Actualizing Intention by natasharodgers

a c t u a l i z i n g i n t e n t i o n Natasha Rodgers

I was born and raised in Pune, India where I began my journey into visual communication. I started my undergraduate in DJAD, a small design school located in South India. DJAD was my first ‘big girl’ move as I moved away from home.It was here that I really started to understand what design was, its place in the world and its impact. Coimbatore taught me about design. I jumped at the opportunity to transfer to RMCAD in Colorado. There were plenty of reasons for this, but most importantly it was to be closer to my sister and escape a very structured life in Coimbatore. Through school, internships, my first big girl job and freelancing, I was able to apply a lot of what I learned in DJ, but I was also able to see a world outside of Design and its impact on my approach to work. However, something was missing from the work I was producing, and I knew I wanted more. Through numerous conversations about teaching as a profession, I made my way to grad school. Colorado 3

showed me a work-life balance.

been pushed out of my comfort zone, feared and failed. I have found comfort in the discomfort. It’s been a wild and sometimes frustrating journey thus far, but its allowing me to build on everything I’ve learned and push those boundaries. Savannah is helping me discover me. It is on this journey of discovering me, that I have realized that a large part of who I am, is a reflection of my past–my people and my passions. So what are those passions, who are those people, and how do they weave themselves into my making processes?

Hello!

Savannah,GA is an ongoing chapter in my life. It has come with its challenges (mostly humidity + frizzy hair). I’ve

Blue, grey and perfectly cushioned for optimal speed and performance, Always cleaned to perfection on the day of a big race. Wheels regularly oiled, and tightened in its preparation. A witness to every bruised knee, But stable and proudly standing tall for every winning medal. Laces always double knotted, with the overlapping straps tightly fastened. Rolling with freedom, a sense of self and joy unlike any other

Smoothing over a passion (read, obsession) of a competitive sport, A valued teammate in a rink of support;

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Always speeding over tar, concrete and dusty pathways, Yet, fastened tightly to the world. A pair of roller skates; About two sizes too big, With socks and cotton always stuffed in their tippy toes To fashion a perfect fit, With a hope to eventually grow into them. When the weight of the world took precedence, In a system that didn’t celebrate passions, hobbies and extra-curricula The brakes were applied So, the wheels eventually stopped rolling. The skates saw less magic, And spent more time collecting dust. Slowly fading, eventually forgotten

The skates and all that they tied together My roller skates. I have been thinking a lot about them lately. Today, over 10 years later, I sit here missing them, The attachment to a sport that further connected me to a whole life by fueling a little girl’s passions, and finding her a community that encouraged her, They joined in on her excitement when her otherwise busy mother showed up to support her early morning, every Sunday, And heard every conversation with her dad on those 45-minute car drives to class every single day, Taking in every smell from their snack stops on the way home They were the center of my life, 5

But those ties have since come undone.

Straps undone and laces untied. Oil in the side pocket, With the keys sitting next to it, Rusty from years of neglect, Socks and cotton pouring out the top, from the last time they were taken off. I probably would finally fit into them today, But I am yet to find the courage to reignite that spark. The story of my skates represents a life full of meaning, one that is now forgotten in an effort to fulfill other requirements. As the years have gone on, the paths of my life have twisted and turned, passions have changed and developed. In this current phase of my life, as practitioner and student of visual communication, I cannot help but ask: What are the roller blades of my design process?

Preface

And now? They sit in a bag, in the back of a closet.

Over the past fifty-plus years, the visual communication community has been utilizing the term “design thinking” for standardized methods for multidisciplinary practices. Built on a framework that seeks to simplify and ‘humanize’ the design process, this now formulaic approach has led to a business-like mindset in visual communication that actually dehumanizes everyone involved. With promises of innovative ideas, rapid ideation, and structured research methodologies this approach categorizes, synthesizes, and quantifies information for an idealized functional outcome. To support these methodologies, the user’s purpose is not much different from a machine, and the designer has no real presence in the process or, outcome. 6

A system that once placed raw human connectedness front and center now subconsciously dismisses the thoughts, Abstract

interactions and feelings for everyone involved, in an effort to reach a final solution, thus creating communication that is cold, abrupt and lacking in value as an agent of culture. As a student and practicing visual communicator, it is pertinent for me to consciously make humanness my focus. This allows me to feel deeply connected to my work, and reflects my character within it, further pushing me towards more meaningful design outcomes. Through an evaluation into current design processes, this inquiry explores a more people centered approach to finding meaningful connection within the practice of visual communication.

I believe communication design is a powerful medium; it’s not only enabled us humans to evolve and grow, it is a part of our DNA as social animals. -Ishan Kohsla

Psychologist Abraham Maslow presented a Hierarchy of Needs identifying our basic human needs from biological and physiological, psychological and ultimately self-fulfillment. Maslow suggests achieving self-fulfillment would require human beings to climb up the pyramid by fulfilling their basic and psychological needs first. The top of the pyramid is nice to have, great to achieve, but not necessary. What if Maslow had it wrong? In his book Social, Matthew D. Lieberman analyzes Maslow’s pyramid. Lieberman looks at the life of a baby, someone who cannot actually have his basic needs met by himself and who is reliant on someone

else to provide for her. This love, care, and need to be socially connected are the only things that would help her basic

Introduction

needs being met. In order to receive the basic needs, would then mean that the hierarchy needs to be shuffled and psychological needs take precedence. As the wheels of a pair of roller blades run parallel, skid marks overlapping and blades intersecting to stop, so does the process of creation and of life. A maker can fulfill the requirements of a design brief to reach a functional outcome, but perhaps this only serves parts of her needs as a visual communicator. How can a maker then work towards fulfilling those psychological needs as well?

The Need To Often a solution-focused endeavor, the practice of visual communication tends to leave behind what it takes to deliver a thoughtful and genuine message. Henry Hongmin Kim, in his book Graphic Design Discourse, says, “Design is a goal-oriented field that is driven by its process and we must acknowledge our multifaceted role from skilled craftsmen to thinkers, technicians and practitioners. We must acknowledge all of it to create a well-delivered message. However, we cannot do this alone, but by acknowledging the foundation set up through history and trust the heteronomous and sociable process. Our goal as visual communicators is to visually communicate messages and information with the audience. This is a relatively straightforward approach but often leaves the practice struggling to place itself between two aesthetic antipodes. On the one hand, we can tend towards the studio arts that have an individual mark of the designer. On the other extreme, design is bland and clearly produced out of a structured and systemized method. The former fails to communicate with its audience, while the latter makes communication algorithmic and bland.” (Kim 17) Design has always been used as a tool to propel its target audience towards a brighter future by utilizing a mixture of strategy, goal-making and actionoriented decision making. (Muratovski 10) From The Industrial Revolution to the Age of Modernism, the world saw a shift in the approaches to art and the beginnings of what would become graphic design. The Industrial Revolution, without a doubt, made a huge impact on design by introducing technology as a tool in visual communication. Designers, by favoring machine-driven aesthetics and functionalism and reducing the historical and cultural contexts of design, sought to embrace the new tools by breaking from the past. Machine capabilities had begun dictating artistic directions.

Geometric abstraction created from this new way of making guided the aesthetic of Suprematism and Constructivism. In Graphic Design History: A Critical Guide, Johanna Drucker writes, “The idea that artists should seize the tools of industry and become engineers of a new sensibility established a powerful foundation for applied art, including graphic design.” These functionally derived aesthetics that were the direct products of the designers tools eventually became formalized into early design methods. Between the 1950s and 1970s, visual communication saw a stylistic shift, lending itself

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towards the emerging corporate culture. This shift took shape as rationalist and functionalist and adopted the International Typographic Style, leading to a more universal language, which was then adopted by the Bauhaus. The intended use of this typographic style was to be legible throughout a network of communications. The uniformity and abstraction of the International Typographic Style became the hallmarks of corporate styles and the universal systems they produced, funneling complex organizations into a single entity, and erasing cultural differences. (Drucker 259) The origins of graphic design all seek to produce one thing–a universally based language of vision, and a framework that must work towards building this universal system. (Lupton 9) A lot has changed since the 1920s, and standardized processes cannot account for the complexities and intricacies that come with visual communication. Since the Bauhaus, design processes have been developed and taught in schools, and frameworks have been applied in workplaces that utilize similar methodologies. Today, visual communication is one of many multidisciplinary practices that uses the processes of design thinking. Dating back to the 1960s, the design thinking philosophy was initially adopted as a creative problem-solving technique and way to better human life. Don Norman, author of The Design of Everyday Things, describes design as a human-centered process that ensures people’s needs are met through understandable, usable, positive and

enjoyable experiences. The design thinking approach followed a double diamond model of design an iterative cycle of observation, idea generation, prototyping and testing; this cyclical model rotates from problem to solution, looking at these things as two separate entities. The core of this framework calls for empathy. (Norman 219) David Kelley, Founder of IDEO says, “The main tenet of design thinking is empathy for the people you’re trying to design for. Leadership is exactly the same thing - building empathy for the people that you’re entrusted to help.” (Kelley) The allure of empathic approaches and solving large scale problems have led to its application for business strategies leading to codification and formulaic approach to the practice of visual design. (Beckman 28)

