Taking a Line for a Walk: Assignments in Design Education
In 2014, we were asked to submit some of our favorite assignments to be included in the 26th International Biennial of Graphic Design Brno. These assignments later appeared in Taking a Line for a Walk: Assignments in Design Education edited by Nina Paim and Emilia Bergmark in 2016.
Assignments included:
Human Algorithm (with Neil Donnelly)
With a partner, devise a set of instructions of at least ten steps to carry out a task. The task could be something utterly commonplace and practical, or outlandish,
unprecedented, and absurd. Use “if”, “if/else” (i.e., “if this, then that; or else, do this”), “while”, or “for” statements as needed to anticipate unpredictable conditions or decisions…
Stories as Networks (with Neil Donnelly)
Jorge Luis Borges was an Argentinian writer famous for his short stories that deal with labyrinths, dreams, religion, and mathematical ideas (particularly set theory concepts like infinity and cardinality). His circuitous and meandering prose, full of allusions and vivid imagery, is a good way to think about the Web as a network that has many nodes and many connections, and that continuously folds upon itself. It is the act of navigating through this maze that brings meaning to the Web experience…
Meaning in Multiples (with Julian Bittiner)
Collections help us to filter and make sense of the world. Through the act of collecting, we develop a more critical eye. We compare and contrast, define patterns and anomalies, form judgements and develop preferences…