A visual approach to classic literature
GRADUATE THESIS / WHITNEY CLARK CONTENTS
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CONTENTS /
00 Introduction / From comparative literature to graphic design: a master’s thesis in the making
01 Ambition / A cultural shift from words to pictures and ways in which literature classrooms need to catch up
02 Action / Re/view: A visual approach to classic literature, brand research and overview
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INTRODUCTION
Because of this constant and overwhelming presence, I felt from a very young age that these bound stacks of paper were important. When I was five years old my family moved into the house where I would spend the next thirteen years of my life before moving away to college. With it’s high ceilings and split level architecture, our new house felt like a castle. The other thing that enhanced this impression was the large bookshelf that covered an entire wall of the living room. To a five year old, it seemed enormous; it was taller than my dad and became the main facade of many fort castles and climbing walls. However, despite its size it still didn’t hold all of our families’ books. There were supplemental shelves in my dad’s home office and soon books began making their way into each of our bedrooms. Because of this constant and overwhelming presence, I felt from a very young age that these bound stacks of paper were very important. Not only did they take up a large amount of physical space but I would often find my dad staring at the bookshelf – standing half a foot away from a handful of spines that were organized both by subject and by author – knowing that they were also taking up a lot of emotional and mental space as well. While completing my bachelor’s degree, and before I even knew what graphic design was, my thesis journey had already begun. My love of language and books had begun early and I followed this passion into the comparative literature and French departments of my undergraduate university. I was compelled by what the words had to say, but often this was not so easily discernible and I began drawing diagrams for myself in my more difficult literature and philosophy classes. Whether they were character maps charting relationships between characters in a novel or drawing out Plato’s cave allegory, I always found it helpful to have a diagram to organize, compress and simplify what I was reading. When I entered the world of graphic design I began thinking about how this inkling of better understanding complex ideas through visuals could be transformed into something bigger. I questioned if there were better ways to teach novice students of literature the abstract concepts that are sometimes difficult, inaccessible or overlooked.
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THE CLARKS’ BOOKSHELF
NUMBER OF BOOKS
840
SHORTEST BOOK IN PAGES
64
LONGEST BOOK IN PAGES
2339
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AMBITION
GRADUATE THESIS / WHITNEY CLARK CHAPTER ONE / AMBITION
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ARTISTS, DESIGNERS, AUTHORS, PUBLISHERS, SCHOOLS & UNIVERSITIES HAVE ALL HAD TO REASSESS THEIR APPROACH TO LANGUAGE & FIND NEW WAYS OF TALKING TO A GENERATION THAT HAS A NEW WAY OF READING. David Crow, Left to Right: The Cultural Shift From Words to Pictures
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A CULTURAL SHIFT FROM WORDS TO PICTURES
It is a commonly held belief that over the past several decades we have been transitioning to a more visual world. It would be a mistake to dismiss the most recent developments in the media and in technology as merely distractions, as mind numbing outlets for the less intellectually inclined. Certainly, we should be aware of the fact that the way we receive information shapes the way we perceive that information. However, taking Plato’s famous mistrust of the advent of the written word as an example, we should not resist change simply
because it’s different. Marshall McLuhan said that “when faced with a totally new situation, we tend always to attach ourselves to the objects, to the flavor of the most recent past.” This is not to say that we should abandon our Austen and our Melville, but we should take this opportunity to explore how we can put these new tools to work for our old information, poetry and prose.
THE USE OF IMAGERY TO MAKE HIGH CULTURE MORE EXPERIENTIAL, AND ULTIMATELY MORE ACCESSIBLE, WAS RECOGNIZED BY THE POPULAR MEDIA AT AN EARLY AGE. David Crow, Left to Right: A Cultural Shift from Words to Pictures
+ A MAGIC GLOWING BOX OF IMAGES
Television drastically changed the way we receive information. Instead of the solitary activity of reading, individuals now acquired information through the group activity of watching television.
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+ PICTURE POST
This “warning” appeared on the issue 13 cover of Tibor Kalman’s magazine, Colors, in 1996. Before this, newly emerging photo-heavy magazines such as Life, received a lot of criticism for “dumbing down the media.”