In 1964, the First Things First Manifesto was published and signed by 22 designers, demanding that their

to the world. (First Things First) In 2000, the manifesto was revised and republished stirring up controversy all over again, making it evident that there was no change in the way designers and graphic design was being seen and used all over the world. The Manifesto released in 2014, yet again brought up struggles that were still occurring within the industry. This new revision demanded that makers use their skills for positive change, and that their expertise as visual communicators be put in places for greater impact like medicine, journalism and social campaigns amongst others. This newest iteration also called out the superficial nature in which emotion was used as a front to sell and market products. (First Things First) In 2015, the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) published articles that again brought up similar issues in which visual communicators were not using their skills to produce more meaningful work, asking for educators and practicing designers to be more aware of the importance of thoughtful, human-centered design. They posted a list of

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meaningful design away from high-pressure consumer advertising to media that would educate and bring awareness

skills be put to better use than selling products such as cigarettes and fattening diets. The group saw the need for more

competencies that all people practicing in the field of Graphic Design should have. This list speaks of a new kind of designer who would incorporate a broad perspective through an understanding of the socio-economic and cultural aspects of design and human nature. “AIGA Designer 2025,” an article written in 2017, suggests that the designer of the future—as compared to a designer during the Industrial Revolution—needs to focus on the importance of research to understand consumers thereby making them active participants in ‘human’ centered design. AIGA mentions the importance of authenticity, and core values. In order to achieve the necessary degree of authenticity, a maker must first

identify her social and ethical responsibilities and analyze the work she is putting out into the world. (AIGA) Now, in 2020, concerns within the practice have grown, and a living manifesto has recently been released in which

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designers are pleading for conscious and more sustainable design solutions. The newest edition of the Manifesto also features a live document in which designers are adding other values and skills they want to see within the practice. (First Things First) Since the First Things First Manifesto in 1964 to today, there has been little evolution towards a design that incorporates strategies that take into consideration the true human emotion, and place both designer and audience in the center of the process. In Living Presence, Kabir Helminski writes “the world is seen as a panorama of things that have assembled themselves through an entirely random process.” Helminski believes that this fragmentation, built from conventional frameworks within which the world functions, has led to a belief that reality is fragmented and meaningless. (Helminski 21) Is this not true of the frameworks by which we work within visual communication as well? In To Save Everything, Click Here, Evgeny Morozov calls this ‘Solutionism,’ “a will to improve everything even if it doesn’t need to be improved.” Solutionsim, he writes, insinuates that there are problems to be solved, and that we can fix them by using and advancing technology. Morozov also points out that the Solutionist struggle of today is akin to

those pointed out by Ivan Illich’s protests of the schooling system and Jane Jacobs’ argument against urban planning, amongst others. While the acts to change societal structures are efficient and appear forward thinking, they are quite dehumanizing. (Morozov 5) By narrowing down the scope into a molded structure, the process actually only responds directly to people, or, more specifically, the users who are partaking in the research rather than engaging with them more meaningfully. Empathy then becomes a front to sell a product rather than a socially practiced methodology to create meaning. Ishan Khosla, in an interview published in Eye on Design says, “The complexity, rawness, and reality of this world are overlooked for elegant solutions…There’s too much gloss and eye candy. The real world can be a messy place, and that

graphic designers, these should serve as guidelines, not hard and fast rules. A maker should bring into practice her own values, ethics and morals as a way to serve herself and people better. Our learned behaviors from a young age serve to teach us until we can decide and develop behaviors that are specific to us. These behaviors are built from experiences. As human beings, we naturally follow the Pavlovian theory of conditioning in which organisms learn to respond to certain stimuli, a type of learned conditioning that combines unconditioned response with neutral responses to develop a learned response. (McSweeny, Murphy 45) If we place our hand on a hot stove, we feel pain and instantly pull it away; this teaches us to avoid touching a hot stove. The behavioral response then becomes learned, and we avoid that circumstance in the future. Similarly, design history and methodologies are an essential part of the learning experience. If a certain path towards making has worked in the past, why should we avoid it? Visual communicators are agents of culture whose purpose is to create for people. But, by subconsciously subjecting those people to design thinking philosophies and methodologies because they have

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thinking erases complexities. (Seitz) While the Manifestos and AIGA articles set out to identify the greater needs of

needs to be celebrated.” (Khosla, Miller) By making everything appear compartmentalized and manageable, design

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Actualizing Intention book

had success in the past, we are limiting ourselves and our impact by being little more than solutionists or ‘problemsolvers.’ Instead, we should look at our history, these methodologies and carve our own paths from it that are more fitting to the needs of today. We live in a time where inspiration is all around us. With easy access to books and platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, it is easy for makers to get used to certain aesthetics and want to recreate accordingly. We should draw from those who have inspired us, but the work only becomes our own when we add our own layers of thinking, and knowing into it. Actualizing Intention is a book of inspirational quotes that drive my own work within the field of visual communication.

pages of my sketchbook. The translucent pages, with text printed on vellum reflect both the individuality and coming together of multiple approaches and views of the world, layered to tell a new story and help build my own path. The materiality, tactility and handmade elements within Actualizing Intention speak to my own drive towards making, my own unique marks as a maker that cannot be replicated. By physically laying out each page during the process, my understanding of the content grew and I felt an intimate connection with the book, as well. The quotes I had chosen then have made their way into this paper, creating a base to propel me into my own future as a visual communicator. This project seeks to encourage people to embrace failure and acknowledge one’s ability to get back up again. Through this process of process examination, I have been able to evaluate my own approach to making. Indian design education, like the rest of the world, follows the Bauhaus and design thinking approach to design. When I moved to the US, I continued to follow this approach to making, however it was not until this project that I began to shift my mindset of my own making process.

Visual Exploration: Actualizing Intention

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creative practice in some way. The book’s form provides a space for me to write down my own thoughts, and feature

The hand bound book features quotes about a variety of topics, from visual design to psychology, all speaking to my

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Introduction, Actualizing Intention

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Pages, Actualizing Intention

Visual Exploration: Actualizing Intention

In a recent talk I attended held by Portland State University as part of their Matthias Kemeny Endowed Design Lecture Series, designer Rick Griffith discussed the importance of a maker in identifying and defining their own perspective on visual communication, as a way to manifest and launch themselves into the work they desire. According to Griffith, history and awareness of the happening within the practice (and the world) are an important way for a maker to build her voice. Griffith makes mention that the definitions and manifestos he wrote as a young designer still hold true today. This awareness speaks to a successful deconditioning or application of methodologies that serve both him and his audience. Griffith who often produces politically driven work also speaks to his own cultural background and

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upbringing being a driving force for creating for the community and further communicating with the world. (Griffith) But what prevents makers from launching themselves into their desired work? Perhaps it is a fear that consumes us. Around 6 weeks into pet ownership, I encountered what I now know is one of the greatest lessons my dog has taught me, both in life and in my work. Gandu, my cocker spaniel and I were out in Denver enjoying some sunshine, playing by the river and living our best lives. Amidst the fun, Gandu being the most fearless little pup leaped right into the flowing river a little too excitedly. A few seconds was all it took for his lungs to be filled with water and have to be rushed to the emergency room. What followed were tears, panic and Gandu barely able to breathe until he was placed in and proceeded to live in an oxygen tank for a few weeks following the incident. ‘Bubble Boy,’ as he was fondly known after, remained his happy little self through the experience. I never anticipated that he’d ever so much as walk near water again, but, Gandu being Gandu, was more than happy to jump back in as if the event had not even occurred only a few weeks upon the release from his Bubble Boy status. Today, at 6 years old, he continues to be a true, confident water spaniel, and at twenty-five pounds, can outswim most. He is easily the bravest ‘person’ I know. I learned a lot about myself from that experience; however, what Gandu taught me then was a lesson in fearlessness, of failures, and getting right back up and doing

it all over again without shame. If Gandu never looked at water again, I’d completely understand, but I’m pretty sure he’d be missing out on one of his all time favorite activities, one that fills him with pure joy. As we grow older, we can understand and interpret the world, but our conditioning factors into our fear of redirecting our path. James Victore, in Feck Perfuction writes, “Our instinctual fears are a healthy mechanism, keeping us safe; but professionally FEAR=STOP.” (Victore 34) In Originals, author Adam Grant stresses the importance of taking risks and challenging the status quo, and its correlation to our individual personalities. He says that most people tend to follow a logic of consequence, rather

frees us up. We think less about what will guarantee the outcome of what we want, and act more on a visceral sense of what someone like us ought to do.” (Grant 154) Fear of bringing in new ideas, methodologies and options is often discouraged in an effort to prevent change. As a result, we fall prey to ‘cancel culture’ that prevents discovery, innovation and a sense of wonder, ultimately leading us down the path of Solutionsim rather than one of inquiry. In an effort to break out of these structures, John Bielenberg suggests the notion of “Thinking Wrong.” By allowing ourselves to think wrong we develop the courage to actually make the changes we anticipate. By being bold, getting outside, betting small, letting go, making stuff and, moving fast, Bielenberg believes that ‘wrong-thinkers’ find their own language, tools and frameworks to oppose the norms. (Bielenberg 232) Designer Lorinda Mamo believes that any good design starts with an even greater story. (Mamo) It is our personal experiences that launch us into a project, and the only way to do bring these great stories into our work is by acknowledging that the current ways of working are not serving us, and then breaking out of them. Chip Kidd in The Learners says, “Life is a life-long assignment that must be

