stamp Box Project, items are being produced with the intention of the end user personalising and technically making their own product from these pre-made pieces; a current example of this is Phonebloks. The Phonebloks’ main concept is very much a sustainable solution to replacing phone parts when they break. However, the actual design concept of producing the components for the user to pick and choose is precedent to The Stamp Box. ‘By building a modular phone consisting of several exchangeable blocks… people can upgrade specific parts as they go and help extend the overall lifetime. As technology evolves so will your phone. Not only will a phone built of blocks help you upgrade it like a pc. You can also customise it any way you see fit.’ (Unknown, Phonebloks, 2013)

Phonebloks Concept Image.

Similarly, collaborators can choose their own blocks from The Stamp Box in order to compose their own images to their own specification.

Phonebloks Components.

Another form of personalisation and user centred production that has actually been used in practice is LEGO ®. Designed and created as a toy in the 50’s, LEGO ® ‘resonated with new visions of rebuilding society - with ethical, imaginative children’s play at its heart.’ (BBC, 2014). Again, much like Phonebloks and The Stamp Box, it designs components for a scheme that people can adhere to the original purpose or use the pieces to personalise their own creation. Architect’s firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have used this creative tool within their own practice by visualising their design work using LEGO ®. The cross over between the worlds of work and play echo what Sennett discusses in his book The Craftsman about the role that play has in the development of craft (See 4.2). As well as using this as a tool to design, they have also incorporated the whole concept and image of LEGO ® into their architectural builds by creating the LEGO ® House, ‘a 12,000 square metre “hands-on minds-on experience centre.”’ (Stott, 2014). At the opening of the LEGO ® House, BIG’s owner Bjarke Ingels, was quoted as saying, ‘For me the LEGO ® brick embodies the notion of systematic creativity – that the rigour and rationality of the LEGO ® brick allows children of all ages infinite possibilities to create their own worlds and to inhabit them through play.’ (Ingels, 2014). This ethos draws parallels with The Stamp Box Project, demonstrating the power of primary design that the designer hands over to the user, not just a secondary, limited treatment by the user. 14

LEGO® Towers, BIG

2.3 Art and Visual Language ‘Art allows the artists to express visually, what they cannot put into words.’ – Munari, 1966 2.3.1 What is an artist? Written in 1966, Bruno Munari’s Design as Art was intended to be a diary of discovery. Munari uses the book to express his displeasure with contemporary artists, who no longer look for meaning in their work. Instead, turning their backs on traditional mediums and focus on creating work with shock value. Munari believed that the Art of the late 20th century had been stripped of all its mystery, with ‘Artists’ creating work that would be easy to market and sell to collectors, much like any other commercial product. This displeasure with the artists of the late 20th century led Munari to write Design as Art. Throughout the book, Munari writes about the changing roles of the artists during the mid 20th century, pleading with them to ‘become a man amongst men.’ Instead of using their skills to create masterpieces for the elite, artists needed to change and adapt to new roles set for them amongst society. Artists needed to create smaller, more functional pieces, suggesting the painting of shop signage as an example. Munari expected the designers of the age to be the bridge between the artist and the public, allowing art to take place in everyday life, not just in galleries.

Munari wanted both art and design to be as one, with the design of everyday objects being as beautiful as the work placed in galleries. At the time of the mid 20th century there was a severe lack of beauty surrounding household appliances, with much of the emphasis being on functionality over aesthetics. Munari uses an Ancient Greek vase as an example; this object now sits in a gallery and is admired for its beauty and craftsmanship. However, when the vase was made it was for one function, to hold water for use in cooking. A craftsman, made it before the time of artists or designers; when both were one and the same (Munari, 1966). Munari proposes the idea that under the tree of design there are many different branches, each with a specific forte. A designer in the sense that Munari writes is someone who is concerned with the overall aesthetics of a product. It is their responsibility to ensure that the product is well received and bought by the intended audience, making the product a success.

2.3.2 Two in One Munari writes about the technique of using two images in one allowing the author or artist to impart a more complicated message to the viewer. These types of outcomes often use multiple images to make up a bigger picture. When the viewer observes a pattern, they project an image onto it. The viewer can only see what they already know or understand. A pattern may have multiple meanings or different connotations to different groups people, so it is the job of the designer to use colour, line and tone to put the image into context.

Reification demonstrates how the arrangement of separate elements gives the illusion that there is an invisible shape at the centre of the image, one that does not exist in on paper but exists in the mind of the viewer. Multistability or Multistable Perception relies on the ambiguous perceptual understanding that allows two (or more) images to fluctuate and change back and forth in the mind of the viewer.

Two Images In One, Munari

Examples of Reification

Gestalt Theory, derived from the German: Gestalt meaning ‘shape, form’, supports Munari’s observations, stating that the human mind sees an image in its entirety rather than the sum of its parts this is known as a ‘global whole’. The best examples of Gestalt Theory demonstrate how the mind interprets an illusion. Gestalt theory is separated into different categories, to demonstrate how different illusions have different effects on the mind of the observer. 16

Examples of Multistable Perception

To support these observations, Baudrillard’s object value system can be used, a system where people perceive the value of an object through a value making process. The theory was originally written to support Baudrillard’s theory that consumption is more important than production, however it can be appropriated to apply to the choices people make when engaging with The Stamp Box Project. Baudrillard’s Object Value System: • The functional value of the object. • The exchange value of the object and its economic value. • The symbolic value of the object and the value that the individual assigns to the object. • The sign value of the object, how it is perceived by peers and may indicate a sense of taste or class. (Baudrillard, 1994) When applying Baudrillard’s theory to The Stamp Box Project, collaborators can be observed to interact in an unpredictable manner, producing a variety of diverse outcomes to one another. One collaborator may create a house, where as the next collaborator may create a car out of the same woodblocks. The Stamp Box allows for this because it curates the tools for the collaborator, by providing the potential for infinite amount of combinations for the collaborator, be this position, scale or colour. Everything but instructions, the collaborator is required to select their own woodblocks, interpreting them in their own way, applying their own insight when creating artwork.

