Well, I haven’t been posting here because I’ve been putting all of my free time and energy into my marriage, my house, and my grad school.  My, my my… Seems a little self-centered when I put it that way (and maybe it is).

My wife is helping me clean up my office.  I might be a bit of a pack-rat especially when it comes to things that might be useful in the future (like my friend Kevin who has a collection of disassembled printer gears, rods, and other things).  Basically this means that I keep all papers (never know when you might need to refer back to that information!), all outdated technology (why throw away a perfectly good coax cable?), and anything else that might cost something to replace (I know I have 50 different stacks of half-used post-it’s… but they’re useful).  However, with my beautiful wife’s loving encouragement, I’m throwing away old papers, parting with old technology, and organizing everything I’m going to keep.  I will admit, my office is getting neater.  And that’s a good thing.  It’s more functional this way, though I’m sure (if I wanted to – not that I have) I could argue that my office was functional before the cleaning as well.

On the grad school side of things, I’m updating the blog regularly now that I’ve started to build my actual project.  My project is building a game using a certain exploratory methodology.  You can read more about it if you want to.  But basically, I have to document every day I work on the project so I have it all archived when I write my thesis paper (if you have to spend 50 pages writing about a single focused topic, it had better be something you like and you had better document all of your sources).  Some people might question why I chose to create a game for my thesis when all my background and focus is in interactive media design and development.  The short answer to that question is basically that I see an important language emerging from this current / the next generation which is heavily based on gaming.  I think there are some important issues around gaming (doing good, reward systems, critical thinking) and I think gaming and education relate to each other on multiple levels (beyond the obvious).  I am one of those who believe all games teach (thank you Raph Koster) and as a teacher, I need to study this form of teaching.  Additionally, I’m using my interactive skills (project management, Flash / AS3 Coding, design, art) in producing this game, so in that way it’s directly applicable.  My hope is that this process will make me a better, more relevant teacher in years to come.  All that said, I also enjoy games immensely and I see game design as an artform.

So that’s my update for this quarter… ha!

On a side note, Josephine Leong and SuAnne Fu (both at SCAD) are really excellent teachers.  I’ve had a couple teachers in grad school that I haven’t really understood (which makes me more empathetic to my own students) but those two are really amazing.  I respect them very much.

About to start grad school – again.  This time I’m going for an MFA.  Still at Savannah, just the deeper degree.  I’m looking forward to it.  I enjoy the structured shell within which to experiment.

In other news I’ve been doing some spring cleaning around the house.  Both physically and digitally I’ve been getting organized and throwing out the old.  It feels good to purge a bit.  I’ve been contemplating which domains and things to keep as well.  Still a bit unsure.

In the last few months I’ve done quite a lot of reading on Game Design.  I’m looking forward to writing a bit on the topic.  I really enjoy games and think they have a lot of untapped potential in our society.

I finished my Masters degree Thursday. Feels good to be done. WooHoo!

Anthony Phillips pressed me on developing an application vs a mobile-ready site. I like the way he’s thinking. So I went to the handy resource A List Apart and searched for the keyword “mobile” thinking they might have some good information about mobile computing and html, etc. Turns out they do. Beginning with the article “Apps vs the Web” and going out from there, they detail the pitfalls and perks of apps and websites, and a bit about developing both (though more heavy on the web side). I like the idea of developing a mobile web version, though I think it will limit the interactivity. But specifically for the voting process, which is the biggest piece that needs to be mobile, it looks like a mobile web version is just the thing I should use because it should allow for wider participation, which is what I want. The learning curve should also be shorter, which will help with scheduling. It was a great suggestion by Anthony and this resource is helping me get a grasp on what that looks like.

AI Techniques for Game Programming is the book that got me interested in Genetic algorithms. I was originally interested in Neural Networks and went to the public library looking for anything involving that subject. In this book it also talks about Genetic algorithms as they are applied to games. I started experimenting with Genetic algorithms after that, but have never really implemented them into a real life situation.

