:: ( CRIT ) :: DESIGN BLOG ::

The Masters Series: Steven Heller

Visual Arts Museum at the School of Visual Arts, 209 East 23rd Street, New York, NY
October 22 - December 1, 2007
Reception: Monday, October 22, 6 - 8pm
Lecture, A Conversation between Michael Bierut and Steven Heller: Tuesday, October 23, 7pm at the 3rd Floor Amphitheater

School of Visual Arts (SVA), New York City, will honor Steven Heller with the Masters Series Award and retrospective exhibition. He is the author, co-author or editor of over 100 books on graphic design, illustration and political art, was an art director at The New York Times for 33 years and is a columnist for The New York Times Book Review. Heller is also the co-founder and co-chair of the MFA Design Department and co-founder of the MFA Design Criticism Department at SVA.

Option Shift Control Call for Participation

The Master of Graphic Design Candidates at the College of Design, North Carolina State University is requesting proposals for presentations, design and research projects, proposed artifacts, workshop or panel discussions for their third bi-annual graduate symposium, Option Shift Control*. The symposium will take place on November 30th and December 1st, 2007. Submissions are due by Friday, October 19.

Here's the official call for participation:

Today all types of designers face an audience empowered by technologies; people who create and customize their own products and communications. Audiences (readers, users) now envision products, such as the:

Core77.com's Hack2School Essential Guide

Everything the grad and undergrad design student should know (and more) about returning to the sanctity of the academy can be found (and savored) on Core77.com's HACK2School.

Here are a few of my favorite entries:

Keep it Classy 2.0

5 Ways to Sound Smarter in a Crit

Set Your Phone to Vibrate

On a related side note, the Core77 Offsite Series event; Design, Wit, and the Creative Act: Leveraging the power of humor towards great customer experiences, will take place on November 9th at the Art Directors Club . Moderated by the incredible Ze Frank, presenters are Steven Heller, Kelly Dobson, Tobias Wong, and Paul Budnitz. Early bird and student specials are in effect so check it out at www.core77.com/offsite

Steve and Alice on Design Criticism MFA, part 1

This past spring, School of Visual Arts announced the birth of a new Masters study in Design Criticism, to begin fall of 2008. Steven Heller, co-chair of our own program, is helping to develop the curriculum with Alice Twemlow, who will also be the chair of the department. Focusing on such a specific topic in criticism might seem risky, but as CRIT sat down to speak with Steve and Alice earlier this summer (over a heaping plate of bagels), there was a sense of energy and overwhelming enthusiasm from the design community at large (even the proposed Faculty list reads like an AIGA town-hall meeting), and suggestions of new formats and discussions for the way we act and react to design.

CRIT Interview by Tamara Gildengers Connolly and Len Small

Something from Nothing

A few weeks ago, the question was raised, “I'm sure that each university is unique but similar in the sense that your thesis topic/work is entirely up to you. These criteria are as daunting as they are exciting to me. I'd love to hear feedback as to how any of you began your ideation process. I'm curious, for example, what resources/books/sites you stumbled on that related generally to thesis writing and/or projects unique to graduate level graphic design.”

A letter to MFA Design candidates regarding thesis:

Congratulations! You have almost made it through your first year of the MFA Design program at SVA! Since our program is still developing after about a decade since inception, we decided to experiment with a new format this year. We decided to get you thinking about your ideas so that no natural course of time elapses before recovering from the rigor of your first year. In the first phase of thesis brainstorming, you should definitely consider that we have strong undertones which imply that you should create a tangible product to be sold at mass market scale. Good luck!
...

Heavy Ideas, Light Solutions

For the past several weeks my classmates and I have been trying to figure out what our thesis projects are going to be. At SVA, the task is to create a product that is functional, viable in the market place, socially relevant and original. We have approximately six months to pitch, refine and then realize our ideas.

I started the year with a loose definition of the word “product.” I didn’t want the scope of my project to be limited by a vision of the end result, so I began the process with a big idea and a deep, invested interest. I wanted to create something that would encourage others to be more honest with each other. I dove into the pitch process confident that the idea was worthwhile and interesting, but unsure that it could be distilled into a tangible product.

If it looks like an invitation...

Some soaked summer Sunday we look around to find that just around the corner the classroom doors have been unlocked and we're hurrying to and fro for what is, at the moment, the last little thing we need to feel settled and get started.

