I would like to know your reactions and opinions about the lecture on Synesthesia.

Here is some information about the lecturer.

Patricia Lynne Duffy is an instructor in the UN Language and Communications Programme. She has an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is an Acting Officer of the UN Society of Writers and its liaison to the UN 1% for Development Fund.
Duffy is the author of Blue Cats and Chartreuse Kittens: How Synesthetes Color their Worlds, which has been reviewed in both the popular press as well as in academic journals, Cerebrum and the APA Review of Books. She has taught English at New York University, the City University of New York, and the UN Language Programme and has written articles for numerous publications including New York Newsday, the San Francisco Chronicle (All the Colors of the Rainbow), theBoston Globe, and the Village Voice. Ms. Duffy wrote two award-winning essays, Taipei Tales and Dining in French for the literary journal Literal Latte. Her work is included in the anthologies They Only Laughed Later: Tales of Women on the Move (Europublic Press) and Soulful Living (HCI). She has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia and lived and worked in China for a year and a half.
Her special interest is in what she terms "personal coding", the unique way in which each person codes information and makes a one-of-a-kind "inner map" of the world around them. She has been interviewed about her research and hersynesthesia by a number of publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, Discover Magazine, and Newsweek, as well as on tv and radio programs such as National Public Radio, the BBC, Public Radio International and the Discovery Channel.Duffy has given presentations on synesthesia at Yale University, Princeton University, the University of California, San Diego, Rockefeller University, the University of Virginia, and others. She is a co-founder of and consultant to the American Synesthesia Association.

Elisa from Wednesday Class

Hi guys, here are some designs I am thinking about for the belly band of my cover. My book is actually a box that opens like a book and the book cloth is navy blue, and my belly band is going to be the off white color like my paper is inside. Please check these designs out for me and help me decide what direction to go in. thank you!

Tim - Visual Music: 'Drinking Song' by Rob Dougan

here are the spreads to the visual music book so far. any critique or comments would be nice. i'm not sure what i'm going to print it on yet because i wanted to use wood sheets but i have no idea how i'd do that.

song link

(the whole spread doesn't show up on the blog page so you have to click the images to see the full thing)

This is the start of my pop-up brochure for James Montalbano, just to show some progression.

Christian: Wednesday class

Miles Newlyn-Typograher

Yesul Kim -Thursday class

(Here is some information about my Typographer)


Miles Newlyn

While at Central St. Martins School of Art in spring 1991, Miles Newlyn began drawing a few incredibly complex letterforms based on a synthesis of the beautiful medieval lines found in Gothic decoration, and OCRA. The incongruous combination was to be the foundation of a typeface designed to challenge the modular contructivist fonts and the cut & paste typography of the time, a result of designers getting to grips with the Apple Mac. The letterforms were developed into a typeface named Missionary, a testament to bezier virtuosity. As a typeface it was as difficult to categorize as it was to use, almost a narrative in it's own visual language, a story about influence and time, craft and technology.

Although Missionary took almost one thousand hours to complete, Newlyn learned the finer points of bezier curves, and how to effectively get the shapes out of his mind and on to the screen. Due to its complexity, which pushed the limits of the technology, Missionary was originally released in both Postscript Type 1 and EPS formats. But as the hardware improved, the EPS format was dropped. So, although the font has an quasi-ancient aesthetic, it was designed to push the capabilities of the technology. Just as new technologically inspired fonts were low-res bitmaps in 1985, Missionary revealed the new opportunities of hi-res in 1991.

By spending a thousand hours on his first commercial release, Newlyn gained an appreciation for the time needed for refinement, as well as a degree of insanity; time and insanity that is excluded from all but the most sympathetic client jobs. At this point he was fortunate to have low overhead, which allowed his ideas time to germinate, unconstrained by commercial pressures.

The next typeface Newlyn released by Emigre was Democratica. It quickly became the friendly cousin to another Emigre font, Mason, designed by the virtuoso typographer and man with a message, Jon Barnbrook. Newlyn had met Barnbrook at Central St. Martins School of Art, who had been a major influence on Newlyn's work, encouraging the exploration of black letter and gothic type forms. Democratica's rise to widespread use deepened Newlyn's faith in the design community, and gave him the confidence to aim at pleasing his own mind and heart, rather than designing for a market, a trap that many of the larger foundries have fallen into.

