continuing the tradition of the seasonal postcards for EIKON Home in old towne orange, here’s summer 2010…
art direction: john martelli
photo/design: brian prince
to see last christmas’, click ://here. and last spring’s, click ://here.
to visit EIKON Home, go here: www.eikonhome.com
i read this essay that is just plain great! it strikes up good conversation … everything from outsourcing jobs overseas to intelligent design. human-centered-ness is huge within the design sphere. otherwise, it’s just form. and form is nothing without content. and content is what speaks to the people. ethics were also raised when one of my professors reiterated that it’s not ethical design producing people but rather ethical people producing graphic design. i thought that was pretty cool.
My thoughts on Richard Buchanan’s Human Dignity and Human Rights.
- brianprince
It was easy for me to say Amen after reading Human Dignity and Human Rights: Thoughts on the principles of human-centered design, by Richard Buchanan. It reads like a story with a motivational ending. Motivating enough for me to donate money to, but maybe that’s what this is all about — touching humanity. Buchanan brings to light a large metaphor that provokes large thought. In comparing South Africa’s constitution with the United States’, he explains how cultural evolution lies at the very core of a government that is strong and stable for years to come. Buchanan references Dr. Kadir Asmal’s innovative speeches and translates those ideas into “graphic design” language. He writes of an evolution from “form and function,” to “form and content.” This new design thinking really makes sense because it adds human-centered value to design as a field and as a tool for creating a better way of living.
This essay is very important to all designers for the simple, yet profound statement Asmal communicates, “the connection between practice and ultimate purpose.” His principles relate to making a people-group go round, but it rings true on so many levels in so many agendas in the design world. We think of design, mainly, for it’s usability, marketability, economics, form and aesthetics, but this pushes content, end-result and, “ultimate purpose.” The best example I can think of at the moment would be this: If I was voting for John McCain and Barack Obama came to me with loads of money and asked me to design his campaign or even a piece of it, would I do it and justify it as another “job?” Buchanan says we normally consider our design by the methods in which we use, and ultimately ignore where we are grounded — at our very own core. Designing a piece of Obama’s campaign might be in my best interest, but shoots a hole in my dignity.
What defines human rights and human dignity? This seems like it’s getting deeper than the routine design problem, but I say design is the definition. Or at least the framework connecting the two. It’s a problem that combines the foot (politics, economics) with the right size shoe (culture, society). “Human-centered design is fundamentally an affirmation of human dignity. It’s an ongoing search for what can be done to support and strengthen the dignity of human beings as they act out their lives in varied… circumstances.” So it is deeper than proving someone can use it or that someone “likes” it. It has to touch/impact them in a way that advances their dignity. This raises the designer responsibility. We are not just decorators. Buchanan puts it nice though, “design is not everything in human life… design offers a way of thinking about the world that is significant for addressing many of the problems that human beings face in contemporary culture.” And appropriately, I’d like to add, “that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” (Gettysburg Address, 1863)
It all comes down to this: If you want to accomplish human-centered design, you have to reach into the center of your human being. It starts in the framework, and there are no templates for that.
to read Buchanan’s essay yourself, it can be found on page 140 of Looking Closer 5: Critical Writings on Graphic Design (Bk. 5)
by Bierut, Drenttel and Heller:
“Richard Buchanan: “Human Dignity and Human Rights: Thoughts on the principles of human-centered design.”
this weekend marked the opening for a GRAMMY Museum exhibit at the Westfield Topanga mall called Instruments of Art, which is a showcase of 6 photographers featuring 33 never-before-displayed photographs of a selection of the Museum’s critically-acclaimed public programs, featuring performances by award-winning musicians. i had a lot of fun creating the identity, collateral, evite, didactic and directional signage for the show. below is a sample of my eighties-influenced design:
title:
brochure:
directional signage:
didactic panels:
directionals:
and a sneak peek at one of the photos (Ziggy Marley at a Musical Exploration Family Program last year):
copyright Maury Phillips/wireimage.com
to get more info on the exhibit, go to www.grammymuseum.org/instrumentsofart
or visit the Westfield Topanga Mall in person. it’s on the lower level near Sears, in front of Urban Outfitters.
