Hyperformalism-pluralism group notes July 21, 2017 at 11:30 AM

Key J - Joel R - Rob S - Shannon Ra - Randy

S: access vs. cutting edge. how do these things meet? J: popularity of grpahic design. market vs. individual. choices made on wrong conceptual underpinnings. are new grads ready to enter field? service model. what re new paradigms? Dutch vs. US models. R: Roadtrip. met conservative republican (birther). complained about 9% income tax in state of CA. diff. understanding of risk. Dutch more passive? does it make people more experimental. J: Drive to innovate is more personal in Dutch model. UBI proponent. social problems no more manifest. S: need to use what we have. influences how we teach. funding contingent on grades. economics and grading linked. how to make curriculum to de-link these two factors. J: pluralism and foundations. do you build system to make students more responsible for education? can they select grading system? curriculum? R: many rules governing student teacher relationships. students should “abuse” teachers. i.e. use teachers as resource. J: internalizing rules. how to blow up rules and factory assembly line model? S: “radical design version of yourself?” is this a concrete output? J: teaching conceptual responsibility. S: learning objectives. make them as obtuse as possible. more flexibility for process. Ra: students, admissions can be arbitrary. how do you find/encourage students that are committed? J: teaching tech skills are easy. talking about politics in class more influential. Ra: economics of funding. J: better or worse economic comparison with students. R: not looking at graphic design as technique. cultivating beginners mind in students. J: blocking visual culture hard to do. do first years just do semiotics? meaning only. visual culture in its entirety. S: pluralism as speaking to specific subcultural groups. J: swiss modernism as obsolete design model. S: chronicle books: room of giant cutouts of people with things. 8 prototype audiences. Designer has to name audience. J: is it better to teach making first or meaning? Dutch model of lower level (15 years old) production/DTP classes, then students can move on to design. S: Chris Do lecture: 30K for branding and concept, 15K for design. Need to learn how to think. R: have to deprogram students as designers in beginning. J: improv comedy. “fail smaller.” S: Ira Glass. keep on making shitty stuff. get through bad ideas quickly to get to good stuff. J: changing student minds. chess vs. checkers. i.e. Coke branding. S/R: does chess vs. checkers work as a thing? S: No set path to design. not like medicine. J: solving visual culture in real-time. R: non-design electives in school? yoga, chess. J: subtext of convo is about form. all form is valid. (why?) intent? Ra: backlash to UC logo and Gap rebrand. rejection of “pluralism” or just failed design? How do you push Joel’s model of radical flatness? can students select their own curriculum, teachers? R: students designing minor field curriculum (Eindhoven). did one year, but didn’t do second year. too much work! J: (posted letter to Allan Kaprow on wiki) hyper-formal_pluralism J: choose your own adventure books. Ra: liked reading them in wrong order. S: choose your own adventure provides parameters and limits. Client wants to design booklet about future. J: dimensionality of star trek chess. choose your own adventure. idea of choice. S: illustrators needing to learn type after school. (non-linear process of education or need for foundations?) J: post-formal as form is irrelevant. hyper as form is alway relevant, but need to communicate.

lexicon: conceptual responsibility “anti-audience” (Gap re-brand) non-linear curriculum/education