Crit needs a little something too. You.

Criticisms, rants, observations, announcements, insights, links, papers, and humor about, surrounding, and related to design and graduate design education. Students from all institutions and design disciplines are welcome and encouraged to participate. Contact crit@sva.edu.

We're enamored with savory diction and occasional wit. Thanks in advance.

 

Props to Tamara Gildengers Connolly (SVA MFA '08) for the image.

Writings in The Design Encyclopedia

The Design Encyclopedia editors have created a resource and an educational destination. The wiki, of course, is available to anyone and everyone, but they've made a recent specific call to engage the academic community, both student and teacher alike:

"If you teach a class that revolves around research and writing, and addresses design’s history, contemporary practitioners or the profession’s essentials your help would be invaluable."

"...the contribution of full-fledged essays, articles and theses to be published under our Written label, where we are aiming to provide a forum for such efforts that normally go unpublished, or published on a very small scale. We feel these contributions would add tremendous value as design references."

There's more information available at The Design Encyclopedia.

Dear MFA

Do you leave school with a great portfolio?
If you're goal is teaching, are all MFA degrees equivalent?

CRIT discussion participant "MF.A." asked these questions in an earlier thread. I couldn't help but respond.

First, I must state, that like everything else, education in general and graduate education in our case is dependent on many outside factors that may enhance or degrade the experience and have a significant effect on one's perception of the value of that education. Every graduate design program that I'm remotely familiar with is different. Their areas of emphasis are slightly or drastically different, for example: some focus on criticism, critical design, pragmatic design, design education, design management, design as a way of thinking, design as an anthropological tool, design as a way of approaching "fine" art.

2006 Yale Graphic Design MFA Show

2006 Yale Graphic Design MFA Show
May 17-24
Opening Reception & After Party: May 20

Yale University School of Art
Holcombe T. Green, Jr. Hall
1156 Chapel Street
New Haven, CT

Hours: M-F 10am-6pm, Sat/Sun 12pm-6pm

A growing website of revelant work has launched at yalegraphicdesign.com.

The “Modest” Designer

Guest editorial by Luma Shihab-Eldin

In my almost two year experience at graduate school, the modesty of certain colleagues and teachers has been an important lesson learned. In fact, I am beginning to feel that it is an important virtue of a designer that is often overlooked.

The Erosion of Design Education

Guest editorial by Eric Karjaluoto

I disliked a large part of my art school experience. At many times, I found it very difficult to slug through. A six hour life-drawing session felt more exhausting than most would believe; furthermore, as a seventeen year old, the level of intimidation I felt during a group critique remains pretty memorable.

Additionally, the experience often felt as though it was slower than necessary. I couldn’t always grasp the importance of the assignments, and really just wanted to get out of there and do the work I so enjoyed; nevertheless, I spent those four years irritable, while growing a great deal.

For the many struggles over those years, I must say that the lessons I learned helped me work through many challenges which arose later in my professional practice. I was lucky to have instructors like Renee Van Halm, Sam Carter, and John Wertschek (alongside a number of others) who challenged me, and ensured that I was actually learning during my time at the Emily Carr Institute.

To read the rest, visit ideasonideas.

Success!

As most people do in graduate school, I spend a bit of time thinking about how to determine my success as a student. My last semester has begun and I can already feel the end of the experience coming soon. In a flash, I will have graduated and I wonder how I will remember this part of my life. The past year and a half seems like a whirlwind–a surreal, abstract and unforgettable experience full of rigor. I wonder if I have done a good job and what sort of measurements I can hold myself against to determine my success.

The routes for evaluating our successes are external and internal. Externally, we are measured by crits, reviews, awards and grades. There are many meetings to discuss our work and both instructors and students weigh in with their own views, ideas and opinions. A bad client response or crummy classroom crit can lead to bigger questions about our abilities as designers. A good review produces positive feelings and increases confidence. Awards feel good and, despite the oddness of getting graded at this level of education, marks can be thought of as an indicator of success.