PÄS summer workshops for kids are coming very soon. like, this month!
Eric Carle characters
J U N E
Summer Fun Art Sessions for Kids wednesday class is already filled, but there are a few more spots in the thursday class. students will explore different mediums to learn the style and technique of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” creator Eric Carle. no art experience necessary – just bring your imagination. only 4 spots left! here’s the scoop:
summer fun art sessions is a 6-week class for kids (6–12 years old) that meets on thurdays during the summer (starting June 24th, ending July 29th) from 10:30 am to 12 noon. come have fun with us ://here. Facilitated by Kristy Prince
Storybook Adventure exercises many areas of the creative process. this class is a personal favorite because you can physically see a story develop as the kids’ minds are ticking through scenarios from their own imagination. this workshop series will take you from start to finish as you learn to brainstorm as a team, develop characters, explore ideas, and write a story, then draw, design and put together your very own Storybook! only 4 spots left in this class too! here’s the scoop:
storybook adventure is a 6-week class for kids (6–12 years old) that meets on wednesdays during the summer (starting June 23rd, ending July 28th) from 1:30 to 3 pm. come have fun with us ://here. Facilitated by Kristy Prince
J U L Y
Organizing Your Stories Through Pictures is a storyboarding lesson with Ryan Pak. He will share his secret of efficiently organizing all his creativity via a storyboarding exercise. Ryan will be sharing about different forms of creative writing and how he prepares to create in each medium. this two-day workshop consists of taking pictures, and using them to develop a story. here’s the scoop:
organizing your stories through pictures is a 2-day workshop for kids that will meet on saturday July 17th and saturday July 24th from 1 to 3 pm. come have fun with us ://here.
A L S O
PÄS Kids will have time to contribute to The Cave, an exhibit slated for August 6 – August 27, 2010 in the PÄS Gallery.
P Ä S K I D S
at project art school we value fine art and the techniques to accomplish many different styles of art, however, our kids classes are more focused on expression and fun through art instruction where children walk into an enthusiastic environment and are allowed to release themselves.
in april we held a Long-stitch Photo Album workshop with Connie Sasso. it was an adventure as all book projects usually are. getting creative with paper (wall paper in this case), the binding, and the entire process, book arts at PÄS is always fun… check out other workshops offered by Connie this year ://here. you won’t want to miss this month’s Book Arts workshop: Guerilla Book on June 26th!
RE: Downtown Fullerton Art Walk number 4
dear fullerton,
you are so freakin cool. thank you for coming out last friday night to celebrate community. i had no idea how awesome you were until you walked into our modest little shop on harbor. your awesomeness was radiating through your skin, and brightened the walls of PÄS. thanks for leaving such good vibes for everyone to enjoy all month long. you rawk.
COLAB was truly a collaborative and as far as i’m concerned, PÄS is a co-op — between you and us. if you’re down with art, you’re down with PÄS – and if you’re down with our community, you are PÄS. thank you again. please come back anytime this month to continue adding to (or drooling over) the community quilt you’ve started. and give us some ideas for the destination of our giant community canvas come month’s end. as it stands now, it’s going bleed love on the walls of our downtown fullerton apartment.
also, thanks for making Hands Across Harbor better and better each month. man, i have to tell you, it’s evolving into greatness each (2wice) and every time we do it! at the may 7th movement we broke the ice, then learned that 6pm was just too darn early, and at fri(6/4/10@7:30)day’s movement we learned how to literally make it move! …and Hands To Hibbleton was born. thank you for holding human flesh and walking a half mile in honor of it. this is the stuff we are made for – face-to-face, hand-to-hand, heart-to-heart interaction. let’s do it again july 2nd!
don’t stop.
i hope you enjoyed making your square(s), contributing them to the community canvas and striking a pose in the DittoSnaps photobooth. i know i did. let’s do it again sometime soon, say september. you down?