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and attempting to predict outcomes, they look inward to their own identity. He says, “The logic of appropriateness

than of appropriateness. A person following the latter finds more success because rather than looking outwardly

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Fall Down, Fail Up poster

constantly analyzed, clarified, figured out, and responded to appropriately.” (Kidd 13) Gandu’s lesson in fearlessness was the inspiration for a project, which further led to my own journey of failure and growth. From the end of the functional aesthetic antipode, to a more appropriate common ground, the project challenged my own approaches to making, and asked me to think wrong, fall down and fail up. This project seeks to encourage people to embrace failure and acknowledge one’s ability to get back up again. Through this process of process examination, I have been able to evaluate my own approach to making. Indian design education, like the rest of the world, follows the Bauhaus and design thinking approach to design. When I moved to the US, I continued to follow this approach to making, however it was not until this project that I began to shift my mindset of

I understand the struggle with fear and failure that comes with the transition from school to career. It made sense, then, to use millennials as my audience, creating a project for them.

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This right or wrong, solution-focused endeavor at the start of this project created barriers in making. As a millennial,

my own making process.

The early phases of the project saw plenty of visuals that sprung from a straightforward approach to making from research to ideation, all to be completed with clean, crisp visuals, likely vector based and flat. With my limited knowledge and the fear of breaking out of my own knowing, this seemed like the most appropriate way to reach an outcome, but humans are imperfect, and the path to success is messy. This is the story I wanted to tell, but here I was, not practicing what I was preaching. I also conformed to the ‘tools’ of design–my computer, which limited my scope greatly. It was not until I shut my computer down, and went back to the joys of making that I was able to find a visual direction more suited to the needs of the project. On a walk with Gandu, I noticed the leaves on the ground, a sign that growth

Visual Exploration: Fall Down, Fail Up

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Fall Down, Fail Up merchandise in use

comes from letting go, from the messy and imperfect, which sparked the idea to use trees as my metaphor. I picked up those leaves, marched myself back home and did what I love to do. Make. A collaged image was the final result, supported with photography in the background, complete with handwritten text on top adding my personal voice to the story. The title and slogan for the campaign then became “Fall Down, Fail Up,” to stress that failure is never bad, merely a sign of growth, a badge of honor for the community I wished to build through the project. The final campaign ran over a multimedia platform–an Instagram page that encouraged the community to share their own stories, posters that would be hung over common places where millennials could see it–coffee shops, public restrooms, school campuses– and stickers on water bottles and laptops with the words Fall Down, Fail Up being flipped on opposite sides so people could wear 23

the side they wished to embrace that day.

The Need To Visual Exploration: Fall Down, Fail Up

Lessons from Gandu

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I am undoubtedly a maker; from my early introduction to art, it became quite obvious that making anything brought me joy. My undergraduate degree at DJ Academy of Design in India (DJAD) taught me about the formal aspects of design. Next, my move to Colorado showed me a balance between design and life was ideal for me to thrive. My journey then brought me to Savannah, where the joy of making, and the love of discovering the spaces I lived in brought challenges that shaped my voice, highlighted my values, and ultimately led to so much self-discovery. Each step I take in my journey has been a lesson in life and design. Somewhere along this wild ride, I picked up my little four-legged best buddy. Like the lesson in fearlessness, Gandu has

and authenticity, his ability to live life to the truest and fullest that I see the strongest parallels and interconnectedness between life and design and the values I wish to bring into my own work. So, through my collection of quotes, and

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he has taught me a few things about life that have changed my approach to design. It is in his pure, unfiltered joy, love

taught me so much more. He has a way of connecting to the world around him that I am absolutely fascinated by, and

evident inspiration from my own life, I was able to craft my own mantras for my work. Gandu goes from rolling in the mud, discovering something exciting on his daily walks, trusting his people, boldly diving head first into water, hiking through mysterious trails, to sitting still and taking in the world around him. His traits turned into the my design mantras. They have become my collection of values inspired from life in an effort to incorporate raw humanness into my making process.

Lessons from Gandu

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A lesson in being fearless. Fear is my worst enemy and can show up at any stage of the process. When Gandu was a pup, he almost drowned from jumping fearlessly into a stream. After living in an oxygen tank for about a week, we went for yet another hike that led to a giant water body; and Gandu—welp, you can say he did not learn his lesson. I was fearful for him then, but today I look back and I’m so glad this little water bug showed me how to be brave. Trial and error has become a big part of my process—thanks to the example Gaand has set. Letting go of the idea of falling allows me to push boundaries. 27

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A lesson in curiosity. Even the most mundane moments are full of stories to tell. Gandu finds joy in routine and has taught me that even though the path we take everyday may be the same, there are always new smells, sights and sounds around. He doesn’t judge it by the way it looks, but instead finds a way to deeply connect to the things around him and react accordingly. As a visual communicator, I strive to make with meaning by connecting and being curious of the world around me, seeing the beauty in the ordinary and bringing those emotions into the work I produce.

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A lesson in play. We can spend hours playing fetch, climbing mountains or running down the beach. Nothing makes a happy Gaand like a ball in mouth and some stinky stuff to roll in. It is in those moments of joy that I see him learning new things. From the way he catches a ball, to his interactions with other dogs and people to the poop he just rolled, everything serves a purpose and sets him up for success the next adventure. Creative exploration is as necessary as it is fun. Getting my hands dirty during the process is when I’m happiest, and has allowed me to explore different mediums from drawing, to food, to nature and so much more inbetween. 31

Exploration leads to more ideas, and is a constant challenege of my skills.

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A lesson in reflection. Possibly the most important thing I’ve taken away from Gaand is to pause; to take in the moment. Every once in a while, I’ll see him just sitting and watching the world around him. Wind in his ears, nose wiggling. Eventually he’ll put his head down and take a short snoozle, only to wake up later completely refreshed and ready to start again. I always wonder what he’s thinking and why he, unlike so many other dogs I know always chooses to pause. Whether we’re at home, in the car or on a hike. He always pauses and takes it all in teaching me that it is important to give myself a breather anytime I need it.

Looking back on my time here at SCAD has been humbling; the projects displayed in this section are ones that I have both failed and succeeded in for many different reasons.

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regain my strength mentally and physically.

Disconnecting allows space to think, to reflect—allowing me to see the gaps in my work, what is and isn’t working and

Lessons from Gandu

These mantras have become my collection of values inspired from life in an effort to incorporate raw humanness into my making process. By embracing the power of thinking wrong, inquiries are directed towards the process allowing for more investigation and opening up space for discovery. To Fail Up, we must Fall Down, and for that, process is key. The illusion that a single answer or straightforward path will fulfill a much larger purpose in our life is just that–an illusion. (Berger 184) Kresna Dwitomo, in an interview for Eye on Design, when talking about looking beyond a standardized approach

says, “Design is tied to the ways people think, and there are many ways of thinking—none of them is the “right” one.” (Miller) The cultural and historical differences of every individual mean that a correct answer is not a single

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thing, instead, we can all come to different ‘correct’ answers. Our values are based on our experiences, and what has worked for us in the past. This collection of experiences is where genuine, purposive communication comes into play. We root ourselves in who we are and make accordingly. Similarly, the audience interacts with our work through an individualized perspective.

Daniel Pink actually goes further providing a new list of approaches that would go further in today’s creative industry. Pink’s ‘Conceptual Age’ senses, combine functional and formal qualities of design, which are brought to life through things that truly connect us to the world, embracing our humanness. Over the years, it has become easy to relegate the significance of design to mere objects. However, everything we experience around us is designed; as Pink says, visual communication is a classic whole-minded aptitude and one that carries utility and significance. A well-designed book, poster or package must be easy to read and understand; however, these graphic artifacts are truly effective when they move from mere function to emotional significance. (Pink 65) Pink asks that we design for senses, with empathy, good storytelling that uses metaphors and calls for synthesis rather

own version of the Conceptual Senses and the starting point to a greater inquiry into my making process.

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our minds and work towards fulfilling our intrinsic needs as human beings. (Pink 235) Lessons from Gandu is my

than analysis, play, and meaning. These practices within the visual design process allow us as practitioners to engage

The Desire To Once a maker understand her needs personally, and within the larger scope of the practice, she can dive deeper into the things that fuel her. Driven by her emotions and her knowing of the world, she begins fueling her desires.

