Wubi: Beyond the Characters

Wubi: Beyond the Characters Exhibition Design Fall 2023

Created by Paige Gilstad

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Contents

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Overview

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The Challenge & Vision

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Design Approach

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Color & Typeface

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Deliverables

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Exhibition Layout

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I. Entrance

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II. Algorithm Bias

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III. Shapes That Speak

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IV. Wang & Wubi

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V. How Wubi Works

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VI. Typing Tomorrow

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VII. Wubi vs. Pinyin

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VIII. Illuminating Characters

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IX. Step Into Wubi

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Design Work

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Collaboration & Problem Solving

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Project Overview

Project Overview This is the final project for the class Exhibition Design (ARTDES 451) at Stamps School of Art & Design. The design challenge was to transfer Wubi Method, a podcast from RadioLab, to a mock exhibition that occupies the Stamps Gallery. The idea was to explore potentials, narratives, and all potentials so we were given unlimited budgets in the project setting. The final deliverables are a 1/4” scale rough model with poster & mailer deliverables to visualize the concept & design.

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Areas & Skills

Design Student Team

Exhibition Design Graphic Design 3D Model Making

Paige Gilstad Mary Jordan Nick Pippen

Instructor

Source Credits

Hannah Smotrich

Simon Adler, Yang Yang. The Wubi Effect, RadioLab. August 14. 2020.

Challenge & Vision

The Challenge To translate RadioLab’s episode The Wubi Effect, into a compelling exhibition to occupy the Stamps Gallery using storytelling, 2D & 3D design.

The Wubi Effect discusses the Wubi Method, a Chinese input method that revolutionized the way characters are typed by assigning unique keystrokes to each character component.

Created by Professor Wang Yongmin over a five-year journey, he was able to assemble 10,000 characters into 125 fundamental components to fit on the QWERTY keyboard.

Project Vision For our exhibition, we chose to unravel the heroic journey of how Professor Wang harmoniously mapped over 70,000 Chinese characters into a 26-key keyboard, revolutionizing communication during a pivitol era. The exhibition unravels the journey & towering five-year feat of how the Wubi method condensed a complex writing sytem, and catapulted China into the global technological revolution.

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Design Approach

Design Approach Our aim was to design a visitor experience & language that resonates across diverse age groups and knowledge levels.

Through a thoughtfully designed visual language, we established a modern and playful atmosphere using color and form throughout the space. Scaling up small forms and assets to larger-than-life proportions immerses visitors within the keys, creating an engaging and interactive environment.

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This detail of our “How Wubi Works” title wall is set in Digi Grotsek Bold Condensed, created in 1968 by as the first computer font.

Digi Grotesk is used across exhibition assets as our primary typeface.

Color & Typeface

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Color

#E14E53 RGB (225,78,83) CMYK (0,65,63,12)

#E9E3D7 RGB (233,227,215) CMYK (0,3,8,9)

#515352 RGB (81,83,82) CMYK (2,0,1,67)

#00000 RGB (0,0,0) CMYK (0,0,0,100)

Primary Typeface (Title & Headers)

Digi Grotesk Bold Condensed ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Secondary (Subtitles & Captions)

Avenir Book ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Image Treatment & Other Visual Assets The use of keyboard keys to make up images, wayfinding elements, & type treatments are used throughout (see left).

Poster Design

Coming to you December 23 - Febuary 14, 2024 in Ann Arbor Michigan.

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Postcard Design

A poster (left) & event postcard (above) were created using the visual identity & exhibition content.

Designed by Nick Pippen

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Exhibition Layout

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Section Key:

How Wubi Works Scre

en–

UN

Pres

ent

atio

n Fo

1. Beyond the Alphabet

ota

ge

2. Algorithm Bias Typing Tomorrow Title Walls

3. Shapes That Speak!

4. Wang & Wubi

6. Typing Tomorrow

Wubi Vs. Pinyin Showdown

Illuminating Characters

5.How Wubi Works

Quote

7. Step Into Wubi-Interactive

Wang & Wubi: 5 Year Journey

Wang & Wubi

Step Into Wubi Interactive

Shapes That Speak

Video explanation Logographic/Chinese

P f.

“Tree” Breakdown

“Tree” Light Wall

Infographic about Chinese speakers around the world

“How do you take 70,000...”

(Interactive key title wall/70,000)

Windows (Street View)

Exhibition dates & info

this tiny keyboard?”

Prof. ro Wang

WUBI: Beyond the Characters

Reception

Windows

First fully formed Western computer

rid of Chinese all together–and Prof. W deciding to save not just language but culture too.

Prof. Portrait

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Final rough model (above) created out of cardboard at 1/4” scale.

The location of the exhibition is the Stamps Gallery in Ann Arbor, MI.

Entrance

I. Entrance Our entrance features our title wall, reception, quote wall & brief introduction to Professor Wang. This location was chosen so our title wall or “wow moment” would be visible through the windows by the street view. It features a large wall madeof 70,000 keyboard keys that make sound when pressed, and our exhibition title “Wubi: Beyond the Alphabet.”

Our goal was to introduce the sheer scale of how many keys Professor Wang had to condense down to the 26-key keyboard.

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(Left) the quote wall that displays our “problem question.”

(Above) entrance title wall & image of Professor Wang created out of varying tones of keyboard keys.

