Julia Wolkenstein

I want to use this photographer someday.

I want to build a house in the UK

Oh yeah, I forgot I'm in love with Ze Frank

I was first introduced to Ze Frank by the city of Boston, with the AIGA as matchmaker. He gave a lecture, our eyes met on a giant projection of some sort and that's when I knew I should be in love with Ze. Here's why:

He's THE perverbial sushi kobe hotdog, and that's difficult to be.
Well a designer, a good one...who is hot and funny. Basically he's the embodiment of a hot dish of somesort that is a dish that you would like to eat that is well designed. Perhaps hot sushi? Or that cool appetizer where they bring a hot rock to your table and you skewer thin slabs of sauteed Kobe beef, yet the thing that holds the hot rock is cool to the touch? Or perhaps like a hot dog, with the mustard in a perfect little curvy line, but the hot dog actually tastes good.

From Ze to Ae.
His name is Ze. And I like letterforms. I could be willing to change my name to Ae. But not around Harry Winkler or Canadians. That could be annoying and I might end up responding to questions never asked of me in Alberta.

I said hi.
I told him I thought he was cool at the AIGA 2005 mocking republicans bash. I said thanks and that appreciated his design humor and his speech. Then he asked me which speech, and what particularly I liked about it. I said another thing. He said something else. I walked away, he also took a few steps.

He got here because he googled himself.
So Ze Frank here you are. Now give the computer a thoughtful look so as to seem as if you have found the secret to life. Now sneeze. See, sneezing on demand is hard. It always seems fake. Just like when strangers introduce themselves to eachother. You both know that a meaningless fake conversation is about to happen, yet both are willing to fake it until something juicy comes out.

I have the secret to life.
Not to be boastful, but yeah, I really do. Neener neener. This isn't a reason I'm in love with Ze, or maybe it is. See it's a secret so I can neither confirm nor deny it's validity as a point in this post or not.

He's my parallelodarridian.
And finally, because he is just like me, except he swears and smokes and is male. So really he is the opposite of me but not in a magnetic sense, but in the Derridian sense. And we all know how hard it is to find our parallel Derridian. Which is exactly the reason why I forgot I'm in love with Ze Frank.

Death and Shithead

Two great discoveries today while googling for a type design museum in Amsterdam:

"You've got to find what you love." A graduation address by Steve Jobs. One that you *won't* sleep through, for sure.
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

This talk confirms my belief in letting both good and bad experiences influence your life for the better. This also applies to design. Sometimes I start a project knowing my goal but the path I take to get there sometimes takes an unexpected turn and since I trust myself, I sometimes roll with that oddity and shape it into something great. It's learning to trust those artificial mistakes and using them that makes a more interesting picture. Whether you are a designer, a researcher or a blog reader.

Another topic in Steve's address was Death. In my 10th grade biology class I remember learning about "programmed death", a science concept that describes how once something is born, it begins to die. This is true for more than nature. For in everything we make, as soon as it is constructed, it begins to fall apart. This can happen in many forms, physical, cosmetic, economical or useful are the ones that come to mind. Paper vs Plastic. Bell-bottoms vs. white t-shirts. Prozac vs. a Generic. Google vs. CD catalogs. The fact that everything dies isn't a bad thing. It keeps the cycle moving in a better direction. Without this friend called Death, we would be surrounded by a whole lot of junk and not even know it.

---> The Story of "Shithead"
One of my favorite 'funny name' stories is this. I didn't know that it had circulated past my small circle and it was fun to read an article about it.

http://www.designobserver.com/archives/003635.html

If I had stuck to only looking for that type museum, I would have missed this. The moral of the story? New possibilities are seen by being open and trusting, not an unobservant Shithead. :)

Typography Links

Here are a few links I've found on typography that have been useful to me:

Recommended by Jesse Ragan at Frere-Jones:

"You might want to peruse this site for instructions, advice, and recommendations
(especially the forums section):

http://www.typophile.com/
http://www.typophile.com/forums/

There are two mini-courses on the site designed by Jonathan Hoefler,
available here:

http://www.typophile.com/courses.html


All in all, I think most of what you'll want to learn about type design
will either be gained through careful observation, practical experience,
and historical research."

In addition, here are some more I've found, sadly enough at a microsoft (ptuh! ptuh!) site:

http://www.microsoft.com/typography/
http://www.typotheque.com/site/index.php
http://briem.ismennt.is/2/2.3.2a/2.3.2.06.illusion.htm

Color Theory

Here is a great website on color theory by Poynter. This is targeted for a journalism audience, but don't let that deter you from the great content. :)

Color Contrast and Dimension

What is good design?

Good design:

is able to move beyond it's physical space
(imprints meaning on the viewer, it applies to more than just it's current medium)

is timeless

is useful

is intuitive without being predictable

gives just enough to allow the viewer's mind to complete the picture (a partnership between creator and user)

adapts to change

grows with the user

allows for discovery

is a fresh surprise

is beautiful

is sustainable


Good design in essence is nature.