2.3.3 Quale

2.3.4 Language

Qualia explores the idea of the self and how an individuals processes and experiences sensations, the sensations experienced are personal and can only be experienced by the individual experiencing it. That is not to say that a sensation cannot be described and that another person may understand, but they will only ever understand it compared to their own experience of that sensation.

The idea of language is explored throughout the communication that takes place between the different groups of collaborators who take part in The Stamp Box Project, the project required the first group of collaborators to create the artwork that was given to the next group of collaborators without the two groups ever meeting. This is where the project took an unusual turn, as the two groups were effectively communicating through the use of visual language, however, because language is defined as a process of communication that happens between two or more people, the process cannot exist in isolation and is defined when those involved agree that a word, sound or gesture means the same thing.

In a philosophical sense, Qualia is only referred to as the understanding of perception, this idea however can be applied to a much wider range of human activities, design as an example. Some of the work that The Stamp Box Project has looked into is the idea of a collaborator viewing the woodblocks in a way that is personal to them, the role of interpretation relates back to what Munari discussed in Design as Art, about experiences making up a major part of our understanding of the world around us. Using the example of cloud watching, one viewer may see one thing but another may see something different, Munari argues that this is because of the different experiences that make each person an individual. Individuals who see the same thing may have shared similar experiences throughout their life, shaping their belief system the way they interpret the world. To aid the collaborators in their work, they each have a lifetimeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth of experiences to impart on the woodblocks and the creation of collaborative artwork. The subjective nature of the woodblocks allows the collaborators to create anything they desire and to impart their own understanding onto the work they create, through the use of visual language and the artwork of others. 18

The Stamp Box Project separated the two parties, with the first group of collaborators creating the artwork and then having no contact with any of the subsequent groups of collaborators who will use it. This process allows for the creation of a visual language that is purely subjective and may or may not reflect what the original designer had in mind when initially creating the artwork.

2.4: Case Studies Paul Elliman | Other Spaces Erik Spiekermann | Hello, I am Erik Anthony Burrill | Work Hard & Be Nice To People Big Active, Beck | The Information Album Artwork

Paul Elliman | Other Spaces In issue 25 of Eye Magazine, Rick Poyner explores the work of Paul Elliman and the role that craft and anti-craft play in his work. Elliman is a graphic designer who works with unconventional methods in an attempt to create intriguing and unusual work out of found objects. Throughout Elliman’s typographic work, the balance between craft and anti-craft can be seen, as he carefully arranges found objects in order to create letterforms. This approach to making things has an element of serendipity to it, with work created through a series of happy accidents. When creating a typeface, it can be assumed that Elliman has a vision of what the letters should look like but the finer details of the type only emerge as the objects are physically moved and composed on the page, in a sense, playing. Examples of work show how Elliman’s approach to graphic design differs from that of conventional designers; there is a real sense of craft and anticraft at play in his work. When talking about the role of craft in his work, Elliman remarks about ‘embracing error and inconsistency’ (Poyner, 1997), a key phrase that helps to define the design work created throughout The Stamp Box Project. By looking at Elliman’s work and elaborating on his methodology of ‘embracing error and inconstancy’, combined with the idea of collaboration, the project saw the creation of artwork by multiple authors, with the primary work created by the first group of artists and designers and their designs used by subsequent groups. 20

During the early development of The Stamp Box Project, Elliman’s work was influential on the direction the project took and informed much of the work that was produced. Elliman’s work lends itself to the process of collaboration, an activity that made up a large portion of the project, with much of the work produced through a mostly unstructured collaboration process. The work created by Elliman influenced much of the methodology that helps define The Stamp Box Project, looking at the process of image creation as a social tool, with participants needing to communicate with one another in order to work together. This process observed the creation of many different pieces of artwork but also explored the role of language and interpretation, a key variable when working collaboratively.

Found Object Typeface, Paul Elliman

Erik Spiekermann | Hello, I am Erik In an interview promoting his series of letterpress workshops, renowned German type designer Erik Spiekermann (MetaDesign, Fontshop and EdenSpiekermann) discusses his fascination with letterpress and movable type. Spiekermann makes a case for the use of letterpress in the digital age, claiming that it is a direct result of the introduction of the Macintosh that has made more and more young designers curious about letterpress and recapturing the charm and aesthetic of the industrial age. During the interview, Spiekermann talks about how throughout his professional career, he has always been interested in production, when he started out as a graphic designer in 1985, he would always be the designer who volunteered to visit the printers to watch the work being produced. This interest in production and graphic design is what has driven much of his work, and has led him to set up Galerie P98A, where he intends to run small workshops teaching young graphic designers about the movable type (Spiekermann, 2014). Talking about working on screen and working with physical type, Spiekermann talks about the key differences. The first of which is physicality, where the designer needs to think about the white space; when working with movable type, the designer needs to physically touch the white space in order to pack it with spacers to hold the letterform in position. This physicality also relates to the limitations that exist in the physical world, where kerning and spacing are physical things, when using a computer, the kerning option can be adjusted with ease and even negative kerning is 22

possible, this is not the case when working with the physical; these are factors that need to be decided early on in the design process. ‘Before you start work, you need to think about your material, but on the other hand, your material influences the work you do. You can’t just have any idea, you have a rough idea and then you start working and the material shapes your idea.’ (Spiekermann, 2014). The work produced is influenced by the tools at hand, in many cases, a printer may only have a set number of typefaces or point sizes, the printable area may be a certain size, limiting the scale of the work, there might only be one colour of ink available, meaning that the designer must operate within these parameters when working physically. It’s a modular system, I have the same letters, I can make different words but they are always the same letters. The constraints are totally different and after 30 years on screen and most people find this interesting. (Spiekermann, 2014) When the designer has finished printing, they need to clean everything and put all of the equipment away. Unlike using a computer, where work can be saved and resumed the next day, all of the equipment needs to be washed and put back in its case before the end of the session.