Algorithm Bias

II. Algorithm Bias After a brief introduction to the problem and the professor, we jump into what Professor Wang was working on at his top secret research facility. If China couldn’t computerize Chinese, then they were going to be on the outside looking in.

This section features a map displaying the density of Chinese speakers across the world, as well as of Wang’s hometown. After that is a mural that showcases the doubts Professor Wang faced when developing the Wubi method & one of the first Western computers.

Mural designed by Mary Jordan

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Shapes That Speak

III. Shapes That Speak!

This is a space to further explain and explore how the Chinese language works–breaking it down and comparing it to traditional romantic languages.

This section features a video that explains how the Chinese language works, as well as a light display breakdown of the character “tree” and the components that create it.

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Shapes That Speak

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(Left) “Shapes That Speak!”title wall that explores phonographic vs. logographic languages.

(Above) “Appreciating the Beauty” light display wall of “forrest” character. *Mockups are not accurate of actual exhibition layout

Wang & Wubi

IV. Wang & Wubi In this section, we embark on a journey with Professor Wang as he scales the heights of Chinese characters, turning a mountain of complexity into the simplicity of Wubi. The long hallway represents the monumental five-year journey that shaped the Wubi method.

This section is the heart of our exhibition, featuring a long illustrative & narrative wall graphic that visualizes how Professor Wang broke down the components of Chinese characters until he was able to fit them onto the QWERTY keyboard & save the Chinese language. At the end of this hallway is a triumphant video of Wang giving his UN presentation.

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How Wubi Works

V. How Wubi Works Explore the genius simplicity of the 125 components meticulously chosen by Professor Wang. These components are the building blocks of the Wubi method, strategically assigned to each key on the keyboard.

This section breaks down how the Wubi keyboard works, from c omponents at your fingertips to the summing up of the characters. The title spells out WUBI with large, backlit, interactive keys.

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How Wubi Works

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Typing Tomorrow

VI. Typing Tomorrow Step into the world of “Typing Tomorrow,”where the ancient art of Chinese characters meets the future of typing. Join us on a journey through time, exploring how Wubi has influenced and continues to shape the way we communicate in the digital age.

In this section we feature three interactive sections that envision the future of language input and how Wubi made it all possible.

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Wubi Vs. Pinyin

VII. Wubi vs. Pinyin Showdown Step into the arena of “Wubi vs. Pinyin Showdown,” where two giants of Chinese character input go head-to-head. Witness the clash of keystrokes as we compare the speed, efficiency, and distinctive characteristics of Wubi and Pinyin typing. On the larger screens, the visual spectacle unfolds with larger-than-life videos showcasing the hands in action.

This section features larger than life hands on screens typing wpm in Wubi & Pinyin. Users can see and compare the methods for themselves.

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Illuminating Characters

VIII. Illuminating Characters This interactive station features a light table with various components of Chinese characters. Users can create works of logographic art with the characters Professor Wang used to create the Wubi method.

We imagine the characters on the wall to be illuminated similarly to other backlit assets within the exhibition.

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Step Into Wubi

IX. Step Into Wubi As you step onto the virtual keys beneath your feet, watch the magic unfold. The floor comes alive, transforming into a vibrant Wubi keyboard, each step resonating with the rhythm of innovation. It’s not just about typing; its a dance across the keys, bring the Wubi method to life in an engaging and playful way.

For our final section–we imagined a larger than life Wubi keyboard projected onto the gallery floor. The words are then typed onto a screen in front, a fun way to try your hand at what you’ve learned or to play!

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Design Work Prototyping– Created a full scale rough model of the Stamps Gallery out of cardboard, as well as designed his interior walls and dividers. We also designed scale 3D prototypes for our interactive assets of the exhibition.

Visual Identity– From color, to typeface, to typographical hierarchy and image treatment, we designed brand guidelines that we would apply to our exhibition assets.

Narrative Way Finding– Since we ideated the narrative for the exhibition, we designed wayfinding methods that would assist the navigation of our audience’s experience and our exhibition narrative.

Graphic Design– Using our visual identity guidelines, we designed wall graphics, typographical displays, infographics, and interactive displays. Deliverables such as an exhibition poster & postcard were designed by Nick Pippen.

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Assets– We created engaging assets to assist our narrative and storytelling as well as providing our viewers with engaging interactive assets and displays.

Spacial Design– Considering our narrative and the layout of the space, we needed to make sure our assets could conform to way-finding, pathways, and open space.

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Collaboration For this project we worked in small design teams with artists & designers of various backgrounds.

Nick Pippen, designer, designed the posters & postcard as well as various assets, wall graphics, and to the overall construction of the model. Mary Jordan (illustrator & designer) created both wall murals, assisted with wall graphics, and overall narrative design. Paige Gilstad (designer) worked primarily with the wall graphics, narrative layout design & overall final scale model.

Problem Solving We found the biggest struggle was to work collaboratively as a team, and find ways to integrate our various skill sets when creating the exhibition narrative. Storytelling can be a challenge, yet was completely new territory working with storytelling in both a 2D & 3D space.

We discovered how important the space created in an exhibition can affect the tone, and therefor the overal experience. It was a fun challenge to design a space that intersects knowledge & play, as well as combined our individual styles.

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