Jamie Turpin

Thesis Statement
Traditional undergraduate graphic design education needs to evolve to prepare future designers to succeed in a professional environment where discipline boundaries have crossed demanding an integrated design approach.

Outline
I. Introduction and thesis statement – Traditional undergraduate graphic design
education needs to evolve to prepare future designers to succeed in a
professional environment where discipline boundaries have crossed demanding an
integrated design approach.

II. History on Traditional Graphic Design Study

III. Importance of Traditional Designers moving across Disciplines

IV. Exploration of Multiple Perspectives on Complex Problems
A. Specialized Designer – Discuss Research and Design Outcome
B. Crossover Designer – Discuss Research and Design Outcome
C. New Generation of Design Thinkers

V. Discussion on Evolving Design Education
A. Curriculum
B. Universal Design Principles
C. Technology
D. Proposed Learning Outcomes

VI. Conclusion

My Thesis is on the Importance of Space

My Thesis Statement is:
Conceptualizations of space are vital to the modern rhetoric of graphic design.

I believe graphic design of today and the future needs to be more conscious of space. Acknowledging the principle of space is very critical, what it signifies–responds to the needs of those who inhabit the space, as well as to formal and aesthetic considerations. Interior architecture offers an insightful perspective into an increasingly important consideration in design – space – and the graphic design profession as a whole can benefit and learn from this insight as other disciplines have come to recognize the significance of cross pollination and learning from other areas. With an interior architecture background in education and practice, I believe that the graphic design discipline should pay more attention to space. It should be a part of the graphic design lexicon more so today because of digital technology and spatial contexts on the screen, more than just the meaning of space; it is also a consideration of space with respect to the safety and comfort of the user.

MY THESIS IS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SPACE TO THE GRAPHIC DESIGN PROFESSION
It is very important because it informs both the form and function of graphic design.

First, what is the meaning of space?
A. Space is three dimensional (It is all around you)
B. Space is an experience (It is invisible)
C. Space is interaction of functionality and form (It is often what you don’t see)
Space is a fundamental purpose for design
D. Environment (But it has a lot of bearing on you)
E. Intuition (Consciously and unconsciously)
F. Space is a three dimensional experience where functionality and form get to interact together in an environment. (Define space)
G. Now, when we think about space defined as such (xxx) and we look at form and function

FORM
These are some of the key points about why space is important to form
A. Form is either two dimensional or three dimensional
B. In form, space is important to experience
Form analysis examines how two and three-dimensional forms creating a feeling of space
C. Form is shape or mass that defines an object in space
D. Perception
Form is a visual language

Properties: Shape, Size, Color, Texture, Position, and Orientation

FUNCTION
These are some of the key points about why space is important to a consideration of function in graphic design
A. Function has a purpose or use for an object in a space
B. Function is an experience
C. Function is how forms move around the space
PRINCIPLE: Shape of an object (form) should be primarily based upon its intended function or purpose
D. Movement that provides a solution

This is where I am currently at with the development of my thesis topic:

The broad concepts of design education have elapsed due to the specialized disciplines limiting the creative output and acceptance of the parallel connections between the design disciplines. As crossover design disciplines emerge; multidisciplinary designers and universal perspectives are formed which alter the design understanding within a space. My thesis will reflect upon how multidisciplinary design and universal design process can transform users experiences as they relate to the new meaning of form, function and the visual message within a space.

Potential Candidates to Interview
The intent is to gather insights from a mixture of design disciplines along with people who have professional experience working in the fields and/or teaching at academia.

Devin O’Bryan
Professor O’Bryan has ample expertise in digital environment, user experience. He has the ability to bring two different perspectives to the table – graphic design (2D) and website design (4D).

Joe DiGioia
Referencing Professor DiGioia’s background, he has some key elements that would help benefit my thesis. Such areas are; design thinking, design methodologies, 20th century design history, typographic form and function, design education and design & culture.

Rod Troyer
Professor Troyer teaches at Kansas State University and has a Masters Degree in Interior Architecture from University of Oregon. Troyer can provide insights on both the practice and education.

Carolyn Thompson
Professor Thompson taught at Kansas State University for eighteen years as an Interior Architecture and Product Design professor, when she took semesters off – she would work at a design firm in Denver, Colorado. Thompson has an M.Arch degree from Columbia University.

Helen Armstrong
I first met Helen Armstrong when I introduced myself to her via LinkedIn during my winter term at SCAD in 2011. I used an article of hers for a project in GRDS709 http://www.helenarmstrong.us/2012/07/congrats-jamie/. Throughout my thesis research, I’ve noticed her cited in a couple of articles on her beliefs in her book Graphic design theory: readings from the field.

Don Gore
Don Gore was the VP of Creative at my past employer. What is so amazing about Gore is he is a self-taught designer. He has an associate degree in architecture and a bachelor degree in business management. During the 1970’s, Gore worked as a draftsman at Black & Veatch learning the core values of architecture while in practice. Check out some of his work – http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgdraws/ Gore can provide insights on practice.

Jennie Kinsler
Jennie Kinsler and I went to K-State together. Kinsler has a bachelor degree in Interior Design, has worked in Dallas, Texas at RTKL and CSD Architecture. Moving to Denver, she decided to open up her very own interior design practice called Kinsler Interior Design (KID). Kinsler can provide insights on education and practice.

Preliminary List of Questions to ask for Interview:

1. How many years involved in industry – (total years = education, practice or academia)

2. How would you define your experience in the profession?

3. How many years practice in the field–

4. How would you define your design process –

5. When working in the profession, did you feel you had a specialized job or could you carry a project from point A – Z?

6. Do you feel your design process applies to other design disciplines –

7. Do you feel we need to go back and reevaluate the universal principles of design – to where designers were diverse generalists?

