Self Defining Memory Workshop
Posted
The memory of being it by a car while riding a bicycle in Nashville. Black mark, color pattern.
The memory of being it by a car while riding a bicycle in Nashville. Single mark placed on biking gear.
Tiffany St. Julien: The memory of seeing her father coming home from work each night, all three sisters running toward him to hug him at the door.
| Educator/s: | Meena Khalili |
|---|---|
| Institution: | University of South Carolina |
| Level: | Advanced, Capstone, Foundations, Freshman, Graduate, Introductory, Junior, K-12, Non-design Majors, Senior, Sophomore, Undergraduate |
| Duration: | 1 day |
| Category: | Branding, Design Methods, Graphic Design, Print, Symbols, Visual Communication |
| Filed Under: | BIPOC, Brainstorming, Charrette, Color Theory, Community, Composition, Culture, Design for Good, Design Thinking, Diversity, Education, Ethics, Experimental, Form-making, Four-year Program, Iconography, Inclusive Design, Iteration, Participatory, Process, Production, Semiotics, Social Impact, Storytelling, Universal Design |
| Bookmark Project | |
Project Brief
Recall a special kind of personal memory called a self-defining memory. A self-defining memory has the following attributes:
- It is at least one year old.
- It is a memory from your life that you remembered very clearly and that still feels important to you even as you think about it.
- It is a memory about an important enduring theme, issue, or conflict from your life. It is a memory that helps explain who you are as an individual and might be the memory you would tell someone else if you wanted that person to understand you in a profound way.
- It is a memory linked to other similar memories that share the same theme or concern.
- It may be a memory that is positive or negative, or both, in how it makes you feel. The important aspect is that it leads to strong feelings.
- It is a memory that you have thought about many times. It should be familiar to you like a picture you have studied or a song (happy or sad) you have learned by heart.
A Self-Defining Memory is a memory that we can recall completely, and which has had profound impact in shaping who we are today. By tapping in to our own experiences we develop self-generated content, which allows us to continue refining our unique points of view as visual communicators.
In this workshop you will think of a memory, brainstorm and break it down, sketch to develop a mark, bring it into Adobe Illustrator, refine it in black and white, apply colors, create a pattern of this mark, then apply this pattern on an artifact that speaks to your memory. This exercise will last just one class session, and is meant to meditative as we recall the memory—we do not share our memories.
Learning Objectives
- Students will gain an understanding of self-generated content and how it is used as a method in creation of design.
- Students will learn and understand Gestalt Principles, using them in the creation of a mark.
- Students will brainstorm, draw, refine, scan, trace, and develop their mark taking a sketch to a finalized vector.
- Students will learn how to develop a pattern in Adobe Illustrator, use the shape modes, pathfinders, and mock up generator.
- Students will critically consider the application of their pattern onto an artifact that speaks to the memory they used
Deliverables
The exercise will culminate in the Adobe Illustrator native file (for digital craft assessment) and PDF of the following: Mock ups of the pattern on artifact(s), a single 3x3" black only mark to show shape, a 12x12" pattern.
Readings/Resources
- Readings on gestalt theory
- Readings on psychology in design
Reflections
This assignment began as a workshop with students at VCUQ in the UAE, and I have since brought into each course I teach. It allows us the opportunity as instructors to give space to our students to see how their unique points of view can inform their own design work—an increasingly invaluable skill.
