Pixelgawker

I’m a transplant. I was born and raised on the southside of Chicago. Until I moved to Michigan 3 years ago, I didn’t know a tremendous amount about the state. Sure, I spent time at the beaches on the “west coast,” I knew that a place like Frankenmuth scared me and Detroit was a place that I thought I would never want to visit. I now work in Detroit and call SE Michigan my home. I commute downtown every day and live in the shadow of a city struggling to rediscover itself. To outsiders, Detroit is defined by high crime, misery (see Forbes) and a sinking automotive industry. To those same outsiders, Michigan is characterized by foreclosures and the mass exodus of unemployed individuals. Unfortunately, I have learned that most of these are accurate assessments. What I have also learned is that many of these characterizations can be applied to other states throughout the country. The difference is Michigan has done a better job of mismanaging their economy and a poor job of diversification.

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A few short weeks ago Julia and Brian were kind enough to ask if I would consider writing a short piece for this years Spine. We agreed that posting this essay on Pixelgawker might be a good way to generate some discussion from several different student perspectives. Their goal with this years issue, is to provide current undergraduate design students with an honest, helpful, and exciting look at what they can expect after leaving the classroom environment. (more…)

By: Megan Deal

Recently, I spent a solid half hour in the school cafeteria, chatting away with another student. We were table mates by default really, she approaching me and my unoccupied seats in a desperate attempt to find for herself a place to land and enjoy her lunch. I introduced myself, she did the same, and we proceeded to talk about a variety of topics ranging from Detroit to the over-priced sandwiches offered in the cafe. As we casually spoke to one another, I remember thinking to myself, “Wow…how nice; how exciting to be interacting with a student from another discipline.” Then, as we both described the structures of our respected curriculums, along with the type of classes that we each take, something happened. This girl, this seemingly pleasant girl, looked me dead in the eye and said: “You see, the thing I don’t get about graphic design is that you’ll do anything to make money…it’s like you sell yourselves out.”
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By: Megan Deal

We have reached that interesting point in the semester. Time is running out. The semester is ending, and deadlines are fast approaching. As time disappears our days get longer, and before we know it the line between dusk and dawn becomes blurred. We begin to shoot coffee by the gallons and intake sugar by the pounds. Projects must be complete and there is no room for error; not from the individual or from the accompanying machine. (more…)

By Chad Reichert and Megan Deal 

This interview originated from the Schools of Thought Conference 3 where I presented on the use of technology in the classroom and how it will change graphic design education. This following exchange happened between myself and the moderator of my panel. Megan and I thought it would be relevant to revisit as she has contributed her own questions to supplement the conversation.

What do you teach?
C: I teach typography, time-based media, visual communications and graphic design history.

What technology to do you use in the classroom during your classes?
C: In the class, I don’t use any particularly special technology. The usual suspects include the erasable whiteboard and digital projector.

What technology to do you use to extend the classroom experience?
C: It’s outside the classroom where technology really helps me deliver content and facilitate community within the classroom. In particular, I use instant messaging, meta-tagging, bookmaking, file sharing, ftp, blogs and remote file storage. Currently, these tools and techniques manifest themselves in programs like adium, aim and bonjour or online communities such as flickr, delicious, feedmelinks and youtube. (more…)

By: Megan Deal

I’m inclined to think that the reading habits of students today are headed toward a slow decline. This, I feel, has little to do with the capability of students, but rather, is due in part to the way that information is received. With more and more intelligible information being posted on blogs and other online sites, the internet is becoming many student’s prime source, and often only source, for obtaining information. But with it’s immediacy and ease of access, I’m left wondering if students are really taking the time to contemplate and assess what they’re reading? (more…)

By: Megan Deal

Sitting inside Bowling Green State University’s Olscamp Hall, we anxiously awaited Marian to “take the stage,” and deliver for us a mystifying lecture on life, love, and pursing design bliss. That she did. In a typical University lecture environment, complete with rows of gradually descending chairs that magically become desks, Marian engaged her student audience for a solid 90 minutes. The Vancouver residing designer was, to my surprise, a very dynamic speaker, telling the individual story of each piece as it appeared on screen. It quickly became apparent that Bantjes has a profound attachment to her work, though she discussed each piece in a very modest way – an approach that I found to be quite refreshing. Referring to her winning t-shirt design for a Speak-Up competition, (the victory she deems responsible for her growing success), Marian states that “It (being the design) won the competition.” She refers to the work itself as being the real winner, as opposed to saying “I won the competition”, or “MY design was the winner.” This unpretentiousness carried through her entire talk. (more…)