Observations
Prof Carole Goodman
Publication Design
Queens College , CUNY
Flushing, NY
Start
Students had a lot of questions about what a self-portrait meant in reference to graphic design. Their exposure to design is still pretty limited, so we looked at some examples of personal design projects, which included self-published ‘zines, flipbooks, books, postcard sets, etc. The focus was on these items since the course in which the students are enrolled is a publication design course.
First critique
Research and rough sketches were examined. One student created a “mood board,” which was a collage of various visual elements that make up her life. Another student came to class very upset since her computer completely died on her. I tried explaining how it can be invigorating to work with limitations and showed examples of projects where students worked off of the computer. I thought this need to work around technology was extremely poignant given the overall theme of the project. A few students had some rough ideas that were very personal in nature (i.e. showing images of generic family photos), but didn’t allow for a viewer to enter into the piece. We discussed the intersection between something that is entirely personal, work that is completely commercial, and something that falls in between. This in between, what I asked the students to aim for, is a piece that expresses a personal visual viewpoint but still allows any viewer to appreciate the work and possibly find some meaning in it for themselves.
Second critique
Many of the students were timid about putting their ideas and work out there on paper, so there was a lot of incomplete and “rough” work–nothing very refined. Part of the discussion included image making and communication. For example, one student found a quote from a philosopher that was meaningful to her. She paired the quote with an image of a person in a yoga position, upon which she had applied a variety of Photoshop filters. We all read this image as referencing gymnastics, not yoga. It was observed that the way in which a designer alters an image can change its literal or implied meaning. Some students took my idea about working off of the computer to heart, not just the one who actually lost her computer. One student took an airplane ticket and Chinese poetry and experimented working with a black-and-white copy machine. Her collages were exciting to look at because the compositions had a lot of movement, were dynamic, and were also organic. We speculated that this student’s work might not have been as successful if she had used the computer.
Third critique
Many projects started to come together. The student, whose computer died, embraced working off the computer by combining a bit of painting with some calligraphy and origami. Her concept revolved around being Japanese, living in the U.S. , and raising her Japanese-American children, and how this has impacted her. Another student, who comes from an Orthodox Jewish community, and was born and raised in Queens , came up with a concept based on how we form our identity based on our name. She was called one name while she was growing up (This was a Hebrew name.), but she discovered upon applying for college that she actually had a completely different (American) name altogether. As a result, some of her documents (birth certificate, license, etc) have one name, and some contain the other.
Final project
This was a challenging and worthwhile project for all of my students. They learned a lot about technology, visual expression, and meaning. Most of the portraits had a common theme that explored identity.
In examining identity, some looked upon their time in the U.S., away from their home country, as part of an adventure (One student used an image of a passport to describe his life in various countries.); as something to be reckoned with (The Japanese student who navigates the rocky waters of rearing first generation Japanese American children); or as a place of vast loneliness (This was expressed in the portrait where the student combined a ripped airplane ticket with Chinese poetry). The student with two names looked at her identity issue with a sense of humor, putting two nametags on her portrait. Only one student, who happened to be born in the Philippines , designed a portrait that embraced all of the stereotypical aspects of American pop-culture and technology: I-Pods, Playstation, Urban Outfitters, etc. His portrait was very successful even in the medium he used to create it: a Macintosh laptop.
In addition to submitting their portraits for this project, each student also created a design magazine for the publication class. Called “Difference” the students designed a front and back cover, table of contents, introduction, and template for all of the portraits. They hand bound their magazines using their choice of French folding with stab binding, pamphlet stitch, or accordion.
While I have a mostly international student class, that the emotions, challenges, and triumphs of self-discovery are characteristics we all have in common. Technology has not completely globalized the students at Queens College, since their focus seems to be mostly on their specific cultures and personal beliefs, although technical challenges surely made its presence felt throughout the creation process. It is fair to say that technology has affected us all in one way or another and has made life different than it was for the immigrant population of Queens of even a generation ago: ATM machines, cash registers, subway passes, speaker set-ups used in fast-food drive-throughs, cell phones, computers for writing papers and designing projects. Most of my students have embraced and/or grappled with technology, but are finding the balance between their personal beliefs and cultural backgrounds from their home communities and their lives in the Queens community of the U.S.
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