Week 2

This week I dive into methodology as I begin to reflect on the structure of my project. I also explore the hows and whys of type making for spaces, as I attempt to develop a working hypothesis.

Resource reflection: Theory Lectures

Notes on lectures can be found here.

From the theory lectures, I found the ones on Theorised Making and Professionally / Studio/ Credentials Orientated Report to be of most relevance. The Theorised Making in particular was great in relation to last week’s ideas.

Ben Evans James: Theorised Making

Fig. 1: James 2020. On A Clear Day You Can See The Revolution From Here

James’ PhD project made it clear to me how practice and theory can work together within an academic context. For example, the way James attempted to establish 4 key points for para fiction, which he then attempted to represent, almost test, through practice (Ben Evans James, 2022) was a great insight into how one might go about structuring a final major project. I also appreciated his honesty in discussing how the film ended up being less valuable than the exhibition, even though it ended up being a successful piece in the “real world” (Ben Evans James, 2022). This showed how making a successful piece on its own might not necessarily contribute to the larger theoretical aspect of a research project.

I was further surprised by the fact that James’ project “only” consisted of a few larger projects, rather than lots of smaller ones. It made complete sense (as making films and exhibitions takes a long time), yet when imagining my own project I have pictured lots of smaller projects coming together, almost as a collection of studies. James’ project made me wonder wether I could rather focus on building 2-3 larger pieces in order to thoroughly demonstrate and reflect on any chosen theories.

Referring back to my initial ideas from last week, I think all of them would fit within a theorised making context. I also think theorised making seems like the best choice for in regard to my interests, as I’m really hoping to do a lot of practice and experimentation for this last project of the course.

Alec Dudson: Professionally / Studio/ Credentials Orientated Report

Although I don’t think I’ll be doing a studio oriented report for this project, it was incredibly useful to hear Dudson’s insights into Hawraf’s internal and external documents. Although it’s not currently in my plans, starting my own practice one day does sound tempting, and as a lover of structure I really appreciates the Hawraf archive, which I also used a lot for the Studio and Entrepreneurship module.


Further research

In addition to watching the theory lectures I also wanted to make sure to look at resources related to my project.

Sascha Lobe: Beyond Graphic Design

At this stage I was feeling most invested in the type and spaces project idea, and so I decided to watch Sascha Lobe’s lecture from the guest lecture archive. Lobe’s Nicer Tuesday talk was of great inspiration to me during the Modul project, and I’m feeling very influenced by his work.

Fig. 2: Lobe 2019. Amorepacific. [signage and environmental graphics]

In the guest lecture, Lobe discusses three typography projects; the Bauhaus Archive Identity, Amorepacific and Parallax (in addition to the mentioning of a smaller flag project).

As I’d heard Lobe discuss the Bauhaus project previously this part of the lecture acted more as a refresher. However, I still enjoyed his discussion on how the team had worked on capturing the spirit of Bauhaus, by avoiding cliches. This method of visual translation reminded me of Dalton Maag’s lecture (visited last week), and how they attempt to translate typefaces into other writing systems by avoiding cliches – notions of Latin. Based on these insights I wonder: what are the cliches we must avoid when visually translating, and how do we as designers separate cliches from references of importance?

In regards to the connection of spaces and typography, I was also interested in Lobe’s examples of people’s opinions, and how they affected his final results. When discussing the Amorepacific project, Lobe mentioned a piece of mid process feedback where a stakeholder said that the letterforms weren’t feng shui (Sascha Lobe, 2018). This made me think about how one person’s opinion can really end up affecting a larger connection between space and type, but also how one team of designers could potentially fail to establish the best connection. Who should be the judge of what the best suggestion is, and will this decision ever be anything else than subjective?

Lobe also mentioned that when working on the Bauhaus typeface, people would comment on what was wrong with the work, due to the fact that Bauhaus is a known concept and that everybody would “know it better than you” (Sascha Lobe, 2018). Perhaps was this also the case with the new Munch museum (discussed last week), and part of the reason for why the building and signage received so much controversy? These thoughts really made me wonder how people’s individual (and communal) opinions affect the connection between spaces and typography. Also, does it matter, and if so, who should be the judge of wether or not it matters?