Actualizing Intention.

Pages from the Sketchbook

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the world went on lockdown, I started to feel a little anxious and out of sorts. Being stuck in the house all day meant looking at the same spaces over and over again, and many at-home activities that I previously enjoyed became boring. As a person who thrives from being outside, this new change in events made me uneasy. I had to find a way to be more connected to the outside. Everyday I would wait in anticipation for that one hour I could spend outside. I’d buckle up Gandu’s harness, and we would begin our walk around Savannah, exploring a new route or space every day, as allowed by County laws. It was not long before our walks became the inspiration for my daily sketchbook, providing data of my own life. Initially the project became about mapping our routes, as a way of seeing new things in Savannah, but over time I started noticing the little things that made those walks enjoyable. Over the course of a month, I had been on

and the frustration of screaming “drop the damn chicken bone, Gandu” every time he found some of Savannah’s finest treasures.

Each path became a window into a world of experiences, sights, smells, and encounters with people. The

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ones in the ‘outdoors’ at 6.7 miles. The length of the walk was decided according to temperature, time available,

100 walks, and over 80 miles around the city. The shortest walk being 0.1 miles around the block to the longer

seemingly mundane act of walking created a sense of both familiarity and a world of wonder as I walked past quaint little doors and houses straight out of storybooks through the park where the stranger in his MAGA hat always smiled and waved at me as he played his drums enthusiastically. I would wander past the man who looped around without expression and the little boy who sat alone under the tree, seemingly creating his own little world of fantasies. An activity that informed my emotional behaviors, and storytelling brought me a sense of solace, and an escape to the time spent in isolation. The walks were subjective to my own understanding and interpretations of the world. Anyone else would have probably noticed different things on those same walks, and probably felt emotionally different, too. The final documented pages became a reflection of this, a sort of emotional journal marking the events of that time.

Visual Exploration: Data Sketchbook

In psychology, desire is divided into four types, physical, intellectual, sexual and economic, without which, human life would not exist. The word desire means to long for, want or demand. Although most often referred to in regards to lust, desires are actually a fundamental part of human life. (Guengerich) Desire isn’t rational. It is complex and full of emotions. Within the scope of design, desire can be easily associated with the attachments we make to graphic artifacts, and the driving force of our needs. Jessica Helfand considers desire to be an intrinsically human need whose patterns tethers it to design. We are drawn to objects because we

create meaning from them; they also hold memory, therefore speaking to who we are. Helfand also shares that it is impossible to disassociate wants (or desires) and design because so much of it relies on physical acquisition. (Helfand

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182) In an article for the Journal of Evolution and Technology, Sky Marsen says that meaning is actually imbued by the interpreter. Human intelligence is largely based on our brain’s ability to predict by encoding the biases and assumptions based on past experiences; the resulting interpretation gives us meaning that is then projected back onto the object. This highly behavioral process is also how we develop emotional attachments to objects and digital spaces, thus increasing our wants to almost unachievable standards. Maurice Merleau-Ponty, looks at meaning as a way of being in the world, rather than knowing the world. (Marsen) Meaning is subjective and formed through our individual experiences and associations. A practitioner cannot guarantee that her audience interprets the same way she does. Our experiences are our own, as are those of our audience. So, while the whats, whens and hows serve to function, the whys differentiate, giving both the audience and the maker the space for their own individual meanings and interpretations. So why negate our own being in and of the world in an effort to fulfill a design brief and honor a process that subconsciously streamlines us towards bland, superficial results?

People now look to fulfill our senses in digital spaces through apps and buttons to perform tasks for us, where likes and dislikes are used to validate us; the validation placed on the designed object rather than personal emotional urges. As makers we are perpetuating vacuous judgment by directing our practice solely towards the building of this prop rather than the person. (Helfand 182) As a result, cookie cutter visuals are evident with graphic artifacts. In their book Beauty, Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh stress the importance of aesthetic importance in the world. They discuss the relevance of beauty in making artifacts more meaningful. As an example, they present images of architecture from different countries comparing past and present buildings. They argue that architecture today (high rise buildings, most likely in brown) looks the same in any country you go to, while historic sites and buildings represent a unique identity

interfaces that are clean, simple, and sophisticated yet devoid of any emotion. Most apps are interchangeable, and lack any sort of personality of the company (or the people) that it represents. (Sagmeister and Walsh 80) This lack of human voice within so many of our worldly experiences today does not invigorate our senses. While it is the unique histories and cultures that attract us to other countries and spur us to travel, were they to look exactly the same, our urge to travel would be dampened. To conform to a world of sameness, and untapped opportunity to challenge the visuals we have grown accustomed to, perpetuates design devoid of humanness. The overpowering use of technology as a vehicle in visual communication has led to an impersonal and abrupt approach to the creative process—an imbalance of power between creator, tools and outcome. We cannot create real work if we don’t accept what makes us real. When we begin to work in a way that honors our own desires, emotions, tastes, and experiences, our raw humanness, we automatically find that the outcome is more successful. Designer Marian Bantjes

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Similarly, as our time as makers is increasingly spent on screens and browsing the web, we experience the same

and are a true reflection of rich histories, cultures and societies.

says, “The more I deal with the work as something that is my own, as something that is personal, the more successful it is.” (Bantjes) Our identities belong to two worlds, according to Scott McCloud: the conceptual world where they are permanently ideas, and the sensual world, which extends outside of us. Marshall McLuhan observes that we build a certain sense of awareness with inanimate objects. It is this awareness that allows us to see objects as an extension of our identity. Therefore, when we are driving, we experience the entire car, not just the parts we see and hear. The entire vehicle

is our identity in the moment. The objects impact the way in which we see ourselves, and the way others see us; the understanding of our extended identities, is the same way in which we turn material to object. Our self-awareness

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flows outward into our extended identity. (McCloud 38) Design, by nature, is separate from art. A fine artist places herself wholly in the process. She creates for herself. Visual communicators create for others. Creating for other is the purpose of our practice, but we must acknowledge that we are still makers living in a conceptual and sensual world. Who we are cannot be fully separated from our creative practices, so we must leverage our desires–in essence, our beings–and apply them wholeheartedly into our work.

This task of interjecting ourselves into our professional work, is sometimes easier said than done, however

it is possible, even if in just the smallest gestures within the work. Designer Robert ‘Ootje’ Oxenaar strayed from the popular International Typographic Style while designing. His banknote designs in the 1960s and 1980s took inspiration from Dutch history and the world of the Netherlands, paying homage to its people struggling. If his unique style, identity and expression did not make the banknote designs stand out alone, Oxenaar also included his own personal mark within each of the notes: the imprint of his middle finger, his granddaughter’s name, his girlfriend’s pet rabbit. (Sagmeister and Walsh 132, Berry)

Creating artifacts without the maker’s mark leads to an aesthetic that is most likely the sole purpose of function and the superficial fulfillment of consumerist desires. By serving this sole purpose, we stop challenging our minds, and, more importantly, are met with an outcome that does not feed the mind, spirit and soul. Visual design is far more than grids, and perfectly kerned letters. Our aesthetic senses are only pleased when we make meaning through the use of material, shape, color, etc, elements that are appropriate to the emotional experience we wish to create. The subjectivity of meaning making, however, then asks a maker to look within first. What are her desires? How has she interpreted the world, and how can she make cultural and historical associations for impact?

founding member of the CAPD, says the majority of the branding is boring. Potentially through lack of funds, but also through the passage of time, these bland visuals have come to represent honesty and authenticity. (Smith) None of them represents the personalities and values behind each candidate. Even Hillary Clinton, during the ’1992 elections spoke out about the similarities in the branding behind political campaigns saying, “All these logos and branding conveyed to me was suit-wearing, upper-middle-class white men, through their simple and unremarkable typefaces and variation of red, white, and blue. Even in the 2016 election, when designers have more access to amazing fonts and graphics, we see branding like Jeb!” (Clinton) Barack Obama’s branding looked nothing like those on CAPD’s website, and stands out in a sea of political logos. In 2008, the brand was labeled as being ‘strategic and smart’. Sol Sender, Associate Partner at VSA Chicago, who designed the logo in collaboration with Scott Thomas mentions that the logo was a breakthrough for political branding, but not really a breakthrough from a formal visual standpoint. However, they quote Hans Magnus Enzenberger who

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that every political brand can be sorted and categorized by color, gender, typography and state. Kevin Weisner, the

Taking a quick scroll through the archives on the Center for American Politics and Design’s website, it is evident

says, “A revolutionary design need not cause the manipulators (of media) to vanish; indeed, it ought to turn everybody into manipulators.” (Enzenberger) By allowing people to engage with the Obama campaign’s logo through adaptations of homemade signs, the logo marked the supportive, diverse and proud community that backed the candidate, extending the brand past Obama himself. (Sender) Joe Biden’s 2020 logo sparked similar interpretations. In contrast, the Trump logo took a much more ‘traditional’ approach. In 2016, the Trump campaign used the classic