Soon thereafter, designing logotypes and custom typefaces for specific clients became the majority of Newlyn's work, teaming up with London design agencies Wolff Olins and BamberForsyth. Newlyn describes a design program of "lite happiness" that characterised many end of the Millennium branding jobs: "Capitalism is utilising branding for the purpose of providing optimism in the wake of continuing bad news; corruption in political and financial circles, global climatic changes, shocking crimes committed by children - the dreadfully bleak picture painted by a 24/7 global news culture in general. As such, it's providing an escape from reality in the form of consumption and retail therapy. An escapist, infantilized and anti-intellectual blanket is being created for a powerless, bewildered and frustrated market. It's a design program of 'lite happiness,' a warm, soft and friendly quality with immediate appeal."

Miles Newlyn currently works as a type designer and owner of the type foundry x&y. His clients include Wolff Olins, Coley Porter Bell, BamberForsyth, Enterprise IG, Grey, Saatchi & Saatchi.

And here are some idea sketch for the Brochure

These were what I was going to show to you for last class but I wasn't feel well so I am posting here. I will make some samples for this week, and for the visual book I would like to make it after I hear from you.

Thank you !
yesul87@hotmail.com

Visual Music-Thursday class

Yesul Kim -Tursday class

This is the idea sketch for the case.
I bought a brown box and plastic bag (which is not in the picture)
As my idea sketch shows (some are in Korean sorry! so I am explaining here)
I was going to cover with strings that I used for the visual music book but it might be little bit too busy so I am thinking to cover with only tissue or tissue paper like what I did in the book.
or saw the string to make the bag (cover)
I do not really want to scan the book because I want to show the feeling of the strings and the tissue as this music is really emotional and touched.

Visual Music-Thursday class

Hello I am Yesul Kim in Thursday class.
I re done for the visual music.

This is 2/3of the song the rest part are same to the front part but more louder.

Here is my music: Ashanti-the way that i love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hayE_ZP0rI

Tomorrow!

Reminder! Tomorrow , November 11th at 1:30—2:30 in Room 303.

we will have a guest speaker, Pat Duffy. Lecture about Synesthesia.

Thursday class must come a few minutes before the lecture. Be punctual.

If Thursday class students can stay after the lecture for an hour and a half and show their work to me, they don't have to come to their scheduled class on Thursday. It would be a free day for you.

Please, let me know beforehand.

Olga

Storyboarding at SVA

On Friday, November 13th 12-1:30, Room 510, I invited to my Motion Graphics class a legendary animator,

Howard Beckerman, who teaches at SVA for more that 30 years.

He will speak about the art of Storyboarding. You are welcome to come and bring your friends if interested.

Olga

Something to See

Steven Heller suggests you spend some kinetic time tomorrow at "Moving Pictures: A Symposium of Illustration and Motion." http://parsonsillustration.wordpress.com/ Moderator and organizer Lauren Redniss reveals a history ofblind spots; Jody Rosen unveils “The Knowledge” of London taxi drivers (the "it" that every Londoncabbie must know); Joel Smith, a Saul Steinbergscholar, maps the artist's mind; NYPL artist-in-residence Richard McGuire http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/whos-afraid-of-noir-an-interview-with-richard-mcguire (below) screens the film Fear(s) of the Dark and more.

The event is FREE and open to the public at The New School Jazz Performance Space Arnhold Hall.

It's tomorrow, November 11, 2009, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., at 55 West 13th Street, 5th floor, New York City.

Tim (wed. class): Ed Benguiat Brochure

Here's the text for my typographer brochure:

He is a pilot and a jazz percussionist first and foremost. “One day I went to the musician’s union to pay dues and I saw all these old people who were playing bar mitzvahs and Greek weddings. It occurred to me that one day that’s going to be me, so I decided to become an illustrator,” joked Edward Benguiat, giving insight into a decision that probably should be celebrated today by designers worldwide.

Benguiat was immersed in the world of design at the age of nine when his father was the display director at Bloomingdale’s. He would play with all of his father’s pens, brushes, and learned about sign painting and show card lettering. One thing led to another and now Ed Benguiat has become a key figure in Design history. He had a part in the creation of The International Typeface Corporation, the first independent type licensing company, where he has designed over 600 typefaces throughout his illustrious career. Benguiat was inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame on November 2, 2000.

