Typography: The Imortance of Being Earnest/h3>
mciro

Assignment

The assignment is to create a series of print page layouts that include both the original text (macro) and your written response (micro). The graphical arrangement should be designed in tandem with the writing and the two should be mutually supportive of one another. Your written response should be between 500-3000 words

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Process

Charlotte Taylor's article "The Importance of Being Earnest" was given to me by a close friend nearly four years ago and is a piece that I have continually returned to throughout my brief career in design. In particular, I am drawn to Taylor's take on the small role that sincerity has cutout in a ironic and cynical society.

What I discovered in writing my response to this piece was that understanding the role of sincerity was greater than the scope of this class. Nonetheless it was an idea that was interesting to pursue further. Moving my perspective from the expert to the curious was difficult but important move for me as a designer because it made me let go of my preconceived notion of what being a designer is all about.

The second move in this process was finding an entry point for my response. Due to the difficulty of the text, I wanted to find a way to make Taylor's writing more accessible to the first time reader. Using my support system, it was pointed out to me that my response was beginning to resemble the format employed by the SAT's. And while I finally located my entry point, my initial response to directly mimicked this style was a move that fell back on bad design habits from my past.

Again, good critique showed me that I need to identify elements of design and to carefully pick and choose specific elements to incorporate into my own unique style. Lesson learned and earned!

What I Learned

What I found particularly interesting was that this voice does not need to be one of authority. Rather, this voice can be one of curiosity, agreement or opposition. What resonates with me is this position must come from the gut. There is something refreshing in saying "I don't know" or "This is an idea that is interesting enough to pursue further" and pursuing an answer artistically.

And while there were many lessons, realized or not, during this term, the larger themes that emerged were:

My work tends to appropriate larger, kitschy themes. Instead of a literal translation, I need to pick and choose elements from these works and make them my own. Bold gestures!

The representational and operational need balance.

Typography is a tool for reading. Get into that reading.

Design Research

Film

Exhibition Design

Interaction

Graphic Design

Typography

Odds and Ends