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serif font, similar to his Trump Tower logos but changed the colors to the much more patriotic red, white, and blue. The first logo, as traditional as it gets, provided an entry point for Trump, suggesting that the candidate is stable, strong and responsible. Written in all caps, the logo also suggested a hierarchy and Trump’s role as a leader, above everyone else. While the logo itself does not make a candidate, the image created must be something people can trust; failing this could affect the chances of a win. According to Elizabeth Olson, VP of Proctor and Gamble, “The amateurish design of the original Trump/Pence identity is proof of that. Even people who lack the expertise to criticize the design can look at it and just know that something’s wrong.”(Olson) The stagnant, stereotypical identity nods to his separation from the community. Olson also weighs in on this, saying, “It could have gone further to give some sense of what distinguishes and defines the candidate. In order to do that, serious soul-searching, clear choices, and a commitment to consistency is required of the campaign and the candidate. Without those conditions, the design gets reduced to the common, generic denominator.” (Olson) Safe in its outcome, the entire branding represents Trump’s self-centered ideology. It fails to distinguish itself from the rest, and in fact, exposes its lack of personality. Serving as an empty vessel of communication, his ‘Make America Great Again’ slogan is the center of more jokes than support for the candidate, defeating its purpose.

Are writing down our manifestos, philosophies and definitions enough to propel us to create with meaning? The evaluation of these political brands sparked my decision to brand myself. As an added challenge, I decided to approach the project as though I were a candidate myself. This notion of a political style of branding seemed an easy enough task, and I began my project as I would any other: through research, figuring out my whys, and getting to make. I looked at my life, my people and the things that I believe in. I reviewed presidential candidates websites and watched debates, slowly building my own ideas and refining what I stood for. From formal elements such as typography, color, grids and images, my brand identity slowly started to build. Variation after variation of logos, a brand guide saw physical representations of my hands, geometric shapes and a myriad of things that would ideally convey what I

In an effort to race to the finish, I did not look deeper within. If I had paused for a moment and truly analyzed who I really was--my personal, if not entirely unique, approach to life; my absolute love for the handmade, imperfect visuals

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and would not stand out in a sea of the presidential logos on CAPD’s website. So what was I missing?

wanted. A week later, Tashu ‘20, a logo and brand guide was born. My logo was functional, sure, but it lacked personality

over digital ones; the joy I find being outside, hanging out with my family and friends--so much more would have come through. The human was missing; the formal ‘candidate’ shone through. Upon reflection, even having Gandu serve as my logo might have proved to represent who I truly am more than my actual result. This is not to say that the logo did not work on a functional level. No, it served its basic function as a logo, but if Oxenaar could put his own imprint within a governmental artifact, surely I should have had my own mark on an identity that was after all, about me. How could I expect the audience to respond to me as a candidate if I removed my humanness from the equation?

Visual Exploration: Tashu ‘20

Final Logo

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Watching and hearing fairytales is a big part of our childhood. Of course, these are hardly ever written for children alone, and fairytales frequently provide a useful metaphorical lens through which to view and understand real life. Reading Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” as an adult brought a whole new light to the story. So many themes are present in the story, of hopes and dreams, of love; but the more you analyze them and break each part of the story down, you begin to see the deeper themes that reflected a society of hate, of status and hierarchy, of differences, acceptance from family and disapproval from those unlike you. So much of the story that was written all those years ago, speaks deeply to me now, as an adult who is witnessing so much upheaval, hate and hate crimes as a result of racial differences and a general unwillingness to find a balance between people. (Andersen)

Thematically, The Little Mermaid made references to Christianity, and after extensive research on the fairytale and its themes, I decided that the artifact should represent something from those themes. As a result, the final chosen form

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since the election of 2016, and present a way in which people could bridge those societal gaps.

The objective of the project, Soulful, was to highlight hate crime that was becoming increasingly prevalent and rising

was wine packaging, a symbol to represent coming together. I referenced words from the story, from the Bible and also included stories of hate crimes; the idea behind this was to present the audience with the truth of what was happening in the world, leading them to a call to action. The content on the package played a huge role in this project, an attempt to blend the emotional significance of the story, with its functional need, which would then lead to open conversation, and, hopefully, change.

Visual Exploration: Soulful

First prototype

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It was only after the first prototype was made that I realized the box was actually creating a division itself. Putting all the stories on one box, and then further closing off the bottle signified separation, and more so a bottle that may appear unattainable and expensive, perhaps another nod to separation of classes, which I was trying to avoid. This design was not leaving room to open discussion within its audience. So, it was back to the drawing board to reassess the whole process. The visuals—in purple and gold as a nod to the Christian themes in the “The Little Mermaid”—took inspiration from the whimsical and illustrative nature of fairytales. The first iteration of Soulful included a wooden box with the mermaid’s tail wrapping around four sides, the content covering three sides, and the logo in the front. Inside,

unfinished wood brought together the multiple themes within the story. At this point, I realized that even the logo would need to be redesigned, and I approached the project with a new

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were printed using a UV printer, giving the illustrations and text a metallic feel, which when combined with the raw,

the label featured the mermaid and the final call to action “we must build bridges not walls.” Both the box and label

mindset, starting again from brainstorming, to prototyping and reevaluating the materiality of it all. Through this thorough reevaluation I was able to see what I was missing. While the mermaid herself could act as a symbol of unity, that symbolism could be much better expressed through the introduction of multiple wine bottles, allowing the design to stretch the fairytale image further than a box with a single bottle could. The illustrated mermaid tail remained, but instead of wrapping it around one bottle alone, different parts of it appeared on different bottles- as though the mermaid was swimming through the bottles. When placed together, multiple bottles would come together to form a one story.

Visual Exploration: Soulful

Process

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Final package Visual Exploration: Soulful

Final package

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The content, too, shifted and was broken up for each bottle of wine. Now on a hangtag, the audience could flip through parts of the stories, uncovering the truth. Each bottle would have different stories and the final prompt would encourage the audience to start a discussion, and share their bottle of wine with their neighbors- no matter their differences. The overall final result was much stronger than the box, and gave the project so much more scope to explore. My experience working on this project extends a lot further than the visual design alone. Through early research and understanding of the project, I often found myself angry, shocked and teary from hearing story after story of overt racism, disunity and strife. With every tear I shed, I found myself more drawn to the project and more motivated to make something

in a position where I could bring this important subject to light, and I had to take it upon myself to make sure that I approached the issue in a way that was strongly rooted in facts: the reality that we are living in and something that

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As an international student, these stories of racism stuck with me, and continue to do so. I have the privilege of being

real, and honest, even if that meant making people uncomfortable and have them question the harsh words.

must be changed. To soften the language would have been a much more passive approach resulting in a diluted or ineffective message.

Visual Exploration: Soulful

The Intent To So where do we begin understanding human centered intention within the field of visual communication? The creative process requires a visual communicator to begin by recognizing her creative actions in a way that brings together her values in life and desires from practice. These emotional impulses then motivate us to work harder and set intent. Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Giving a F*ck, writes, “Action isn’t the effect of motivation. It’s also the cause of it.” Manson calls this the “do something” principle, which requires us to do something, anything that will springboard emotional inspiration to then turn into action. Even the smallest ‘something’ can turn into something larger, deeper and more meaningful. (Manson 154) Yet we are often found unable to begin those small somethings. While fear of ‘Thinking Wrong’ factors into this, so does trust.

Actualizing Intention.

The Zodiac Chronicle Spread

With access to so much data, trust is becoming incredibly harder to achieve amongst people. So much data can be manipulated to suit the needs of the story. This is a power of a maker and of the media. The Zodiac Chronicle, a fictitious newspaper, sought to put the power of data and trust in data to the test. While easy to manipulate, real and raw data tell emotional stories, too. The Zodiac Killer is a serial killer, who, after years and years of being ‘quiet,’ is still a very popular case amongst true crime enthusiasts; so much to a point where there have been hundreds of books and movies on his story. While doing research on the Zodiac Killer, I looked at his data in multiple ways, one in which told the true, emotional

A fictitious newspaper, the Zodiac Chronicle, highlights two very dangerous ‘animals’ that people are drawn to. The Zodiac Killer, a serial killer who hadn’t killed anyone in years but was still very popular, and the other danger, former

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important as well.

story, and the other that manipulated his data just enough to tell a new story that would hopefully highlight something

President Donald Trump, a much more scary animal who was also a threat to people, in many ways. The paper used data from both their lives that pointed to their heinous acts, and highlighted that, while the unidentified killer was an interesting story, society needs to see Trump, as an equally, if not more vicious, animal. The paper, centered on a story titled “The Great American Witch Hunt” was intended for true crime enthusiasts, and therefore told using a font I made that took inspiration from the Zodiac’s cipher. A key was provided so readers could dismantle the “code” to get information that would lead them to the real danger.

