Cognitive Theories with Type
On 18, Apr 2017 | In Print, Typography, Typography 1 | By Matthew
This assignment asked students to research two different cognitive theories and enact them with a typographic poster. Students were directed to watch three segments of the National Geographic show “Brain Games” and take notes.
Next, they selected one of the two options, “typography in motion” or “anamorphic typography.” Their task was first to explain one fact about how the brain works and the second to enact that idea on the people who view their typographic poster.
For Typography in Motion, their prompt was “How can a designer give the illusion of motion when working within the given limitations?” For anamorphic typography, their prompts was “How can a designer give the illusion of depth and perspective when working within the given limitations?”
Concerning content, sometimes undergrads struggle to develop written material, so I removed that barrier by allowing them to quote the show directly, or if they were so inclined, they could reword things to their liking. I asked them to respond to these prompts, “What does this say about the brain?” and “What is the one thing you want to communicate?”
Along with the poster, students were asked to document their process in a book, and as always, they had to include a rational argument for their design decisions.
Three-fourths of the students pursued the anamorphic typography project. The students may have preferred the anamorphic project over the motion project; this was either because I provided more inspirational examples or because they felt it offered more possibilities.
