Thesis Bibliography

Here are some books that I found that can be used as good resources for my thesis research...

ON IMMIGRATION

Bochner, Furnham, and Ward. The Psychology of Culture Shock. East Susses: Routledge, 2001.

Kim, Young Yun. Communication and Cross-Cultured Adaption. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd, 1988.

McKay, Dave. "The Opportunity of Immigration." Canadian Immigrant 7.4(2010): 34.

ON WAYFINDING

Gibson, David. The Wayfinding Handbook Information Design for Public Places. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2009.

Krippendorff, Klaus. On Communicating Otherness, Meaning, and Information. New York: Routledge, 2009.

Michel, Ralf. Design Research Now: Essays and Selected Projects. Basel: Birkhauser, 2007.

Rufte, Edward R. Envisioning Information. Connecticut: Graphics Press, 1990.

Uebelle, Andreas. Signage Systems & Information Graphics: A Professional Sourcebook. United Kingdom: Thames&Hudson, 2007.

Wierzbicka, Anna. Semantics Primes and Universals. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Thesis Proposal Ideas/Questions

1. To explore areas in immigrants in Canada, specifically the City of Toronto.

• How do newcomers orient themselves in Toronto?
• How do they find information regarding government services such as community centers, ELS classes?
• What are the first steps in settling in the city?
• How can design help in terms of presenting useful information of city services to them?
• How can I represent information in ways that communicate to citizens who are not fluent in English and catch their attention?

2. Designing a complete wayfinding system for both Design and Art departments.

• How do students find their ways in the building?
• How did they get used to the way each rooms are divided?
• Is there a difference (such as needs)between the art and the design students?
• How can I encourage students from different discipline to interact more with a new wayfinding system?
• How do visitors approach the building in a stranger's perspective?
• How does OCAD projects itself in terms of a designed approach in wayfinding(if it even has one)?
• How consistent is the building right now and what are the improvements?

3. Designing a clear wayfinding system for the underground pathway for Toronto.

• What are the cues people look for when they are lost and in a hurry?
• How do people feel when they are disoriented in an underground area with various pathes that may lead to many destinations?
• What are the quickest and friendliest ways to direct people in an underground environment? Who are the users and what difference does it make?

Ecochair

Of all the ways we can use cardboard, 6 students from Denmark carried on the re-usable character of the versatile material, and created a series of multifunctional Ecochairs.
The chair can easily be transformed into a bed and even a chaiselong because of the folding system. Eco is made from reused corrugated cardboard and cotton. The glue, that is made for gluing the sheets together, is made from cornflour and does not affect the recycling process. This is very inspiring to me because the students took something so simple and tangible in everyday life, then cleverly transformed it into an object that functions with multiple options to utilize. Click here to visit their website.

Breaking out of the 2-D plane

When we are studying graphic design, we're mostly dealing with 2-dimensional planes, unless it is packaging design. When my 3rd Wayfinding project was assigned, we were asked to design a wayfinding system, and our objective was to successfully combine functional design with expressive signage.

Here are some inspirational wayfinding systems that breaks the 2-dimentional planes, and begin to effectively incorporate the system into the architecture.

Docks En Seine

Nicolas Vrignaud, a French designer who developed

the wayfinding and graphics for the Docks En Seine

through Jakob+MacFarlane.

Brunswick Centre, London

Hodgkinson revisits the old, out of date site.

guardian newspaper

About Information Design in Wayfinding Class

Before I started my Wayfinding class back in the beginning of the second semester, I had many assumptions about what wayfinding is. (later I was told to never assume anything in design...) I took it straight from the meaning of the word - to look for directions. It must be associated with legibility, and articulate messages in directions, and lots and lots of arrows.

Up until now, Wayfinding consists of much more than my early presumptions. It is consisted of two major components: information design and signage/wayfinding system design. In the beginning of the class, we did an exercise in information design, where we were taught how to organize mass information into a clear and visually dynamic way. The keywords were hierarchy, micro, macro, and relational graphics.

