Visually-oriented classes

(From DGr:)

Russell does a great job in teaching basic graphic design (aka visual communication).

However, as I understand it, half of his class is devoted to this area.

My arguement is that this is an essential skill that all of our students require.

Thus, we should offer more than half a class.

Graphic design isn't my current area of research, but as I have stated elsewhere,

undergraduate teaching is NOT supposed to be about one's current research activity,

but about offering core intellectual and practical skills.

Context:

My degrees are in graphic design (and photography).

I also worked as a professional designer for 8 years (mostly at and for Apple Computer),

and taught (interactive) graphic design for the past 17 years.

Teaching venues range from the Fine Arts and English/Cultural Studies to Communications and Computer Science,

and involved the creation of transdisciplinary programs that combined gdesign with other disciplines, such as Computer Science.

I'm not saying that to wank, but because I think I have developed methods of teaching the essential aspects

of gdesign to diverse students, particularly to HCI students (and interested faculty).

I am NOT proposing another stream, as this would be divisive and would miss the point that

gdesign is an essential skill that is daily used by our students.

Background context:

Note that besides Architecture, the preponderance of design programs in university art schools are Graphic Design programs.

The remainder -- industrial design and interior design -- number far fewer.

This parallels industrial demand.

New Context:

While the emergence of computer-related design (such as web design) has sometimes

led to separate programs, by and large, these new forms of design have been integrated

within the above (so-called legacy) programs.

This is because most designers are concerned with the specificity of differing media forms,

and thus consider computer technology another media form in a long history of others.

Graphic design is generally concerned with communicating through the use and interplay of text and images.

It has and does include: web design (and web architecture in more progressive schools),

information design, interface design, "multimedia," motion-graphics (film & tv ads, animations), film/video titles,

typography (such as fonts for highways and computer screens), branding, packaging, and

print (books, journals, posters, annual reports), among others.

Although it is stereotypically referred to as "two-dimensional" design, this is a misnomer,

since it has always included way-finding (signage), (museum and trade-show) exhibit design,

representations of 3D objects and environments, theme parks, airplane & vehicle graphics,

store fronts, and more recently, interactive 3D virtual environments

(especially scientific visualization/ bioinformatics).

What gdesign brings to HCI is a holistic and contextual view of how visuals "work,"

including symbolic, aesthetic, affective, and cultural aspects.

So, while HCI classes might teach a student how color or the eye works,

gdesign is concerned with how colors or visuals come to mean something(s) in particular contexts.

(Brian, want to discuss qualia?)

IMHO, I think our students have an initial strong training in Russell's class,

but they really NEED more training in areas specific to their daily practices.

Most of our students -- even those whose work is "off the desktop," -- in fact rely heavily

on gdesign to represent their ideas through flash animation, websites, posters, and so on.

Yet they have insufficient training in doing this.

Depth only comes with more contact.

I would like to see our students exhibit the basic understanding of gdesign/visual communication

that, for example, any HCI undergrad at Georgia Tech or CMU does.

Thus, I propose components of classes or classes in the following areas:

• web design and architecture (w/TAD) This is NOT the trade school version, but one that includes

the examination of issues such as agency, virtual communities, trasnactions, databases, legibility, and interactivity

in the context of ordering and creating meaningful communications and interfaces.

No one in the greater vacnouver area teaches this kind of university-level course in a design school context

• Information Design & Architecture

• Information Visualization (or, Visual Analytics) with TAD

• Speculative Design

(From AA:)

Students need practice creating:

• visually communicating ideas/concepts

• interface mockups

• storyboards

• interaction/experience scenarios

• product forms

• info flow diagrams

Using both pencil and paper sketching and more refined versions with drawing programs.

Also, I'd like to see "interface design" (large screen, small screen, controllers, etc) as a separate skill area.

The visual perception side of cognition and HCI should also be built on here ...

not sure it that comes under this category (vs cognition and culture

courses). But just in case -- For example (in no particular order), gestalt

principles of perception, foreground/background, colour, motion, models of

light, luminance etc ...