He has also cemented himself as the silent spokesperson in pop culture with his touch gracing the logos of The New York Times, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Ford, AT&T, and many more. Anyone who owns a computer owns typefaces designed by Benguiat. “How did I become famous? I never worked a day in my life,” says Benguiat. If Ed’s accomplishments weren’t brazen enough, he also happened to be born completely colorblind.

When the US joined World War II in 1942, Benguiat wasn’t old enough to join the military so he forged his birth certificate and enlisted into the Army. Benguiat then took to memorizing color scales to the point where he could differentiate between colors through their shades of grey to pass the vision test in order to be a pilot in the Air Corps. After passing with flying colors, he became a recon pilot taking photos behind enemy lines due to his uncanny ability to recognize shapes. One day on his way back from one of his routine recon missions, he finally figured he’d blow up a bridge or two while he was flying over them and by the end of the war, Ed Benguiat had become infamous for blowing up bridges.

After playing jazz for a little while after the war where he was voted number three drummer in America by Metronome and Downbeat magazine, Ed took advantage of the G.I. Bill and went to the Workshop School of Advertising Art to be an illustrator. He then got a job at a studio airbrushing cleavage out of advertisements. “I was responsible for taking away the cleavage, not putting it in as they do today,” Benguiat said. tOne day he stumbled upon his career as a typographer when “the person responsible for lettering got sick and the studio needed a lettering job done. I said I could do it. I figured I could do anything, until somebody told me different. I did the job, and I’ve been drawing letters ever since.” In order to memorize typefaces, Benguiat taped flashcards with typefaces on them in the bathroom.
Ed Benguiat’s favorite letter is the letter E. “From that letter you can make any letter,” explained Benguiat, but it also happens to be his least favorite letter. When computers started revolutionizing the culture of design, Ed Benguiat kept it old school and mastered the art of using a copy machine and razorblade as his Photoshop. A quick glance at words and he can tell the difference between hairline width differences. “Please watch this, this is your computers cut and paste,” explains Benguiat as he kerns words and adjusts weights to letters armed with only a razor and tape. He then can skillfully turn the page ever so slightly while copies are being made on the copy machine to create bodacious curves to his type. Even so, he isn’t against the use of computers and he trusts young designers to come up with something new and alive to keep pushing design forward.

Ed Benguiat continues to teach as the School of Visual Art to this day, parting priceless knowledge and stories to his students while at the same time cracking everyone up and enjoying himself. He has never missed a class in 30 years and is still on top of the game, having recently submitted a redesign for Hershey’s. “Aim for the target. And if on the way you win the lottery, then forget about that shit,” replied Benguiat when asked for parting words. Ed is just a design rock star unassumingly strolling slowly through the halls of school with his trademark mustache and weathered New York Yankee’s baseball cap, a little pin with the initials QB in honor of his WWII battalion pinned on top of the stitched NY.

Rebecca, Wednesday Class

This is my cover for my visual music. Considering we will have a short class Wednesday, I wanted some advice on how the cover is going... Should "Visual Music" be smaller? or should the other type be bigger? I think maybe the line of type should be less zig zaggy...

-Rebecca

Great Typography Exhibition at Cooper Union Institute

Hello everybody,

I just wanted to encourage you to visit a fantastic show, equally inspirational and educational: http://cooper.edu/lubalin-now/

Have a pleasant weekend,

Olga

Rebecca from Wednesday class... Neville Brody info

There was confusion about my typographer in class, I am posting some important information to better understand Neville Brody....

Neville Brody (1957- )
From the 1980s British designer Neville Brody established an international reputation for experimental design in a wide range of visual communication media. His prolific output included a range of commissions involving digital typography, magazine design (including art direction of the innovative style magazine The Face), postage stamp design, and television graphics. Brody was involved in design for the British music industry, including a range of sleeve designs for independent record companies such as Rocking Russian, Stiff Records, and Fetish Records. He attracted greater public attention through his work on The Face from 1981 to 1986, drawing freely for his visually exciting layouts and typography on avant-garde artistic ideas of the 1920s and 1930s such as those of De Stijl and Russian Constructivism. Far removed from contemporary editorial conventions Brody's work had a studied informality in the thoughtfulness devoted to the construction of its layouts, with blocks of texts often placed horizontally or vertically on the page, their often distinctive layouts contrasting strikingly with hand-mediated imagery and photography. Such ideas exerted a significant international impact on the appearance of magazine, advertising, and retailing design. From 1983 to 1987 he also designed covers for the style-conscious London listings magazine City Limits before going on to design for Arena, the men's magazine, from 1987 to 1990. For the latter he employed a much more restrained, minimal aesthetic. He founded The Studio in London in 1987 and soon attracted a range of international clients including conservation activists Greenpeace, Japanese stores retailers such as Parco, the Dutch postal service PTT, and the Austrian state broadcasting company ORF. Reflecting his growing interest in the design of his own typefaces, in 1990 he established FontWorks in London, also becoming a director of FontShop International in Berlin and launching the experimental typographic magazine FUSE. He has placed considerable emphasis on the role of the computer as a graphic design tool, the development of digital typography, and electronic design as an important means of communication.