We were recommended a book called Envisioning Information by Edward R. Tufte. I was immediately fascinated by how the information can be much more clear when the unnecessary elements are eliminated. Simplicity is the key. In one of the LAYERING AND SEPARATION chapters, Tufte pointed out that 1+1 = 3 or more.

"In the simplest case, when we draw two black lines, a third visual activity results, a bright white path between the lines. And a complexity of marks generates an exponential complexity of negative shapes. Most of the time, that surplus visual activity is non-information, noise, and clutter." p61.

Here are some final results with my project. The objective was to design a One Day Sports Schedule for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. My initial attempt was to use a gradient of colours as a suggestion for various time periods of the day.

The problem was that the colours are from dark to light, therefore it is difficult to differenciate the background from the actual information in the foreground, which lead to my second solution: I changed the background to a horizontal grey grid, divided the sports into On Land and In Water. I also added a coloured column for the indication of "Noon".

Week 6 Reading

The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action
By Donald Schon

There are aspects of knowledge where we cannot learn in a formal education, such as school and textbooks. - Auguste Comte expressed the three principal doctrines of positivism: empirical science was the only source of positive knowledge of the world; and intention to cleanse men’s minds of mysticism, superstition, and other forms of pseudokowledge; and to make technology primarily political and moral. In technical rationality perspective, professional practice is a process of problem solving. Problem solving must be broken down before it is solved in the real world. This is where practical knowledge takes place, reflecting in knowing, improve and redirect one's position while solving an unique problem. There is also reflecting in action, such as a performing jazz musician whom is composing on the spot. Therefore, knowing in practice allows one to become a natural researcher in the practice context, where new theories are drawn based on reflections of experience.

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Semiotics: A Primer for Designers
By Challis Hodge

Semiotics: the study of sings that represents anything, it is derived from Greek: semeton, sign. It originated from a Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure suggests that it is the existence of general science of signs, which can be applied to any system. Voloshinov observed that the sign is not in relation to other signs but rather in social context of its use.

Semantics: what it means

Semiotics: how does the sign mean

Week 5 Reading

I Come to Bury Graphic Design
By Kenneth Fitzgerald

This was a difficult read for me, it too myself many tries to get to the last page. Here is my effort to try to describe and analyze this reading.

To graphic designers, the discipline in general revolves with improving our live by problem solving. Designers are more and more interested in vernacular content. The problem with graphic design is that it is full of ego to change the world, that essentially it is a job that cannot exist without an application. Fitzgerald quoted others: opinions on designer's interest in the vernacular is uncritical and that it is a quest for academic legitimacy. However, some have argued that design is a “…fundamental humanist communications discipline…” In my opinion, design holds a responsibility that cannot be replaced nor removed by any other discipline. Design can, however, be interwoven into many other disciplines such as architecture, marketing, psychology and perception, etc. I think that it is valid for Graphic Design to become more involved with, and more evolved into academic studies, therefore its goal is not to search for legitimacy or approval but to merge with other academic disciplines to conquer new problems.

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Why Designers Can't Think
By Michael Bierut

Young high school students are accepted to design schools without prior knowledge of graphic design. Waiting for these students to enter, are the "process" type of schools and the "slickness" type of schools. Process schools offer Swiss-style education imported from Basel, where "slickness" focuses on the product and the polished portfolios. However, both are missing something as part of graphic design education - the interdisciplinary studies that help students to broaden their knowledge and dig deep into the content of the subject they are designing rather than scratching the surface with knowledge restricted within the visual world.

My Zine

For my Typography class, I was asked to design a short zine based on anything. My subject was based on procrastination. What I wanted to convey was a lack of urgency and motivation before a deadline hits, and the students' behaviour. The entire zine is a countdown with each number representing all the silly, but enjoyable things we do when we procrastinate.