Lastly, it was of course inspiring to hear about Lobe’s projects and the typefaces’ connection to spaces. In one way his work feels like it represents the spaces they are made for, but to some extent I also think they empower (referring to last week’s research question) these spaces. The Bauhaus typeface might help people become aware that their perception of Bauhaus (form is function etc. (Sascha Lobe, 2018)) are not really true, and thus spread knowledge and awareness. The Amorepacific really gives the building a sense of decor through it’s beautiful application methods and form, and even if subjective I personally think this gives the space a sense of empowered aesthetic value.

Kafeteria August

Fig. 3: Fandango 2022. Det nye spisestedet får solid drahjelp fra Maaemo. [photograph]

Kafeteria August is a new restaurant and cafe in Oslo, that I find interesting due to it’s use of graphic design. Although a bit on the trendy side, I found the visual identity to be braver than other cafes I tend to visit to in Oslo, and this made me wonder what value the design provides to the space. In an interview, the founder mentions how the personality and engagement in a space determines it’s success (Buer, 2022). Further, he mentions that the restaurant is meant to be dynamic and joyful, so that the employees can feel a sense of ownership (Buer, 2022).

Up until now I’ve mainly thought of branding as something that should target existing and potential customers. Yet, the people working in a space are the people who spend the most time there, and it therefore make sense to consider them as part of the audience when designing graphics for spaces.


Methodologies and process research

Since I was still unsure about which project idea to go for, I went on to research potential tools and methodologies, as a step towards forming my project plan.

Visual research: an introduction to research methodologies in graphic design

I began my methodology research by revisiting chapter one from Visual research: an introduction to research methodologies in graphic design.

The discussions of analysis and synthesis, which seem to be the very basis of design methodologies, made me wonder wether my chosen methodology could be as simple as going back and forth between the two. Particularly if choosing to go ahead with the type and spaces project, a continuous cycle of choosing-of-space, analysis, synthesis, reflection (and then back to choosing-of-space) could be a good way of going about my project.

Noble and Bestley suggests that research outcomes might be used to define problems to be solved, and also that design might lead to discovery and insight (Ian Noble and Russell Bestley, 2016). This ties in nicely with James’ PhD lecture from last week, and suggests that the process of choosing-of-space, analysis, synthesis, reflection could be a relevant methodology for my project, as the synthesis would build new foundation for the analysis.

The concept of using a working hypothesis as bias for testing (Ian Noble and Russell Bestley, 2016), also seems relevant to my project. Perhaps (if going for the type and spaces project) it would be good to start off with a hypothesis – a set of principles for making type for spaces – and then to test it within continuous cycles of choosing-of-space, analysis, synthesis, reflection.

Tim Ingold: Thinking through making

In a talk at at the Norwegian museum of cultural history, Ingold discusses a range of topics and ideas (originally used in a course that combined anthropology, art, archaeology and architecture). I found these ideas very inspiring and wondered wether some of them could potentially contribute to a working hypothesis for my project.

Design and making
In the talk, Ingold reflects on wether form could emerge from the making process itself (discovery through making), rather than being something you think of from the start (Tim Ingold and UiO: Museum of Cultural History, 2021). In relation to type making this is interesting. What was to happen if we used physical aspects of spaces in experiments of making, to develop a typographic outcome?

Material
Ingold talks about the shift from a logic of being (object) to a logic of becoming (material) – a mind shift that takes place when thinking of things as materials rather than objects (Tim Ingold and UiO: Museum of Cultural History, 2021). When designing for spaces, what was to happen if we thought of the spaces themselves as material that can be used for the design, rather than solely adding design to a space?

This act of thinking in terms of materials, Ingold suggests, forms a circular system where objects shift and change continuously (Tim Ingold and UiO: Museum of Cultural History, 2021). As a designer I then wonder, do we design those circular systems of materials (which for example could be altered and changed by users), or do we let go of our ego and accept that our designs can only live for so long? In relation to sustainability we might want to use materials that can participate within this cycle, but change in terms of form at a later date.

Senses in perception
As Ingold mentions, vision is regarded as objective, but when we begin to think of vision as watching, it’s not really objective anymore (Tim Ingold and UiO: Museum of Cultural History, 2021). This becomes interesting in relation to my reflections on Lobe’s projects, and how people’s opinions can interfere with the connection between space and typography. Further, the perception of different senses (Tim Ingold and UiO: Museum of Cultural History, 2021) is fascinating as I imagine taking all senses into account when making could lead to interesting experiments.

