<p>We studied the initial process of reading, with a focus on typography, whether it is</p><p>possible to increase childrens lust to read in the age six to seven years old, by</p><p>adjusting the typography and graphic design.</p><p> </p><p>We conduct this study through qualitative and quantitative studies, mainly</p><p>interviews with a main focus on children in this particular age were used. In addition</p><p>to the interviews a questioniare were sent out to a selection of students. The study</p><p>also contained an interview with a pedagogue as well as studies of the current and</p><p>existing textbooks and teaching aids that is used on the school we are looking into.</p><p>During the study we consulted educated pedagogues to get an understanding of the</p><p>children and their learning and to be able to approach them in a suitable way.</p><p>The theories we have been using were mainly from a typographic point of view.</p><p>Other areas we explored were theories about reading processes. This study showed</p><p>that every child needs a method that is suitable for them and that the material</p><p>provided today is typographically inconsistent. The childrens and teachers needs and</p><p>wishes in typography did not correspond with the current teaching aids design.</p><p> </p><p>From this study the followning points were made about how to design a textbook for</p><p>children in the first grade:</p><p>• The typeface should be a sans serif.</p><p>• The point size should be bigger than 12 points.</p><p>• Text should be aligned to the left.</p><p>• Sentences should be short without becoming abstract.</p><p>• To maintain focus on the text the layout should be simple and unbarked.</p><p>• The format should be designed after the pourpose of the publication, for</p><p>example when it is a complement to the textbook, the format should be of such</p><p>character that it is easy for the children to bring home.</p><p>• There should be a typographical consistency through all of the materials</p><p>provided to the children.</p>

This thesis identifies and characterises a particular kind of temporal typography in which verbal forms exhibit behaviours that have been identified by Eduardo Kac as ‘fluid’ , and fluctuate between the verbal and pictorial or abstract. A typology will be constructed which identifies the various behaviours by which fluidity is exhibited, and provides terminology for their analysis, accompanied by analysis of how these behaviours address the relationship between the commonly distinct paradigms of verbal and pictorial signs. The work identifies the distinction between fluidity and other forms of kineticism, and explores the various behaviours exhibited in fluid artefacts. When addressing local kineticism, gaps in existing research are filled by employing terms and observations from other fields. For example, Kac offers the term ‘fluid’ in description of his holographic poetry, which exhibits behaviours much like those presented in some examples of screenbased temporal typography. This thesis proposes that Kac’s term, ‘fluid’, may be adopted in order to differentiate significant local change in verbal forms from the various other kinds of kineticism observable in temporal typography. Fluid behaviours are identified in examples including Martin Lambie Nairn and MPC’s Channel 4 idents, the credit sequences of Kyle Cooper, and the typographic animations of practitioners including Komnios Zervos and Dan Waber. This thesis demonstrates that the existing discourse surrounding temporal typography has been held back by a failure to make distinguish between global kineticism (effecting layout) and local kineticism (effecting individual characters). The distinction between the global and the local is considered vital in studies of perceptual organisation, particularly Gestalt psychology. By providing a coherent typology, and consistent terminology, this study has the potential to positively influence understanding and analysis of fluid characterforms.

In this project, I explore how the processes and structures of non-design disciplines can influence typographic form. Using the field of geology as a test case, I apply geologic processes to typographic form in order to create dimensional structures that speak to a wide audience.

Chinese calligraphy and Western typography have been evolving for around five thousands years. During this time, they have developed quite different characteristics. Compared with the geometrical form and precision of Western printing types, Chinese calligraphy features abstract shapes and spontaneous strokes. These differences result in a gap that prevents a harmonious and organic relationship between them. This project explores the possibilities of combining these two historical visual systems, demonstrates specific methods and approaches for creating compelling formal relationships, and endeavors to establish a friendly, organic and harmonious dialogue between Chinese calligraphy and Western typography. The outcome of this project is a handmade book and a series of posters. The content of them comes from the writings of Lao-Tzu.

In this project I explore the environment that surrounds and frames my life experiences. Interests in form, architecture, vernacular typographyand community blend into a photographic documentation—communicating my perceptual experience of Richmond barbershops through public exhibition.

Accident is a metaphor for life. From an arbitrary point in time, we potentially preview the entirety of existence. There is a Chinese idiom called “ blessing or bane,” which implies that a misfortune may perhaps soon turn into a blessing. Focusing on accident as a design method implies making the best out of a bad situation. An accident reveals invisible circumstances and potentialities in the world, both familiar and unfamiliar. Looking into the unpredictable world, I can begin to release my control, take a breath, and see what might happen if I do not fight the situation. I am able to get out of my own way, and see what the work’s destiny will be. This sets up a context in which there are no faults, no mistakes, and no accidents — everything may contribute to a solution.

In the graphic design, successful use of white space provides the designed object with a strong reference to its material quality and internal structure. Showing the paper breaks the wall between the design and the viewer, and gives the audience a better understanding of the construction of graphic design. White space is devoid representation, which leads the work to become completely honest about its materiality. This project explores different methods and processes for creating aesthetic/conceptual integrity in graphic design by using white space as a primary device.

Every city/place has unique, distinctive qualities. Individuals acquire a sense of place in accordance with their own experiences and perspectives, which may not be the same as the experiences and viewpoints of another person. In this project, I explore, analyze, and re-interpret three places that have creatively and emotionally influenced me and remained in my memory: Times Square, New York City; Insadong, Seoul, South Korea; and Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia. To comprehend and draw a sense of place, I observe, feel, and document the characteristics of each place through different methods and processes, based on my own experiences. In addition, I integrate, apply, and transform my experiences and emotional reaction to the objects, obtained from each place, into new visual form to grasp how the built environment can be used as inspiration and stimulus in developing creative methods and processes in graphic design.

This thesis deals with four major design movements, beginning with Constructivism, and ending with Deconstructivism, including two other movements, as intermediate links, that developed in the period between International - Swiss Design and Postmodernism. The purpose of this thesis is to explain in a visual time-line, the interrelationships of these movements while at the same time visually represent their concepts. Also it leads to an analysis and discussion of the role of Deconstructivism in graphic design.

The synthesis of old and new, analog and digital, and hand- and computer-based methods provides designers with an opportunity to work beyond the constraints of the computer and take advantage of the aesthetic effects that actual materials bring to visual communication. Designers who choose to actively participate in their process – bringing the aesthetic effects of working materially into the realm of the digital – will likely learn to reject an approach that relies too heavily on passive digital tools. Active participation in the design process can extend our creative vocabulary and humanize visual communication.