Cool Info Graphic - visualizing music

This is not your boring music synching abstract visual from your iTunes or Windows Live Media. The French animator, Renaud Hallee has created a music video that is acting almost as if it is translating music in a visual form. The video showed various layers of music through different graphics. This is intriguing because it reminds me that information design could also be presented in motion, where things are constantly changing, such as population stats, temperature from a weather station, or ecological footprints. Perhaps all of these information could show a more dynamic and intriguing aspect when they are presented in motion, constantly recording, displaying, showing relationships to each data both in macro and micro forms.

Sonar from Renaud Hallée on Vimeo.

Week 4 Reading

Wonders Revealed: Design and Faux Science

.001 Real Science
Science influences everything we live in. It is pervasive and it has now used by graphic designers as a way to earn credibility due to lack of validation in graphic design itself. There are little attention paid to the scientific side of visual communication.

.002 Faux science
Images such as genetic DNA are being used as branding schemes. Enzymes, molecules, atom structure appear on packages to sell products.


- Science is a graphic placebo
- Lab Chic
- No substance, weightlessness

- science is the most essential phenomena of the mod age

- hygienic and objective, rational and finite, grounded in numerical certainclarit, physical density, gravitational pull

- new look and feel for GD

- easy to iminitate – fsystematic language of documentation, methodical alignment.

- Safe, counterfeit

False Authority
- Information design: instant credibility.
- Numbers, bullets, charts, graph
- We buy into the form unquestioningly
- Ahistorical
- Extreme modernism: form masquerading as content.

Panceas

Morphology – form and structure of organism with no consideration in function
- no true function
- celebrating form at the expense of content

Documenting
- too busy documenting

Cataloguing
- science analyze, design amass
- close cropping is artifice
- scientists migrate from observation to analysis to discovery
- designers make wordless books with pictures

The New Vernacular
- Design beyond reach

Project 1 research PART 2

Bike Lanes – a space exclusively used for biking, where motorists are not allowed to park, stand, or drive. They are typically 1.5m to 2m wide. A painted diamond shape and the illustrated bicycle on the road surface indicate the space dedicated for cyclists.Painted arrow on the street directs the flow of the traffic on that lane.
Sharrows are two chevron marks and a bicycle symbol, these are painted on the road surface to suggest a shared lane with the motorists. This arrow instructs the cyclist where to stay on the road. Shared roadways are part of the bikeway network, and are populated with bike signs. However, there are no direct painted signs on the road to suggest lane space. This is normally found in streets with lower traffic volume.

The Bikeway Network Route System are designed to allow cyclists navigate safely in the city. Each bikeway has signs mounted on poles, indicating the number of that path along the street. They are often found at intersections and decision points.
North-south routes end in odd numbers (1,3,5 etc), beginning at Mississauga
East-west routes end in even numbers (2,4,6), beginning at Lake Ontario.

Road signs
Confirmation
* Confirms number and direction of route
* Usually located on far side of major intersection

Bike route intersection
Signs at intersecting bike routes advise cyclists on route options
Direction change
• Advises cyclist to make left/right turn to remain on bike route

Bicycle Actuated Signals
Actuate – to operate

Bicycle actuated signals (three dots) are action sensitive signs. Cyclists are meant to stop on top of the painted dots to activate the traffic light from red to green at smaller intersections.

The Toronto Cycling Committee conducted a research based on the usability of these bicycle actuated signals, the results showed cyclists are unaware of the actuating function. The vehicle detectors are more effective and passive for motorists than cyclists. In order for the traffic light to switch, the cyclist must understand how to operate and how to correctly stop on the actuating zone (where the dots are). Some alterations are suggested such as push buttons or embed a more passive technology to detect the presence of a bicycle rather than for the cyclist to approach the sensors.

project 1 research PART 1

TORONTO CYCLING STUDY

Terms of findings:

Cyclists – those who ride a bike for utilitarian and/or recreational purposes
Utilitarian cyclists – those who ride a bike for utilitarian purposes such as communiting to work or
school, running errands, going shopping or visiting friends. Utilitarian cyclists may also ride their
bicycle for recreation or fitness purposes
Recreational cyclists – those who ride a bicycle for recreation or fitness purposes only
Noncyclists
– those who do not ride or own a bicycle
City of Toronto – includes North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Toronto, York and East York (four
districts)


