Course Description
This seminar course is designed to explore contemporary positions in communication design and discuss its future spaces in society and industry. It is an exercise in critical thinking to understand the transformed and expanded nature of globalized visual
culture in the 21st century and how design has shifted. Through discussions and lectures with practitioners, researchers, and New School faculty, students will be invited to consider the cultural landscape of communication design and explore
its best practices and new working methods. Class topics include: archives, authorship, craft, digital interfaces, ethics, locality, materiality, observation, publishing, self-reliance, social justice, vernacular and visual narrative.
The diversity of visiting guests will promote analytic interaction with opposing viewpoints as well as provide networking opportunities for the class. Students will read, write and complete 3 projects that explore their position
as designers.
Instructor Information
Luiza Dale
dalel160@newschool.edu
Office hours by appointment over email only
Commitment to Equity and Diversity
In the Communication Design program, we are committed to creating a more inclusive, equitable and anti-racist community. We recognize that we must continue to advance our teaching pedagogy and expand our curriculum to address issues of white
supremacy, racial discrimination and other forms of systemic oppression.
We come to the classroom from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. It is important to be respectful and empathetic towards others, be open to criticism and engage in new ways of learning. On the first day of class, we will write
a Group Agreement that outlines our collective classroom standards for the course. We will be responsible for upholding the agreement throughout the semester.
Hybridity
Depending on the week, we will meet in person in room 601 (6 East 16th St) or online via Zoom. Check the Schedule for details before class each week. All guest lectures will take place online.
Class Time
Each class will be composed of a combination of reading discussions, guest lectures, presentations, critiques, and in-class exercises.
Readings
There will be 1–2 assigned readings for most classes. Students are responsible for writing one short reading response due the night before class. Reading responses should include your thoughts on the material (2 sentences minimum) and 2 questions for discussion.
Projects
There will be 3 projects. Projects 1 and 2 are individual and happen during the first half of the semester, while Project 3 is collaborative (2 students per group) and spans the second half of the course.
Project 1: Person, Place or Thing (3 weeks)
Project 2: Manifesto (3 weeks)
Project 3: Notes from the Field (9 weeks)
In-class Exercises
While this is a seminar class, some in-class time may be devoted to short exercises and demos.
Guest Lecturers
There will be a series of invited speakers in the course, ranging from researchers, artists and designers. They will present their work to all sections on Zoom and host an open Q&A. Lecture recordings will be available via Vimeo. Schedule subject to change.
Requirements
During the unusual conditions of teaching and learning in an ongoing global pandemic, we will make every effort to upkeep active and meaningful engagement, at times potentially without the reality of a classroom setting.
You will
need:
- A computer
- An internet connection
- This class website
- Notion for class information and resources
- Zoom for online class sessions and guest lectures
- Slack for direct messaging with instructor and peers
- Vimeo for rewatching lectures
- Are.na for collecting references
- Google Drive for presentations and file access
Credit
Thank you to Lynn Kiang and Lucille Tenazas for the collective planning of this course. Thank you to Laurel Schwulst, Mindy Seu, Sophie Auger, and Tuan Quoc Pham, whose syllabi I looked at quite a bit before writing this one.
See full syllabusProject 1: Person, Place or Thing
We are all coming together physically after a long time of virtual interactions from different locations and time zones around the world. As we navigate between the real and the virtual, our identities shift, determined by the environments
and interfaces we navigate. Choose a Person, Place or Thing that is unique to your day-to-day life. The chosen subject should clearly establish your specific context.
Prepare a brief 3-minute presentation on your subject.
Considerations:
- Research your subject the most you can in the time given. Be specific and ask questions. What do you already know and why? What new discoveries may you find?
- Establish the criteria that you will draw from in selecting the subject. What is the subject’s relationship to you, if any? What is its societal impact? What is meaningful about it?
- How do you approach presenting this subject to the class? What is appropriate given your choice of topic? What will the narrative be?
Dates:
- Present to class, due 09/15
For references and inspiration, see this Are.na channel
Project 2: Manifesto
A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, and/or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. Manifestos either accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, or promote
a new idea with oftentimes prescriptive notions for carrying out changes the author believes should be made. They are usually political or artistic in nature, but may also be humorous or present an individual’s life stance.
Write and design a 150-word personal manifesto that exists digitally and articulates your motives in pursuing this program and your thinking around communication design within our current context.