Examples of Woodblock Type

Anthony Burrill | Work Hard & Be Nice To People ‘Anthony’s work echoes Bauhaus: Simple composition of type, primary colors and geometric shapes that convey a message in a very direct way.’ (Zevelakis, 2014). Anthony Burrill’s distinctive voice has resonated throughout the design community for over 20 years. Well known for his woodblock ‘Poster Series’, a collection of typographical posters composed of simple messages, using words and language to drive a hard-hitting message through his design work. His prints are highly sort after amongst collectors and clients, with one of the best known in the series being ‘Work Hard and Be Nice to People’. When talking about the pre-digital era in which he trained in, Burrill describes the desire to resist the initial onset of technology during the early 90s and create simple analogue work. Believing that work that was rich in substance was more important than the process that put it together. ‘It took me a long time to embrace the technology’ (Burrill, 2012). During 2004, Burrill began work on his ‘Poster Series’ a collection of typographic posters with what he describes as ‘meaningful phrases’ printed onto them; the posters themselves were printed using the traditional method of letterpress. Produced by Adams of Rye, Burrill’s Poster Series gained popularity, brining a great deal of attention letterpress and traditional methods of printing. The popularity of the Poster Series allowed Burrill to become a ‘Curator of Phrases’ creating a human connection between his work and those who read it. Burrill claims that ‘the graphic design becomes less important’ continuing, to say that much of his work goes beyond graphic design, ‘it’s more about 24

reaching out to people, communicating. It’s about being social, as we all are.’ When talking about the production of his work, Burrill compares the work created on screen to the work created by hand, ‘they don’t have a soul, that quality, that human quality.’ (Burrill, 2012). The idea of hand-generated work having a soul is a concept that has helped define the work of The Stamp Box Project, collaborators have been able to express themselves through their work without the limitations of software or computer literacy, the woodblocks themselves allow the user to create elaborate pieces of artwork without the need for extensive training or demonstration, making the process of creation as straight forward as possible.

Work Hard & Be Nice To People, Anthony Burrill

Big Active, Beck | The Information Album Artwork In 2006 Big Active were commissioned to design the cover of Beck’s album, ‘The Information’. The concept of the album cover came about as a direct result of the state of the digital music economy. Beck himself believed that fans who bought a physical version of album were being ‘short changed’ by digital downloads and wanted to add an extra something to the physical album. The album cover became a ‘do it yourself’ sticker collection, allowing the buyer to customize the front of the album using the stickers provided. This concept was aimed at improving the experience that the buyer would have with the product, improving the relationship that they already had with the music. The stickers included in the album were inspired by the ‘instant sticker’ graphics that became popular in Japan in the early 2000’s. By creating work in advance, street artists used stickers as a quick way of tagging and applying graffiti an urban area [See Appendix A]. By adopting this approach for the album cover, Beck encourages the owner of the CD to choose from a wide rang of visual styles that were included in the album stickers, encouraging more variety and unique outcomes. The main driving force behind the Beck album cover was the idea of collaboration and the strength of the creative idea. The CD packaging itself becomes an interactive part of the music experience, with the buyers able to create their own work and participate in a different way than with other album covers, this element of interaction changes the relationship between the music, artwork and the user, with the user interpreting 26

the music and stickers in their own unique way, creating a visual response to the music they are listening to. When designing the stickers, Beck and Big Active decided that there shouldn’t be one definitive art style, so during the design process, Big Active put together a shortlist of artists and illustrators they wanted to work with and who could produce artwork for the stickers. Big Active describe the process as ‘not designing an album cover in a conventional way, but curating imagery that would allow Beck fans to create their own.’ (Saint, 2006). When curating the collection of woodblocks, The Stamp Box Project offered multiple art styles for the user to choose from, much like Big Active, the project engaged with many different illustrators and other creative people in order to produce a large and diverse collection of stamps. This collection process was integrated into the different activities that took place during the initial collaboration phase, where artists and designers were invited to create the artwork for the woodblocks that were later given to another group of collaborators to use and create new artwork with. This image collection process has allowed The Stamp Box Project to become it’s own curator of artwork, housing the work of many different designers, providing an enormous amount of choice for new collaborators to use the work of others in order to create new artwork.