Visual Exploration: Zodiac, Fact and Fiction

Actualizing Intention.

The Zodiac Chronicle Spread

Elements to represent data were true to each person, for the Zodiac, I chose to use his identity mark and the envelopes, postcards, and ciphers that were all key aspects of his story. Similarly, I used Trump’s tweets and fast food that related to popular circulating stories about his eating habits at the time. Images were placed in the layout next to each other, forming a graph to compare the two. For an increase in the Zodiac Killers murders, I had drops of fake blood drip over his identity, until the logo was covered in blood. In comparison, for the allegations made on Trump, I used ketchup and french fries to do the same. The final paper came with its failures and successes. From a conceptual standpoint, its readers needed a little extra. Perhaps using some plain text that was not in code would have added a more approachable layer to the narrative. The 59

story in itself was obviously satirical.

have a completely different tone. While most of the stories focused on the life and crimes of the Zodiac Killer, little was written about his victims and I felt that they needed to be honored, while also highlighting the monstrous way in

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While manipulating the data proved to be a fun experience, the exercise highlighted that the newspaper needed to

which he killed them.

Visual Exploration: Zodiac, Fact and Fiction

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In Memoriam was created as homage for the victims of the Zodiac Killer. For this project, I decided against using a newspaper and instead decided to make a book to honor the victims. The book featured a brief introduction to the Zodiac, but placed more importance on the victims and how they were killed. Each victim was killed in a different way, “by fire, by gun, by knife, by rope,” and I felt that to make an emotional impact I would need to bring out the intensity of the murders. I decided that every victim would be dedicated the number of pages according to the number of wounds they had before they died. So, if a victim was stabbed three times, they would be given three pages. The audience would flip through the book page and see nothing but the number of wounds on their body increase until the smallest ring was filled with a flower to signify their lost life. The last page of the book held all their names together.

In hopes of making even more of an impact, I started by using imagery of people. This began with the idea to photograph the parts of the victims’ bodies, which the Zodiac had attacked them. Eventually, the idea remained the

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had committed each murder.

In addition to the victims’ imagery, I also included the notes and postcards that Zodiac sent to the police right after he

same, but through trial and error I discovered that a blurred image had a softness to it that felt more fitting to the story. I played with materials and printed on paper where ink did not adhere in the usual ways. The effect was that of bleeding images which worked well as a way to avoid violent, bloody images and balance the softness of honoring someone with the more disturbing nature of their murders.

Visual Exploration: Zodiac, Fact and Fiction

Pages from In Memoriam

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title.Intent To The

Pages from In Memoriam Visual Exploration: Zodiac, Fact and Fiction

There is no doubt that we need to build trust amongst people in almost every aspect of our lives: in our relationships, our careers, even driving down a public road. Researcher and author Brené Brown points out that trust is actually built in very small moments. Through her research, she has discovered that smaller acts in which people do simple things, like show up for each other in difficult situations, build trust. Trust is never built in the grand gestures. Her definition, or the anatomy of trust as she calls it has been coined into the acronym “BRAVING” (boundaries, reliability, accountability, the vault, integrity, non judgment, generosity). This framework operated by both building relationships with people, as well as trusting yourself. (Brown) Both, building relationships and trusting yourself are

a valid, and a necessary part of the creative process.

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As makers, we first need to trust our own processes. The more we brave our work, the deeper our connection to it builds. This act of trusting creates a sense of self-fulfillment, a key component in the Maslow’s needs pyramid, by meeting our needs and our desires, then driving us to more emotionally purposive work created for our audience. On the other hand, to trust and be trusted requires vulnerability. Brown also references Charles Feltman who said, “Trust is choosing to make something important to you vulnerable to the actions of someone else. Distrust is what I have shared with – that is important to me – is not safe with you.” (Feltman)

The experiences of daily life are exactly where these moments of vulnerability lie. Each experience we go through daily is raw and real, and a whole range of emotions, some of which we don’t even realize, are activated. While documenting my daily walks with Gandu as a sketchbook, I began noticing these patterns and experiences brought value to my life, and are the things that shape who I am. These moments and vulnerabilities became the inspiration for my project, Collecting Moments. The project began as a journey to discover the meaning of authenticity in everyday life. Looking at my data from my walks, and the additional data I collected from daily experiences, I realized that those moments we experience daily are really the ones of value. Initial ideation for the project saw a series of postcards and keepsakes to tell the story

After many attempts to create a display for these jewels, I decided on a Cabinet of Curiosities approach where I’d take images of the Jell-O jewels and display them as photo-slides. Each jewel would contain a date and something to

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objects that looked like jewels, a more fitting visual metaphor for values.

of quotidian life, but playtime while working on those led to explorations with Jell-O, inks and oils that resulted in

represent the experience I was referencing. My birthday jewel was filled with beads and confetti and blues and yellows because of the excitement and celebration whereas the racist comment and being called a ‘terrorist’ just for walking on the street brought about both hurt and anger and was represented in black and red and filled with aggressive type. Of course, these moments were the ones of my choosing and part of a longer time spent reflecting on my day every night before bed, so on this level, as a maker I was able to be honest with myself and highlight the very real moments of my life. The final project brought a level of vulnerability, yes but upon reflection missed out on telling the actual story, which is where vulnerability would really come through. Would adding the actual stories actually create more meaning?

Visual Exploration: Collecting Moments

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A Moment with Mom: Deep, heartfelt, vulnerable. Beautifully messy. Us.

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Photo slides of Collected Moments Visual Exploration: Collecting Moments

Timothy Goodman, a designer known for his emotionally driven work, sees success in vulnerability. In an interview with Eye on Design, he shares that using his personal stories to connect to his audience gives him purpose. This is, he says, the key to good design. (Stinson) Emotionality within visual communication holds power. On the one hand, emotional design makes us feel connected to our own work, and on the other, people interacting with said work can resonate with it too. Additionally, this emotionally driven work allows for a broad spectrum of designing in which we can interact with things in multiple ways rather than limiting the works scope.

Goodman goes on to reflect on his 40 Days of Dating project, done in collaboration with Jessica Walsh, as an extremely liberating process, which opened his eyes to a world of new possibilities to the path of creation, breaking down the

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wall between personal and professional. The project was a social experiment to help them overcome their fears and inadequacies in relationships. Further, Goodman feels that the experiment connected him to people from all walks of life, not just the insular design community. (Stinson) Goodman’s work deeply reflects who he is, and by sharing his own experiences, and using his unique voice he has been able to reach a wider range of people, and form intimate connections with them. His work has resonated with me personally, too. By leaning into her emotions, experiences and whys, a maker can bring vulnerability into her work. Vulnerability, which sits at the center of our most difficult experiences, and perceived as the core of shame, fear, and uncertainty, is the root of positive emotions like joy, love, belonging, and empathy. It is, as Brown says, the birthplace of creativity and change, a gateway to empathy. Empathy, associated with the right–creative, emotional and behavioral– side of our brain allows a maker to interpret behaviors of other people and understand their emotions. (Brown) This empathic connection enables her to place herself in their shoes, to see with their eyes, and feel with their hearts. Empathic people have a greater ability to connect deeply with people. (Pink 159) It is in these vulnerable and shared experiences where a maker can become empathic with her audience.

My early design education in India at the DJ Academy of Design, sought to teach us to practice empathy. As part of our foundational curriculum, they sent us to a little village called Thirukaragavur, Tamil Nadu. Nearing the end of the school year, with no phones allowed, a dress code to ‘blend in’ as much as we could with the villagers, and a whole lot of encouragement to become an integral part of the community for our ten days, thirty of us embarked on a journey that became one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned about people. India is a country of many languages, and even though the place we were visiting was in the same state we were living, the dialects were completely different, therefore making communicating verbally with the villagers more difficult. Nonetheless, the minute we arrived, we were asked to explore the village and pick a spot or people to work with. The

and share our experiences, all to be curated in an exhibit for the village on the last day of our stay. After exploring the tiny little two street village, I was most taken by the marketplace and the bus stop there. It was a space

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and spend the days getting to know their ways of living, drawing and writing about them. Every night, we would gather

only real requirement was that we spend every waking moment at that location, working with the people in that area

where everyone gathered, busy with chaiwallas (local tea sellers), local restaurants and grocery stands, and animals that would walk through every few hours. We were in the midst of Pongal, the harvest festival, so the streets were full of vendors selling their freshly picked sugarcane, and the major festivities. The space also saw children traveling to and from school, a regular visit from goats every evening, and the occasional stray dog that needed a shelter from the heat. Every day I was up at 5 am, waiting on that first bus to arrive, and I stayed around the area until sunset. During that time I drew, wrote, and somehow managed to communicate with the villagers. For lunch, I would break to eat at the local temple, or, on most days I would be lucky enough to get an invitation to a local’s house. The children of the village were most interested in our presence. The little boy whose father owned the grocery shop next to the bus stop

Living with People

would come sit with me every day, telling me about his day and practicing English with me. When his friends were around, they would all gather to look at my drawings, but mostly they were excited to show off their English speaking. They were the first in the village to be learning the language, while I practiced my Tamil. Even though these people had little, they welcomed us into their homes, showered us with love, and gave us as much as they could, just from the kindness of their hearts. At the end of the ten days, we put up an exhibit of all our sketches of them. A whole house filled with hundreds of

sketches made over the span of our time there with almost every detail of the village accounted for through the eyes of thirty different people. From the textures of trees, to the woven handmade baskets, the Pongal festivities, portraits of

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the village residents and conversations turned to poems and comics; The villagers, who were not used to this kind of experience, had nothing but smiles on their faces, as they were able to see themselves through our images. The stories and experiences shared with those people left a mark on my heart; it helped me see the humanness within the work we do as designers. To live in the village was like stepping into their shoes for those ten days. It made me see my privilege as someone in a prevalent class system seen in India. I learned how to pick sugarcane and watch how many ‘novelty’ handmade crafts are made from wooden spoons, to woven cane baskets to shoes. More importantly, this experience showed me love for a different culture, and the power to break past differences through acceptance.

