Overview

Select a design or design object created after 1971 in which the influence of the theories and historical lineages that we’ve studied so far can be seen. Examine the ways in which the creator was responding, directly or indirectly, to concepts we’ve covered so far.

  • Influences of the avant-garde art movements, Futurists, Constructivists, De Stijl, and/or the Bauhaus
  • universal systems, authorship vs anonymity, and social/political engagement

Provide direct references to relevant passages from our readings and locate additional writings using library resources and other sources to support your comparisons.

You will be providing a critical examination of the object and its relationship to the theories we’ve discussed, not only an account of historical details. These should be your observations and your ideas supported by published sources.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Due Date

Your first draft will be due by September 28th, 11:59pm.

Your final draft will be due by October 5th, 11:59pm.

Get started

Use the links provided under Help > Course Resources > Design Archives & Collections to find a design source (advertising, graphic design, industrial design objects, motion graphics, etc.) for your paper.

Use your Research Journal to define your ideas before you start writing. Add an image and begin with a brief description of the work, the designer who created it, and the historical circumstances under which it was made. Consider how the creator was responding, directly or indirectly, to theories related to the Influences of the avant-garde art movements, Futurists, Constructivists, De Stijl, and/or the Bauhaus and the ideas of universal systems, authorship vs anonymity,  and social/political engagement. Start collecting resources to support your ideas.

Example

Suppose you found this poster in the Cooper Hewitt Design Collection: “THE BEST OF JAZZ” for the New York Public Theatre, 1980, created by designer Paula Scher.

This poster shares some graphic elements from the early avant-garde designers we’ve looked at. The use of primary colors, bold geometry, san serif fonts, and lack of ornament reminds us of the Russian Constructivists and the Bauhaus. But there are also references to some of the early Futurist typographic layouts. You might then dig deeper into the influences of the designer herself, the time period in which this work was made, and the client. You might then look for primary sources where the designer writes or speaks about her influences in print or video interviews.

You would also refer back to our readings by Constructivist or Futurist designers and find relevant passages comparing the principles and ideas presented by the avant-garde designers with your example design. Next, you would find additional resources via the City Tech Library, the COMD Theory OER Bibliography, and other scholarly sources to support the connections you’ve made.

Remember you will be providing a critical examination of the image/object and its relationship to the theories we’ve discussed, not an account of historical details. These should be YOUR observations and YOUR ideas supported by published sources.

Structure

Title

Showcase the topic using a compelling title.

Introduction / Thesis

  • Use an intentional strategy to get the reader’s attention
  • Clearly define your thesis and your motive for presenting this essay; why someone might want or need to read an essay on this topic?
  • Thesis = argument + evidence (claim 1 + claim 2 + claim 3 + …)
  • The thesis should govern the whole essay
  • In the last sentence of the introduction, clearly state your position or exposition on the topic

Paragraphs

Provide evidence to support your claim(s). Follow a logical order with transitions between claims. Use analysis to connect your evidence to your thesis; go beyond
observing or summarizing: break it down, interpret and comment on the data. Include cited images of the work you are referencing and any other relevant illustrations.

  • Claim 1 – prove thesis
  • Claim 2 – prove thesis
  • Claim 3 – prove thesis

Conclusion

Refer back to your introduction and clearly restate your thesis.

Citations & Works Cited Page

IMPORTANT: Add MLA-style citations throughout your paper for every fact, visual reference, or quotation that you reference in your paper.

Using The Citation Tool

Using The Citation Tool

  • Use the Google Docs Citation tool > set to MLA to add citation sources to your paper. (See Adding in-text citation at 0:50 in the video for details.)
  • When you are finished, add a Works Cited page at the end of your document. This can be done with one click using the Insert Work Cited button. (See Inserting a bibliography at 1:16 in the video for details.)

Formatting

Your paper will be submitted as a 750-1000 word typewritten paper, double-spaced in 12 pt. Times New Roman.

  • Use Google Docs to write and organize your final draft.
  • Use the MLA style to format your paper. See MLA example paper here.
  • Use the Google Docs Citation tool set to MLA to add citations to your paper as you write.
  • When you are done, add a Works Cited page at the end of your document. This can be done with one click using the Insert Work Cited button.
  • Cite all materials researched for historical context, any related writings, and image sources.
  • Use Grammarly or Hemingway Editor or similar to review your paper for grammatical and spelling errors before submitting.

Self-Review / Peer Review

Before submitting the first draft of your paper, use the Rough Draft Peer-Review Checklist to review your paper. Are there weak areas that need to be revised?

In class, you will be using this checklist to review one of your classmates papers too.

Submitting Your Paper

  1. Create an OpenLab Post. (Example Post)
    • TITLE: Research Paper 1 – Your Initials
    • CATEGORY: Research Papers
    • TAG: Research Paper 1
    • TAG: Your Name
  2. Add the title of your paper as a heading.
  3. Write a brief introduction to your paper.
  4. Use text to indicate the link to your paper (ie: Final Paper (Link)), select this text, and make it a link to your Google doc. (Do not paste the entire Google Doc link in the post)
  5. Make sure the Google Doc link is set to “Anyone with the link” and Commenter is selected. This will allow others to comment on your paper.