Net Art/Criticism
Course code : DESI1054
Course co-ordinator : David Watson
Introduction
This course is about art and design. It's about learning to look, it's about exploring ways of using the web beyond the normal, it's about learning to be critical of the work of others and it's about improving your own graphic skill. The course is an investigation of the possibilities of the web as a medium for art and design. It also uses the medium of digital photography to explore graphic design concepts such as composition. The course is composed of 3 assessed projects and a number of workshops. The 3 projects, described below, are designed to satisfy the aims of the course. This course does not concern itself with technical aspects of web design such as coding standards and accessibility but any work undertaken should be done with these things in mind. Although the assessment does not give credit for good code, marks may be deducted if a site falls well short of expected standards.
The face-to-face sessions are designed to expose students to a range of creative graphic design topics and to give critical feedback on project work.
Course Diary
The course diary gives an overview of the timetable, weekly topics and submission dates for this course. There may be occasional changes, so check back frequently.
| Date | Room | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 7th Oct 2009 | Lab C | Course & Thesis Project introduction - David & Tom. Photographic composition - David Watson |
| 14th Oct 2009 | Lab C | Web Thesis Project Final crit (all students) - David & Tom. |
| 21st Oct 2009 | Lab C | Branding - Nickie Hirst. |
| 28th Oct 2009 | Lab C | Typography - Malcolm Southward. |
| 4th Nov 2009 | Lab C | Information design - Nickie Hirst. * |
| 11th Nov 2009 | Lab C | Web Thesis Project Personal brief and research proposals - David & Tom. |
| 18th Nov 2009 | Lab C | Website criticism - Tom Turner. seminars |
| 25th Nov 2009 | Lab C | Flash & web media 1 - Anastasios Maragiannis. |
| 2nd Dec 2009 | Lab C | Photoshop for the web - David Watson. ** |
| 9th Dec 2009 | Lab C | Flash & web media 2 - Anastasios Maragiannis. † |
| 16th Dec 2009 | Lab C | Interface design - Nickie Hirst. |
| Christmas Break (3 weeks) | ||
| 20th Jan 2010 | Online | The Journey is the Reward - submission. †† |
| 24th Mar 2010 | Lab C | Project 2 - brief issued. ‡ |
| 28th Apr 2010 | Online | Project 2 - submission. ‡‡ |
All sessions will take place 10am to 1pm on the above dates.
Attendance is not required for "Online" events.
* Critical essay brief issued.
seminars Each student to give a seminar on their chosen topic.
** Critical essay submission.
† The Journey is the Reward brief issued.
Key Texts
- Internet Art by review
- At the Edge of Art by review
- Photo Idea Index by review
- Composition by review
- Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills by review
- Dynamic Learning: Flash CS3 Professional by review
See the reading page for more information on these titles.
Further Reading
- The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos by review
- The Art of Richard Long: Complete Works by review
- Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop by review
See the reading page for more information on these titles.
Online Resources
- Internet art - Wikipedia
- Histories of Internet Art: Fictions and Factions - University of Colorado
- Virtual Projects - Guggenheim Museum
- Ten Myths of Internet Art - Essay by Jon Ippolito
- Links to Internet Art Projects and Resources - Internet Art by Rachel Greene
- Photography Composition Tips - Digital Photography School
Course Documents
There are currently 6 files in this section
| Filename | Size (KB) | Date Modified | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Critique of your competitors.pdf | 39.9 | 28th Mar 2009 | |
| A Critique of your competitors.pptx | 37.8 | 28th Mar 2009 | |
| DESI1054 Course Brief 08-09.pdf | 66.3 | 28th Mar 2009 | |
| Flash tutorials.pdf | 8,354.9 | 3rd Dec 2009 | |
| Photographic composition.pdf | 3,836.5 | 6th Oct 2009 | |
| Photoshop Creating Buttons (sample chapter).pdf | 4,117.5 | 7th Dec 2009 |
Assessed Elements
This course includes 3 assessed elements; two projects and an essay. Details of these elements are given below. Each of the elements has a slightly different weighting and this is indicative of the degree of difficulty and/or the ammount of work required. The weighting is as follows:
- Critical essay: 30%
- Project 1 - The Journey is the reward: 35%
- Project 2 - Website out of time: 35%
Critical essay
Website Graphics compete with Fast Food Fliers for the award of "Worst Graphics Around". This is partly because it is a new field of design and partly because of the limitless possibilities. We can do little about these two problems. But it is also because Website Graphics have received insufficient critical attention and reasoned debate. For the role of critics see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critic and the "See Also" links. So we are asking the Web Design and Content Management class to write essays relating aspects of critical theory to Website Graphics. The brief is: take a topic in aesthetics or critical theory, as set forth in a Wikipedia article, consult other references (electronic and print) and then relate the topic to examples of web graphic design. It will not be enough to explain the theory and it will not be enough to find examples of web design: you must use examples to explain the theoretical topic. You should be generous in providing illustrations and they should be of two types (1) drawn from other arts (2) drawn from web graphics (if the examples can come from the genre of website you intend to use for your Thesis Design Project, so much the better).