Big Active & Beck, The Information Album Artwork

Chapter III: Interpretation 3.1: Designing for Others When designing for others it is important to make sure that the intended audience will be able to understand the message that the designer is attempting to communicate. In his book The Design of Everyday Things, (1988); Donald A. Norman describes the process of creating an understanding trough the principles of design. Norman states that ‘Design should make use of the natural properties of people and of the world: it should exploit the natural relationships and natural constraints.’ Continuing to say that, ‘As much as possible, it [design] should operate without instruction or labels. Any necessary instruction or training should only be needed once; with each explanation the person should be able to say “Of course,” or “Yes I see.” A simple explanation will suffice if there is reason to the design, if everything has its place and if the outcomes of actions are visible. If the explanation leads to the person to think or say, “How am I going to remember that?” the designer has failed.’ (Norman, 1988). 28

Throughout our lives, much of the information we require to decode the world around us is stored internally, this allows us to exist and communicate with others without the need for a guide or manual. This stored knowledge is what a designer needs to tap into when attempting to communicate with members of the public, when debating the role of visual language in the process of design, Ann C Tyler writes about the role of exploration and how an audience will interpret visual images through classifications of speech, with designers creating a range of messages through the use of metaphor, antithesis or metonymy (Tyler, 2006). It is through the use of visual language that the collaborators throughout each phase of The Stamp Box Project communicate. This process is most apparent during the final phase of the collaboration, where the participant simultaneously understands and creates, interpreting the artwork designed by the first group of collaborators and applying this understanding to the creation of their own work.

3.2 Visual Language Judith and Richard Wildeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book Visual Literacy suggests that when different people look at the same object or image they each see something different. To explore this theory, they created an experiment, using only the characters from the typeface Dingbats a group of students were asked to recreate the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill. The results of the experiment revealed that each student viewed the characters from the typeface differently, creating very different pieces of design, telling the story in their own unique way (Wilde, 1991) [See Appendix B]. It can be argued that the audience is only present to connect the dots and decode the visual imagery presented to them by the designer but there is evidence that the connection between the work and the audience is a much more complex relationship. By involving the audience as a participant rather than a recipient of communication, our understanding of the role of the designer changes from a dictator to a democrat. The designer must be aware of the audience and the relationship the audience has with the piece of design. For example, a design competition may reward a piece of design because of aesthetic quality or through academic success; however, the real test is how the intended audience views the work. An audience should be an active part in the process of communication, if a message is unclear or can be easily confused, the designer has failed to communicate (Tyler, 2006).

The designer provides a framework in which the audience can observe meaning, this may be through image, style, type and photography; the rest of the message is created in the head of the viewer, this process allows for the meaning to change dependent on the need of the individual, all of our experiences help us to decipher an image in a particular way. In his book Design as Art, Munari discusses how images are extremely subjective and that meaning may very from person to person. Using the example of cloud watching, Munari explains how the different life experiences each viewer has helps to shape what they see when they look at certain shapes or colours (Munari, 1966). The designer may draw upon a range of different devices in order to communicate; this may be done in a way that communicates across multiple audiences, each of which may take away a different message. The designer must draw upon the experiences of the audience in order to communicate effectively. Design work can be tailored to communicate at an intimate level, directly focused on specific groups or individuals or can be scaled up to provide a universal approach to provide a broader, standardised message.

3.3 What do People See? In Philip Thompson and Peter Davenport’s book The Dictionary of Visual Language (1980), Thompson and Davenport discuss the relevance of visual language and interpretation as used by the design community, ‘Graphic design is a language, like other languages it has a vocabulary, grammar, syntax, rhetoric.’ (Thompson et al., 1980). An example of how the audience’s perception of visual language is evident in the word of design is the use of a cliché, defined as a ‘Hackneyed literary phrase’, the cliché represents somewhat of a faux pas in the literary world with familiar phrases drowning out original concepts and thoughts. In the world of design, the role of the cliché allows the designer to tap into some form of prior knowledge (See 3.1) that the viewer possesses, allowing the designer to explore complex themes through simple visual metaphors.

The visual landscape is littered with an enormous amount of interpretative symbolic systems (Thompson, 1980). It is the role of the designer to interpret this library of imagery and curate visual language in a way that communicates to a specific audience. The Stamp Box Project explores the role of interpretation by providing collaborators with a vast choice of woodblocks and allowing the collaborator the opportunity to compose and create artwork. The project ties together many elements of what has been discussed about visual language throughout this paper, by using the artwork of others as a precedent.

An example used in The Dictionary of Visual Language (1980), depicts the use an abacus ‘At one time a trade-sign for money lenders. A calculating frame. Apart from its obvious use in relation to subjects of elementary education and arithmetic it is also used as a general symbol for thinking or reasoning sometimes superimposed on a cranium.’ (Thompson et al., 1980).

Example of abacus in illustration, Thompson et al.

Thoughts on Design, Paul Rand

3.4 Case Study: Neasden Control Centre UK based designer Stephen Smith, affiliated as Neasden Control Centre, creates work across multiple disciplines and collaborates with multiple practices. Smith’s work spans multiple disciplines including; graphic design, typography and installation, specialising in illustration. Smith’s work has heavily influenced The Stamp Box Project due to its graphic style and crude nature. The work with the most relevance to the Stamp Box Project is Smith’s illustration portfolio, consisting of simple shapes and repeat patterns. Smith has created a distinct style that combines crude simple shapes with a controlled composition, telling stories in an emotive and playful way. Important factors within Smith’s work are the combination of colour, subject and scale. Smith relies on the audience to interpret the work he produces, often presenting the viewer with abstract shapes and patterns, leaving the viewer to interpret the visual language in their own way. In a similar manner, The Stamp Box Project leaves the role of interpretation to the audience; the Stamp Box curates artwork that needs to be interpreted by the user in order to be applied with purpose. The Stamp Box allows the audience to view and make a decision on the woodblocks they want to use through the use of interpretation and their own understanding of visual language.

Without this involvement from the participants, the project would fail to provide a structured account of the designer-user relationship; the beauty of interpretation is that it is a natural operation that the human brain carries out automatically, allowing the audience to participate in the project with little conscious effort.

