MONOGRAPHY

Week 6 [10.16.09] First Book Spreads

First half of class to present initial book spreads. What are the emotional, physical and theoretical qualities that your collection connotes? Using the feedback and class discussion about your collection begin choosing a format (dimensions of your book), typographic family (feel free to use one family with many weights and settings or a group of typefaces that work well together), and most importantly at this stage, a narrative structure.

You will need to bring in the following to show:

1. A table of contents - This is your narrative structure.

2. An introductory text - If you dont have a draft of this written yet, choose a lengthy text as a stand-in for now. DO NOT USE greek text, i.e., Lorem Ipsum.

3. 2 spreads from 2 or more of your sections outlined in your table of contents.

Lastly, the WHITE RABBIT CD has been made available to you and should be circulating around the studio. All of you need to download a font manager so that you can easily activate and deactivate fonts to keep your hard drive from slowing down, test drive several typefaces at once and with speed without having to open an adobe application, and to keep all your different type styles organized by category for ease of location.

Week 4 [10.02.09] Unpacking Suitcases, Architectural Fables, and Unclinching Fists

Selection and presentation of monograph content. Rest of class to bring in printed matter that describes all of the work you would like to include in your book. Select projects large and small, don’t shy away from process material, throwaways and projects that are not architecturally biased. In addition, you should be thinking about the things that inspired your work, collateral you collected in the process of making or exterior references that drove some of your ideas.

As a reminder: We are not looking at the formal way you have put work up on the wall. Last week there was some derailment in our focus (its ok, it happens and will happen again), the content you are putting up are not book spreads. We are not giving critique to the formalities of your presentation on the wall. Our conversation is focusing on your body of work and your persona as a designer (even if that persona is constantly evolving or changing or is at the moment fairly cloudy)...you all have one. Beautiful form is almost meaningless without a point of view, an opinion, an agenda, a politic. This is the difference between a portfolio and a monograph. Give yourself over to the fact that this class is not about the conquest of cool but the conquest of you.

DONT FORGET TO: Title your work with 5 descriptive adjectives and a working title for your collection. Nothing is in stone, we are literally throwing shit up on the wall and seeing what sticks.

OK?

Week 2 [09.18.09] The Book is an Architectural Body

Introduction to the monograph/exhibition catalog and the anatomy of the book and understanding the book as an architectural body. A look at samples from architects, graphic designers, and artists.

Selection and presentation of monograph content. First half of class to bring in printed matter that describes all of the work you would like to include in your book. Select projects large and small, don’t shy away from process material, throwaways and projects that are not architecturally biased. In addition, you should be thinking about the things that inspired your work, collateral you collected in the process of making or exterior references that drove some of your ideas.

You don’t have to bring in everything you have on this work but enough to give us a sensibility of your work as a collection. Have this material hung on the wall BEFORE class begins. Title your work with 5 descriptive adjectives and a working title for your collection.

ALL STUDENTS PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL FROM THE ADDRESS YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE CLASS NOTIFICATIONS

 

Week 1 [09.11.09] Introductions

Number one: THIS IS NOT GRAPHIC DESIGN FOR DUMMIES. Clarification on what graphic design is and isn’t, general misconceptions and clues on how to succeed in this course. Overview of the complex relationship between Graphic Design and Architecture and their significant parallels. Translation of shared concepts focusing on form, direction, texture, weight, scale and space, narrative, and pacing. Viewing of the film Helvetica. Required reading, Thinking with Type and pdfs on typography and image-making.