My project does not involve Genetic algorithms as they appear int his book, but the idea of genetics and how it is applied is what is relevant to me. The nice thing about this resource is that it’s written in a way that’s easy to understand. The bad thing would be that the code is in C and the design/readability is awful. But this was a very helpful resources (and continues to be) as I’ve tried to understand genetic algorithms.

Graphic design is, according to Princeton University, “visual communication by a skillful combination of text and pictures in advertisements, magazines, books, etc.”¹ But the term needs to be tossed. Graphic Design, and the definition it carries, is far too limiting in terms of context, application, and focus for this current day.

A designer must take into account the context of their designs. Meredith Davis highlights this idea in Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. She states that a designer must account for, and design within, complex systems. No piece truly stands alone. Not only is the context social, political, and geographic, but the context is also the pieces produced before, and the pieces still to come after the current design. In fact, a design may be the only advertisement to run for a certain brand, but the context also has to do with the look and demeanor by which the company carries itself, it’s physical presence, and many other factors. Graphic Design simply, to a fault, concerns itself only with combining media, for the sake of communication, in a skillful way. This is not enough.

John Maeda, in Design by Numbers calls much of his programming work “computational design.”² Some artists might refer to his work as “generative art,” but he makes an important distinction. He has a design background and his creations are applied to a design problem – his programmatic approach is computation applied to design. One could argue that Maeda is skillfully programming the computer, but one could also argue that the computer is combining the images and text itself. Especially when some form of randomness is applied to process, the line between designer and computer blurs. This blurring breaks the bounds of what is typically defined as “Graphic Design.” This is also seen in Joshua Davis’ work. He designs and programs a computer to generate a page of shape, line and texture based on a combination of designer-set parameters and computer generated randomness. For Davis, his main skill is the process of selecting from generated artifacts the best one to use.³ There is no room in the definition of “Graphic Design” for randomness, or mere selection as Davis or Maeda would have it. Design as a whole must include computational design and selection – it cannot be limited to “skillful combinations” only.

Designers must focus not only on visual communication, but on problem solving, however it may be solved. IDEO has made a living in this arena. They view this process and methodology as “Design Thinking.”⁴ Design Thinking means approaching a problem with an open end of solutions. Perhaps the solution is a printed brochure, but perhaps instead it is a physical process or interactive experience. Perhaps it is simply restructuring what already exists. Graphic Design is too focused on the visual medium and the “combination” of things, and misses other solutions because of that focus.

Graphic Design must die and Designers must be born. A Designer is a personwho uses any tool to address any problem at hand. They are not afraid to cross lines of media and application. A Designer accounts for context and keeps the past, present and future in mind. Designers have a place in the next 40 years. Graphic Designers, with their limited focus, do not.

It’s official – I am/was a finalist in the Adobe Design Achievement Awards this year.  I tossed in one of my grad school projects and it actually did alright.  I feel a little like Eeyore right now though – disappointed about a good thing.  But it’s ok, I’ll come back with something better next year.  I’m working on an installation piece for my final Masters project and already have another application to submit in 2011.  It’s fun.  I want to enter more contests like this.

I am currently enrolled in ITGM 723, Human-Centered Interactive Design.  Generally, I don’t love “clinical” user testing. I don’t like bringing someone into a room, giving them a task, observing them doing the task, recording the results and creating the analysis. I would rather talk to a few people, talk through the process, what they might like in a product, what’s important to them, etc. However, I know from research a person’s spoken desires and functional desires are two different things. In other words, people have a hard time articulating what they want, but they can usually identify it (in the negative or positive sense) when they see it.

Paper prototyping is a traditional, clinical way of reviewing user needs and refining user experiences. I’ve not used paper prototyping (as a testing mechanism) before. As I read about it, and as I put together my first paper prototype I felt the whole idea was very stupid. To put that much effort into a “functional” prototype that did not move the development needle seemed ludicrous. Even still, I picked a task and created a functional paper prototype.

