Design in Question: Uncriticized
by Mei Asada, Cindy Chan, Tammie Kim, and Fiona Wada-Gill
What is graphic design?
Throughout our experience in the design field, we have always been curious about what the next steps in graphic design might be. Establishing an identity within the workforce, traditional versus contemporary aspects to design, and how our background shapes us as designers are just a few of the considerations we had.
Uncriticized is a physical space to allow viewers to immerse themselves in a judgment-free zone. We ask questions about the future and the past of graphic design and used CMYK colors on the risograph printer to explore where the colors of print could take us.
We drafted up our first 25 iterations based on the questions we had from the readings “Designing Designing” by John Chris Jones, “Practice from Everyday Life” by James Goggin, and “What Does It Mean to Decolonize Design?” by Anoushka Khandwala.
Following the initial designs, we brainstormed ways to install our risograph prints into the installation. Our original idea was to create a small space/ room where viewers would be able to enter, sit down, and write their own questions and thoughts on paper. After discussion that it may be a hazard, we opted for a corner of the gallery space where we could suspend our prints on fishing wire and give guests the option to enter the space or view it from the outside.
Once that idea was approved, we began to refine our designs and the process began.
Mei’s Process
I started thinking about uncriticized creation because I started to struggle with creating. I thought about what that is when I was making a watercolor painting in which I mix colors intuitively. I thought this idea would be great for a group project. The designs that I made for this project were quite random and I intentionally did not want to put too much in-depth thinking of what it “needs” to be because I wanted to create without the pressure of is it good or is it bad.
When I built the model for this project we all thought about hanging objects so I built a potential model for how the installation would look. Originally I thought it would work on a grid structure, but upon going to the space I realized that I would have to tie it directly to the drop ceiling. I thought the wooden alligator clips were small enough and not too distracting from the design. I thought the clear fishing line would be a good color to use to give the illusion of being invisible.
I enjoyed making and printing the designs on the Riso printer, I thought that it was quite fun to see how these images turn out and see the misregistration of the image. I enjoyed using the Riso and definitely think I would like to use it again.
I thought it was pretty hard to work in a group, but I just let people add whatever they liked because I do not believe that there is any reason for me to judge what should be there and what shouldn’t be.
Cindy’s Process
Going into this project, I wasn’t really sure of what I wanted to do or what I wanted to explore. I came into this project free-minded and wanted to play around and experiment with expressing myself and the forms that I created. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with gradients, geometric forms as well as the effects of blurring and distorting and wanted to convey that through my 25 iterations. I didn’t really have much thought making my iterations, I mainly used my intuition to create and the design I made was random, yet somehow cohesive in the colors and gradients.
As a group, we originally had the idea of creating some sort of wish tree where the audience can interact with the installation, take a paper and hang it on a piece of string we installed. Although we didn’t use this idea as our final product, we wanted to do something similar in which we install hanging fixtures with our printed riso iterations on them to create a safe space for uncriticized art to observe, think, and be absorbed into the surroundings.
After meeting up with the group and starting to install into the physical space, we could see our vision come to life in Gallery 5. Reflecting back on this process, I thought using the riso printer and seeing how my prints came out was very interesting. The riso print really brought out the colors that seemed so dull on the digital screen and the audience could see that within the different prints in the installation.
Tammie’s Process
The readings sparked questions about mycareer path in design and my identity within the field. Initially, we had planned to question the integration of culture in design but expanded these thoughts into something broader. We asked questions like, “Is design universal?”, “How much money will influence us?”, etc. As Isought to uncover my own answers to these questions,I discovered that sometimes a question can’t be answered. If anything, it urged for more questions to be asked.
As I was creating my designs for the installation, I integrated some of the questions I had from the readings. I mainly focused on asking questions that didn’t have the right answer. These types of questions were perfect for our installation because our space was meant to be a judgment-free space. My initial iterations were consisted of gradients and free form shapes, which I have always been interested in. In my second round of iterations, I refined them to pattern based or question based designs—some prints had only shapes and images on them and some emphasized the questions. Asking these questions allowed us and the viewers to be immersed in a space of our own thoughts.
Although we worked separately for the majority of the time, it was so nice to see all our different ideas come together in one space. We helped each other with ideas for our installation, how to use the risograph printer (something I really struggled with in the beginning), and also supported each other on our ideas.
Fiona’s Process
Going into this project, I was worried that due to everyone’s busy and changing schedules it would be difficult to settle down on one idea. We all had different ideas that somehow correlated with each other but it was hard to filter them into an installation that we could visualize. After we had started working with the risograph and were able to understand the possibilities that it could make, I think there was a lot more freedom in our work. We were able to refine and produce the content to help us see how the visual setup would be.
Although our schedules didn’t always coincide with each other, we were able to document the process through videos and pictures to see where we could help one another out. In the end, the end product was pretty much what a lot of us had imagined, but it gave us the opportunity to see beyond what was already there or the potential that the installation could have grown into if we had more time, space, and resources.
Although group projects are always challenging and my group too had moments where we weren’t sure how we would proceed, we were able to use our own strengths to create a very calming but powerful installation. I hope the work shows the work and time that we put in as well as each of our art styles. Everything looks similar if you look from afar, however, once you are within sitting and reading the questions, you too become part of the project.
Reflection
Although our team had initial doubts about our ideas and process, we were able to come together in the end and create a space that was true to us. Our strikingly different design styles and interpretations allowed us to create a rich and immersive experience with separate ideas and questions. The communication of our ideas became clearer as each day passed and we began to find the perfect balance between our working styles. This experience was very rewarding and memorable for us and in the end, we couldn’t have asked for a better team.