Author: Prof. Matthew C. Lange (Page 2 of 2)

This week’s reading assignment includes two texts on form and perception in design. The written portion will be the first of the two longer responses to be completed during the semester.

The readings are as follows:

Beatrice Warde, The Crystal Goblet, or Why Printing Should be Invisible (1930): Warde_CrystalGoblet

A selection from György Kepes’ Language of Vision: Painting, Photography, Advertising-Design (1944): Kepes_Language_of_Vision_exc

Requirements for the written assignment are as follows:

First Paper
Select a design or design object created after 1971 in which the influence of the theories considered thus far can be seen. Begin with a brief description of the object, the designer who created it, and the historical circumstances under which it was made. Considering these factors, examine the ways in which the creator was responding, directly or indirectly, to theories related to linguistics or semiology, avant-garde art movements or the psychological perception of forms (ie. any of the ideas that we’ve covered). Discuss the manner in which the design you’ve chosen embodies these theories. Provide direct references to relevant passages from our readings. Locate additional writings using library resources to substantiate your comparisons.

Your goal is to provide a critical examination, not an account of historical details.

This response will be submitted as a 750-1000 word typewritten paper, double-spaced in 12 pt. Times New Roman, with a bibliography. Include images of the work under consideration and any other relevant illustrations. Cite all materials researched for historical context, any related writings, and image sources. All sources, references and quotations should be cited in MLA format. You must upload your paper as a PDF, attached to a new OpenLab Post.

Note: You do not need to address this week’s texts in the paper if they are not directly relevant to your topic, but you must be prepared to discuss them in class on the 15th.

If you’d like some inspiration try the following links:

Cooper Hewitt Design’s Museum’s Blog …you can also just browse their collection.

AIGA Eye on Design

Filter by Graphic Design or Design in MoMA Collection

or browse the MoMA Design Store

Exhibitions and the Collection at Museum of Art and Design

Designboom for a wide variety of design

Design Observer also features conversations and articles

or Print Magazine

Our next reading assignment is 3 short texts from architect-designer-artists affiliated with the Bauhaus. They are as follows:

Walter Gropius; The Theory and Organization of the Bauhaus (1923): Gropius_Bauhaus

László Moholy-Nagy; Typophoto (1925): MoholyNagy_Typophoto

Herbert Bayer; On Typography (1967): Bayer_OnTypography

Here are some ideas and questions you might consider while reading these texts:
According to these  authors, what is missing from art of the past? What role should typography, photography, and other media play in shaping a new kind of art?  What role should language play in art and design? What sort of new strategies or ideas will be necessary for future art forms?   What should education or “the academy” teach artists about their field? How should Bauhaus ideas be updated to remain relevant in 21st century art and design?

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Please also note that your first 2-3 page paper is due on March 15. You are strongly encouraged to start thinking about, if not actively working on, this assignment. The question and requirements are as follows:

First Paper – Due March 15
Select a design or design object created after 1971 in which the influence of the theories considered thus far can be seen. Begin with a brief description of the object, the designer who created it, and the historical circumstances under which it was made. Considering these factors, examine the ways in which the creator was responding, directly or indirectly, to theories related to linguistics or semiology, avant-garde art movements or the psychological perception of forms (ie. any of the ideas that we’ve covered). Discuss the manner in which the design you’ve chosen embodies these theories. Provide direct references to relevant passages from our readings. Locate additional writings using library resources to substantiate your comparisons.

Your goal is ultimately to provide a critical examination, not an account of historical details.

This response will be submitted as a 750-1000 word typewritten paper, double-spaced in 12 pt. Times New Roman. Include images of the work under consideration and any other relevant illustrations. Cite all materials researched for historical context, any related writings, and image sources. All sources, references and quotations should be cited in MLA format. You’ll upload your paper as a PDF, attached to a new OpenLab Post.

Our third reading assignment consists of three short manifestos written by avant-garde artists in the early decades of the 20th century. They are as follows:

Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism (1909): Marinetti_Manifesto_Futurista

Aleksandr Rodchenko, Varvara Stepanova, Aleksei Gan, Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group (c. 1922): RodchenkoStepanovaGan_WhoWeAre

El Lissitzky, Our Book (1926): Lissitsky_OurBook

Here are some questions to consider as you read:
What new possibilities did these authors envision for their immediate futures? What role did they imagine technology would play in shaping those futures? In what ways did these artists anticipate the art and design that would follow? What common views do these authors share and where might they disagree? Which elements of these texts remain relevant for the present, and which elements are problematic? 

Our second set of readings are excerpts from two books; Ferdinand de Sausurre’s Course in General Linguistics and a collaboration between J. Abbot Miller and Ellen Lupton entitled Design Writing Research.

The Saussure reading consists of the first two chapters from Part One of the Course, which are in this PDF: Saussure_CourseGenLing_Exc

The  Ellen Lupton – J. Abbot Miller reading includes 3 short essays – Counting Sheep, Modern Hieroglyphs and Language of Dreams – which can be found in this PDF: LuptonMiller_DesignWritingResearch_Exc

Here are some questions for these readings:
What is language? What distinguishes a language from other forms of communication? How are symbols or icons related to language? How are signs, signifiers, and the signified employed in general communication? Or in graphic communication? How has language shaped design historically? Can design accomplish things that language cannot? What is the relationship between language and design in today’s culture?

Our first reading assignment consists of a couple short texts. Please download them using the links below, (print if possible,) read, and respond. Your response should be 3-4 paragraphs, which can be typed directly into a post or handwritten in your research notebook. If you decide to hand-write please just post an image into a new post.

Here are the readings:
Helen Armstrong, “Introduction: Revisiting the Avant-Garde” from Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field (2009): ArmstrongIntro

Bruno Munari, selected chapters from Design as Art (1966): Munari_DesignAsArt

Here are the questions to which you should respond:
According to these authors, what role should design play in society? What distinguishes the field, or fields, of design from other creative occupations? Why should designers concern themselves with unsolvable theoretical questions? What role does technology play in shaping design? What are the most urgent problems facing designers today? How, and why, is a designer responsible for solving these problems?

Please post your responses before class on the 8th. And please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or issues. You can send a message through OpenLab or email me: mlange@citytech.cuny.edu

Our first objective for this course, which is sort of just an extension of the first class session, will be to create a short video introduction.

While we are unable to all come together to meet in a single room, we can try to use the resources we do have to create something of that interpersonal experience. The goals for this exercise will be to tell everyone a little bit about yourself, and meet everyone else that you’ll be working with through the semester.

Please record a short video providing the following information:
– Your name and preferred name
– Where you are filming the video (Go somewhere interesting but wear a mask if filming in public!)
– How far along you are in school, how long you’ve been attending City Tech, your primary interests in the COMD program
– Your greatest hopes for the start of 2021
– A theory that you have, or have heard recently…it can be about anything, but should ideally be impossible to prove.

Video files tend to be large. You’ll need to upload to YouTube, Dropbox, Vimeo, etc., then embed the link into a New Post by clicking the + box, locating Video, then selecting “Link”. (We’ll review Posting instructions in class on Feb. 1)

Finally, the most important part of the assignment: Watch all of your peers’ videos! You may need to check back through the next few days if you upload yours right away.

Here is mine. Hope you enjoy: