Design is in - Anything

William thinks on his feet, Jessica thinks on a sheet

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:02:24 -0800

Post-ULM, Post-Client: The Winterhouse Lecture, National Institute of Design, India, 5.30 PM, 18th January 2010
What a way to start a week? Listening to two of the most articulate individuals of our designerly time and space — Jessica Helfand and William Drenttel. Although they have worked as designers for many years, I feel what Jessica has done to design education and design criticism or what William has done to the business of design is sufficient for an ordinary individual, like me, to seek in a whole life.

Williams' insights into the economy and politics of design were matched by Jessica's articulation of designing a process. Jessica seems to be proud of the fact that Paul Rand taught her and the fact that they interacted with each other and remained to be in touch beyond her student days. She even scanned one of the letters penned by Mr Rand, and posted it on this Design Observer post. I have seen Mr Rand's interviews faciliated by Steven Heller, which are on YouTube, which are examples of a yet-to-be matched ariculation of design. I could see traces of Paul in Jessica when she spoke. Strangely, whenever she said 'Yale' during her talk, I could only see the imprint of this unique Yale Univeristy Press logo (courtesy Paul Rand), which was unfortunately put to rest by this 'look-i-can-kern' logo. Anyway. I am drifting here. Sigh.

William, on the other hand, has seen it all — working for corporate houses to dealing with clients to choosing clients to building a business model devoid of clients. His projects start as mere intiatives and take shape without any limitations of the improbable notions in mind. These projects evolve to entirely redefine the role of graphic design. These are some of the projects: Design Observer (DO), Teach For America, Poll Photo Booth and Change Observer. Way I see is that Change Observer, in itself, will branch out to become something substantial in future. At the moment, DO supports this movement observing and tracking social change across USA.

William has an eye for ideas and thinks on his feet, whereas Jessia has a hand for ideas and thinks on a sheet. Although that is true, in a short span, I figured that Jessica is an artist who has made a journey towards design and William is a manager who has made a journey towards design. Somewhere in between they have met, perhaps, and they decided to trip on design in a beautifully amalgamated house/office embedded in the maple woods, deep in the countryside. It seems they also make some maple syrup once in a while and gift it to friends and families. Their life is organic and biological.

Talking about biology, it reminds me of what William told us about designers excluding the abundant knowledge and inspirational stories of science from their practice. Designers with an inclination towards a specific niche subject in either science or humanities are needed in the next decade, he stresses. He also felt that designers have to figure out what works for them, rather than what has worked for others. He subtly mentioned about the choice one has to make between making a lot of money and chasing clients or making sufficient amount of money and choosing clients. He was diplomatic, maybe practical, in mentioning that design students just graduating can't choose clients at will. They could afford to do it only after years of hardwork and building a sustainable pool of funding resources.

As a graphic design student, I never failed to notice that they are in love with the typeface 'Gotham', which features in more than half their work. On a personal note, I felt most of the websites they have designed (by the look of it) are smiliar in tone and voice. Maybe I should visit the sites and form another opinion later, which I will. That apart, I felt Jessica and William are passionate about their work, which was evident by a few glimpses of the process that they shared. As a design student, I am more interested in the process rather than just looking at the final output.

To a student of design, who is designing the process of writing a book, listening to William and, especially Jessica, reaffirmed the intentions behind my book writing project. As Jessica put it, "What I can't figure out as a designer, I figure out as a writer." And from Jessica I learnt today, even after I graduate, I will forever be a student of graphic design.

By Sanjay Basavaraju

Design education for the present

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:34:50 -0800

Design schools are no different from nursery schools. Nursery schools have an open curriculum at large and focus on teaching concepts, such as value and behavior, that help a child can apply lifelong. The focus is also on one-to-one learning. We are forgiving to kids when they make mistakes. Evaluation is not a crucial tool used by nursery teachers. Children discover new things among themselves every day. They discuss the most unusual topics at length.

Here is a key summary of my nursery school days and recommendations for redesigning design education in India based on the summary.

01. Community-based learning
When I was in a nursery school the teacher took us out of school to show us how a Kaccha Ghar (mud house) differs from a Pakka Ghar (cement house). During that short trip we could understand the economic divide between the poor and the rich, the materials used in both kinds of houses, and diversity in India. When the teacher introduced us to animals, she took us to a zoo, instead of showing us pictures of animals. Richard Farson, author of the book The Power of Design, writes that designers should bridge the gap between design and the social sciences. Students should interact with a variety of institutions and organizations and not limit themselves to schools. The ideal model of a design school in India is to involve the community as a primary stakeholder.

02. Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
In my nursery school, gardening was considered one of few important subjects in order to teach kids the relationship between ecology and human action. Each Saturday morning we spent hours in the school garden. We then came back to the classroom and illustrated what we did in the garden before the bell rang. The gardener in the nursery school had unconditional love towards the earth, and towards us kids. He never got angry when we walked into the garden and messed it up. Over the next few days he would bring the garden back to its usual self. Any design education model, if devoid of the world we live in, fails to translate a holistic understanding of the role of design.

03. Lifelong experience
One of the teachers at the nursery school used to quote a Chinese proverb by Lao Tzu—give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime—which was quite inspiring for any teacher. Design education should focus on imbibing knowledge that supports students lifelong. Design thinking is one of the ways to enable students to develop indigenous processes to create. Design thinking focuses on the situation of a user rather than focusing on creation. Design thinking is core to design. Design is action and thinking articulates that action. Design only helps students to adapt to creation. Articulation helps students adapt to situations.

04. Non-compulsory curriculum
In nursery, the teacher begins to realize that a child is averse towards a certain subject and tries to design a different methodology to get the child interested. The teachers are usually bound to the curriculum, which could be limiting. The design curriculum should be flexible and accommodate experimentation. Some students who are not keen on following the curriculum should present their argument to a panel. If the argument is in favor of the student then the panel can let those students structure their future in design school. Such students may also choose to disregard evaluation at their will. Such students may read books for next four years or start a business venture or work on farms. These students can then propose their final thesis projects that lets them actualize their learning of four years.

05. Educational goals
When I was in doubt, the nursery teacher used to give me options. She used to ask, “What do you want to do?” When we were in agreement as to what I would do, she would make sure that I am happy doing it. Design education can be alternative education. It doesn’t have to belong to mainstream education. Usually in such situations, design education is in a state of confusion. The word ‘interdisciplinary’ is used loosely even though the system doesn’t allow the students to actually the taste the fruits of interdisciplinary learning. The system should encourage students from any design discipline to take some courses core to their discipline and most courses outside their discipline. Only such a system will foster innovation from students when they start working as designers in the real world.

06. Reverse transmission
Margaret Mead coined this term ‘reverse transmission’. She went on to explain how the younger generation fosters knowledge and wisdom superior to that of older generations. There are instances when my nursery teacher would listen to the stories of kids and was amazed by their understanding of the world, in general. She would then record the stories in a book and would use these stories to create a play during our annual fest. Design education is influenced by information and knowledge accessible to the students. The cumulative knowledge of all students when compared to a professor’s knowledge is very high. Design education should switch to a peer-based learning model from the teacher-based learning model. Technology can be used effectively to store knowledge of both students and faculty members.

07. Relevance to society
In nursery, I was given assignments where I would spend a day with my mother and then record the day in her life with my sketches. I would do the same with my father and sisters. And then map the whole family through a day. Although design education is channeled towards the growth of an individual, its relation with communities such as families, student networks, work groups are discouraged. Design education should focus on a society-based model rather than an industry-based model.

08. De-emphasize evaluation
In nursery, I was never bothered about either grades or marks. Children did not fear coloring the leaves of the trees blue and oceans red. Design education in India is based purely on evaluation, but not on risk-taking or innovation. High risks give higher dividends. The failure rate is more and that is important for students to learn. Today children don’t want to fail in order to learn. The evaluations system is to be blamed. Design education should be devoid of any judgment.

09. Physical readiness (rest, exercise and nutrition)
In nursery, we used to sleep for an hour in the afternoon. When we woke up we would together perform breathing exercises. The teachers even made sure children eat well everyday. The parents were then called for a meeting where they were informed about the do’s and dont's on preparing lunch. The body needs exercise, rest and nutrition. Design education should not be hectic. These aspects may seem not important but they affect a student’s learning eventually.

By Sanjay Basavaraju

Good 50x70: Results are out

Mon, 18 May 2009 05:23:08 -0800

One of the winning posters designed by Armeen Kapadia

Good 50×70, an independent, non-profit initiative with the following aims:

- to promote the value of social communication in the creative community,
- to provide charities with a (free) database of communication tools, and
- to inspire the public via graphic design.

Their focus is an annual contest to design posters confronting seven of the critical issues affecting today’s world. They chose posters as the media for the contest as they’re the most direct way to convey a message and can be easily translated to other media.

Seven charities each provide a brief on a global issue. Anyone who wishes can enter a poster on any topic that inspires them. The best 30 responses to each brief (as selected by our jury) are collected in a catalogue and exhibited around the world. All the posters entered are supplied to the charities for them to use as potential communication tools. There aren’t any ‘winners’, unless you count the charities. The point of entering is to produce something that might make a difference in the world. What more could you ask for as a creative than that?

The results are out. This year too, like previous years, students from the Graphic Design discipline, National Institute of Design, have made it to the 210 best responses of this year. The total number of entries this year was more than 4000. What an effort. Applause. Congratulations friends.

By Sanjay Basavaraju

The Pursuit of Happiness

Mon, 04 May 2009 07:37:07 -0800

No, it isn't the Will Smith movie. It is about Bhutan, a Himalayan country which has never been colonized by the West or captured by its neighbor in its entire history. It is the only country that puts 'happiness' into the heart of government policy.

In 1970s, their former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck coined a term 'Gross National Happiness' (GNH), to have a holistic approach in judging Bhutan's growth, instead of 'Gross National Product' (GNP). The factor of well-being is ignored when GNP is calculated. For the very same reason, GNH became an indication of the commitment of the former King to build an economy that was based on Bhutan's culture and Buddhist values. It is common knowledge in Buddhism that every creation requires destruction. "New thoughts and ideas emerge from chaos and devastation," Bhutan Prime Minister Jigme Thinley said. "If Gross National Happiness (is to) be the new order, the old (order) certainly seems to be giving way."

Some human rights agencies are not too happy with some of the decisions that Government of Bhutan is taking. In an article in the UK based magazine Developments, Ms Renata Lok Dessallien, the Resident Co-ordinator for UN agencies in Bhutan argues, "When a sick man receives medication and health care, the GDP increases whether the man recovers or not. But GNH is not only interesting because of its combination of the quantitative and the qualitative, it also conjures up deep philosophical questions on the essence of happiness. And it allows for a relative definition of happiness, according to each person's perspective."

There is a misconception that, by taking the approach of well-being, development will take a back seat. The concept of GNH believes that development of a society takes place when both material and spiritual growth happen simultaneously and support each other. This has led Bhutan to take very different decisions from countries simply searching for wealth. Many experts believe that such an approach works in Bhutan because it is a remote kingdom and partly because it was an absolute monarchy until 2008.

The governement has derived guiding principles to development in Bhutan. These principles, termed as 'The Four Pillars', are
1. Sustainable and equitable socio-economic development
2. Conservation of environment
3. Preservation of culture
4. Good governance

In implementing these principles, the government has take some drastic steps. There is the pressure of globalization on Bhutan. Only in 1999, Bhutan introduced television and the internet. The government has control over media. Such an approach towards media has not been popular anywhere else in the world. In 2005, the Bhutanese government was criticized by human rights observers for blocking the broadcast of some Indian television channels, which were deemed a "bad social and cultural influence".

The results have begun to show. "The real appeal of Bhutan is that we feel human," says Tshewang Dendup, a graduate of the documentary film program at the University of California, Berkeley, who now works at the Bhutan Broadcasting Service. "Maybe we are somewhat isolated from the world, but we feel part of a living community that is not just connected by wires. That's why 95 percent of us exchange students return home. By and large, you would have to say people are happy here." Based on satisfactory results, GNH guidelines are being adopted in Brazil, India and Haiti.

The most extensive programs are occurring in Canada, Australia and the United States. The most significant GNH project, however, appears to be in France. The Quality of Life Commission, initiated by President Nicolas Sarkozy, with help from such notable economists as Nobel prize winners Joseph Stiglitz and Armatya Sen, is expected to launch its findings next year.

If one heard speeches of President Barack Obama, you could get a feeling that he is swinging toward GNH. He used the same vocabulary. He wants to work on healthcare, education and environment. The GNH also talks about the same things.

If anyone wants to find happiness, maybe Bhutan is the place in this world because no other country has valued happiness than this tiny Himalayan kingdom. To this end, the Bhutanese have forsaken millions of dollars in revenue from timber sales and mass tourism. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

By Sanjay Basavaraju

Review: About Alphabets

Fri, 01 May 2009 11:37:57 -0800

Book Review
About Alphabets: Some marginal notes on type design by Hermann Zapf

The M.I.T. Press

The humble size and unassuming cover of this book reflect the character of the author, Hermann Zapf, in that he is not one to shout about the work he has done, even though his accomplishments in the field of type design and calligraphy are unparalleled. The book is a simple autobiography of one of the greatest graphic and type designers of our time.

Written in the first person, the book is an interesting account of his early beginnings, and his development. Being trained in the old school of type design — when letters were drawn by hand and then manually cut out of metal blocks — he provides interesting insights and observations that would rarely occur to modern day typographers and graphic designers. For example, the kind of metal used to engrave out the letters was of prime importance, and it was a relief when lead was introduced, as it lent itself to re-soldering, and new bits and pieces could be fused into the original block of the letter if too much had been cut off.

At the same time, several of his concerns hold true even today, such as the basic aspect of readability, and durability of the typeface after thousands of print runs. Hermann Zapf is not concerned with purely the aesthetic aspect of letter forms, (and he is a master of this) but also spends large amounts of time and energy with the functional aspect. Being a calligrapher par excellence reflects in some of his creations, of which there are several examples in the book.

The author also briefly touches about his enlistment in World War 2, and the trauma it inflicted. Even during the war, he spent spare time sketching the forms of flora and fauna, as a base for a Flower Alphabet he was to create. After the war, the author starts creating typefaces for specific clients and purposes, and sets up his own Stempel Foundry. Later in the sixties he talks about his experiences in teaching in the USA, and also his involvement with book binding and publishing.

As Hermann Zapf himself acknowledges, it is a hard task to write an autobiography about oneself, but he has managed it with aplomb. The book is what its title claims it to be ‘marginal notes on type design’. Although a few more personal experiences included would have encouraged more readership. Nevertheless, one can feel his passion for typefaces and their creation, when he often refers to them as ‘children’ or ‘daughters’, having different parents, and he talks about the process to ‘name’ the ‘child’. And indeed, in that time, creating a typeface was a longer and possibly harder process than having a child, with as much joy at the end.

The author reflects on culture, the dwindling time people have for reading, and how that affects the role of a type designer. Though schooled in the traditional way of creating type, he projects the new challenges for type designers, as photo-compositing and newer technologies become mainstream. Though deeply inspired by the past, by typographers and letterers of previous centuries, and masterpieces of type such as the Trajan column, he looks keenly to the future, and warns against the ‘romanticizing’ of the past. He also softly, though manifestly shows his dislike for ugly new typefaces sprouting like weeds, especially the craze of the sans-serif types.

The book is of small size, easy to hold, and set in Linotype Optima, one of his own graceful creations. The line spacing differs, as the closer set text is a commentary on the main text, and is an interesting way of writing an autobiography, rather like two voices of the same person speaking simultaneously. He favours unusual punctuation in place of speech marks, which is quite refreshing.

This is a book any student of graphic and type design should read, as it is informative and inspiring. More importantly, it is a first-hand account of the journey and struggle of a type designer, the challenges he faced working with the technology at the time, and the culture prevalent in those years.

By Armeen Kapadia