Internally, we are guided by our own thoughts and feelings about work we are involved in. The level of satisfaction, intrigue or even joy can help us measure our own personal feeling of success. As I work, I ask myself “Is this saying what it needs to? Is this clear? Does this form make sense for the aim? Am I fulfilling the brief?” A particular project of mine that was internally driven was a monument we were asked to propose whose form was to be inspired by personal subject matter. What I chose to create did not meet all of the criteria for the assignment (I had no location for my proposed structure) but the process of making the thing itself was incredibly exciting and important to me. I could not change a thing about it the final form, despite whatever was requested by my instructors and classmates, because the piece had become personally significant me. The experience was enough for me to feel satisfied with the final outcome and nothing else could affect the project’s success or failure.

Jacks of All Trades or Bust!

At a lovely Thanksgiving dinner, my meal was soured by a conversation I had with a local design director. We happened to be sitting next to each other he told me how he had been interviewing designers for five different positions at his company. He said that over the course of a couple of weeks, he had met with over 40 young designers and none of them were up to par with his requirements. He declared, "It isn't even the student's fault--it's the programs!!! It's the instructors!!!"

After I told him that I actually was a student myself, he didn't budge an inch with his antics. Through the large amount of meetings he had held, he had seen many personal projects that he thought had no value and many portfolios that didn't showcase the more multi-discplinary requirements of today's designer. The positions that he was looking to fill required designers with full web production experience (php, asp, whatever), After Effects mastery and print proficiency.

Is Our History Necessary for Our Future?

In my design education, I have been exposed to a semester and a couple of seminars of design history. We spent one semester of my undergrad education plowing through historical material at a rapid pace, beginning at the invention of writing and ending with David Carson's fashionable and exploratory work. It was a whirlwind, full of huge amounts of content and form. Grad school has included a four week long seminar and a half semester class which both proved informative and unique in their viewpoints. Many programs spend a limited amount of time teaching the legacy of design.

I wonder, is this restricted amount of time enough? Of course, the history of a particular profession can be removed from it's respective practice, such as art history for artists or the history of liguistics for those studying English. Also, our educations are finite–there is only a limited amount of time to focus on the many conceptual, formal and technical aspects of design to help us better our skills and further our profession. Is it important to comprehend the deep roots of typography or the intrinsic social context of political posters? Do we need to know how 3D design products developed and evolved throughout time to inform our work? If we practice design without a thorough understanding of our profession's past, are we reckless and irresponsible designers?

Artifacts of design are primary sources of historical, social and cultural information. Design History programs at institutions like Royal College of Art lead the way in preserving the knowledge of our disciplines past while studying the present. How much do we know about the history of our profession? What sort of commitment should we have to including this discourse in our studies as opposed to almost exclusively practicing design?

Thank You for Giving

As the risk of sounding pathetic, I would like to send a wave of gratitude to all of the people who have been involved in my education and design experience. I feel like I have been incredibly lucky along this winding path as both a professional designer and as a student. Our faculty at SVA has been a monumental source of inspiration and knowledge and I have learned an extraordinary amount in both professional and personal realms. I extend deep gratitude towards all of the design educators for letting us students freely make mistakes, celebrating our successes and tugging at our sleeves to remind us we can always push ourselves a little bit further.

Thank You For Your Input

The about page for our dear blog proclaims this site to be "open to all graduate students, prospective graduate students, and design educators." Is that you? What would you like to see or discuss?

In your eyes, what can we do to improve and expand CRIT's content? Is there something missing? Your feedback is appreciated.

E-mail us: crit@sva.edu

Safety Zone

Academia is clearly a safe place for everyone to work through successes and failures in their designs. It is safe to talk about new ideas, or to fumble around with old ideas and think they are actually new. Frankly, graduate school is indulgent.

This time is useful to develop a process that works, and to have a clearer vision of how to approach design issues. I aim to become more articulate and to think more critically about designs in our world. Invaluable are the discussions between classmates, instructors, and guest lecturers.

Why else is this time so important in the development of a designer? What will we have in the long-run that others won't have? How useful are imaginary projects? Where should the safety zone end and "real life" begin?

The Design Encyclopedia

The kind and concerned folks at Under Consideration have released the Beta version of The Design Encyclopedia. Thanks!

Back to School!

Since this is the start of a new academic year, I figure this might be a good place to introduce yourself, say where you're going for school, what year you're in, what your goals are for this year, if you're new, how you're feeling right now (let me guess, nervous and/or excited), and maybe even what you did last summer.