Assignment 2: Research
Current Thoughts on Thesis:
Since my last thesis journal post, I have done some more research on generative design, typography, and design systems and had the opportunity to narrow down my research. After watching an online lecture on the Typography Design Program at Cooper Union website about the typography of neon signs in New York, I decided to focus my thesis on signages, especially those of disppearing or already disappeared institutions. I, and I’m sure many others probably feel that signages in the past, especially those of small businesses contributed so much to the history and ambience of many great cities and neighborhoods. Many of them were handpainted or handmade by professionals to create unique identities to small, family owned businesses only to be replaced by shiny and stylized branding systems created by large corporations. With gentrification and real estate wars between large corporations invading communities, such care and individuality in businesses is becoming harder and harder to come by. With my generative design tool, I would like to use the signages of iconic and historical institutions and create a space for them to live in and stay in. By producing dynamic and variable outputs using my generative design tool, I plan to play off of the flamboyant and flashy branding systems that seem to be a key element for a successful business these days. With these outputs, I would like to create spaces for these identities and signages to live on the web, sort of as a memorial, sort of as an appreciation- I feel that by giving these spaces a place to live on the web, supposedly the only place that promises permanence in this day and age, I can document and solidify the imprints and impact that these institutions had on building the history of many great cities.
So far, I have collected a lot of resources about generative design and I plan to start collecting more research resources about gentrification, signages, design trends, etc.
︎︎︎Another source of inspiration for this project topic was a set of riso printed books that I encountered at the New York Art Book Fair by Secret Riso Club. They had collected signages from small businesses around several neighborhoods in New York and created a collection of artifact books printed in riso and bound into books.
src= https://secretrisoclub.com/SIGNS-ARTIFACTS-BUSHWICK
✨List of Research Resources✨
NYU Contact Resources:
1. Rune Madsen
2. Allison Parrish
3. Dan Shiffman
4. Tega Brain
5. Kelli Anderson
6. Patrick Warren
1. Rune Madsen
2. Allison Parrish
3. Dan Shiffman
4. Tega Brain
5. Kelli Anderson
6. Patrick Warren
Feedback from Class:
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Plans for what to do next:
1. Research and create experiments of envisioned output, mock ups, sketches.
2. Compile inspirations for similar projects done by others-> mood board.
3. Reach out and talk to 2-3 of contacts.
4. Find more research resources about gentrification, signage, and design trends.
5. Come up with possible options to areas that could be of focus (city, neighborhood, etc)
6. Go through some of the research resources on the list already.
7. Find some locations that could possibly be a part of project.
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