Perceptions of cycling:
‐ reason for increase in cycling is because of the quality of cycling is better than 10years ago.
o In general, the participants rate the quality of the current system the same or lower
than 10 years ago.
‐ Therefore more cyclists could mean that there will be more expectations from the cycling
lanes. “Disconnect” between the growth of the cyclists and the quality of the cycling system
‐ Safety is the most concerned about cycling
o Most cyclists feel more comfortable with bike lanes.
o 1/3 prefer roads without bike lanes+
‐ Having biking lanes separated from the car traffic is widely preferred by the general public.
o Having improvements in such areas could encourage more people to bike on roads
‐ data suggests that up to 40% of recreational cyclists could be motivated to cycle to work or
school regularly, half of whom would do so if biking to work/school were safer than it is
now.

City of Toronto, Online PDF Source:
http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/network/network-project-status.htm
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NEWS ON CYCLING COLLISIONS
Michael Bryant charged in cyclist's death

A 33‐year‐old cyclist was struck by the former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant and
was pronounced dead in the hospital.
‐ The victim’s name was Darcy Allan Sheppard, who was struck on Bloor Street near
University Avenue.
‐ On the day after the death occurred, a dozen cyclists sat on the intersection and chanted
murder.
‐ An argument took place between Bryant and Sheppard around 9:45pm near Bay and Bloor
street due to a minor collision.

The Star
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/689220
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COMMENTS FROM THE CYCLISTS
On Street Harassment (forum)

A cyclists was being yelled “Ride on the sidewalk” and “Take the subway idiot!” while riding
without getting in anyone’s way on the road.
‐ Some commented
‐ “I find that the abuse is more frequent in the areas surrounding downtown. It's usually more
likely that the drivers aren't used to sharing the road with cyclists and they generally have no
understanding of the laws that apply to cyclists (a good example would be drivers yelling at
people to ride on the sidewalk).”
“oh, I've been there too. A number of times I've had cars try to shoulder me out of the way drift
into the lane, or just drift towards me to sandwich me between them and the curb. I generally
manage to stop in time or speed up out of it. Once I had to ditch the bike though.
Honestly have no idea what encourages drivers to do this to me..”
“Q: Why are drivers so abusive?
A: Toronto roads are badly designed, and the downtown core is especially poor. Very
frustrating.

I Bike TO
http://www.ibiketo.ca/forum/advocacy/street-harassment

Eric Karjaluoto talks about design, brands, and experience

The Heart of the Matter - Is the true value of design its ability to evoke emotion?
published in Applied Arts Jan/Feb 2008
Here's an online link: http://www.ideasonideas.com/2008/01/the-heart-of-the-matter/
Karjaluoto, a creative director at Vancourver-based smashLAB brought up an interesting experience during a presentation for a client. His project was nearly done when the client came to realize that there are logo offers that go as low as a few hundred dollars, and what the current design firm charged seemed too far over priced. Despite all the strategic research, careful attention to detail and execution put into the final work, the client felt cheated.
This is a typical disconnection between the client and the designer, where the visual language is not comprehended by the client. Karjaluoto later realized that what he explained to his client was not what the client wanted to hear. The sole explaination to the project should have been an elaboration of the emotion that is evoked in the logo, and not its process nor its strategy development prcocess. Finding that emotion and interpreting it to its audience is not an easy tast, therefore, but having that emotion could mean the success of the designer.
"As visual communicators, we're in the business of crafting reactions. If we can embrace this truth, we'll do our clients and ourselves a great service."

Week 3 Reading

The Review of Literature
By Judith Bell

When conducting a literature review, it is important to understand and only list the key issues, and provide a clear picture of the subject. The writer also needs to draw insightful conclusions by questioning assumptions; compare more than one sources of research; and classify large amount of information into an understandable pattern. Literature review also includes theoretical frameworks, which could be translated as explanations to human regularities and relationships. It could be formed by empirical observation and categorization. Having a structure of theory allows the reader to better understand the content of the knowledge.