I went ahead and read other chapters of the book Paper Prototyping by Carolyn Snyder besides the one assigned. Specifically I went through the section on “Deciding Whether to Use Paper.” I begrudgingly agreed and understood what the author was getting at and why she might be a proponent of paper prototyping. I read through the research that shows that low and high fidelity prototypes generally reveal the same problems. And I feel like I understand a little better now.

However, it still bothers me that paper prototyping doesn’t really contribute much to the actual development process. Digital interactive wire frames are more involved to put together, but I think there’s some merit to the fact that I can actually expand on that development and it’s not “wasted time.” Especially in the recent years with the advent of XHTML and CSS – moving information around on the screen is not difficult and layouts can be changed very easily – that’s the point of those technologies. And I understand the author of the book is advocating “rough” paper prototypes and rapid development of those materials, but it still seems like a waste to me.

So all in all, I see how paper prototypes can fit in. I understand the merits, and I see some of the drawbacks. Will I use paper prototyping in my professional career? Probably not much if I do at all. Was it a good exercise to go through? Absolutely. Is it a good tool to have access to? Sure, it’s always good to have another tool available.

I’m starting up grad school again this coming week.  I’m taking 15 hours – which translates into three intense classes over a 9 1/2 week schedule.  I posted my schedule on my grad studies page.   I am taking two classes from my core curriculum – Interactive Media and Game Design – and one class from the Graphic Design program.

In ITGM I have ITGM-709 Visual Interface/Info Design and ITGM-715 Interactive Web Design.  ITGM-709 shouldn’t be too difficult – you’re focused on the problem of interface design more than the actual creation of the interface itself. ITGM-715 is a scripting class.  The first 4-5 weeks are devoted to Dreamweaver/HTML/CSS and the last 4-5 weeks are given to Flash.  The curriculum is a bit outdated – so I’m curious to see how this will play out.

GRDS-709 Typography Studio I is my graphic design class.  We’ll have four major projects and a process book to do in that class.  I’m looking forward to it – especially the section on designing your own typeface.  I’ve attempted to design my own typeface in the past, but didn’t get too terribly far.

I came out of the first semester with a 3.5 and I think I can improve on that GPA this semester.  But we’ll see.  I’m excited to get into it, but glad I have a break this weekend before the madness begins.

I chose to review The Morgue by Andres Serrano.  The Morgue is a series of photographs Serrano took in 1992.  The specific work I’ve chosen to look at is The Morgue (Death by Drowning II).

Death by Drowning II is a dead body photographed, cropped from just below the nose to the top of the chest, lying on its back with the head turned toward the camera.  There are no clothes or sheets shown other than the black canvas backdrop in the background.  There is no other content besides the body and backdrop.

The work is very textured and rich in color.  The body is tinted red and purple as a result of the drowning and looks to have some dirt here and there.  The lights create a shimmer on the lips, chin and neck of the body producing a stark contrast with the black background.  The extreme cropping along with the open mouth and turned head create a sense of yearning mixed with sadness.  The skin is deeply textured and discolored with vines of dark dividing the lighter skin of the diseased.  The focal length of the shot blurs the neck and chest leaving the viewer focused on the details in the face and shoulder.

There was a time that death was everywhere, but America has moved to a point that death is no longer seen explicitly, rather death is something to be handled by professionals.  No longer does the common man or woman deal with death on a daily basis.  So for this work to be interesting or shocking beyond formal qualities, the culture surrounding the work must have been sensitive to viewing the dead.  These works tell us that our culture does not normally deal with death in any sort of routine manor.

The time of the work in the United States was such that the artist and the subject would be shown, not hidden.  Additionally, the work was photographed on film and printed in color, which tells us there is a certain level of technology involved.  Serrano has created quite a stir with each progressive subject he tackles.  This series and work did more of the same.

Works Cited

http://bombsite.com/issues/43/articles/1631

http://www.artnet.com/usernet/awc/awc_thumbnail.asp?aid=424202827&gid=424202827&cid=118026&works_of_art=1