Gathering
To me as a designer, Ingold’s discussion on gathering is fascinating because the coherence in graphic design can be so abstract. Ingold talks about gathering as a “mixture of chunk and something that weaves it together” (Tim Ingold and UiO: Museum of Cultural History, 2021). So in type making for spaces, what is this something that weaves it together? Are we as designers the weavers? Are the users? Or is it perhaps the connection of a shared aesthetic, concept or historic reference? Is it solely intellectual or can it also be physical? After all, the very fact that the typography is in the physical space ties it to the space wether it’s appreciated or not.

Design Genius. The Ways and Workings of Creative Thinkers

In regards to what makes good typography for spaces, Design Genius. The Ways and Workings of Creative Thinkers provided some insight. In the book, Ambrose and Harris suggest that value in design can be created by 1: making something more attractive, and thus making users warm up to it, and 2: increasing usability, speed and/or ease (Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris, 2014). Thinking about way finding for example, typography doesn’t need to be beautiful. It does however need to be functional and easy to understand. Yet, if the way finding is beautiful, it might help visitors warm up to the space and/or organisation of who’s space it is.

I was further inspired by the following quote: “Designs may contain an aesthetic narrative whose sole function is to fulfil a role that is fundamentally important to the perceived nature of an item.” (Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris, 2014). Signage for example, does of course play a role in how we perceive a space, and in most cases I assume it’s aim should be to enhance how we see it.

Ambrose and Harris also suggests that designing becomes easier when designer and editor is the same person/people (Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris, 2014). We as designers are not architects or spatial planners, but perhaps we could work with these people from the start of a project, rather as an after thought? I think it could be really interesting to discuss this notion of collaboration with a set of architects. Snøhetta might be a good agency to talk to (although probably very hard to reach) as they have both architecture and design divisions.


Graduate projects

During this week’s peer to peer session, Alice discussed how she had used previous graduate projects as research, in order to come up with a concept for her project. As I was feeling quite unsure about my ideas (and wether they were too broad) I decided to do the same thing.

All notes and projects explored can be found here.

Tony Clarkson – storytelling as aim

Cycling brings many different things to society; how can design tell the story of its diversity and cultural value beyond the stereotypes associated with it?

Fig. 4: Clarkson 2021. Bike bloc. [graphics]

Tony’s project question wording was very helpful, as I liked the idea of basing my question on storytelling. If choosing to do type for spaces I’d like to take historic aspects of that space into account, yet I’d also like to consider other aspects like it’s community, materials and architectural concept. All of these themes could be communicated through storytelling.

Although I’m not considering exhibition design for my project, using the entirety of a space could be an interesting way of making typography part of a space, beyond wall hanging and “typical” signage.

Annie Bowers – connection as purpose

How can design help us to connect with, and take notice of, nature that exists in urban environments?

Fig. 5: Bowers 2021. Nearby Nature Project. [ink on paper]

The idea of connecting with a space, describes what I think typography for that space should do. The history, function, vibe and art of a space are all aspects of which visitors can connect with, and it would be fascinating to explore how typography can help them do that – both in terms of custom typefaces, but also of application.

Annie’s question also made me reflect upon the purpose of my project. Beyond the demonstration of the how in developing type, the purpose could also be to help people connect with spaces. The outcome(s) should ideally give people a sense of understanding for a space. However, the goal shouldn’t be to explain it completely, but rather to give visitors an intuitive feeling of connection/understanding of what the space represents.

The purpose of connecting with a space could be to gain a sense of knowledge, entertainment, wanting to come back, provide a spark of creativity, or simply to give visitors a sense of sensation. Visitors connecting with spaces could help the organisations of those spaces to connect with their visitors, but the purpose of type could also simply be to provide mental stimulation.

People tend to spend as little brain activity as possible, and so the type’s purpose could almost be to force visitors to pay attention to and connect with their environment.


After looking at graduate’s wording of their project questions, I developed a couple of new project question drafts:

  • How can typography be used to help people connect with spaces?
  • How can typography be used to change people’s perception of a space?
  • How can typography be used to tell the story of spaces?

Out of the three I was feeling most drawn to How can typography be used to help people connect with spaces?, as this question could really let me explore the intuitive and abstract value of graphic design, demonstrating the importance of it, whilst also getting to experiment and make.


Choosing spaces

Having worked on reshaping my type and spaces question, I had pretty much decided on going ahead with this direction, rather than the speculative sustainability project from last week. An important next step was therefore to start looking into potential spaces to design for.