Considerations:
- What will your writing be like? Is your manifesto a numbered list, bullet points, a paragraph, a cartoon strip, key words, prose, poetry or something else?
- How will your manifesto take form? Are there images? Is it a website, a series of tweets, Instagram posts? Could it be published on Youtube? Is it an audio file?
- How does the design relate to the writing? What is the typography like? Why does it look the way it does? How does it reflect the tone of your voice, ambition, reflection, etc.?
Dates:
- First version of writing and sketches for design (at least 2 directions), due 09/29
- Evolution, ready to present to class, due 10/06
For references and inspiration, see this Are.na channel
Project 3: Notes from the Field
This project is to be done in pairs. Based on your ongoing learnings from the class (including readings, discussions, projects, and guest lectures), develop an online notebook. The publication must exist on the internet as a microsite
and accommodate multiple entries (minimum 6, with text and images or solely text), allowing for it to expand over time as you collect your thoughts until the end of the semester.
Considerations:
- What are your notes like? What are your partner’s? Do you collect loose reflections on class themes or fully formed sentences? Do you document dialogue, quotes and reference materials? Will you keep track of the weather or other unexpected details for each entry?
- As a collaborative project, how do you arrive at a collective ethos, taking into account individual responsibilities and division of labor?
- What’s your editorial strategy?
- How do you establish a hierarchy for different kinds of information within the page?
- How often do you add to the site? Are posts short and brief but many or long-form and there are fewer of them?
- What does the microsite look like? What does it feel like? Are you coding a website from scratch or using an existing web platform to host your entries? Is it one page or multiple pages? Why?
- Is the notebook always the same or does it have potential to change as it grows?
- How do readers navigate your notebook?
Dates:
- First version with 1–2 entries, due 11/03
- Evolution with 2–3 more entries, due 11/24
- Evolution with 2–3 more entries, due 12/01
- Final presentation to class, due 12/08
For references and inspiration, see this Are.na channel Credit: This project was inspired by a prompt called Writer’s Notebook, by Laurel Schwulst.
In-class exercise: Web Show & Tell
We will start every class with website show and tell presentations by selected students (1 or 2 students per class, 5 minutes per student). Links should be collected on the class Are.na channel. This quick activity will allow for thinking on what we are drawn to online and why, new discoveries and inspiration, and casual class discussion time.
Week by week
Week 1, 09/01: Course Introduction (in person, room 606)
Introductions
Group agreement + Names and pronouns
Syllabus review
Projects review
*break*
Introduce Web Show & Tell
Sign up for Web Show & Tell slots
Introduce
Project 1
For next class...
- Join Are.na
- Read:
- The Self-Reliance Project, Jessica Helfand (2020)
Pick 3 short essays of your preference - Add reading responses to Reading Doc by next Tuesday at midnight
- Start Project 1
Week 2, 09/08: Self-Reliance + Creative Practice (online)
Guest Lecture: Jessica Helfand
Please join the lecture
Zoom at the start of class and after a break, at 8:50pm, join our usual class Zoom
Reading & lecture discussion
Sign up for presentation slots for next week
For next class...
- Read:
- Lure of the Local: Sense of Place in a Multicentered Society, Lucy R. Lippard (1997) p. 1–19
- Listen to 4 object stories presented at the American Craft Council Conference Present Tensein Philadelphia (2019)
- Add reading responses to Reading Doc by next Tuesday at midnight
- Complete Project 1 and be ready to present
Week 3, 09/15: Project 1 Due (in person, room 606)
Web Show & Tell: María
Quick reading discussion
Project 1 presentations, part 1
*break*
Project 1 presentations, part 2
For next class...
- Read:
- First Things First, Ken Garland (1963)
- Manifestos: A Manifesto—The 10 traits of effective public declarations, an Object Lesson, Julian Hanna (2014)
- Add reading responses to Reading Doc by next Tuesday at midnight
Week 4, 09/22: Locality + Vernacular (online and at 6PM, this class only! )
Guest Lecture: Clara Balaguer
Please join the lecture
Zoom at the start of class and after a break, at 7:50pm, join our usual class Zoom
Web Show & Tell: Lena
Reading & lecture discussion
Introduce
Project 2
Sign up for 2-on-1 slots for next week
For next class...
- Watch:
- Manifesto, directed by Julian Rosefeldt (2015)
- Add reading responses to Reading Doc by next Tuesday at midnight
- Start Project 2
Week 5, 09/29: Critique (in person, room 606)
Mini lecture: Lucille Tenazas
We will join the lecture
Zoom at the start of class in room 606, see you in person!