LEFT BRAIN WORD
APOLLO
MALE
YANG
VERBAL
AD
ANALYTICAL
SCIENCE
ADAM
PAGE
WARNING: THIS MAGAZINE CONTAINS NO WORDS
>
RIGHT BRAIN IMAGE
DIONYSUS
FEMALE
YIN
NON-VERBAL
BC
HOLISTIC
SORCERY
EVE
SCREEN
+ USE BOTH SIDES OF YOUR BRAIN
The brain uses its right side, which is characterized by wholeness, simultaneity, and synthesis, to perceive images sent to the eye. To make sense of alphabetic writing, the brain uses its left side, which is characterized by sequence, analysis and abstraction.
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+ THE VISUAL MIND
In college I began using simple, abstract sketches to clarify my thinking. While not a novel idea, it was certainly new to me, a literature major swimming in words. When I entered the world of graphic design I began thinking about how this inkling of better understanding complex ideas through visuals could be transformed into something bigger than myself.
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EXPERIENCES IN VISUAL THINKING
Whether they were character maps charting relationships between characters in a novel or drawing out Plato’s cave allegory, I always found it helpful to have a diagram to organize, compress and simplify what I was reading.
DRAWING ACTS AS A REFLECTION OF THE VISUAL MIND. ON IT’S SURFACE WE CAN PROBE, TEXT, AND DEVELOP THE WORKINGS OF OUR PECULIAR VISION. Edward Hill, Language of Drawing
+ THINKING, READING, DRAWING
Left & opposite page: These diagrams were made during college lectures reviewing Plato’s ontological hierarchy in the Republic and A Journal of the Plague Year.
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READING AT RISK
With reading rates declining across virtually every demographic, the role of reading in American culture is bleak. Charles Bayless, Chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts, introduced a survey by the same organization by saying that it “is not a report that the National Endowment for the Arts is happy to issue.” He began his introduction in this way because the outcome was bleak. The survey shows not only the decline of literary reading among all groups,
but a rate of decline that is accelerating as well. Young adults, who used to be those considered most likely to read have now become those least likely to read. And while it may be shocking to learn that only ten percent of the population does 80 percent of the reading, it may be even more surprising to know that 50 percent of the population elects not to read at all.
FOR THE FIRST TIME
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RECREATIONAL SPENDING BY ITEM
READING CONCENTRATION FOR HIGH
The data on the following pages are taken from a survey completed for the National Endowment for the Arts in 2004 called “Reading At Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America.”
IN MODERN U.S. HISTORY, LESS THAN HALF OF THE ADULT POPULATION NOW READS LITERATURE. Charles Bayless, “Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America (NEA)”
SCHOOL AND ADULT READERS IN THE U.S.
5.7% BOOKS 88.3% OTHER
100%
6% ELECTRONICS
10%
80%
40%
50%
50%
1990
5.6% BOOKS 70.4% OTHER
24% ELECTRONICS
20%
POPULATION
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BOOKS READ
While it is perhaps shocking that only 10% of the population does 80% of the reading in the United States, it may be more shocking to learn that 50% of the population elects not to read at all.
DECLINE IN BOOK & LITERARY READING
DECLINE IN LITERARY READING
PERCETAGE OF U.S. ADULT POPULATION
PERCETAGE OF U.S. ADULT POPULATION READING LITERATURE
60.9%
56.9%
56.6%
READING ANY BOOK
46.7%
READING LITERATURE
54%
54.0%
46.7%
1992
2002
1982
Total book reading has declined significantly but not quite at the rate of literary reading.
1992
2002
The percentage of adult Americans reading literature has dropped dramatically in the 20 years documented for this survey. Less than half of the adult population now read literature.
LITERARY READING BY EDUCATION
LITERARY READING BY YOUNG ADULT
PERCETAGE BY GROUP
PERCETAGE OF GROUP
82.1%
62.1%
72.9%
59.8%
66.7% GRADE SCHOOL
56.9% 54.2%
52.9% SOME HIGH SCHOOL
38.8%
37.7% HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE
47.7% AGES 23–34 46.7% ALL AGES 42.8% AGES 18–24
23.3% SOME COLLEGE
21.2%
14.0% COLLEGE GRADUATE 1982
1992
2002
The steepest decline in literary reading is among young adults. During the 20 years this study took place, young adults have gone from the most likely to read literature to the least likely.
1982
2002
The higher the education level, the higher the reading rate, but reading among every group has dropped.
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OVER A 20 YEAR PERIOD, YOUNG ADULTS HAVE DECLINED FROM BEING THOSE MOST LIKELY TO READ LITERATURE TO THOSE LEAST LIKELY.
