Pixelgawker

In recent months, my contribution of new material to Pixelgawker has slowly dwindled. “WRITE FOR BLOG” – over the course of last semester, these three words, though often written big and bold, then circled and highlighted, moved further and further down my “to-do” list, eventually landing somewhere between “change oil in car” and “vacuum apartment.” Other tasks and other classes always took precedence over the blog, even when I tried to intentionally pencil the time into my schedule. This absence of my voice from the blog, was not a sign that I lost my desire to write, nor did it indicate that I had run out of ideas. In fact, I had many ideas floating around my head, many of which I thought would serve as a nice foundation to a useful and engaging discourse. But no matter how many times I told myself to write for the blog, I just couldn’t seem to find the time or energy to compose some words into a thoughtful and meaningful essay. So I didn’t.

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I compulsively check my email countless times throughout the day. Logging onto instant messenger has become just as much a part of my daily routine as, say… brushing my teeth. The photo sharing world of Flickr has changed, dare I say ruined, my life forever. I’ve abandoned the coalition of desktop users and joined the laptop alliance. My computer follows me around, and to it, I remain perpetually “plugged-in” to the vast world that surrounds us. (more…)

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    This past week the CCS community was introduced to the premier issue of the student produced publication, Perspective. Perspective appears to be one student’s abortive attempt to unite the CCS student body, mixed with an amateur’s undertaking in DIY desktop publishing. If the “Top 10 Reasons Why its Sweet to be a CCS Student” hasn’t turned you away yet, the “Go Green” sex advice surely will. The eight page journal seeks to explore issues presumably relevant to CCS students, yet fails to move past the cliche. Where to eat in Detroit? How to make a salad? How to forward your email? This type of information, however pertinent it may be thought, is best left for the annual New Student Orientation, or at the very least on a flyer hung around the ACB. Lee DeVito’s insight surrounding controversial art shines the brightest, but is under served among the remaining inanity. If a student publication is to succeed, its creator must carefully assess the need of its audience, and consider the question of value. Perspective hasn’t concerned itself with either. (more…)

By: Megan Deal

Failure. To lack success. To cease all function. To fall short. Failure is that doomed state that human beings, from all walks of life, indefinitely attempt to avoid. For many design students, failure is the unwelcome condition that we tend to block from our minds. The thought of being denied the personal or creative success that we all feel we deserve, is enough to send us running home to our parents in tears, straight to the local bar, or at the very least, to consider dropping all design related courses and enrolling in a business and accounting program at the closest state university. For some, the fear of failure becomes so prominent that the afore mentioned scenarios inevitably become the final “fix” in failure avoidance. But for others, all of us who are still here, still progressing forward, and still loosing every ounce of heart and soul in every single project that we complete, we’ve somehow managed to successfully suppress our fears of failure, and/or figured out how to still be productive when the possibility of defeat looms nearby. (more…)

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…)

As many of you know, Ellen Lupton visited the area earlier this semester, holding a lecture in Ann Arbor and a Family Day event at MOCAD. During her visit she was kind enough to meet a handful of CCS students for dinner and agreed to assist as she could with the development of this blog. As I began exploring the topic of “cultural literacy” in design education, I thought that Ms. Lupton would be a prime candidate to contribute. She thoughtfully took some time out of her day to answer a few of my questions. Below is our conversation:

Megan: I have drawn my own conclusion, based upon both observation reading other sources, that many design students today focus their attention solely towards graphic design.They’re looking at books, blogs, and mags, all of which are exploding with various forms of the most recent visual communication. Though I recognize the importance of staying “current” with so-called design “trends,” I am concerned that young designers are limiting themselves by focusing on such a small part of our culture. Rarely do I see a design student reading a science journal, an architectural annual, or for God’s sake, even a newspaper, and more often then not, liberal arts classes are treated as the “fillers” between are “more important” studio courses. (more…)

By Chad Reichert

CCS is not an easy place. It can be suffocating with large amounts of work and little or no time to do it. Each semester has a distinct life cycle that includes birth: the beginning the semester; celebration: creative inspirations; disappointment: getting hammered in a crit; milestones: the end of one project the beginning of the next; and death: pure exhaustion at the end of the semester. We (and I do include teachers) experience the same issues. I know the pulse of my class. I see their trepidation to experiment, their struggle to develop a process and their frustration when their results don’t meet expectations (theirs and mine). (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…)