1. Evidence of reading
2. Collect many facts, but classify them
3. Framework will provide give you ideas about a structure for your review
4. Give a picture of the state of knowledge and of major questions in the area
5. Note pages numbers of paraphrases.
6. Proof is hard, make no claims.
7. Examine sources for bias, and false acclaim
8. Unless comparing like with like, make no comparability
9. Do not leave out other research differ from your own findings.
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Annals of Information - Know it all

Wikipedia has become the most popular encyclopedia online. It has a high page rank due to frequent visitors who constantly update and change the content of a certain page's definition. It's original mission was to give access to encyclopedia to everyone in the world in their own language. This goal is slowly being achieved with the increased access to internet from all around the globe. It now has a complete system that manages the flow and incoming information provided everyday. However, its down sides are that users often edit and re-edit for purposes outside of purely providing information, as some pointed out that wikipedia gives to no privledge to those who know what they're talking about.
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The New Yorker out of Print
By Eric Alterman

It's been 300 years since the first existence of newspapers. Now that internet has taken over news publishing, newspapers are losing its advertisers and readers faster than ever. There is even a chance for newspapers to come to an end. Newspapers were used as a tool to reflect the voice of democracy, now that internet is accessble by a vast majority of people, news are shared instantly and by many voices together(e.g. a blog and its comments). Information is being delivered with more freedom and speed, compare to newspapers, where writer's voice is controlled by the editor and not the journalists themselves.

Chip Kidd - Good is Dead

I was recently introduced to a celebrity designer named Chip Kidd from my editorial class.Book designer and novelist Chip Kidd. (Fred R. Conrad/New York Times/Simon & Schuster)

The well-known New York based book designer's work has been featured in Vanity Fair, Time Magazine, ID Magazine, etc. He designed almost 800 book covers, a large number of the best selling novels from the past decades had been designed by him.
All of his books are cleverly designed with strong use of imagery, symbols, and typography. In a CBC interview, Kidd commented that the book is “a metaphor for the way advertising can work and the way advertisers and agencies have a tremendous responsibility because of the — almost literally now — viral ways that their messages are disseminated to society.”

Zines

I had never paid too much attention to zines until a recent project popped up in Type 4 class, where we were instructed to research and create a zine. To get a better understanding of what zines are all about, I attended the school's Zine Fair on the 18th.
Zines are self-published in small quantities, which often contains more humanistic and less corporate values interpreted in an artsy, personal, and sometimes quirky tones. This is an interesting topic for a project not only because of its unlimited boundaries to generate based on our interest, but also allow us to research lots of information, and tap into the cultural, less branded side of our lives.

One of the magazines that I found engaging was Worn, a fashion magazine that does not focus on trends, nor seasons of styles.
"Since we do not report on trends or promote the newest items on the market, our content is as interesting and relevant today as it will be five years down the road...WORN hasn’t missed the fact that there are scads of fashion magazines out there. But we feel something is missing: opinion and intelligent commentary that’s untainted by advertisers’ demands."

I also visited the Toronto Zine Library down on Spadina and Brunswick street, click here for their blog.

week 2 reading

A Review of Forty Years of Design Research
By Nigan Bayazit

"Design Research is systematic inquiry whose goal is knowledge of, or in, the embodiment of configuration, composition, structure, purpose, value, and meaning in man-made things and systems. – L Bruce Archer."

Design Research is part of the science of the artificial. It concerns with numerous obligations of design to humanity. Such as how designed objects work, how designers work, and the meaning of the outcome. However, the purpose of design research is to investigate and research on the topic, which began from the emergence of Bauhaus and modernization.