It would be sensible for the group to choose different topics but this is not a requirement. The essay question is "How does the topic relate to web design and other types of design?" Please follow the links to all the topics on the list and, for your own topic, make use of the "See Also" and "References" sections on the topic.
Submission requirements: a seminar presentation of around 10 minutes followed by the submission of a 3,000 word illustrated essay. An indicative mark will be given for the seminar presentation and the final mark (= 30% of the marks for this course) will be made after submission of the essay. In all cases, you must cite references and supply web links. See the course diary for relevant dates.
List of topics
- Art Criticism
- Art History
- Critical theory
- Literary theory
- Aesthetics
- Beauty
- Wabi-sabi
- Composition (visual arts)
- Canons of page construction
- Genre studies
- Golden section
- Photography
- Typography
- Page layout
- Mimesis
Notes
- if taking a topic covered elsewhere in the course (eg photography, typography page layout) you must give particular attention to genres, indicators of genres and critical principles within genres (eg in Photography the genres include: art photographs/journalism photographs/medical photographs/fashion photographs)
- if taking topics which are not "graphic" you must both explain the principles involved and also explain how they could relate to graphic design (eg critical theory and literary theory), using illustrations
Mode of submission
Your essay must be submitted online in the form of a blog. A blog will be provided and you will be given login details. You should also keep a local backup copy of your essay. Completed work must be submitted on or before the date indicated in the course diary above.
Examples of student work
- Cosmetic Surgery Websites: Analysis with a Painterly Eye by Ron Ng
- Web sites for large high-street retailers by Francis Storr
The journey is the reward (project 1)
The introduction
When designing a website, we often talk about the "user experience". Whole books have been written on the subject and we (as web designers) spend a deal of time thinking about it.
One of the more interesting distinctions between "art" and "design" is in the concept of "experience". A designer will usually consider the experience of the user i.e. the person or persons for whom he/she is designing. Conversely, an artist is more concerned with their own experience. This can be either the experience of making a piece of art or of forming a piece of art from a previous experience.
In this project, we will move from design into art by changing the emphasis of "experience" from projected to personal. We are going to use a website to convey a personal experience with little or no consideration for the viewer – they may take from it what they will.
The journey
Each of you must make a journey. It doesn't matter whether the journey is from your living room sofa to the kitchen fridge or whether it's from Land's End to John o'Groats. It will probably help, however, if you are unfamiliar with the chosen journey. You must record the journey. You may record the journey in any way you feel to be appropriate. You may use still photographs, video, sound, sketches, words, phrases, found objects, memories, colours, textures, feelings, maps, interactions or any other method.
Your aim is to record your experience of the journey rather than the journey itself. For example, simply drawing a line on a map may illustrate the journey but it says absolutely nothing about your personal experience. Consider carefully what you see, how you feel, what you hear and how time passes. Consider also how your mental picture of a place is composed – glimpses and broad strokes or studied detail. To some extent this may be a function of your mode of transport.
The website
When you have completed your journey and have recorded your experience, you must create a website to express your experience of the journey. Depending on your experience, you may want to use a traditional narrative framework (start, middle, end) or you may want to play with time, or even eliminate time altogether, simply focussing on feelings and memories. Since this is "art", there are no real rules except that the work must have integrity.
The assessment
Assessment for this project will be based on the success or otherwise of your website to convincingly represent your experience. Naturally, as with all art, this is rather subjective but integrity, depth of thought and innovation will score well. The site will also be judged on the appropriateness of the graphic design and aesthetics. No account will be taken of technical issues such as coding. This project represents 35% of the course mark.