your friend,
brianprince of PÄS
P.S. if anyone has photos (Hands Across Harbor, DittoSnaps, and/or CoLab) to share from friday night, please send them to me: brianprince (at) 2PAS (dot) org.
photo by Rick Tamashiro
photo by Rick Tamashiro
DittoSnaps Photobooth. comin’ through.
photo by Rick Tamashiro
before shots.
photo by Rick Tamashiro
supplies.
photo by Rick Tamashiro
materials.
photo by Rick Tamashiro
photo by Rick Tamashiro
munoz love.
photo by Rick Tamashiro
munoz love.
take a workshop at PÄS. we’re fun.
we’re a part of something bigger. and that feels good.
hands across harbor. connect.
this fri(6/4)day, during the Downtown Fullerton Artwalk 6-10p, come leave a piece of you in the PÄS Gallery!
Co-Lab (an open studio community art collaborative)
Featuring the works of YOU!
In true project art school style, we will have a variety of materials for people to come in and make their mark, whether it’s a complex illustration, or just a signature – on watercolor, drawing paper and strips of canvas. We will then post the work in quilt-like fashion on the wall creating one giant piece of community.
On display June 4 – June 26, 2010.
Opening Reception June 4th, 6-10p
Downtown Fullerton Art Walk + DJ + Ditto Snaps Photobooth!
R.S.V.P. on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118995614802444&index=1
it’s hard to describe the beauty of the rooftop farewell party for landon and ali, so here are some pictures of that sunday afternoon. landon and ali are now hoeing and bee-keeping somewhere in ireland.
becky holt : www.myspace.com/beckythelion
chicken or fish : www.myspace.com/chickenorfishmusic
farewell landon and ali. come home soon.
we went to the release party for this year’s Hibbleton Independent and DASH Literary Journal at the muckenthaler and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. the bands were great and the readings from jesse la tour and steve westbrook were awesome! here are a couple shots from my cell phone:
the journal is a must have. to get a copy, visit Hibbleton in person.
CSUF Creative Writing Club publishes the annual literary journal, DASH Literary Journal. the focus of DASH is publishing short-form works of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, criticism and art, as well as hybrid texts. to learn more about DASH, click ://here or ://here.
i’d also like to share the intro to Hibbleton Independent from Jesse La Tour, because it absolutelykicksass…
HIBBLETON INDEPENDENT
A Letter from the Editor…
Dear friends,
I’m not gonna even try to sugarcoat this. It’s been a tough year.With the economy in the pits and people struggling to pay their bills (myself included), owning an art gallery is not a lucrative business. Here’s what you can expect (financially) should you decide to open an art gallery: total fucking failure. You should expect not to be paid for your work, but rather to pay, out of your own small pocket, a lot of money just to keep your doors open.
But here’s something else you can expect (and this a little harder to quantify): an abiding sense that the work you are doing actually matters, that it means something, that you are contributing something intangibly beautiful to the world, and to your community, something that has nothing whatsoever to do with money, and everything to do with those good old-fashioned virtues of beauty, truth, freedom, and love.
We’ve all got our day jobs. Some of us like them. Most of us don’t. I’ve got mine and it sure as shit isn’t Hibbleton Gallery or Hibbleton Independent. I’m an English teacher, and it’s okay. It’s a living, except when the California State Budget determines that it’s not.
But the work I do for Hibbleton Gallery, and for this little magazine you hold in your hands, is purely pro bono. Gratis. It is my gift to you. And it’s all about love. Not the sappy, cliché type love of Valentine’s Day cards and Nicholas Sparks novels. I will quote my favorite contemporary writer on the type of love I’m talking about: “It’s the sort of love you see in the eyes of really old people who’ve been happily married for an incredibly long time, or in religious people who are so religious they’ve devoted their lives to religious stuff: it’s the sort of love whose measure is what it has cost, what one’s given up for it.” (David Foster Wallace, “Tennis Player Michael Joyce’s Professional Artistry as a Paradigm of Certain Stuff about Choice, Freedom, Discipline, Joy, Grotesquerie, and Human Completeness”)
For most Americans, success depends largely on the amount of money you make. I would humbly propose a different set of criteria for success: success is measured in the relationships and friendships you make, in the people you inspire, in the gifts you give that actually cost you something, in the beauty you create, in the persistence with which you follow your dreams, in the community you help to build.