Unified Design Theory, Part Two

Another element of design theory is what is being done during the creation process. Currently this is divided into elements and principles such as:

What you have to work with: ELEMENTS
Shape
Color
Texture
Value
Space
Time

What you can do with them: PRINCIPLES
(list is endless really)
Opacity
Stepping
Foreground/Background
Contour Continuation
Rhythm
Balance
Repetition with Variation
Overlapping
Positive/Negative
Isolating


This is all done to create:
STYLE
HIERARCHY
MOOD

That will appeal to:
AUDIENCE
CLIENT
DESIGNER

This is done best through:
COLLABORATION
FEEDBACK
REVISION

Unified Design Theory

I'm currently working on a design theory that connects all of the design disciplines: visual, structural, musical, etc. Here is what I have so far:

Design Creation Process:

1) State a specific goal.
2) Organize matter.
3) Designate boundaries.
4) Divide space.
5) Divide time.
6) Populate the areas.
7) Introduce the viewer.

Of course woven into these steps are "revise, revise, revise".

1) State a specific goal.
"I am creating a brochure to educate people about design."

2) Organize matter.
"I'm doing more research on this subject, I have found x and have organized it so that it can be constructed according to the need which has been understood."

3) Designate boundaries.
"I am creating a brochure that is this dimension, for this purpose, directed at this audience."
"I am designing a building that can be located in these areas."
"I'm composing a song in this time frame."

4) Divide space.
"This is where something will be, and where something will not, and the degree to which it is or isn't there."

5) Divide time.
"This is on the cover, this will be on page 5, this will be noticed first, second, third."

4+5 are done cooperatively.

6) Populate the spaces.
"Insert photo, write in text, etc."

7) Introduce the viewer.
"Here is my brochure."

This is just a rough draft and will develop more as I go.

Design subscriptions.

http://www.metropolismag.com
My favorite of all three. This magazine advertises itself as "architecture < culture > design" and includes many disciplines. With a subscription you gain access to past articles, which is a valuable resource. Design education is often discussed as well.

http://www.dwellmag.com
An alternative approach to residential design.

http://www.commarts.com
A showcase of juried design competitions in graphic, photography and illustration. Great articles and a good resource for keeping a finger on the current state of the profession.

http://www.emigre.com
A typography house. The articles are a bit too post-modern for me, but their typefaces are lovely.

http://www.houseindustries.com
Another great type house that demonstrates how branding can propel an idea. Not really a magazine but a good catalogue.

http://www.aiga.org
The American Institute of Graphic Artists. THE association for graphic designers in the U.S. The forums are interesting and cover a broad array of topics.

I hate walls: an introduction to 1+1=3 and 2+3=100.

I'm a graphic designer, who after years of teaching in a university graphic design program, am now teaching in an interior design program. I have found my views changing on my own field as well as how I teach because of this new perspective. I've also been entertaining this enduring craving to produce a designed experience more tactile than that of an online or print work. Interior design and architecture are the most tempting for filling this hunger.

After realizing how often I'm emailing out links to resources I find online, I've decided instead to build this into a blog. This will act as a place to track how these latest discoveries are molding my views on design and provide a forum to create discussion around these topics.

I hate walls. This man vs. nature thing is overrated. I would like to see a more intelligent solution to integrating design with nature so that they co-exist. This has been represented under such names as "green design" and "biomimicry". Instead of focusing on the technical aspects of conserving energy, or analyzing the biology behind nature, I am more interested in the physical/visual design of spaces and how they can collaborate with the user in a cohesive way using the second and third dimensions.

1+1=3, 2+3=100.

1+1=3. A project is more than the sum of its parts. When two things combine, a new meaning is created. A tree + a rope can = a swing (youth), or a noose (death). All depending on how those two elements are combined and shown.

2= Graphic design.
The needs of information to be communicated is changing as technology surfaces in more places. It used to be that design was solely based on static media, such as paper. This medium offers the designer total control over the space, but has only as much influence on the user as the user is willing to accept the message (or not throw it away). Communication of message is the primary goal with graphic design: to inform, persuade or entertain the viewer. This influence can only increase as the mediums increase.

There is a tendency of the design industry to identify themselves as a designer of a particular medium. In an article some years ago in Communication Arts, a writer said that instead of identifying ourselves in terms of "we do brochures, business cards, websites, or magazines" we should focus on the communication solution designers provide. Instead the focus should be on the delivery of solutions, no matter the medium. When we do this, both fields will expand.

3=Architecture.
A structure for providing a livable space. This is my perception of it for now. I don't feel like I am exactly qualified to define this entire discipline. My guess for this is much less educated than that of graphic design. ;) Until this changes, I will base my views on this assumption.

100=Design + Architecture.
If these two fields are combined, I believe the ability to impact, communicate and direct the viewer will increase. For instance, consider the impact on a hospital that is designed to take care of the patient physically as well as mentally by having the graphic and architectural designed as a whole, and not a separate dimension. This would also help the medical staff in transferring information between themselves and the patients.

A study in this idea will be realized namely in a foreign study experience in London during the summer of '06. This in itself will require a new post. :) I look forward to posting the information I find on this blog, and hearing your take on this as well!

Sincerely,
Corrine