The playful imagery of Neasden Control Centre

Chapter IV: Social 4.1 Audience Involvement For The Stamp Box Project to work, it relies upon the involvement of others, each phase was designed to isolate a specific group of collaborators who take part in the project. This isolation is important when attempting to examine the role of the designer and end user. Using the device of visual language as a bridge between phases, the work generated during each phase is completely driven by the participant, with no outside involvement besides technical help. Without the work generated in each phase, the project simply would not exist, as the project relied on the social input of collaborators. As a social tool, The Stamp Box Project forced two unknown parties to work together in order to produce artwork. This change in balance highlights the existence of power that the designer holds over the end user when the design process flows according to convention. The Stamp Box Project helps to illustrate how the balance of power can be offset, in this case allowing anyone to hold a key role in the creation of a piece of artwork. The artwork generated during the first phase of collaboration attempts to communicate with the second group, through the use of visual language; a system that relies on a common understanding of visual imagery to be in place in the mind of the viewer in order for a correct interpretation to be made. The goal of the initial artwork was to shape the belief system of the viewer and to have their artwork interpreted correctly, unfortunately this is not always the case and many collaborators may 34

misinterpret the artwork. On the topic of shaping the beliefs of an audience, Ann C Tyler writes, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;An exploration of the relationship between audience and goals will reveal how belief is shaped through designâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (Tyler, 2006). The secondary group of collaborators who were invited to participate in the project were not involved in the project prior to the actual printing event; these participants were invited to take part in the project whilst going about their normal routine. The project attempted to change the behaviour of the participants, by taking a few minutes out of their day and inviting them to get involved with something new, this approach caught many of the participants off guard, meaning that the collaborators would not have time to pre-compose imagery before hand.

4.2 Work and Play On the surface, work and play appear to be at odds with one another, with play being associated with childhood and immaturity. Society often looks at adults who engage in play as those looking for an escape from the world. The Stamp Box Project supports the activity of play, as it has been an important factor in the creation of the artwork curated by the project. Throughout all of the collaboration sessions the participants were encouraged to enjoy the creation of artwork, it was made clear that all of the work produced was valid and that there was not an incorrect way of working. This approach led to the creation of all of the artwork that was converted into woodblocks and the work produced by the second group of collaborators during the printing events.

Sennett argues that when adults put away their toys, they lose the ability to think creatively. This theory is supported by BIG, the architecture firm mentioned in chapter 2.2.3.1 who use the activity of play, in order to compose and create, aiding the design process.

In his book The Craftsman (2009), Sennett discusses the role that play has had in the development of craft. Citing Jonah Huizingaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s study Homo Ludens (1938), historically, play performed an important role in adult society, with children and adults alike playing the same card games and with the same toys. It is only during The Industrial Revolution that adults began to disassociated themselves from the idea of play, preferring to engage with the more serious â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;modern workâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; when utility takes hold and play becomes associated with immaturity and childhood (Sennett, 2008).

Chapter V: User Centred Design 5.1 Stamp Box Print Co. The origins of The Stamp Box Project surround the ideas and motivations of the Magna Carta. In brief, the Magna Carta was an important document signed 800 years ago, the document was the first step in the direction of democracy and is the first document that took god given power away from the King and gave it to the people. Today the Magna Carta is considered to be one of the most important documents ever signed, as not only did it give birth to democracy it also paved the way for human rights and the rights of women.

The separate phases were run independently of one another and were treated as individual projects, with an overarching theme; collaboration. Each phase needed to be complete before the subsequent phase could take place, this approach allowed all of the participants to remain separate from each other, with collaborators only working on one part of the project. This isolated method allowed the designers and artists to create artwork for the project but would have no control over how their work would be used by subsequent collaborators in later phases.

The Stamp Box Project attempted to draw parallels between the Magna Carta and the world of design. The concept of democracy within design, allowed the project to explore the traditional relationship between the designer, client and end user. As the project developed, the project began to focus exclusively on the role of the designer and end user, intending to disrupt this relationship and take power away from the designer, giving it to the end user. This process limited the power each participant had; the end user gained much greater control over how the artwork would look, while the designer still provided input into the content.

The same can be said for the stamp box project, during the initial drawing phase, the creation of the artwork was in the hands of the collaborators, there were very few rules and quality control checks made to the artwork before the woodblocks were milled and the project only came together after the collaboration had take place.

The creation of artwork through collaboration of artists and designers was achieved through a series of collaborative phases, each of which involved the participation of a diverse group of individuals with different sets of skills. The three phases became an important part of the project, each of which brought up its own set of aims and objectives. 36

When briefing the collaborators about their involvement in the project, a short project brief was written [See Appendix C], this brief was intentionally short and did not dwell on the finer details of the project, providing a concise overview about the project, how the artwork would be converted into woodblocks and who would be using them.

5.2 Phase One The first phase of collaboration involved the creation of the primary artwork; this process took place in small events where artists and designers were invited along to create artwork. The group were given a brief to follow [See Appendix C] that provided very little instruction on the style or content of the designs and were provided with a limited tool pallet of a chisel tip marker and paper. The session started with a long drawing, an ice breaking technique designed to get the collaborators used to the idea of working together and not being too precious about their design work. Throughout the long drawing the group were told to rotate around the table drawing over the work of others, adding new drawings, tones and textures to the work of others. After the warm up task, the group of collaborators moved onto the main collaboration event. Provided with pens and pre-prepared paper, the group were asked to begin working on their own designs that would be milled out and placed inside the stamp box for curation. Using the initial stamp drawing workshop as a template, the structure of future collaboration sessions was then adapted in order to loosely guide the collaborators through the drawing process, providing enough support to allow for the flow of original ideas without the design work loosing direction during the workshops. This would allow the collaborators to create variants and alternate designs of similar themes.

