GDT2016

[gdt16]

Kaitlin, final digital publication,  index 1.3

S T A T E M E N T 

The idea behind this project is to briefly document issues of gender and visibility in type design through a printed publication and digital web plugin. The print publication aims to record a specific instance of under-representation in the design and production of typefaces.

The digital publication explores an expanded meaning of representation, using the idea of (in)visibility under the new Trump administration. The digital publication extrapolates Trump’s current “view of how the world should be viewed” to a future web-world where no one using the internet in America can see things otherwise.

However, because Trump represents “a break from the old ways of doing things,” the censorship does not appear in traditional forms. Instead of blacked-out letters or content removal, the TrumpLens distorts the truth and reminds you of how great it/he is in unexpected, obnoxious, and in-your-face ways.

[gdt16]

Mo Zhou, final digital publication, index 1.3

S T A T E M E N T 

My print publication was a guidebook on how to use Gestalt Theory to appreciate artwork in a graphic way based on personal experiences. The digital republication is designed to show the progress by using another basic but more critical theory which explains the whole objective world in a geometric way: the Point-Line-Surface Theory. It is mainly used on the framework of a website not only to navigate how Gestalt Theory works but it also offers a browsing experience from micro to macro.

Admittedly, I am a super fan of theory in diverse realms and believe that the absolute random is the eternal principle of everything. How it worked on science, will also work on design eventually. The website is just a platform, a connection or what I prefer to call a possibility to approach designers and their extraordinary accomplishments. The unknown but splendid world is left for your exploration.

[gdt16]

Mo Zhou, final print publication, index 1.2

[gdt16]

Zheyuan Zhang, final digital publication, index 1.3

S T A T E M E N T

Many design and art works do have some kind of internal or external relationship but not all of these connections are easily seen. However, sometimes maybe two or three “lines” can happen to draw two irrelevant works together. Based on this thought, I created a website called The Index, a platform to connect design works with one another. Here is how it works: After signing up, users can upload a variety of works, whatever they like, and add hash tags with the characteristics they consider the works to have. Different works which were uploaded by different users can be connected by lines if they share the same hash tags. So the more users add, the more connections one would be able to see.

People can share their indexes by making them public, one can follow the connected lines to check others’ indexes. In general, this is a resource-sharing platform for design and art lovers. With this platform, users can easily find information on art works because maybe someone has already uploaded the work. Users can also create private indexes which can help them expand their design knowledge.

[gdt16]

Zheyuan Zhang, final print publication, index 1.2

[gdt16]

YiFan, final digital publication, index 1.3

S T A T E M E N T 

For me, design is a poetic connection to myself, my everyday life, the world and other people’s mind. Design makes me understand the thoughts flowing inside my head, makes me think about my daily actions in life; it also leads me into a bigger context, teaches me a way to understand others, to embrace diversity in the world of beauty. Based on that and the individuals (designers, artists, film directors, photographers, etc.) that inspires me with their way to explore, my screen publication contains the most appropriate content to show on screen (images, videos, conversations), and uses the keyboard pressing to show the ambiguous, invisible, uncontrolled but still logical connection between people and design. In that way, people can enter either one of the four sections on my website (body, life, world, mind) with one press (because the mind is more of a flowing stream than a stack of layers). The connection between web pages is simple and can easily switch from one section to the other like our mind works.

Starting with the instruction on the first page on how to use keyboard to navigate through pages, and also an alternative way to click on the keyboard or using microphone to navigate, the content has four sections

Body

This section includes images and videos made or selected by me that present different body parts and its correspinding movements to show foundamental capabilities, emotions, gestures etc.

Life

This section includes images and videos present life senarios including everyday objects designed by designers.

World

This section indludes found videos/images (e.g. documentary clips,) showing how human social/political activities mirrors/impacts on nature.

Mind

In this section, you could choose to talk with designers/artists, or having conversation on certain topics.

[gdt16]

YiFan, final print publication, index 1.2: part 2

[gdt16]

YiFan, final print publication, index 1.2: part 1

[gdt16]

Xinyu Li, final digital publication, index 1.3

S T A T E M E N T

The website will be used for people who want to explore and get some specific data.

I inspired by my own experience when I use some design website (also by my physical book). I found that when I saw some excellent work, I would like to know the designer use what fonts or color and some specific details. But you can’t get the accurately data if you just use eyes to observe.

My website divided into different parts, such as typeface, color, designer, area, composing, timeline and so on. You can also upload work to know some special information and log in your own account to collect some production. Each category has different function.

