Hi!

Okay, we are fast approaching the mid-point of the seminar and the term!  As such let’s review today’s session with the idea of really thinking about the key takeaways from each section below and applying those towards moving quickly forward on your research, project site design, and Creative Displays.

Important: Remember that we will be meeting next Tuesday at the CAMCOR labs (http://camcor.uoregon.edu/visit/), meet us in the courtyard between Huestis and Deschutes (in front of the Lewis Integrative Science building).

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First, we worked in peer groups to help each other work on the main titles of our projects.

Takeaways:

1. Think about these as “working” titles that will change as you research your topics in more depth, and also begin to really work through your Report #2 ideas in terms of your Creative Displays.

2. We have a wonderful group of peers to bounce ideas off of and work with.  As noted with the presentation about peer review feedback do NOT feel alone in your process.  We ALL (your peer students and us instructors) have been at very rough stages in all of our projects.  Tap into all of us for help as you move forward!

3.  As we move forward on giving peer feedback to each other, think about the examples Robert showed from the peer review process and ways in which you can be constructive and detailed in your feedback (more on this later in the term!).

4. Think about the concepts of the ‘research question’ and ‘purpose statement’ and how the feedback you received today, and your working title will help inform developing these two VERY important components of your project.

Resources:

Research Questions: http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/media_items/research-questions.original.pdf

Purpose Statements: http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/09_writing_state_of_purp.asp

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Next we went over ‘Elements and Principles of Design’, all of which will be: informing your work on creating a dynamic and interesting project site; AND informing the work you do on your Creative Displays; AND giving you more of a “language” to use when writing about the art work your chosen artists produce and writing about your own work (hint: look back at the DARC brochure about where these type of uses of this design language can inform your writing!).

Note:  We will be talking about the Creative Displays guidelines next week, but very much start to think about how you will be designing a visual representation of the research you are doing about your chosen artist AND the areas of science they address within their work. = VERY important!

Takeaways:

1.  Design begins with a “point” or “dot” on the paper, the pencil tip on the paper, and moves up from there.

2.  As such good and dynamic (non “flat”) designs will utilize a strong combination of ‘elements’ and ‘principles’ of design. Dots form lines, lines create shapes, shapes combine with repetition and proximity to create balance, and so on!  (See the example  below!)

2a. Oh, and don’t forget about COLOR!

3.  Remember and apply Robert’s very important added “Principles”:

• Contrast,
• Repetition,
• Proximity,
• Balance,
• Rule of Thirds, and
• Visual Vectors (leading lines).

Be sure to consider all of these!

4.  You need to think about, and apply all the design concepts as you continue to work through your project this term!

5.  Work on the design of your project site!  Play around with those Themes!

6.  Think outside the box!  And remember that sometimes an “outside of the box” approach can itself become a new box! How can you keep pushing the box boundaries???  How can you tap into the power of the boxes (sometimes rules can be good too!)?

Resources:

Previous posted design pages for reference:

http://64.13.255.16/articles/elements_of_design/

http://64.13.255.16/articles/principles_and_elements_of_design/

http://64.13.255.16/articles/designing_for_the_web/

Examples! =

http://12musketeers.com/

https://streetart.withgoogle.com/en/

http://contests.gdusa.com/competitions/web-design/2015-american-web-design-awards

http://www.cssdesignawards.com/woty/finalists.html

Cool Poster Designs (note the various uses, and “thinking outside the box” aspects, of the design elements!): http://tinyurl.com/hlntxut

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Assignments for Next Week:

1. Post questions, comments, ideas about your project and visual presentation of the research, creativity, art, and science you have explored for your project to date. (Journal #7) Due no later than 10a.m., Tuesday, January 26th.
2. Write/Record and Post Reading Response to Richard Taylor’s article in your blog: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2011.00060/abstract. Due by 10a.m., Tuesday, January 26th. What are two questions you have for Dr. Taylor from this reading? (Journal #8)
3. Continue working on research of sources, ideas, etc. regarding the artist for your project.
4. Begin developing and creating ideas for display of research (Creative Display 1). Draft Due and Presented in Week 5.

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As always please let us know if you have questions!

Best,

Robert and Julie