Brief

Studio Practice

OUGD405 – Design Process

Submission 10/02/17 (3-4)

Module aims:

-       practical and conceptual approaches

-       problem solving

-       awareness of issues. Form function and context

-       recording, documenting, presenting, evaluating

(Sketchbook keeping)

-       research and analysis – range / communication of source material

-       conceptual development + idea generation – individual responses, source material

-       practical design development

-       selection, resolution, presentation – explore processes and techniques

-       project management and evaluation

“Process is more important than outcome”

Bruce Mau Design, 2006 – ‘An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth’

Engages, challenges, questions and surprises

Visually engage an audience

PRIMARY and secondary research

Critical engagement in a range of appropriate theoretical, conceptual and contextual source material

Generate, record and organise a body of visual and contextual research that helps u establish your own opinions in response to specific problems.

RANGE OF IDEAS

STUDIO BRIEF 1:

13/01/17

WAYFINDING – directional navigational systems

Experimental Jetset

Sarah Boris

“Most sign systems have the appearance of an objective, functional, almost scientific construction. However, under the surface one can find many subjective motives. Take for example the work of Paul Mijksenaar…

multilingual signs – only use English and not a second language

this view is his own and not on the functionality of the sign system (everyone should learn English vs ease of signage)

role of the designer is not to make things as easy as possible – aesthetic, conceptual responsibilities

Objective and Subjective – factual and independent of the person, everyone can agree on and is universal vs. an opinion, feeling and something that is reliant on the individual’s interpretation.

A sign system is an interpretation of a space – by suggesting a way from A to B, the sign system shows its selective nature: of all possible ways to go form A to B, the sign system shows only one.

Focus on this subjective nature – design a personal sign system – your own interpretation of the spaces around you – poetic signs, imaginary sign systems, conflicting sign systems etc.

Research:

-       Simplify brief into 10 key words, then more, then more

-       Etymology of key works

-       Challenge conventions – list them all and opposites

-       Site research

-       Interviews, surveys …

-       Reading – History, Politics, Sociology, Design, Art

-       Photography and video – document everyday experiences

-       Interventions – test ideas in context

-       Exhibitions, talks etc.

3 study tasks:

Conventions; challenge them:

Objective - Subjective

Uniform - Varied

Stable - Dynamic

Clarity – Stylised/ Decorative

Universal - Particular

Authority – Novice

1)   Wayfinding research

Test how people react to your interventions – gather visual research/ideas, subjective sign system: beauty, loss, fear

Record how members of the public move through an interact with public space – record your experiences through video, drawing photography and writing – gaining experience with the effects supergraphics and wayfinding have on our passage through public space

You are asked to:

-       Create a diversion

-       Create a new connection

-       Make someone pause or stop

NO text

Colour, semiotics, abstraction, area, pattern, site, human traffic, line of sight, line, plane, scale, sequence, camera angle, time-lapse, humour

2)   Objective signs of subjective things

Using visual language of the objective – san serif, factual pictograms, uniformity, grids, industrial, otl aicher

3)   Opposite to 2 – blackletter as the starting point – fraktur / schwabacher/ rotunda / textur

Artist inpiration:

David Rudnik

Eric Hu

Hassan Rahim

Julien Priez

Vincent De Boer

Metahaven

Abake

Conceptual Art

Lawrence Wiener

Joseph Kosuth

Sol Le Witt

Daniel Buren

TO DO THIS WEEK:

Walk around and thoroughly document Leeds

Find and record ideas to base designs on

Photograph existing sign systems

Video stills – storyboards

Sketchbook Inspiration:

Jim Lambe

Pae White

Eltono