On one side I was tempted to go for significant spaces that could provide with easily accessible references. However, I also figured that insignificant spaces could offer an interesting chance to investigate and discover new stories.

Insignificant spaces are hard to discover unless you know about them, and so going on walks could perhaps be the best method of research. Unfortunately I didn’t have time for that this week, but I noted it down as a possible action point for week three. In the meantime I attempted to look for more significant buildings:

Villa Stenersen

Fig. 6: Korsmo 1937–1939. Villa Stenersen. [architecture]

This beautiful villa, designed by architect Arne Korsmo, is now owned by Norway’s national museum. I love the aesthetic and I think I’d enjoy learning more about functionalism, and the architect’s vision. My worries if choosing this space is that the space itself is so beautiful, and I’m not sure wether typography would add value beyond simple communication. The architectural period also has similarities to the furniture references from my Modul project, and I wouldn’t want this to be a copy of that project.

The building is a great stylistic reference for design and type making, but perhaps then for design which is to be applied to another context than the space itself.

Snøhetta: proposed Thor Heyerdahl museum

Fig. 7: Snøhetta 2020 – 2025. New Kon-Tiki Museum Proposal. [architecture]

What I like about choosing this space, is that the building has not actually been made, and it therefore doesn’t have any current typography associated with it. Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian explorer, and I think his life and history would provide me with an abundance of references to base a concept on. Beyond visual references I also think the notions of exploration and nature conservations would be amazing to explore through typography.

As Snøhetta has already designed a concept for the building, the project would be more limited in terms of exploration. However, that might lend itself well to an initial type exploration, where I could test my methodology by developing a couple of letterforms, and perhaps make observations that could add to my working hypothesis.

I also explored this beautiful work in progress by Snøhetta, which has great potential in terms of visual reference.

Sagene bad

Fig. 8: Ahmer 2022. Sagene Bad. [photograph]

Sagene bad is a beautiful community swimming pool that has been closed for many years (it recently opened up for school children). The space is a wonderful piece of architecture, but I also like the communal notion of what the space represents, and how that connects to it’s closure.

Looking at images from the inside, I noticed that the wall colours and decorations have been changed as time passed, and some of the older references could be great to use as part of the type making process. In Oslo’s digital archive I was able to find photographs of people using the pool, which showed a wonderful sense of spirit – very different to what I associate public pools with today, and something I’d like to try and capture with type.

Fig. 9: Unknown maker. 1955. Arbeidernes Ungdomsfylking AUF [photograph]

I further liked that several people from the community seem to have protested against the pool’s closure, meaning I might be able to track down people for interviews or workshops.

Other spaces

In addition to the above, I also looked into The old Munch museum, Bekkelagsbadet (a modernised public outside space by the coast of Oslo) and Økern bad (another community pool, designed to be reusable and circular).


Potential principles for the working hypothesis

As mentioned in my methodology research, I wanted to develop a set of principles for my project, which could act as a working hypothesis. The principles would attempt to convey what one needs to consider when creating typography for spaces, and as I move forward I will hopefully add and subtract from the list, based on feedback, interviews and test reflections.

Below are the points I established this week, inspired by the above research, as well as prior experiences working on the Modul project:

Spirit, not cliches

  • Ref. Lobe and Dalton Maag
  • Visual translation litterature
  • We must work to understand what the cliches we must avoid when visually translating are, and how we as designers can separate cliches from references of importance

People

  • Who are the people of the space?
  • The type should somehow convey and facilitate for the owners and visitors
  • Getting all the information from the people of that space, but at the same time not letting those people tell you into a solution

Empowered aesthetic value

  • Doesn’t need to be beautiful, but it should be aesthetic somehow, in a way that compliments the space

Material, not building

  • Ref. Ingold we should think about the space as material, rather than buildings and objects
  • This way we can hopefully shift from a logic of being (object) to a logic of becoming (material) → using the materials of the space as part of our applications (Tim Ingold and UiO: Museum of Cultural History, 2021)

Afterlife

  • There should be a solution for the applications’ afterlife
  • Can the type applications be altered by future designers?
  • Are they recyclable or dissolvable?
  • Can the typography last for as long as the building? Or will there be systems in place for dealing with outdatedness?