It was the experience from Living with People that I was able to tap into while working on a project with The Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum. Through an in-depth cultural and historical study of Savannah, Georgia, it became evident that the black community, which helped build Savannah, was one of the most underrepresented communities in the city. Seeing this, my group of four graduate students at SCAD decided that there was scope to help the community we were living in by contributing our skills and bringing some recognition to the community. This decision led us to the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum. During our visits to the museum, we were absolutely taken by the stories they were telling, and the passion and enthusiasm in which the people who worked there wanted to educate future generations and build a community through their space. Hearing the museum workers’

Through interviews, it became evident that the local Savannah community longed for the museum to be much more than a static experience that would not inspire visitors to return. Instead, the community wanted it to be a space

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fueled my desire to use my skills to help the museum.

personal and varied experiences and spending time with them sent me right back to my time in Thirukaragavur, and

for visitors to gather, to get to know each other and share experiences. Interviewees were passionate about their community and wanted to be empowered and to feel empowered. In an interview, a young community member with tears in her eyes said, I remember when Obama won the election in 2008. I was at school, surrounded by my friends. To see him win is a memory I will never forget. It gave me hope to see someone who looked like me, and it empowered me to push myself to my dreams of becoming a doctor. I want to be a woman who makes an impact. I want to give back to my mother who has struggled financially all her life just because she is black, but still makes sure to support me. Watching him win meant that I didn’t have to live in constant fear of my life.

Visual Exploration: Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum Digital Database

Welcome Screen

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In another interview, an employee of the museum said, “My purpose is to tell stories of my ancestors. To share history. It is what God put me here to do. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, all people should visit the museum and learn about history.” It was in these comments of empowerment and education where we realized that whatever we created for the museum should be rooted in stories of empowerment in hopes to build community. This is where a library database idea came to mind. The database would provide people the opportunity to tap into the wealth of knowledge that the museum had, and they had space for it as well.

space for this as well. Through wireframes, I was able to plan an experience where people could come to learn and also have space to share their own stories and research.

The Intent To

storytelling and educating through ancestral stories was a big part of their passion, I wanted to make sure that they had

I built the digital database by first analyzing what kinds of resources the museum had. In addition, because I knew that

To create the complete experience came with its challenges. What began as digital collages, more fitting to the current theme of the museum, eventually changed to handmade collages that made a statement about the museum. The former failed in providing an accurate voice and strong impact that the museum was going for, whereas the latter incorporated high and low moments inspired by the communities contributions to Savannah, and aimed for impact. The final outcome resulted in a much more individualistic voice to the museum that they could then apply to other aspects of their brand as well.

Visual Exploration: Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum Digital Database

Actualizing Intention.

Pages from the digital database

Visual Exploration: Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum Digital Database

Our ultimate purpose to form meaningful connections with people is to understand them from their perspective. This is not to say that we leave behind who we are but, instead, take inspiration from our experiences and bring them into our work. This is where empathy is truly practiced. Without tapping into all of these emotions, little action is triggered. As fear triggers us to flee from danger, an emotional connection to the audience, the project and the overall story will trigger us to act. These actions then connect with us on a personal level, and in a greater sense, to other people. It is then, as social as it is individual. (Lupton 60) To then be truly empathetic, even if within existing frameworks, would require a maker to tap into her own emotions, feed her own spirit, mind and soul in order to reach her audience. This genuine empathy builds the path to purpose. 75

The Intent To

Find Purpose How does a pair of roller skates intersect with the making process? It is in the ups and downs. Just as a skater shifting her weight from one leg to the other, pushing herself gently but fiercely forward, body moving up and down uniformly but picking up pace steadily as she moves through the rink, often falling but always learning, so does a maker as she begins the creative processes pushing through the clutter of ideas, falling and failing but finding successes through it all. It is in the T-stops, the half looped stops and the paralleled stops that aren’t really stops at all, but merely pauses, spaces of reflections and a moment to catch her breath. Scuff marks left permanently on the rink, as a maker leaves her identity on her work. A sign that they were here; an extension of a much greater experience. The marks that intersect over each other become the cross-sections of connectivity, a coming together of separate lives, separate experiences but still sharing a common ground. Perhaps it is in these parallels between life and design, where paths run parallel and at a distance yet have the ability to cross and overlap, that connect one experience to the other, one person to the other. And as people, as visual communicators, isn’t it connection that helps us find our meaning and purpose just as our ultimate goal is to build connection through meaning and purpose?

Finally, needs, desires and intents all work together to fulfill our ultimate purpose. Purpose connects us. In psychology, purpose is described as something that is both personally meaningful and at the same time leads to engagement in the world beyond the self. By evaluating her needs, identifying her desires and putting her intent into action, a maker is then creating connections with people. Connections are how human beings are neurobiologically wired. Helfand says, “To embrace design is to spark novelty, improve livability, expand opportunity, streamline productivity, leverage capability, message readability, but perhaps most importantly, it is to engage humanity. And we do this best by being

human, ourselves.”(Helfand 206) Creation is an act of courage. Putting work out into the world leaves creators feeling vulnerable and exposed. As agents

Actualizing Intention.

of culture, we must be brave and push our creative boundaries for creating emotionally purposive communication that will connect with an audience. This creation can only begin by taking that first courageous step. As makers and human beings engaging in the world, visual communicators should be and are ready to take that first courageous step.

This project began with an evaluation of connection, and the ways in which we connect with other people on a daily basis. We connect with people in a multitude of ways. Some happen just in passing, by sharing a space for a short time, some are acquaintances and some deeper, and built through years spent together. But how do we build this connection? When I shared the story of my skates, I realized that those who read it found themselves reminiscing about the roller skates of their own lives. Friends shared their own stories; some had given up playing the piano, singing, crafts, basketball, hockey and a myriad of other things. It was really quite amazing to listen to each of their stories; however, it wasn’t until I shared my poem with my mother that I discovered a new type of connection being built. When my mother heard the poem, she reflected on my life and her own, and we engaged in a beautiful conversation

all, everyone has a mother, no matter the depth of their relationship. I wanted people to engage with my work and think about their own relationships with their parents, thus connecting me to them, and extending the conversation

Find Purpose

that I wanted to create a project centered on our story, in hopes that it would then resonate with other people. After

about our lives, and our paths. Both paths are different, but are quite tightly knit. During this conversation, I knew

outside of the space as well. When I first began filtering through ideas, the strongest ties I found to the story of my mother and me was of her being a doctor, and me being a visual communicator. While both career paths are vastly different, they are both centered around people and use a common tool¬–our hands. I started exploring what this meant and ways in which I could create further connection to people through highlighting the connections between life and design—i.e., my mother and me. Bringing the elements of surgery, a way to highlight my mothers profession, hit many dead ends, because this was the most literal approach I could take. So, I went back to the steps I knew I needed to take to build genuine connection with my mother, and find a way to translate that to other people.

Visual Exploration: In Conversation...a Dialog between Parent and Child

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My mother and me, like most, have had many ups and downs in our relationship. After years and years of miscommunication, we have finally found balance, honesty and, calmness in our relationship. This strengthened relationship only came through moments of vulnerability, trust and understanding–the foundation of this project. To figure out the whys of this project, I spent a few days reflecting on our relationship and wrote it all down. Then, I called her up and asked her to share her story. I’ve always been in awe of my mothers strength, passion and drive; she is always looking to the future, and places her value in people rather than the material object and for her to reflect on the past, especially the struggles and hardships were a difficult task. I, on the other hand, wanted to understand those hardships in order to understand her better. I couldn’t force her to think about specific points in her life, so instead,

her career and her children. Now at twenty-six years old, I finally realized that we both wanted the same things; while I felt lost as a child and cried

Find Purpose

of overcoming her hardships. The ones that were the hardest for her to share were the ones where she had to balance

I asked her to tell me about her life, in any way she chose. She shared the stories that made her happiest, and the ones

for attention, she always wanted to give it to me. As a doctor who was building her own practice, this was hard for her to do, and this was probably the rift in our relationship. As she spoke, I felt proud, and in awe of the life she’s built, and upon understanding her whys in relation to my own, I started to empathize with her, and further knew that my own goals and aspirations are much similar to her own—except within my own line of work. I also shared my own struggles growing up, and those I face now as an adult. This was a moment of vulnerability for both of us, and something we’ve struggled to share in the past due to fear of misunderstanding that could lead to arguments and tension in our bond. At this point, I did not know what the project would be, but was certain that our conversation would be the content for the project. I felt that while the story I’d be telling was specific to us, it would be relatable to many others; therefore I wanted to create for mothers and children.