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PERCENTAGE OF READERS AGE 18 – 34 IN 1982
62.1% PERCENTAGE OF READERS AGE 18 – 34 IN 1992
42.8% 21
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CLASSROOMS NEED TO CATCH UP
We should take this opportunity to put our new tools and insights to work for our old information, poetry and prose.
A New Initiative Recruits Young Adults To Create Ways To Promote Adolescent Literacy
The Future of Reading in a Digital World Clive Thompson, Wired Science
How To Talk To Shakespeare, H.G. Wells, and Emily Dickenson
Rethinking How We Teach the ‘Net Generation’ NPR, Talk of the Nation
Sarah Fay, The Atlantic
The Social Context of Reading
Mervyn Nicholson
Tom Wagner, Grerory Lobbin
Are College Libraries About to Become Bookless? GOOD Education
Using Visual Tools to
The Future of Reading
Focus Thinking
Jonah Lehrer, Wired Science
John H. Clark, The Journal of Reading
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Between Page and Screen Imprint: The Online Community for Graphic Designers
Learning Styles and Strategies Richard M. Felder
Kathryn Shulz, New York Times Book Review
Design Observer
Literature and the Logic of Visualization
To Uncover the True Nature of Literature, a Scholar Says, Don’t Read the Books
Are Books Dead, and
Revenge of the Right Brain
What We Know About How People Learn
Ewan Morrison, Guardian Books
Daniel H. Pink
California Journal of Science Education. Vol 2, Issue 2
Are College Libraries About to Become Bookless?
Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary
The Modern Relevance of Classic Literature
Can Others Survive?
GOOD Education
Reading in America The National Endowment for the Arts
Robert Demott, BBC News
EYE +
THINKING
READING
SEEING
COMPLIMENTARY THINKING
This page: In his book, Experiences in Visual Thinking, Robert H. Mekim says that “visual thinking, with its symbolically left-handed, primary process origins, is a vital complement to symbolically right-handed, secondary process-thinking-by-wordsand-numbers.� Opposite: It is apparent by the overwhelming amount of literature that there is an increasing interest in helping students adapt to a 21st century way of thinking and learning.
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Despite the overwhelming presence of research supporting the use of visual tools in language education, there are very few classrooms that implement this thinking.
Right & above: As part of my research I visited several high school literature classrooms. This allowed me to observe what methods are currently being used to teach literature at the high school level and what the classroom environment is like.
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GRADUATE THESIS / WHITNEY CLARK CHAPTER ONE / AMBITION WHAT DOES READING DO FOR YOU?
During one visit to The Bay School of San Francisco, I passed out index cards (left) asking students the open-ended question “what does reading do for you?” I was heartened to find that they had positive, if not downright romantic, things to report. Despite the decline in reading, it is still a cherished activity among young adults, as demonstrated by the responses to these cards.
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ACTION
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DESIGN NEEDS TO BE ABOUT MAKING COMPLEX, ABSTRACT IDEAS VISIBLE, RATHER THAN ABOUT MAKING OBJECTS. Hugh Dubberly, Dubberly Design Office
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VISUALIZING LITERATURE
The tools produced by Re/view act as a way to delve deeper into well-studied themes, to prompt thoughtful, nuanced questioning and to show that there is more than one way to approach and access the written word. Re/view, an educational company with a focus on alternative approaches to literature, is founded on the idea that written works can be made more accessible through visuals. The tools produced by Re/view act as a way to delve deeper into well-studied themes, to prompt thoughtful, nuanced questioning and to show that there
I N C R E A S E U N D E R S TA N D I N G
is more than one way to approach and access the written word. The main goals of these tools are to increase understanding, interest and appreciation of literature. Re/view acts as an umbrella organization for smaller facets of the company, such as Re/view Shakespeare or Re/view Melville, that focus on creating materials for specific authors.
INCREASE INTEREST
I N C R E A S E A P P R E C I AT I O N
Opposite & above: The main objectives of Re/view are to increase understanding, interest and appreciation of literature.
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SEE WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MISSING
The Re/view logo not only symbolizes the analysis and subsequent re-examination of a text, but a way of seeing that same text for the first time. The name Re/view comes from the tools that are used to not only re-examine and re-evaluate a written text but the way in which these visuals bring a new perspective, understanding and interest to that same text. To underscore this double meaning, the slash is used to split the word and bring attention to these different ways
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in which it can be understood. The slash is also used as a visual device to allow for adaptability and transferability within literature. While Re/view is the main organization, there are smaller facets of the company, such as Re/view Shakespeare or Re/view Austen, for example, that focus on delivering author-specific work.
x
x
+
1�
CLEARSPACE
Clearspace is the area surrounding the logo that must always be free of text or graphic elements. This space ensures that the logo stands distinctly in any environment. MINIMUM SIZE
A minimum size has been established for the Re/view logo. It should never appear smaller than 1� wide.
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+ EXTENSIONS
In addition to the educational tools and classroom resources, the Re/view brand hosts lectures, events and conferences focused on celebrating and exploring how technology, social media and reading can unite to create better learning environments.
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IT IS THE SUPREME JOY OF THE TEACHER TO AWAKEN JOY IN CREATIVE EXPRESSION & KNOWLEDGE. Albert Einstein
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CASE STUDY: SHAKESPEARE’S HAMLET
Re/view is providing those reading and teaching Hamlet the resources to approach the text in a whole new way. There are many texts and authors commonly found in the high school English classroom. However, for the sake of showing one author in its full capacity, knowing that it could be transferred, with modifications, to any author, Re/view has focused on one of the most commonly read and taught authors, with written work that is often considered some of the most
challenging, intimidating and inaccessible: Shakespeare. Re/view Shakespeare is a collection of visual tools for novice students of the Bard. The tools are intended to provide a highly visual and alternative approach to the written word, focusing on problems often faced by readers of Shakespeare such as language, plot and structure as well as character hierarchy and relationships.
Challenge
+ THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY
Before determining what the end products would be Re/view detailed three customer journeys focusing on the main problems often faced by readers of Shakespeare’s texts.
Solution
Approach
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HELPING TEACHERS
Customer Journey N˚1 Who Teacher What Academic resources to accompany the teaching of Shakespeare’s Hamlet Where In the classroom
Point of difficulty
Point of difficulty
Point of difficulty
STUDENTS EXPRESS THAT THEY
STUDENTS STRUGGLE WITH
STUDENTS ARE HAVING TROUBLE
ARE NOT INTERESTED IN SUCH AN
THE LANGUAGE
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
POSTER SERIES: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
CARDS: LANGUAGE GAME
CARDS: INFORMATION GRAPHICS
Approach / Show that the characters in the play face dramatic and compelling situations not unlike our own.
Approach / Demonstrate that Shakespeare’s language is not sacred; it can be dissected, and played with.
Approach / Offer a cohesive and compelling way to introduce information from the play that is not readily available through reading alone.
OLD TEXT
BOOK: SHAKESPEARE’S INSULTS Approach / Allow students to see that Shakespeare’s language can be more accessible and light-hearted through humor. 43
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ENCOURAGING STUDENTS
Customer Journey N˚2 Who Student What Academic resources to accompany Hamlet Where Outside of the classroom
Point of difficulty
Point of difficulty
BEGINS READING HAMLET AND FINDS THE
HAVING TROUBLE PUTTING IT ALL
LANGUAGE DIFFICULT
TOGETHER
APPLICATION: LANGUAGE GAME
WEBSITE
Approach / Demonstrate that Shakespeare’s language is not sacred; it can be dissected, played with and understood with time.
Approach / Offer a cohesive and compelling way to introduce information from the play that is not readily available through reading alone.
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FUELING ENTHUSIASTS
Customer Journey N˚3 Who Enthusiast What Resources to accompany Hamlet Where In a bookstore, at home or at a bookclub
Point of difficulty
Point of difficulty
Point of difficulty
DECIDING WHAT TO READ NEXT
BEGINS READING HAMLET AND FINDS
HAVING TROUBLE PUTTING IT
THE LANGUAGE DIFFICULT
ALL TOGETHER
POSTER SERIES: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
CARDS: LANGUAGE GAME
WEBSITE
Approach / Show that the characters in the play face dramatic and compelling situations not unlike our own.
Approach / Demonstrate that Shakespeare’s language is not sacred; it can be dissected, played with and understood with time.
Approach / Offer a cohesive and compelling way to introduce information from the play that is not readily available through reading alone.
BOOK: SHAKESPEARE’S INSULTS Approach / Allow students to see that Shakespeare’s language can be more accessible and light-hearted through humor. 45
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THE MORE THAT YOU READ, THE MORE THINGS YOU WILL KNOW. THE MORE THAT YOU LEARN, THE MORE PLACES YOU’LL GO. Dr. Seuss
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RE/VIEW SHAKESPEARE
Whether you are new to Shakespeare or simply eager for another way to approach his work Re/view demystifies his plays and bring critical ideas within the beginner’s grasp.