Perception

  • How do people perceive the design? Is it in line with the way in which the space should be perceived?
  • What senses are used to perceive it? If multiple, what variation in value does each sense of perception add to the space?

Gathering

  • What is the connection that gathers type and space (why is the type right for this building)?
  • There should be an element of connection, be that historic reference, use of material, conceptual similarity, form and/or function.

Weekly wrap up

I quite enjoyed getting into theory this week as I began to reflect on my project’s process and methodology. The reflections on Lobe’s guest lecture was fascinating as it helped me begin to think about what my working hypothesis could look like.

Although I’ve enjoyed the various reflections and readings, I must also admit that this week has been a bit draining. Next week it would be great to shift things up a bit, perhaps by moving on to do some visual research, or quick experiments. I’d also be keen to get outside in order to look for potential spaces.

Although I’m starting to feel engaged in my project, I think it would have beneficial to discuss my project with more people this week. The weekly peer to peer session was very rewarding that way, but next week I’ll also begin to collect feedback from a tutor and perhaps outsiders. I’m currently feeling a bit stuck, and not very confident that my project is narrow enough, and so I think gathering feedback will be very valuable as I move forwards.


REFERENCES:
Ben Evans James (2022) ‘Lecture 1 – Theorised Making’. Canvas Falmouth Flexible [online], 21 January.

Buer, L. (2022) Det nye spisestedet får solid drahjelp fra Maaemo, www.dn.no. Available at: https://www.dn.no/d2/smak/det-nye-spisestedet-far-solid-drahjelp-fra-maaemo/2-1-1119973 (Accessed: 4 February 2022).

Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris (2014) Design Genius. The Ways and Workings of Creative Thinkers. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Ian Noble and Russell Bestley (2016) ‘Chapter 1 Why and How’, in Visual research: an introduction to research methodologies in graphic design. 3rd edition. London: Fairchild Books.

Sascha Lobe (2018) ‘Beyond Graphic Design’. London. Available at: https://fast.wistia.net/embed/channel/442tfhl7jj?wchannelid=442tfhl7jj&wmediaid=z1m2rpgrw3 (Accessed: 28 January 2021).

Tim Ingold and UiO: Museum of Cultural History (2021) Thinking Through Making – Seminar. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZXIP73uVJk (Accessed: 2 February 2022).

LIST OF FIGURES:
Figure 1: Ben Evans JAMES. 2020. On A Clear Day You Can See The Revolution From Here [film still]. Available at: https://benevansjames.com/On-A-Clear-Day-You-Can-See-The-Revolution-From-Here-1 [accessed 4 February 2022].

Figure 2. Sascha LOBE. 2019. Amorepacific. Pentagram [online]. Available at: https://www.pentagram.com/work/amorepacific/story

Figure 3. Sigurd FANDANGO. 2022. Det nye spisestedet får solid drahjelp fra Maaemo. D2 [online]. Available at: https://www.dn.no/d2/smak/det-nye-spisestedet-far-solid-drahjelp-fra-maaemo/2-1-1119973

Figure 4. Tony CLARKSON. 2021. Bike bloc. Falmouth University [online]. Available at: https://falmouth-design.online/showcase/tony-clarkson/

Figure 5. Annie BOWERS. 2021. Nearby Nature Project. Falmouth University [online]. Available at: https://falmouth-design.online/showcase/annie-bowers/

Figure 6. Arne KORSMO. 1937–1939. Villa Stenersen. Nasjonalmuseet [online]. Available at: https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/besok/visningssteder/villa-stenersen/

Figure 7. SNØHETTA. 2020 – 2025. New Kon-Tiki Museum Proposal. Snøhetta [online]. Available at: https://www.snohetta.com/projects/540-new-kon-tiki-museum-proposal

Figure 8. Siri Nilsen AHMER. 2022. Sagene Bad. The Metropolitan Museum of Art [online]. Available at: https://www.ao.no/vil-at-sagene-bad-skal-apnes-for-flere-onsker-jo-liv-og-rore-i-den-arverdige-bygningen/s/5-128-242465

Figure 9. Unknown maker. 1955. Arbeidernes Ungdomsfylking AUF. [photograph]. Arbeiderbevegelsens arkiv og bibliotek [online]. Available at:  https://digitaltmuseum.no/0210110469478/arbeidernes-ungdomsfylking-auf-sagene-ila-aul-arrangerte-arlig-svommestevne/media?slide=0 [accessed 4 February 2022].