*break*
Web Show & Tell: Austin
Sign up for presentation slots for next week
2-on-1s
to discuss Project 2 progress
For next class...
- Complete Project 2 and be ready to present
Week 6, 10/06: Project 2 Due (in person, room 606)
Web Show & Tell: Maud
Project 2 presentations, part 1
*break*
Project 2 presentations, part 2
For next class...
- Read:
- Sharing as Survival: Mindy Seu on the Cyberfeminism Index, Marie Hoejlund (2020)
- Add reading responses to Reading Doc by next Tuesday at midnight
Week 7, 10/13: Living Archives (online)
Guest Lecture: Mindy Seu
Please join the lecture
Zoom at the start of class and after a break, at 8:50pm, join our usual class Zoom
Web Show & Tell: Hannah
Reading & lecture discussion
Introduce
Project 3 and decide on groups
Sign up for 1-on-1 slots for next week’s Midterm check-in
For next class...
- Upload Projects 1 and 2 to Midterm Review folder by next Tuesday at midnight
- Start Project 3
Week 8, 10/20: Midterm Reviews (in person, room 606)
Mini lecture: Luiza Dale
We will join the lecture
Zoom at the start of class in room 606, see you in person!
*break*
Midterm check-ins, 1-on-1s
For next class...
- Read:
- What is queer typography?, Paul Soulellis (2021)
- Add reading responses to Reading Doc by next Tuesday at midnight
Week 9, 10/27: Queer Publishing (online)
Guest Lecture: Paul Soulellis
Please join the lecture
Zoom at the start of class and after a break, at 8:50pm, join our usual class Zoom
Web Show & Tell: Maya
Reading & lecture discussion
Sign up for 2-on-1 slots for next week
For next class...
- Continue working on Project 3
Week 10, 11/03: Critique (online)
Web Show & Tell: Antoinette
*break*
2-on-1s to discuss Project 3 progress
For next class...
- Read:
- The Web’s Grain, Frank Chimero (2015)
- My website is a shifting house next to a river of knowledge. What could yours be?, Laurel Schwulst (2018)
- Add reading responses to Reading Doc by next Tuesday at midnight
- Continue working on Project 3
Week 11, 11/10: Design and Tech (online)
Guest Lecture: Allan Yu
Please join the lecture
Zoom at the start of class and after a break, at 8:50pm, join our usual class Zoom
Web Show & Tell: Carla
Reading & lecture discussion
For
next class...
- Read:
- Design Noir—The Secret Life of Electronic Objects, Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby (2001)
- Add reading responses to Reading Doc by next Tuesday at midnight
- Continue working on Project 3
Week 12, 11/17: Speculative Design (online)
Guest Lecture: Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby
Please join the lecture
Zoom at the start of class and after a break, at 8:50pm, join our usual class Zoom
Web Show & Tell: Yiyao
Quick Project 3 check-ins:
- 8:55–9:05 pm Yiyao and María
- 9:05–9:15 pm Maud and Antoinette
- 9:15–9:25 pm Maya and Hannah
- 9:25–9:35 pm Lena and Carla
- 9:35–9:45 pm Austin and Claire
For next class...
- Continue working on Project 3
Week 13, 11/24: Optional Critique (online)
Mini lecture: Lynn Kiang
We will join the lecture
Zoom at the start of class and end the session early (Thanksgiving)
*break*
Stick around to discuss Project 3 progress via our class Zoom (optional)
For next class...
- Sign up for 2-on-1 slots for next week
- Continue working on Project 3
Week 14, 12/01: Critique (in person, room 606)
Web Show & Tell: Claire
*break*
2-on-1s to discuss Project
3 progress
For next class...
- Complete Project 3 and be ready to present
Week 15, 12/08: Project 3 Due (online)
We will join the lecture
Zoom for class presentations with all 3 sections combined!
Order and schedule, including break times, to be shared via email before class
By 12/15...
- Link Project 3 to Project 3 Doc
People
- Hannah (Sili) Yu (She/Her)
- Antoinette Chow (She/Her)
- Austin Poon (He/Him)
- Carla Pan (She/Her)
- Claire Boguslawski (She/Her)
- Lena Chen (She/Her)
- María Quevedo (She/ Her)
- Maud Thuland (She/Her)
- Maya Lal (She/Her)
- Yiyao Zhao (He/Him)
Console randomizer