+ WHY SHAKESPEARE?
Shakespeare is often taught in high school classrooms and Hamlet is considered his most popular play.
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REVIEW ONLINE For both students and enthusiasts the Re/view website, found at reviewshakespeare.com, provides readers with an in-depth look at the language, characters, theme and plot of the text.
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+ FLOWER POWER
One of the elements covered on the Re/view Shakespeare website is the flower symbology used in Hamlet. At one point in the play Ophelia hands out flowers to various other characters. The website shows those flowers and explains their meaning.
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READY TO SLING SLANDER 55 Insults: Ready to Sling Slander from William Shakespeare provides a visual interpretation of the best expletives and abuse the Bard had to offer. While not a complete index, this book will supply both the novice and the aficionado with a novel rendering of many of Shakespeare’s insults. Taken out of context the imagery can be both illuminating and absurd.
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+ EXPLETIVES & ABUSE
Each page of the book features a different insult from one of Shakespeare’s plays. The textual context can be found on the page as well.
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SEE WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MISSING The information graphics on the following pages are designed for both outside the classroom (as an iPad application) and inside of the classroom (as oversized cards). They are intended to provide the reader with an in-depth look into specific elements of the text.
+ BLABBER MOUTH
As a play is almost all dialogue, it is interesting to see who takes up the most space. This information graphic shows the overall character dialogue by number of lines spoken over the course of the play Hamlet. Very quickly, readers are able to discern who speaks the most.
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+ GERTRUDE BY ANY OTHER NAME
Hamlet is not an original Shakespearean story; there were at least two versions known before it was penned by The Bard. This information graphic shows the development of one of the main character’s names – Gertrude – throughout the different versions.
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+ BOYS VS. GIRLS
For students in the classroom looking for more information on specific parts of the play, the information graphics are also available on oversized cards. This particular card compares the number of female and male characters in Hamlet with the rest of Shakespeare’s tragedies.
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THAT’S WHAT HE SAID Shakespeare has penned so many things so supremely well, it has been said, that we are forever finding ourselves thinking in his terms. But who says you can’t do better? The cards on the following pages are a way for teachers to support the instruction of Hamlet. Shakespeare’s language can often feel intimidating and inaccessible. This language game, based on the same idea used in the game Mad Libs, shows students that the text is not sacred. In fact, by inserting new language – your own – it can be made more accessible.
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+ WHAT WAS THE QUESTION?
These cards can be used in groups or by individuals and break up well-known parts of a text (one of Hamlet’s most famous speeches, the “to be or not to be” speech, is used here) into manageable segments. On one side of the card you will find the original text, while the reverse side has space to write in your own words.
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SHAKESPEARE IS ONLY THE BEGINNING While Shakespeare is used an example of what could exist for his text Hamlet, the possibilities are endless. From Twain to Melville, each written work can be made more accessible through visual tools adapted for the literature in mind.
golding Lord of the Flies
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
proust In Search of Lost Time (“À la Recherche du Temps Perdu”)
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Moby Dick
hawthorne Heart of Darkness
The Scarlet Letter
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THANK YOU /
My Family / This journey began a long time ago and I want to thank my parents, Merri Sue and Richard Clark, for encouraging me to follow my bliss and for nurturing my passion. I also want to thank my sister, Lacy Clark. Despite being younger than me, I have always looked up to you.
My Advisors / Thanks to David Peters, Carolina de Bartolo and Gaston Yagmourian for making my thesis what it is today. I want to especially thank Gaston Yagmourian for fueling my drive, inspiring me on a weekly basis and for never giving up on me. Your mentor ship has been invaluable in not only developing my thesis but in my growth as a designer as well.
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GRADUATE THESIS / WHITNEY CLARK
COLOPHON /
EMAIL /
TITLE OF BOOK /
whitney.ca.clark@gmail.com
Re/view
TELEPHONE /
TYPEFACES /
541 206 4235
mrs eaves, trade gothic
WEBSITES /
PHOTOGRAPHY /
whitneycaclark.com reviewshakespeare.com
whitney clark, eric lo
ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY/
school of graphic design 79 new montgomery street san francisco, ca 94105
PRINTING /
giant horse BINDING & STAMPING /
the key TEXT STOCK /
100 lb finch DEPARTMENT CHAIR /
mary scott DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR /
phil hamlett ASSOC. DEPT. CHAIR /
hunter wimmer
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2012 All rights reserved. No part of this book can be reproduced without the express permission of Whitney Clark.
©
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