Visual Exploration: In Conversation...a Dialog between Parent and Child

Seek: Front & Back

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After a lot of back and forth on the form this conversation would take place, I settled on large-scale posters. These posters would be hung at an outdoor venue for viewing, so I wanted to make sure that they were relatable to people visiting the restaurant that they’d be displayed. Initially, I wanted to have two posters that were facing each other. Each would tell one side of our story. As I started developing the idea more, it became evident that this would not work because the posters were to be hung in a space where people could walk around them, meaning that people would be seeing four sides rather than two. I continued to play with the layout, and finally settled on a series of 4 posters, which would be printed on both sides—eight posters totally with directional arrows, guiding people from one poster to the other. These posters would represent the four stages of our conversation, the change in our relationship. The front of

Seek, speak, listen and grow became the main callouts for the posters, and were a subtle nod to the people centered process I took to while making the project. Each part of the poster highlighted moments of hardships, successes,

Find Purpose

reflection, with images mirrored but blurred out in order to let the content speak.

each poster contained no content, and focused on the imagery and feeling, while the back represented the moment of

vulnerability, empathy and, trust within our relationship, and to me, also the connection I see between life and the making process. Finally, the posters would be hung from the ceiling between two sheets of acrylic. The reflective surface of the acrylic allowed viewers to place themselves within the posters. While the content was personally driven, I couldn’t forget that the goal was to form a deeper connection with people, so I wanted viewers to engage with the posters in some way. At first, I decided to have acrylic panels for people to write their own stories and thoughts about their mothers on, but through mockups and class discussions, I realized that people couldn’t understand the functionality of the work. The data I would get from it would add to the poster content, but wouldn’t extend the conversation past the space, and wouldn’t necessarily add more meaning. So instead, I decided upon making eight postcards, each representing one poster. People could pick the card(s) that they felt

Visual Exploration: In Conversation...a Dialog between Parent and Child

Speak: Front & Back

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resembled their own relationship, and start a conversation with their own family by writing the postcard and dropping it in the box provided to them. I would then ship the postcards out for them. The visual elements on the posters saw much iteration of photographs of me, my mother and other elements related to biology. The main struggle I had was that my camera-shy mother was in India, therefore I couldn’t take pictures of her, and the ones that I had were either very low quality or didn’t serve their purpose within my idea. After many attempts to get her to take pictures, I had to conceptualize new ways and be more metaphorical in my approach. It wasn’t fair of me to ask her to be more vulnerable for the project if it was making her uncomfortable to have her image seen by strangers but as the maker, I needed to be the one taking that courageous step. I also felt like it was important to use a 85

physical representation of myself in each poster.

hers. This was a moment of vulnerability for me, as I rarely step in front of the camera; however, I knew that it had to be done if I were to get to the visual outcome I wanted. After selecting the imagery, I thought about the other biological

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I ended up using double exposed imagery of my self, highlighting my physical features that I thought were most like

connections I could make. Roller-skating came back to mind. It was the metaphor that started the whole process, so I felt it made sense to bring it back, and reignite that spark that was once lost. More so, the act of moving and printing marks with my skates is almost a biological process in itself-making the connection between the body and form, my mother and me. I chose to use trace monotype printmaking to do this, even though I couldn’t guarantee where the marks would end up. As I put the skates on, and moved over the images of myself, I automatically felt more connected to our story, almost as if my mind and body knew and felt where the marks would land compositionally. The pressure and number of lines increased in areas where our relationship was rocky, and lessened, almost fading in the posters where our relationship saw stability and strength. By manually printing, I built a physical connection to the object I was making.

Visual Exploration: In Conversation...a Dialog between Parent and Child

Listen: Front & Back

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After printing, I took those scanned prints back into the computer and added those same feelings with type, using my voice and my mothers’ voice. The result was a stronger, more poetic visual outcome than using X-rays, and anatomical imagery. More importantly, it left a more personal and metaphorical mark on the posters. When displayed, I was quite nervous that people wouldn’t understand or engage with the work as I had planned, however, the project was quite well received. In the two hours that the posters were exhibited, about 20 people sent out postcards to their loved ones, the two postcards most commonly chosen were the two “grow” postcards, followed by “listen” and “seek”. Other people chose to pick a postcard that resonated with them, and kept them to send out later, the highest chosen postcard again being “grow” and also “listen”. A few were addressed to dads while a majority of the

raised me beautifully. I am eternally grateful.” Allowing people to engage with my work in their own personal way through the postcards was sparking some kind

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love, are thinking of them, and miss them. My personal favorite read, “You may not have raised me perfectly, but you

postcards were sent to mothers and children. The postcards that were sent were messages telling their parents that they

of connection, even if only for that moment. What I did not anticipate, however, was the stories I would hear about people’s families, and their own relationships to their mothers. One of the conversations that stood out to me was with a professor at SCAD. She was drawn to the poetic nature of the writing in relation to the visuals saying, “The beautiful E. E. Cummings style of writing makes you search and fill in the blanks for yourself.” She went on to share stories of both her parents in regards to each poster, inserting her own experiences into our conversation, into the work. Further, she was able to identify “Speak”, not only to her family relationships, but also to her career as a professor, and her feelings towards students. When talking to her, I realized that there were many similarities between her stories and my mother’s life and that is why my mother’s words resonated with her so deeply. Understanding this

Visual Exploration: In Conversation...a Dialog between Parent and Child

Actualizing Intention.

Grow: Front & Back

Visual Exploration: In Conversation...a Dialog between Parent and Child

made me connect to her on an even deeper level, as well, and we were able to start a conversation that explored the cross-sections between our lives. While this experience only lasted a few hours, it served as a building block and test of channeling my own needs, desires and intents into the making process to find purpose. Of course, as with anything in life, it came with its ups and downs, but it was a good step towards building a more genuine connection to people, proving to me that if I wanted meaning and purpose in my life, I needed to approach my work in the same way.

Find Purpose Visual Exploration: In Conversation...a Dialog between Parent and Child

Actualizing Intention.

Installation and interactions at Starland Yard, Savannah, GA Visual Exploration: In Conversation...a Dialog between Parent and Child

Finding Purpose

In Conversation installation at Starland Yard, Savannah, GA

Visual Exploration: In Conversation...a Dialog between Parent and Child

Actualizing Intention.

Postcards from viewers, ready to be shipped Visual Exploration: In Conversation...a Dialog between Parent and Child

The practice of visual communication has been following standardized frameworks for multidisciplinary practices for over fifty years. While these methodologies serve to function, they do in fact remove from them the central aspect of the process–the person; the resulting communication becoming cold, abrupt and lacking in value as an agent of culture. In an effort to reach a final functional outcome, the audience and designer are often left out of the process. To build true human connectedness, and to find their purpose, visual designers must tap into a more person-centered approach to making that embraces their raw humanness, in essence–their being, while also connecting deeply with the people interacting with their work. This investigation provides the building blocks to develop more meaningful connection within the field of visual communication by first, asking a visual communicator to look within and understand her personal needs, as well as

those of the practice. Then, she must feed her desires by engaging with her senses, which can only be done through

Conclusion

acknowledging her knowing and being of, and in the world, adding her individual why and her voice to the work, to balance the function of a visual design. Finally, she can turn those needs and desires into intent by building trust with those engaging with the work, through empathy and vulnerability. A maker is ready to and must embrace the messiness and beauty of being human and bring that into practice. This is her act of courage. By doing so, she will reach her ultimate purpose and in turn create genuine connection.

A pair of roller skates, My roller skates. I chose to put them on again, They still bring a joy, sense of belonging and presence, unlike any other, Now speeding over more than just tar and concrete, Still fastened tightly to the world, Leaving new marks, and a physical presence left forever, Creating a new identity that extends far beyond me, A pathway to a much greater experience,

A connection. To myself. To those I know. To those who I make for, who I am yet to know. So perhaps it was an act of courage to put them on again, The courage to seek, The courage to speak, The courage to listen, The courage to grow. I am glad to have reignited that spark.

Afterword

A conversation.

A presence.

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Work Cited

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Friends like family. Thankful to have gone through this experience with the best people! :) Yi-Jun Jiang, Tiffany Nunes, George Stack, Minh Hoang & (missing here) Anmol Shrivastava.