Danne Woo

The computer is an amazing tool that most designers really do not use to its full potential. The software applications that are used by the masses are just that, created for the masses and are not perfect for every project. In this class we will be looking at using computational algorithms as a tool to create beautifully designed visual graphics.
Over the semester we will be exploring design topics like form, color, grids, typefaces and 3 dimensional objects and combining these with computational topics like randomization, repetition, transformation, generative and data manipulated design. Each class will consist of a lecture and live coding examples as well as student project presentations and critiques. We will be using p5js as our main platform to focus onthe intersection between the visual arts and code

The massive amounts of data that we produce as a culture is steadily rising year after year. This ever-growing sea of information needs to be understood. Since we are all naturally visual people, the best way to understand this data is to graphically interpret it as data visualizations. Over the course of this semester we will cover this entire process. First sourcing publicly available data sets. Then analyzing these data sets to pull out the points of interest. And finally designing visualizations based on our findings for a specific audience. The first portion of the semester will be focused on printed infographics and the second half will focus on both interactive interpretations of the data using HTML5 as well as data sculpture using digital fabrication tools like 3D printing, laser cutting and CNC routing.

Using a keyboard and mouse is not how we communicate with each other, so why do we use these archaic tools to communicate with our machines? In this course we will be focusing on how we can use microprocessors (like the Arduino or Raspberry Pi) and their programming frameworks, along with sensors, motors, potentiometers, cameras, etc. to allow humans to more naturally interact with digital and physical installations.
The ability to use our hand gestures, facial features, touch, body movements, voice, along with other environmental and biometric sensors will allow us to break the awkward relationship that we currently have with our computers. The students will be encouraged, through weekly assignments, to take these technical skills and equipment to come up with interesting, creative and artistic outputs. Interdisciplinary and cross-departmental collaboration will be highly encouraged. Some examples: Collaboration with dancers to make interactive performances, sculptors to make kinetic and interactive artwork, and
musicians to make new interfaces for musical expression. Although this class will cover technical skills like electrical engineering, physical engineering, and programming, we will also have lectures on design, sculpture and the performing arts.

When designing in general, and especially when it comes to web or interaction design, these four steps are key when it comes to developing a website from start to finish: Discover, Define, Design and Develop. Over the next few months in this class we will go over the four D’s in detail. ”Discover” really focuses on the research that must not be overlooked when starting to design for a website, whether it is competitive audits, current client brand understanding or market research. You must “define” the user experience
and figure out the structure of the website by creating sitemaps and wireframes. Then comes the “design” process, which includes static designs based on the wireframes that have already been created. These designs are normally created in Photoshop. Finally comes website “development” which is usually created using front-end programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Occasionally designers will also program templates for a content management system (CMS) like Drupal, WordPress or any other common CMS platforms, but this requires more advanced programming skills like PHP, Python, and Ruby. (We will not have time to cover these languages in this class.)