Accessibility
able to be reached or entered
Blueprint
a design plan or other technical drawing
Curriculum
a set of courses constituting an area of specialization
Communication
a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system
of symbols, signs, speech, or behavior
Community
a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common
Condition
something essential to the appearance or occurrence of something else
Conditional Design
a design ethos formulated by graphic designers Luna Maurer, Jonathan Puckey, Roel Wouters, and artist Edo Paulus. It refers to an approach rather than a chosen medium. This approach focuses on processes rather than products: things that adapt to their environment, emphasize change and show difference
Constructionist
a practitioner of a type of fabrication style in which physical objects are built with ready made objects and commonly found materials
Convivial Tools
characteristics of convivial tools are those which enhance the user’s capability to work with independent efficiency. A fairly comprehensive list might include the following characteristics: Usability, Intuitive Use, Reliability, Reparability, Durability, Ergonomics, Simplicity, Robustness, Open access, Modularity, Recyclability, Environmental friendliness, Social friendliness, Promotion of autonomy, Full service, and Eutrapelia
Collaboration
to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor
Economy
a large set of inter-related production and consumption activities that aid in determining
how specific resources are allocated
Education
knowledge and development resulting from an direct or indirect teaching process
Ethos
describes the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology
Empower
to make someone stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights
Environment
the surroundings or conditions in which a person lives or operates
Environmental Graphic Design
(or EGD) embraces many design disciplines including graphic, architectural, interior, landscape, and industrial design, all pertaining to the visual aspects of wayfinding, communicating identity and information, and shaping the idea of creating experiences that connect people to place
Experimentation
the process of testing; an operation or procedure carried out under controlled conditions in order to discover an unknown reaction
Facilitate
to make (an action or process) easy or easier by bring people and tools together
Formulate
to express an idea in a concise or systematic way
Fluxus Movement
an international, interdisciplinary group of artists, composers, designers and poets that took
shape in the 1960s and 1970s. Described as “the most radical and experimental art movement of the sixties.” Fluxus is known for experimental contributions to different artistic media and disciplines
Generative Collaboration
involves people working together to create something new, surprising and beyond the capabilities of any of the group members individually
Gradients of Proximity
levels of community based on a pre-set symbolic, figurative, or physical range
Graphic Design
noted by John Caserta as the primary process to make sense of and communicate experience
Interdisciplinary
involving two or more academic, scientificor artistic disciplines of an individual or within a collective team
Intervention
the act of interfering with the outcome or course of a routine condition or process
Input
1. a component of production
2. information fed into a data processing system
3. the act or process of putting in
Iteration
a procedure in which repetition of a sequence of operations yields results successively closer to a desired result
Ivan Illich
a Croatian-Austrian philosopher, Roman Catholic priest, and critic of the institutions of Western culture, his work addressed education, energy use and economic development through two primary texts: De-schooling Society written in 1971 and Tools for Conviviality in 1973
Language
a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings
Legible
easy to understand; understandable, comprehensible, decipherable
Joseph Beuys
was a leading German conceptual and performance artist. Known for his highly original and controversial themes, his practice of “social sculpture” attempted to make art more democratic by collapsing the space between life and art.
Manual
a printed form of instructions for learning a subject
Method
a way, technique, or process of or for doing something; a systematic procedure particular to a discipline or art
Materiality
the visual and tactile characteristics of materials
Modular
having a characteristic of standardized units or dimensions for flexibility and variety in use;
recombinable or interchangeable
Multi-Materiality
the mixed-use of multiple materials to create something
Neighborhood
a district, especially one forming a community within a town or city
Open Access
the ability, right, or permission for all people to approach, enter, speak with, or use
Open Source
when the original source information of something is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified
Open System
a system that has external interactions. Such interactions can take the form of information, energy, or material transfers into or out of the system boundary, depending on the discipline which defines the concept
Output
1. the act, process, or an instance of producing
2. mental or artistic production
Pedagogy
the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept
Perform
to present to a public audience
Prototype
similar to testing or experimenting. It’s a preliminary model of something, especially a machine,
from which other forms are developed or copied
Speculative
engaged in, expressing, or based on conjecture rather than knowledge
Open Platform
a physical or metaphorical space open and accessible to all peoples, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age or socio-economic level that allows for a heightened level of free speech or expression
Practice
1. to do or perform often, customarily, or habitually
2. to be professionally engaged in
3. systematic exercise for proficiency
Process
a series of actions or operations conducted for a final result
Processing
to carry out operations on or within
Postmortem
an examination of an object or structure’s life cycle. This reflection determines key observations of the projects usefulness
Public Space
refers to a physical location that is open and accessible to all peoples, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age or socio-economic level. These can be but aren’t limited to gathering spaces; i.e. plazas, squares and parks or connecting spaces i.e. sidewalks and streets
Scientific Method
an iterative, cyclical process:
1) make observation / formulate an idea
2) pose a question
3) form a test by setting conditions
4) predict the results of the test
5) experiment within the conditions of the test
6) iterate / alter the conditions of the test
7) re-perform
Social Illichian
a made up term. Comparable to Social Marxism, but it pertains to the lesser known theories of Ivan Illich. I resonate with Illich’s ideas of about tacit knowledge, standardization of education and the need for convivial tools. I’m an Social Illichian.
Social Sculpture
a theory developed in the 1970’s by the conceptual artist Joseph Beuys that attempted to make art more democratic by collapsing the space between life and art
Spatiality
an object or structure that occupies physical space; having physical dimensions
System
having an order; an organized set of ideas or principles intended to explain the arrangement or working of a systematic whole
Symbiotic
denoting a mutually beneficial relationship between different people or nature or both
Tacit
a kind of implied knowledge; one that can’t be transfered to another person by means of writing
or speaking
Tactile
perceptible by touch; containing materialistic characteristics
Technology
defined by Emmanuel G. Mesthene in his book Technological Change: Its Impact on Man and Society as the organization of knowledge for the achievement of practical purposes
Testing
a series of experiments performed in a closed environment with intent to observe and iterate
Thesis
(In the context of RISD Graphic Design Program) is a statement of theory and methodology that creates a practice
Torus
is a surface of revolution generated by revolving a circle in three-dimensional space about an axis coplanar with the circle
Typography
the procedure of arranging type or processing data and printing from it