The List Workshop

lists (catalog, inventory, record, register, address book, roll, ďŹ le, index, directory, listing, checklist, enumeration, etc.)

Overview This workshop aims to challenge the (physical & digital) form of the “list.� Lists are categorical representations of information (data) and critical components to aggregation curation. As designers, we have the ability to reinterpret traditional visualizations of data beyond two-dimensional constraints.

This workshop asks you, the designer, to think critically about the list form. How might a list behave in three dimensions? Four? How does the list function within a larger system?

How might it be subdivided? Who is this list for and how does its form impact interaction and user intention? Be cognizant of formal tropes and tired clichĂŠs. Finally, let the materials speak for themselves to stimulate unexpected results.

Stereotypes

Independent Work (30 min)

Initial independent work phase for generating rough formal ideas outside of a particular context. Produce 5-10 (or more) unique formal concepts for constructing a list. Use only the provided tools to construct your ideas. Photograph work in progress.

Aggregation (60 min)

Individual designers unite to respond to a context (of your choosing or one provided to you), synthesizing individual ideas into a larger system. Teams are assigned according to table seating. In this phase, use only the ideas generated in phase 1. If time allows, groups are encouraged to produce more than one system. Photograph work in progress.

Refinement (60 min)

Teams particularize their formal decisions and/or reinvent their system to better address the workshop goals. Refine forms in order to construct a “final” version/s of your list system. If time allows, groups are encouraged to refine more than one system.

Codification (30 min)

Teams write out explicit procedures or rules for others to recreate and/or reproduce their list system. Describe features and unique attributes about your system. How do they address the design context you chose or were assigned to? Document the final result/s within the “fabricated environment.”

Done!