Here is the compilation for Provocation 10.
Here is the compilation for Provocation 10.
In my Abstract Ink Drawing class with Ken Beck, we had a calligrapher who came and taught us about the art of Chinese calligraphy. Similar to my experience at Mahjubeh’s workshop, I was amazed to hear about the significance of calligraphy within a different culture and get to see someone who is amazingly proficient actually create and explain the process for me to see and understand. Here are my attempts on rice paper from the workshop.
Notes from a lecture in Type 1 with Jim Hood about the affect the culture in the 1940s changed the language of type.
Having Mahjubeh come teach our class and demonstrate how to write in Arabic was really enlightening to the power and diversity of language within different cultures. Hearing and seeing such a beautiful script, it was fascinating to hear about how the letter forms interacted with each other, their limitations and the way in which they could be manipulated. She also told us about the culture surrounding the letter forms, like how someone who read in Arabic would enter the page and the different levels of readability. Mahjubeh also wrote our letters in Arabic and gave us the opportunity to imitate the forms using brush pens. Just as the language has an entirely different set of cultural context surrounding it, trying to match the letterform was really difficult as my hand is unfamiliar with the way in which the letterforms are formed through quick and then slow movements that were so much more fluid and pictorial. It made me think about how difficult it would be to try and communicate effectively through design in different cultures other than my own, as there is an entire world of cultural understanding and exposure that I wouldn’t be able to replicate. It makes me respect designers who are able to transcend these cultural barriers and communicate, as well as made me appreciate the beautiful language of symbols even more. I don’t know anything about design from the history of design in the Middle East or designers who incorporate/write using Arabic, I would love to explore this area more in depth.
Progress of working out the letter forms to be coherent with the G.
After the type workshop!
Having David come visit it our class was really great, I loved having a professional type designer talk to us about what that praised position actually looks like day to day. And having him give us constructive feed back on our first explorations into our G designs really helped give me direction toward how I can more effectively communicate. It was incredibly insightful hearing specifically what he looked at when evaluating a type form, what made him decide to make a shadow cast this way or redefine a curve to make it more eloquent. Even though I don’t see myself being a type designer as a career, it was wonderful to have more insight into an integral part of design and see the same fetish for perfection and communication in a really specific area. It also made me more aware, just as Rebecca and Richard’s visit, how every single thing within design matters. Every aspect must be cared for and dictated because it all matters and must work together.
Revisiting past provocations, I tried to make my concepts a little cleaner and clearer.
My first round of sketches for the letter G based off the idea of a nest using Illustrator.
Provocation 8, exploring my past explorations of the word Nest in preparation for sketching G.
