- STATE THE TOPIC OF YOUR THESIS. keep it concise.
- STATE YOUR INTENTION. keep it concise.
- STATE YOUR PURPOSE. keep it concise.
- STATE YOUR PROPOSED PROCESS. this can be general since you won’t know it until you’re in it. again, keep it concise.
- POST AND COMMENT.
2) PROJECT: Inspiration, post notes related to your topic.
- What drew you to your topic?
- Is it personal or do you see it relating to a broader audience?
- Are there artists, writers, poets, scientists, issues, concerns that inspire you to work hard to unveil your topic? post examples.
- Who do you look at or read for inspiration? post examples.
- Does your inspiration come from outside yourself, inside, or a combination?
- Do you see your topic as documentation of a personal event or events or as a general human existential dilemma?
- Create a list of three specific areas under your topic that you’d like to explore. narrow it down to the one that interests you most as your core/primary access point for the viewer.
- POST AND COMMENT.
3) PROJECT: Planning, create an outline of your topic. your outline should map your thesis topic. state your core concern and subtopics.
- Your outline will serve as a guide to help you develop your thesis project.
- Include notes on how you generated your thesis topic, your research, your concepting process, and your proposed finished pieces.
- Your outline should present your narrative, argument, and process ideas.
- POST AND COMMENT.
4) PROJECT: Field research, create an online survey (http://www.surveymonkey.com/) for your classmates, family, friends, etc about your topic. (you may include the bryan and myself in your survey if you wish.) the survey should be anonymous, but you may want to include basic factual information like gender, country of origin, age, etc. the survey should expand your frame of research from yourself to others. in other words, you, your topic, in relation to your classmates.
- Discuss your topic with your peers, your instructors, your elders, your target audience.
- Develop a color palette for your thesis project. http://kuler.adobe.com/
- POST AND COMMENT.
5) PROJECT: Charting your field research, information graphic: once you’ve gathered the all the information from your survey:
- Redo your outline, which will serve as you table of contents for your thesis book.
- Create a hierarchy of information.
- Digitize your symbols and drawings.
- Set all the typography. the information graphic must be accessible to users who know nothing about your topic and also interesting to readers who are well informed about your topic.
- POST AND COMMENT.
- http://www.bantjes.com/index.php?id=165
- pentagram: http://pentagram.com/blog/2007/06/new-work-global-cities.php
- http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/posters
- http://www.grundini.com/
- http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc/
6) PROJECT: Visual language/symbol, create a symbol (shield) for your thesis topic. your symbol (shield) should have meaning to you and also be accessible as branding for your thesis.
7) PROJECT: Presentation of research, create a type specimen book (16 pages, 1 signature) of just typography that details all your textual research. the book should be well researched, well written, be set perfectly (see berlow type specimen book: http://www.fontbureau.com/books/dbspecimens) and soft bound. you may use any paper stock you like. newsprint is acceptable and may be printed larger if interesting.
Use only typography and a few digital graphics. you may include an icon on the cover and drop caps throughout. Include subheads and bylines when quoting a large block of text or when using a large block of text to break up the monotony. Generally a flat hand, fingers spread, placed on a piece of text type is too much type without a pull quote or some such typographic element to break it up.
See the Chicago manual of style (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html) for footnoting and styling of typographic elements. Make sure your typography is flawless. ie no widows, no strange word spacing, no tracking out or in, etc. Use all means of distinguishing between bits of information from bold, roman, italic to small caps, all caps, bold caps, etc. use no more than three typefaces and use them all well!
8) PROJECT: Large graphic advertising, create a set of four posters that seduce your audience into being interested in your topic.
- Five posters
- Black & white only, no grayscale
- Dimensions: 48” x 52”
- Think op art (for example bridget riley), all great logos, wanted dead or alive posters.
- Your posters can be typographic and/or symbolic.
Formal constraints such as a big, huge black & white poster offer an opportunity to observe your process in a new, exciting way. The black and white helps you simplify the message into a tight concept and the scale puts your successes (and failures) in your face.
9) PROJECT: Photo shoots, concept and art direct at least four photo shoots related to your thesis theme. collaborate with a photographer, professional or student.
10) PROJECT: Process book, create a publication/process book (64 pages, 32 spreads, 4 signatures) showing how you developed your concept and pieces to support your concept. meaning state your thesis topic, show your research, include sketches and notes, and design in your type specimen book, your posters, your visual language, and your photo shoot. Simply showing an end product leaves out ninety percent of what design is about; design is about process.
11) PROJECT: Thesis book, create a thesis book (112 pages, 56 spreads, 7 signatures). this is the culmination of the work you’ve done this semester. make it count!