Work

Music

Cabaret Voltaire

• Numerous T-shirt, badge and poster designs.
• "3 Crepsule Tracks" Album Cover (1981)
• "Red Mecca" Album Cover (1981)
• "Crackdown/Just Fascination" 12" Album Cover (1983)
• "Just Fascination" 7" Album Cover (1983)
• "James Brown" 12" Album Cover (1984)
• "Microphonies" Album Cover (1984)
• "The Covenant, The Sword and the Arm of the Lord" Album Cover (1985)
• "Code" Album Cover (1987)

Magazine work

• 1981 – 1986 Art director for The Face magazine
• 1987 – 1990 Art director for Arena Magazine.

Misc

• 1990 – Opened FontWorks and became the director of Fontshop International
  
• 1994 Finds Research Studios
  
• Pioneered work using Apple computers in type design
• A number of influential record cover designs and magazine designs
• Designer of Israeli leading news portal and time travel

Accomplishments

• Design for Tribeca Issey Miyake in New York with Frank Gehry
  
• Major contributor to FUSE, an influential publication on experimental typography
• Had a book written about his designs – The Graphic Language of Neville Brody by Jon Wozencroft, the world’s best-selling graphic design book.
  
• London’s Victoria & Albert Museum hosted an exhibition of Brody’s work, a huge honor
  

Fonts by Brody

Brody designed some groundbreaking fonts, including:

• Arcadia
• FF Autotrace
• FF Blur
• FF Dirty 1
• FF Dirty 3
• FF Dirty 4
• FF Dirty 6
• FF Dirty 7
• FF Dirty 7.2
• FF Dome
• FF Gothic
• FF Harlem
• Industria
• Insignia
• FF Meta Subnormal
• FF Pop
• FF Tokyo
• FF Typeface 4
• FF Typeface 6 & 7
• FF Tyson
• FF World

Remarks on the Organization of Our Class

Dear all,

That was our class agreement that we use the Blog space to ask questions, discuss issues, spread information and help other improve your projects. It is an important part of our class activity. Your are expected to participate and play an important role in the class dynamics.

This coming Wednesday and Thursday, we will spend the first part of the class on looking at your brochures in color with full (two pages) text designed according to the concepts we discussed in class.

Bring a b/w copy of your brochure so that I would collect them and bring next class with my critical editing remarks.

The second part of the class will be dedicated to the "Visual Music" project. Each student should be already on the final stages of this project, putting together all your efforts in terms of

1. packaging idea/s

2. showing us samples of your pages on different paper stock to choose the best option

3. designing the cover of your books, where the hierarchy is following:

a. the title of your book is Visual Music

b. the subtitle is the name of the song you designed

c. music by...... name and lyrics by........name, you might say performed by....name

In some cases, it will be music, lyrics, and performance by .......name.

Make sure to use on a cover only those typefaces that you used inside your book.

Covers should be stylistically close to your interior, much more memorable that any designed page: cover and pages don't have to look like twins, but also not like total strangers.

Very often, it can be an interesting combination of your most interesting typographical element and an element from your "visual music" part enlarged.

We will pay special attention to your covers this time.

By this time, your typographical part of the project should be ready. I will collect b/w prints of them. You must e-mail and Blog the url of your songs along with your name.

Please be organized and try to finalize your projects (but don't make everything polished as your FINAL, you are not ready yet).

November 11t, 12th are the last "process"classes for the brochure. November 18t, 19th—due date and the beginning of our next project. We will spend less and less time on your Visual Music project in class, waiting for it to be totally "cooked".

Reminder! Next week, November 11th at 1:30—2:30 in Room 303.

we will have a guest speaker, Pat Duffy. Lecture about Synesthesia.

Thursday class must come a few minutes before the lecture. There will be students from other classes. Be punctual.

Thank you,

Olga