semiotics

semiotics 6 // the map by tyler galloway

in class
quick lap around studio to review initial maps.
what organizational strategies did you use?
what is the relationship between content and commentary?
what needs to be done, relative to the brief?

lightning round: connotations
pick a sign that will be good to run through a range of visual connotations.
the class will have 30 seconds to brainstorm/sketch ideas for each of the following connotations:
fluffy, handmade, naive, official, minimal, friendly, terrifying, high-tech, medieval, calm, adorable, clean, old-fashioned, rigid, scary, whimsical.

homework
make make make! – polish up your favorite signs, work out a range of connotations for some, refine your anchorage and relay, refine your mapping strategies, make and label paradigmatic shifts within a sign, and re-check the brief to make sure you're delivering everything you're supposed to. 

listen to the 99% invisible podcast in the other post from today – just above this one – on symbols and identity from tom geismar.

crit will be in one week – monday feb 11

semiotics 5 by tyler galloway

in class
one hour group crit over work in progress: highlight successes, look for trends, and get a sense of the whole.

how is everyone? / motivation / workload / studio expectations – 1.5–3 hours outside for each class session

reading discussion.

new work for next class
preliminary map design, including all required elements from the project brief. this can be tiled in black/white or otherwise pieced together in some tidy and creative way, but should be full size. keep in mind the recent talk on organizational strategies that you can use as a starting point.

semiotics 2 by tyler galloway

in class
review readings, terms, and social issues. 

lecture: semiotics, part 2

review project sheet

homework
read "visible signs" part two, by david crow.

 additional project thoughts: when finding and collecting a wide range of existing icons, indexes, and symbols about your social issue – the wider the range, the better. think broadly – literal to abstract; logical to emotional to absurd; tight associations to loose. these can be photographs, logos, bits of expressive or informative text, illustrations, colors, textures, or whatever else you find. the primary requirement is that they must be signs – a thing that stands for something other than itself. look at recurring topics and images as well as unique instances and perspectives – for the issue, against it, and so forth.

in addition to your research above, brainstorm and create a range of your own icons, indexes, and symbols about your topic. don't worry too much at this point about being original – think about the value of convention, or of being unconventional. it may be best to think/create categorically – start making icons, then move to indexes, then symbols. don’t forget to include typographic words and phrases – they count, too. these needn't be carefully resolved at this point. quick renderings are fine. a wide range of ideas is what's most important. we can discuss and develop more later. 

bring what you find and make to next class for review. make it fun! yay!

semiotics 1 by tyler galloway

IN CLASS:
intros, syllabus, etc

lecture 1 – intro to semiotics


NEW WORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
read
visible signs by david crow (selections from the book)
visual communication by baldwin and roberts (selections from the book)

define
the following in a blog post, in your own words:
semiotics, sign, signifier, signified, icon, index, symbol, polysemy
if available on your site, tag the post “act” so i can find it easily

determine
a social issue you want to use as future content for the majority of this class. it should have some existing form(s) of iconic representation and multiple easily accessible statistics. 
example: incarceration in the u.s.
– prison building, bars, walls, handcuffs, etc. [commonly used icons]
- u.s. prison and jail population in 2013 was 2,227,500.
post your social issue to your blog, using the same format as above [title, representation, one or two basic statistics]