Stamp Drawing Workshops.

5.3 Phase Two 5.3.1 Conversion After the collaborative stamp drawing workshops the conversion of the drawings took place, this involved the individual drawings being converted into vectors for the CNC machine to mill out. In order to convert the drawings, each sheet of paper used during the collaboration workshop needed to be scanned into the computer and digitized. To maintain a good resolution, the artwork was scanned in at 600DPI, this provided a high enough resolution for an accurate image trace. The high resolution images were then cleaned up in Photoshop, changing the levels, adjusting the colour balance and removing any unwanted marks or blemishes that might effect the final tracing result and would appear on the final woodblock. After each image had been saved as an individual file, the path for the CNC machine needed to be created, this was achieved through the batchprocessing tool in Illustrator, saving a great deal of time as the script would automatically open, convert and save the image in a matter of seconds. After the artwork had been converted, the document for the CNC machine needed to be prepared, this was achieved using InDesign, a programme that allows multiple files to be placed onto and saved as a single document, each image was separated with a 3mm gap; this gap would help later when it came to cutting out the stamps on the band saw, allowing for the thickness of the blade.

Once placed onto the InDesign document the artwork was then exported as a PDF, this meant that the vectors would remain intact and could easily be converted into a cutting list by the CNC software. The CNC machine would be programmed to operate at the specific depth of 3mm, creating a raised printing surface.

The CNC Machine.

5.3.2 Milling The Woodblocks To mill out the woodblocks a CNC machine was used, the artwork from the InDesign file was loaded into the computer to produce a cutting list that would produce an accurate cut. The machine itself runs on a 4D axis allowing the machine to cut to specific depths and create details using a verity of different bits. After the artwork had been loaded onto the computer the cutting list provided an estimated cutting time of 6 hours and would require several bit changes before completion, with the rough cutting using a 6mm drill bit before swapping to a beveled bit to add the detail. The second bit also provided the stamps with a beveled edge, providing finer detail and making inking up much easier.

Milling Out The Woodblocks.

As the CNC machine worked its way though the sheet of 4x4â&#x20AC;&#x2122; square of MDF, the stamps began to appear, unlike a traditional inkjet printer, the CNC machine takes the path that will take the least amount of time, meaning that the cutting list would be very unpredictable when trying to work out which area was to be milled next. Due to the high risk that the CNC machine posed to the artwork and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self, the CNC machine needed to be monitored at all times during the cutting process, this would ensure that if the drill bit did break, the artwork wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be damaged. To minimize the risk of the drill bit becoming clogged with sawdust, the vacuum cleaner was used to clear away the debris as the milling progressed. After the drill bit had been changed the difference between the rough cut and the finished bevel was immediately apparent. 40

Adding A Bevelled Edge To The Woodblocks.

5.3.3 The Workshop After the artwork had been milled out by the CNC machine, it was time to cut out the individual stamps. On the original InDesign document a 3mm gap had been left between each stamp, in theory this 3mm provided enough room to cut each woodblock from the board, in practice however, this gap needed to be twice as large. Many of the stamps were effected by this error and during the cutting process too much of the surround was removed using the band saw, meaning that some of the stamps were either incomplete or with very tight crops. Because the stamps were laid out on a grid system, cutting them proved to be quite straightforward although a little labour intensive. The task became much easier after the large board had been cut down into much more manageable strips.

This waterproof seal was achieved using the traditional method of coating woodblock type, Shellac. Shellac is a natural varnish made from the resin of the female Lac beetle, by dissolving shellac flakes into a solvent a liquid resin is formed that once applied to the woodblock hardens as the solvent evaporates. MDF is a synthetic wood made from fiber and glue, this makes it great to work with because of its consistency and the fact that is has no knots. However, the MDF used for the woodblocks was very absorbent and took a total of four coats of shellac before it became waterproof. To get an even coat of shellac, the woodblocks were dipped into the liquid to avoid uneven brush marks that might affect the finished print.

After each woodblock had been cut out, edges needed to be finished using the disk sander. To keep each stamp square a makeshift jig was fashioned out of a piece of left over MDF, allowing the woodblocks to be pushed right up to the disk whilst always keeping one edge at a right angle with the jig. To seal the stamps from water, a varnish or water barrier needed to be applied to the woodblocks, because of the nature of MDF and the way it is composed of fibers, the wood is extremely absorbent and continued exposure to water would cause the wood to bloat over time. The woodblocks are intended for a hard life of being inked, stamped and washed so needed to be coated with something hardwearing and waterproof.

Cutting Out Individual Woodblocks. 41

5.3.4 Testing Once the woodblocks had been fully waterproofed with the layers of shellac, the testing took place. This testing took place before the third phase of collaboration, allowing for any issues to be sorted out before the pubic became involved in the collaboration process. Using a roller and a selection of Caligo ink, the woodblocks were inked up and tested on scrap paper. The initial experiments with the woodblocks worked well, with different inks and pressures creating a range of different impressions on the paper. This testing phase helped to work out how much pressure needed to be applied to the woodblocks to get a substantial relief as well as how many times the woodblock could be printed repeatedly without inking up again. Other experiments that took place during this phase were with different consistencies of ink, from rolling the ink out directly onto the stamp using the roller, dipping the stamp into the rolled out ink and even dabbing the ink onto a damp sponge before transferring it to the stamp.