In the typeface catalog, when your mouse touch the text, it can show the information of this font. It can also provide some others work which are use this font, you see those example to know how to use this font. In the color catalog, when you mouse touch the project, it can show how many color it used, when you click this project, you can see the list of color (include CMYK and RGB data), it also shows some example which are also use those color. The timeline catalog shows the audience a time line of graphic design production, you can see trend skill and method in different years. The area catalog shows the different area’s production. In addition, those example has their link, you can enter in to the link’s website to see those works in details.

For me, if this website come true, I think it will be very useful for people who are interested in this field, especially for graphic designer. The audience can get information and also can use those to study how to design.

[gdt16]

Xinyu Li, final print publication, index 1.2

[gdt16]

Qi Zhou, final digital publication, index 1.3

[gdt16]

Qi Zhou, final print publication, index 1.2

[gdt16]

Ruiwen Xu(peipei), final digital publication, index1.3: digital story 3

[gdt16]

Ruiwen Xu(peipei), final digital publication, index1.3: digital story 2

[gdt16]

Ruiwen Xu(peipei), final digital publication, index1.3: digital story 1

[gdt16]

Ruiwen Xu(peipei), final digital publication, index1.3

S T A T E M E N T

The website has three stories. And each story performs one designer/artist's work. One of it has the interaction which allows the user to play with it. The rest of the stories are abstract. The concept of each story is based on how I understand their work. Enjoy it and hope you can find them all.

Take Yayoi Kusama’s work as an example. I got the inspiration from her project which was produced in 2011, "the obliteration room." it is a popular interactive children’s project.  The children can get many different color dots stickers while they walk into the room. And the room is all clean and white; the children could use the stickers to decorate the room. And finally, the room is full of the color. It looks exactly like Yayoi Kusama's work.  Then I try to understand this project from another perspective. I didn't think it is joyful. Instead of it, I feel stressful and feared from the result. So I use the Processing to write an animation to express my own emotion. And the audience are supposed to see this animation when they click and hold the mouse.

And the second story are based on James Turrell’s works. His understanding about the relationship between the lights, color and space is amazing. And I had a genuine sense of weightlessness form his works. So I made a gif which is a rectangle with many layers. When the users click the mouse, the layers start to fall and the color getting more and more darker. But once the users release the mouse, everything will back to the original position gradually. I use the intangible music as the background music to express how I feel about his work.

The third story is related to April’s work. Inside of his work, I thought a lot of youthful female body and flowers. Those things are beautiful and transient. And he seems like to put the sexual elements inside his work. Behind the images, I saw the pain and the desire of how he wants to buckle those glories. And he has many works which are expressing the melting and disappearing. It gives me the idea of the beauty that it will be disappeared in the end. And nothing is forever. So I pick up the two elements form his work together to make an animation here. The first thing the user will see it’s a beautiful female body, and then when they put the mouse on it, they will see the female muscle anatomy of this body. And then the female skeleton appears. Finally, everything will disappear and back to the black page.

[gdt16]

Max Devore, final digital publication, index 1.3

S T A T E M E N T

I want to involve the audience in the creation process, to make art making a welcoming and inviting space, to encourage all people to participate.

The website will be designed around the making of the cut/folded black and white paper pieces from the process I developed for my printed publication. I see it as an art creation cycle. First, I will ask the viewer for a prompt, it can be anything from a word, idea, thought, dream, saying, there is not wrong answer. Second I will create the prompt using the cut/folded BW paper process. Third the piece will photographed and display to the site. Fourth, after it has been displayed, the piece will then be sent to the viewer who supplied the prompt, completing the circle.

I’m excited by the idea of a circle of creation. The viewer can inspire art, see the process, the finished piece, and then be gifted that piece at the end. As an artist I see more benefit to my work being wanted than just to be kept by me. I hope that by bringing viewers into the process they can feel a sense of ownership in the work, and perhaps this is a small step towards the creation of work being less intimidating and closed of a process. The overall goal is to collaborate with everyone, to bring the outside viewer into the creation, to allow them their own piece of the process and in turn to be gifted what they have inspired.

I see this as a symbiotic project. I am always looking for inspiration, and for a way to be able to make without then having to keep and store all the work, but instead for it to have a life past my need for it. I am always looking for inspiration so being prompted can be very helpful and lead to exciting work. On the other side I know many people label themselves as uncreative. They say they wish that they could paint/draw more than stick figures/come up with/start/create/etc. Perhaps if they could see themselves as able to inspire a work, then they might be more likely to believe in themselves as creative. Often art practice is seen as other and many people feel they can’t make or understand art, they feel afraid to “do it wrong” or “say the wrong thing” and I would like to change that. Maybe not with this project but it can be a start.