Completed websites must be online and ready for viewing by the date indicated in the course diary above.
All text pieces by Richard Long – www.richardlong.org
Examples of student work
- Journey by James Glasheen
- Journey by Francis Storr
- Journey by Robert Armstrong Pike
- Journey by Mia Spencer
The four pieces of work listed above are examples of past student work for this project. Some are Flash-based artworks; others are just embedded video and some are just HTML and images. This project is a really good opportunity for you to experiment with Flash and other media.
Typographic design for a poetry website (project 2)
This project is designed to get you thinking about the important role that typography plays in website design. It's often tempting simply to use the standard fonts in a default state. After all, they're designed to be legible on a screen. However, a creative use of typography can really set your site apart from the others and inject personality into the design.
The introduction
Typography is a hot topic in web design at the moment. Designers are excited because of new/recent technologies that will allow future websites to correctly display any font the designer wishes. This has never been possible on the web before and graphic designers do not have the same fredom of expression on the web that they do in print.
Despite the obvious restrictions on the web, it is still possible to create imaginative and professional-looking designs with type. There are many typographic controls in CSS that designers often fail to use effectively. Simply setting the line-height of text can make an enormous difference to legibility.
The recent interest in concepts such as "progressive enhancement" means that it is no longer considered essential (or desirable) for websites to look identical in all browser and on all platforms. Consider, therefore, using creative font stacks - server preferred fonts to those who have them but allow your design to degrade gracefully for those who don't - or serve alternative fonts.
Some inspiration (in no particular order)
- 15 excellent examples of Web typography - I Love Typography
- 15 Great Examples of Web Typography - I Love Typography
- 10 Examples of Beautiful CSS Typography and how they did it… - 3point7designs
- 10 Web Typography Rules Every Designer Should Know - Webdesigner Depot
- 101 Examples of Text Treatments on the Web - Webdesigner Depot
- 8 Simple Ways to Improve Typography In Your Designs - Smashing Magazine
- 42 Amazing Resources for Inspirational Typography - Speckyboy
- On Web Typography - A List Apart
- 20 Websites with Beautiful Typography - Six Revisions
- CSS Typography: Contrast Techniques, Tutorials and Best Practices - noupe
The brief
You are to design a website showcasing the poetry of a poet. If you do not have a favourite poet of your own, you may choose one of the following:
- Ted Hughes
- Stevie Smith
- Robert Frost
- Emily Dickinson
- Philip Larkin
- Thomas Hardy
- Seamus Heaney
- Ogden Nash
- Sylvia Plath
- William Blake
The website need not be comprehensive but it must consist of a homepage containing some introductory content and at least 3 pages featuring poems by your chosen poet which are navigable from the home page. Content should be accurate and some historical research/reading will be required.
The assessment
Assessment for this project will be based on the success of your website to effectively and creatively display the typographic content. Marks are awarded for visual design and for technical accomplishment in a 60/40 ratio. This project represents 35% of the course mark.
Completed websites must be online and ready for viewing by the date indicated on the course diary above.
Workshops
Photographic Composition
Taking photographs for web pages and considering composition…
Photographic Portfolio
What's the best way to create a photo portfolio page using XHTML and CSS? Can you improve on this one?
How about this technique?
Flash
Creating a Flash slide show…
Course Materials
There are currently 11 files in this section
| Filename | Size (KB) | Date Modified | |
|---|---|---|---|
| flash01.jpg | 17.2 | 28th Mar 2009 | |
| flash02.jpg | 23.7 | 28th Mar 2009 | |
| flash03.jpg | 14.7 | 28th Mar 2009 | |
| flash04.jpg | 10.5 | 28th Mar 2009 | |
| flash05.jpg | 14.6 | 28th Mar 2009 | |
| Photoshop_Balloons.jpg | 136.4 | 28th Mar 2009 | |
| Photoshop_Rockies.jpg | 154.0 | 28th Mar 2009 | |
| template01.htm | 2.5 | 2nd Dec 2009 | |
| template01.jpg | 6.4 | 28th Mar 2009 | |
| template02.htm | 2.5 | 1st Dec 2009 | |
| template02.jpg | 7.6 | 28th Mar 2009 |