Design research was first applied to military weapons and rescue aids for the World Wars. When the Second World War ended, military technology and research methodology was transferred and applied to solving every day problems. Design methods utilized various scientific engineering disciplines and looked more at rational design applications. This was the First Generation of Design Methods. The Second Generation incorporated the user's decisions, as well as social aspects.
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Paradox of Modern design Education
By Jessica Helfand

Helfand pointed out an interesting phenomenon of modern designers who are freshly out of design programs. She used an example of Konstantin Stanislavsky, who revolutionized theatre system and compared it to the current situation in Graphic Design. She indicates that the Graphic Design students are over exaggerating their message to a point where it loses its honesty and genuine tone. What Helfand suggest is for students to work with an emotional honesty, that contains humanity and truthful attitude.
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The Problem: The Heart of the Research Process


Basic Knowledge - research that are associated with enhancing basic knowledge about the physical, biological, psychological, or social aspects. It is more scholarly and academic, which deals with human being's theorectical conceptualization.

Applied Research - research that is used to lead to a decision or solve a problem through observation or data collecting.

Problems to encounter:
- it should be not used for self-enlightenment.
- Its sole purpose is not to compare two sets of data.
- calculating the coefficient of correlation between data.
- Problems that will end with a yes or no answer.

Looking for a problem:
- observe your surrounding
- read literature
- attend professional conference
- seek advice of experts
- choose an interesting topic

Research on wayfinding

Here're some examples of wayfinding in a parking lot. This does not necessarily have anything to do with bicycle lanes/signage (which is what our group is working on), however, it shows how wayfinding could be handled in a more creative and fun approach. The system is designed by Axel Peemoller.

Coarse Toys

This is a team of two Hong Kong-based German artists who design toy figure collections. These figures are very distinct and fun, and cost a fortune to own...


The packaging for these toys are gorgeous, not your everyday see-through plastic boxes with a figure inside. This is their most recent collection "False Friends". Here is the link.

Identities of the Decade - from Brand New

Brand New a wonderful source for looking at the latest identity make overs. Every entry includes a detailed description and opinions on the identity. Just recently readers are able to participate in votes and surveys to show their opinions as well. The website is great for keeping you updated with the branding world.





Click here for the full details on the rebrand of Pepsi

The amount of work put into a logo is enormous. The transformation of Pepsi had taken numerous stages with large amount of sketches. Based on concept, the logo is developed systematically with consistent curves, circles and angles to achieve a final product.

What is Research?

By Leedy Ormrod

What is Research?

1. Research originates with a questions or problem.
2. Research requires clear articulation of a goal.
3. Research requires a specific plan for proceeding
4. Research usually provides the principal problem into more manageable subproblem
5. Research is guided by the specific research problem, question, or hypothesis
6. Research accepts critical assumptions
7. Research requires the collection and interpretation of data in an attempt to resolve the problem that initiated the research
8. Research is, by nature, cylical, or more exactly, helical.

What is not Research?

1. Research is not mere information gathering
2. Researchis not mere transportation of facts from one location to another
3. Research is not a catchword used to get attention.
4. Research is not merely rummaging for information.

Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art Design and Knowledge in the University and the “Real World”

• Lectures from programs such as semiotics, literary theory, etc. were introduced to students back in 1937 in the New Bauhaus of Chicago.
• Design is synthetic, meaning that "it does not have a subject matter of its own. It exists in practice only in relation to the requirements of given projects."
• Proposes graphic design education as a liberal arts subject
• Aristotle defined liberal arts as: not mechanical; not utilitarian; no restrictions in the mind; and has an intrinsic value.
• Educators should pick up the trends to prepare their students for the future. Make them adaptable
• Liberal art could include: history and theory.
• Design is about meaning and how meaning is created: where science, literature, sociology and history all take part.

The Landscape of Graphic Design Education

by Meredith Davis

• The numbers of design programs have raised due to the popular demands in this profession
• However, Graphic Design is no longer practiced in its traditional way, students need to know more, such as social sciences and liberal studies to widen their knowledge for a more well-rounded education.
• Schools need to prepare students for this change in the profession
• Research is also important in the design context: for master students
• Because too many schools are offering design programs, there is a shortage of legible faculties