Testing The Woodblocks.

5.4 Phase Three The final phase of the project invited a new group of collaborators to become involved with the project. Stamp Box Print Co. went on the road, taking all of the woodblocks, ink and equipment to various events where the passers by would be invited to collaborate, creating new artwork out of the work of others. The third phase of collaboration took place in the safety of the university, providing a sheltered environment to tentatively test the process of collaboration. This location provided a lot of passing trade, although slow at first with many potential collaborators not taking much heed of The Stamp Box, social media helped bring more attention to the project and as the day drew on more people became involved. To intrigue passers by, The Stamp Box was set up with several draws left open, this helped show off the individual woodblocks curated inside the box, with paper and ink placed on top. To attract potential collaborators, passers by were approached and asked to take part. Many of the collaborators asked a lot of questions about the project as they took part, asking about the different designs of the woodblocks and where they had come from.

Promotion Through Social Media.

During the third phase, many of the collaborators would spend a great deal of time choosing the woodblocks they wanted to use, spending an equal amount of time composing before deciding on the final design. The simplistic nature of the woodblocks provided the user with a dominant graphic style that could be repeated with ease, offering the user enough space to interpret the woodblock any way they desired. This process led to the creation of many unique pieces of artwork, combining various colours, scales and subjects into the final composition. Comparing the work of Neasden Control Centre (Case Study Five) and the work created during the final phase of collaboration, the similarities are notable. Although there are differences between the works, the woodblock effect provides a strong graphic style that emphasizes the similarity across both pieces. During the final phase of collaboration it became apparent that the woodblocks themselves could help others to communicate ideas, instead of relying on written words, the stamps offered a visual bridge between people who were not fluent in a common language. The Stamp Box Project stepped in and allowed the collaborators the chance to visually communicate complex ideas through the work of others. This communication used the woodblocks as a medium, without using a written word; the woodblocks provided a visual language that was dependent on interpretation and how the viewers perceived certain messages. These messages communicated through the interpretation of the woodblocks, the composition and use of colour. 44

Collaborators Selecting Woodblocks.

Composing The Woodblocks Before Printing.

Chapter VI: Conclusion The project set out to explore the role of democracy within design, this was achieved through The Stamp Box Project, a piece of design that was created with the aim of testing this notion of democracy within design, allowing two groups of people to work together and create new artwork. The Stamp Box created for the project curates the work produced by a group of designers, displaying the woodblocks and allowing others to use them, with the intention of creating new artwork, challenging the role of the designer and end user. To help show the methodology through design, various workshops were held with each group made up of different members isolated in one phase of the project. The designers invited to take part in the stamp making workshops were all told about the project and how the balance of power would be redistributed amongst the different participants of each phase. The artwork created during the first phase of collaboration was then converted into woodblocks that were given to the next group of collaborators to print with, creating the finished pieces of artwork. By taking power away from the designer and redistributed it amongst the end users, it was observed how the responsibilities changed, the designers were free to create artwork without the need for the design work to be followed through and to be finished to a high standard. This responsibility was transferred to the end user who needed to take care when working with the individual woodblocks, creating their artwork.

An important factor in the process of The Stamp Box Project is craft. Over the course of the project it has been craft that has shaped it the most, from an aesthetic quality with the rough, reclaimed nature of the Stamp Box that acts as the face of the project to the deeper understanding of the process of craft (as explored in chapter 2). By allowing the collaborators the chance to be included in the crafting stage of the design process, their understanding of their role changed. This change led to the creation of work through the process of collaboration, with groups of collaborators who were not from a design background excited about the prospect of creating. The project explores how the role of interpretation has been an important factor in the progression of the project; through the visual language created during the collaboration phases, The Stamp Box Project curates a vast collection of woodblocks that are available to collaborators in an attempt to engage both designer and end user in a complex process of understanding and creation. The project presents itself under the guise of language, however, as pointed out in Chapter III, language is a concept that allows two or more people to communicate by agreeing upon the meaning of sounds or markings. As the collaborators throughout each phase do not come into contact with one another, this agreement is never made, leaving many of the impressions made by the woodblocks open to interpretation by other collaborators. Following precedents from commercial businesses such as the Phonebloks and Lego, the final phase of collaboration saw the woodblocks used ultimately in a personal way by each individual end user.

During the various phases of collaboration that took place throughout The Stamp Box Project, the social relationships between the two groups of collaborators have been explored. As the two groups never met one another, the only communication took place was through a single direction and relied heavily on the interpretation of visual language. The Stamp Box Project draws together elements of art, design and craft; the overlap between each component is key to the success of the project. By not focusing exclusively on one particular area, the project is able to include elements that enhance the area of inquiry or exclude elements that may contradict or be unimportant to the role of democracy within design. This overall, shows that whilst there is always a need for the designer, client, and end user relationship. These positions donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always work well when separated in this manner; instead this work has shown that these positions work differently when more flexibility is added and the power is balanced between the members, allowing for cross collaboration and in this particular case, the end user driving the design work.