By these criteria, Hibbleton Gallery has had a banner year.
So why is art important? What I like about art, true art, is that it answers to no one–not bosses or parents or religious figures or girlfriends or boyfriends or husbands or wives or teachers or administrators or council members or board members or executives. No one. Art is a badass. It is the pure, honest cry of a single person. And thus, it is true. It is Woody Guthrie saying, “No thank you sir” to record executives who wanted him to play less provocative songs. It is Jean-Michel Basquiat alone with a spray can in a New York subway. It is my friend Steve Elkins pouring all his resources and time into making a documentary about experimental musicians around the world, a project that consumed most of his 20s. It is my friend Brianna who makes handmade zines that she gives away for free. Art is not about making money or being famous or cool. It’s none of that bullshit. It is honest, sincere expression. The folks featured in this little magazine carry the flame of art forward, and I am privileged to know them. They are true badasses. And by “badasses” I mean “really terrific people.” To quote an ancient badass, “Go thou and do likewise.”
Love,
Jesse La Tour
Editor, Hibbleton Independent
thanks to all who came out for the first Hands Across Harbor on may 7th.
video courtesy of ryan garrett of zeitgiest gallery.
It takes courage to come out and hold a stranger’s hand. We love you all. And love that we aren’t strangers any longer.
The consensus was mutual: we need to make this event later in the evening. So… the next Hands Across Harbor will be
Friday, June 4th at 7:30pm.
Join us in the event that celebrates community in Downtown Fullerton.
Wherever you are in Downtown Fullerton at 7:30pm on Friday, June 4th, come out and hold hands with those around you. You might ask yourself, “What am I doing here?” and “How long am I supposed to do this for?” Our goal is to create a human chain as an expression of loving our neighbor and remembering humanity! If nothing else, at least come outside and hug someone you don’t know, meet them and tell them why you love Fullerton so much. Be a part of it and come experience a connection you can’t get on the Internet.
you can ironically r.s.v.p. on facebook ://here.
shots from may 7th, courtesy of Studio EMP:
this must be blog week of favorites. about a month ago, two very inspirational designers held workshops at cal state fullerton’s art department during arts week. alex jackson man-handled letterpress and wendy peng woman-handled resume packaging. a saturday afternoon filled with love for the design students.
to take a LETTERPRESS Workshop with Alex Jackson at PÄS, click ://here.
wendy is a long time friend of primate design/PÄS and is the crazy queen of z is for zines…in which has been inspiring me since 2007.
image courtesty of soogood.com
and the two together. i just got the design chills from this post…
love design.
PÄS Gallery on Zvents
Beau Les Filles … July 2nd
that’s right… Beautiful Girls. right here. in the PÄS Gallery – one week from today! come see the opening of Beau Les Filles, featuring photographer Ingrid Joy who traveled to Tokyo with VeryTotemo!, celebrating the subculture of people being beautifully independent, and illustrator Artemis Nolasco, who uses a mix of watercolor, acrylic and ink on wood, as she paints vibrantly colored backdrops for her lovely muses.
coinciding with the Downtown Fullerton Artwalk, the opening will be held on Friday, July 2nd from 6-10p. June22 on the ones and twos bringing us american and japanese dance music. DittoSnaps Photobooth will be spitting dittos of all the fun you have and proceeds from the art sold will benefit Abeni, a group of women who are dedicated to loving those working within the adult entertainment industry.
RSVP on Facebook ://here.
you don’t want to miss it.
and don’t forget about Hands Across Harbor! it’s back this month. come out wherever you are in Downtown Fullerton at 7:30p (friday 7/2/10) and hold someone’s hand. more info ://here.