8. In early 1940’s – late 1970’s, Charles Eames touched anything and everything related to design – architecture, interiors, environments, products, furniture, film/movies, photography – he provided a multidisciplinary nature of his design practice. (To name a few) This applies to Frank Lloyd Wright, Michael Graves, Frank Gehry, Alexander Ghirad…

What do you feel stopped this? Meaning altered the broad concepts of the universal design principles and implied that designers have a specialized role.

9. Do you see any parallel relationships between the different design disciplines?

10. Why don’t designers today approach and understand design with the understanding that it can be
applied to anything and everything?

I’ve revised my thesis topic to provide better clarity of my intent. Here is the latest version:

The broad concepts of design education have elapsed due to the specialized disciplines limiting the creative output and acceptance of the parallel connections between the design disciplines. As crossover design disciplines emerge; multidisciplinary designers and universal perspectives are formed which alter the design understanding within a space. My thesis will reflect upon how multidisciplinary design and universal design process can transform users experiences as they relate to the new meaning of form, function and the visual message within a space.

I’d love to hear any further thoughts or insights that I might have overlooked.

Also, I wanted to share some of my research with you:

I’ve dug a little deeper on the term Cross Over Designer and have discovered no one has really used this term in the same manner I am.

This is what has been used –
1. Third Culture (designers of this generation transform modernism and culturism)

2. Multi Disciplinary Design Optimization – references “Cross-Over” but do not state that this is what the designers are or indicate it as a possible design discipline.

3. Cross-Disciplinary Creativity

4. Crossover – in relation to left brain, right brain. (merging business minds with design)

5. Critical Dimensions of Graphic Design

6. Designers of Future – New Makers – physical & social environment that cross talk and some critique among makers.

7. I did come across a The Dimensions of Graphic Design written by Robert Harland (lives in UK). It seems that he believes in a similar idea that I do however has a narrow perspective on his belief. Basically he is only looking from it through the eyes of a graphic designer in which I kind of have one other perspective to add to the equation with my Interior Architecture/Design background. He has the right idea about it but doesn’t build the relationship of it. I think the Visual Thesis will really reinforce my thesis idea too…

-jamie

Here is a another round at mind mapping for my thesis topic based on a couple of discussions with SCAD professors and concluding that my thesis idea needed a stronger back bone in order to move forward in a successful manner.

Originally creating the brain dump of words and phrases down onto my moleskine has left my mind thinking non-stop on what this thesis topic could be. By creating the mind maps and category word lists, I felt my mind wanted to connect the dots as if I was playing a word puzzle. To me, the list exemplified in this post is what I see once I start connecting the words together as in a problem, question and purpose scenario. I’m not saying any of these are correct or incorrect for my thesis topic, but this is sort of what I conclude at this moment as we end things in Unit 2. However, if I need to step back and attempt this task again, I’d definitely be eagerly to do so, this phase of the thesis process turned out to be a very fun brain exercise due to entering into the unknown areas of my mind as I try to discover my thesis topic.

The next step, necessary in my mind was to create sense of my free writing notes. I began by transcribing the words and phrases into a mind map to build upon how they connect, interrelate, or intertwine. This then led me to create a word list so I could group or categorize everything together to build upon a closer relation.

You mentioned messy, well here the mess is! ☺

Giving this exercise another try, definitely directed me to pull every thought out of my mind and on to paper. I think a couple of times I checked the timer to reveal that I was only 5 or 10 minutes into the mix.

Now sitting back in my desk chair and looking over the random words that somehow and someway connect to one another ¬– forms me to feel that the next step that I want to create is a word map of these words or phrases. Perhaps, this will help guide me into organizing my thoughts a little better.

FREE WRITING THOUGHTS

My thoughts have been in motion on how to approach this exercise since our Tuesday evening collaboration course. I’ve already communicated my brainstorming list, but what’s next; I didn’t feel I needed to recreate another mind map at this point, however the words that Professor Field spoke were being regurgitated in my mind, “reference the Problem, Question and Purpose section of Irene L. Clark’s book along with the purpose-oriented questions that follow on the same page.”

As those words echoed in my ear, the momentum was racing in my mind when I finally reached the end of Chapter 4 in Clark’s book. I sat back in my bubble green chair from CB2 and thought to myself, “Where to go from here?” Looking at my brainstorming list that laid in front of me and referencing the folded back page in our thesis book with the purpose-oriented questions highlighted; somehow a little thought cloud bubbled up and instantly it came to me that I should merge the two, just to see if my thoughts go hand and hand with a possible research problem or question.

As I set the timer on my Android phone for 30 minutes and placed my thesis moleskine in front of me to begin mapping my thoughts, my mind and pen seemed to scribble off together. Feeling as if I had sort of a mind block of the world going on around, I couldn’t hear the construction outside any longer, nor our cat wanting outside or in, I just sort of blocked everything out and felt I could focus while the words danced around in my mind. Utilizing my note sketching ability my visual thoughts started to fill up my pages in my moleskine.

REFERENCE
Clark, Irene L. Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation. Prentice Hall, 2006.

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FREE WRITING ORGANIZATION
When it comes to being organized and keeping track of my thesis research, I don’t see myself having any issues due to having OCD. (Seriously! – tee hee.) I am an extremely organized person and have great organizational skills for filing, note taking, and keep track of everything in an organized filing system.

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FREE WRITING RESULTS

Exemplified is a preliminary list for getting started with my initial thoughts for my thesis.

Basically, I’m thinking along the lines of an Installation; that intermingles graphic design and interior architecture together in a branded environment – where human behavior, user experience and form + function all play a role.

Preliminary List