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Articles Saint, G. (2006). Case Study Big Active. Grafik, 142 (1), 34-39. Online: BBC. (2014). Lego - The Building Blocks of Architecture. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/ b03vkt8l. Last accessed 1st Sept 2014. Ingels, B (2014) cited in: Stott, Rory. (2014). Bjarke Ingels Lays Foundation Brick at LEGO House. ArchDaily. <http://www.archdaily.com/?p=539149> Accessed 01 Sep 2014. Poynor, R. (1997). Other Spaces. Available: http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/other-spaces. Last accessed 28th Aug 2014. Stott, Rory. (2014). Bjarke Ingels Lays Foundation Brick at LEGO House. ArchDaily. Available: http://www. archdaily.com/?p=539149 Last Accessed 01 Sep 2014. Unknown. (2013). About Phonebloks. Available: http://phoneblocks.com/about-phonebloks/. Last accessed 1st Sept 2014. Zevelakis, S. (2014). “Work Hard and Be Nice To People”. Smashing Magazine. Available: http://www. smashingmagazine.com/2014/01/31/anthony-burrill-work-hard-be-nice-to-people/ Last Accessed: 1st Sept 2014. Zuvela, M. (2008). IKEA mulls joint venture with Bosnia furniture maker. Available: http://www.reuters.com/ article/2008/01/08/idUSL0861625720080108. Last accessed 28th Aug 2014.

Illustrations: Bishop, T (2014) Stamp Box [Photograph] Photographed by Bishop, T Phonebloks. (2013). Untitled. [3D render] At: http://phoneblocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ phonebloks-all-comes-together.jpg (Last Accessed 28th August 2014) Phonebloks (2013) Untitled [3d Render At: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24490331 Munari, B (1966). Untitled. [Illustration] In: Munari, B. Design as Art. London: Penguin Modern Classics. BIG (2011) Lego速 Towers [Photograph] At: http://www.dac.dk/media/11623/BIG_LEGO_MODEL_DETAIL1. jpg Reification (2005) [Illustration] At: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reification.jpg (Last Accessed 28th August 2014) Multistability (2007) [Illustration] At: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Multistability.svg (Last Accessed 28th August 2014) Elliman, P (1997) Untitled [Photograph] In: Eye Magazine 25 (7), Other Spaces by Poyner, R. Unknown, Examples of Woodblock Type [Photograph] At: http://www.acoloradocourtship.com/wp-content/ uploads/2013/03/DSC_6102.jpg Burrill, A (2003) Work Hard & Be Nice To People [Photograph] At: http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/ work-hard-be-nice-to-people-print.html Big Active (2006) Beck, The Information CD Cover w/ stickers [Photograph] At: http://www.bigactive.com/ art-direction-and-design/music/beck/the-information (Last Accessed 28th August 2014) Rand, P (1946) Thoughts on Design [Book Jacket] USA, Cited in: Thompson, P. and Davenport, P. (1982). The Dictionary of Visual Language. Middlesex: Penguin Books. Francois, A (1951) Abacus used as scoring device [Illustration] France, Cited in: Thompson, P. and Davenport, P. (1982). The Dictionary of Visual Language. Middlesex: Penguin Books. Smith, S (2014), Rufus Leonard. [Illustration] At: http://neasdencontrolcentre.com/rufus-leonard (Last Accessed 28th august 2014) 50

Smith, S & Sewell, M, (2014), Beams. [Illustration] At: http://neasdencontrolcentre.com/beams (Last Accessed 28th august 2014) Bishop, T (2014) Stamp Drawing Workshop [Photograph] Photographed by Bishop, T Bishop, T (2014) Stamp Drawing Workshop [Photograph] Photographed by Bishop, T Bishop, T (2014) CNC machine [Photograph] Photographed by Bishop, T. Bishop, T (2014) CNC MDF [Photograph] Photographed by Bishop, T. Bishop, T (2014) Bevel [Photograph] Photographed by Bishop, T. Bishop, T (2014) Strips [Photograph] Photographed by Bishop, T. Bishop, T (2014) Woodblock Test [Photograph] Photographed by Bishop, T. Bishop, T (2014) Woodblock Test [Photograph] Photographed by Bishop, T. Bishop, T (2014) Social Media [Photograph] Photographed by Bishop, T. Bishop, T (2014) Involvement [Photograph] Photographed by Bishop, T. Bishop, T (2014) Composing images [Photograph] Photographed by Bishop, T.

Chapter VII: Appendices Appendix A – Stick ‘em Up (Dorrian, et al, 2002)

Appendix B â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Jack & Jill (Wilde, et al, 1991)

Appendix C â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Stamp Box Brief (Bishop, 2014) Introduction:

In its simplest form, the project is an experiment designed to explore how different people work together. Made up of several phases, the project requires the input and support from different members of the community. The way the project has developed allows participants to create unique artwork that will be turned unto wooden stamps. These stamps will then be given to a different group of people who will use the stamps to create new artwork. The project is designed to challenge the traditional role of the designer and user, aiming to allow designers and non-designers alike to create new artwork. The project aims to explore the role of collaboration between participants of different ages and backgrounds.

Warm Up:

To begin the workshop there will be a collaborative drawing session, this is a quick activity to loosen up and allow for quick idea generation. Everyone is encouraged to contribute to the drawing, following the theme â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Under The Seaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. You will be given several minutes to add to your section, before everyone is rotated and you begin to work on the drawings of others.

Brief:

To begin the process of collaboration, you are invited to produce imagery that will be made into a series of stamps. These stamps will be prepared over the next few weeks and will be used at subsequent sessions to allow participants to produce their own artwork using tools you design during this session. Due to the rough method of the machining process, the imagery produced needs to be simple, solid shapes or lines, without shading or fine detail. I am asking for black and white images only, with black becoming the stampable area and white being disregarded. I have provided marker pens and paper cut to various sizes, representing the actual size of the wooden stamp that will be machined. Some starting points could include: simple imagery, letterforms, marks, elements of human anatomy (eyes, noses, ears), shapes (circles, triangles, squares). These are starting points, but you are encouraged to test out and try as many different elements and styles as possible.