digital culture

a thesis analysis

phase 1

phase 1

anintroduction

An exerpt from my thesis article:

In the past, society was limited to strictly analogue techniques. In the digital age there are no restrictions and a combination of both digital and analogue processes are available. By creating with only digital means, I was limiting myself in a way that has never been necessary. While I appreciate physical processes that my counterpart was limited to, I believed the restrictions of my thesis venture would be easy to overcome. It quickly became clear to me that this was not the case.

I’ve been taught that the first steps in any design process should be research and sketching. However, working digitally means that no physical materials are wasted if an idea doesn’t pan out. It also means that you can infinitely change and rearrange the elements of a composition. While the option to digitally sketch out an idea was available, while working on The Instagram Project, I found that I would skip this step and start creating what I considered to be the actual piece. Sometimes this process worked out well and I ended up with a piece that I was satisfied with in a short amount of

time. The problems arose when I ended up spending too much time trying to rearrange the elements of my compositions but never finding a good solution.

The difficulties I experienced go beyond process work. Limiting myself to a completely digital workflow in some ways limited my imagination. It was sometimes hard for me to flesh out ideas because I would focus on all of the materials I could not use. I found myself trying to digitally mimic physical materials and analogue processes. To a point I was able to make it appear as if I had used a certain material, but I could not reproduce the physical properties (texture, finish, opacity) of that material. My compositions for The Instagram Project and my thesis as a whole embrace this shortcoming. I worked entirely digitally, referencing real word materials and practices, and displayed the final pieces on Instagram, an application created to mimic the analogue aesthetic. I found comfort in playing with the content of the work and poking fun at these juxtapositions.

phase 2

phase 2

tHe inStagraM ProJect

The Instagram Project is an experiment of repurposing a photography app for design use. I created an account and

called it Digi_Love. I used Illustrator to create compositions that both cater to what people like to view on the app and

also convey my messages of digital propaganda. I became an active member of the community by not only posting my

own work, but also by following other users’ photos and using hashtags to promote my pieces. As of April of 2013,

the account has a following of over 400 users.

Network is the composition I believe to be the most successful. It juxtaposes a term that seems cold and mechanical with an organic, fluid visual

like tree roots. As of April of 2013, the composition has been “liked” 147 times, which makes it the

most popular posting on the account.

Possibility is a composition I’d like to point out because it is not one of my favorites. However, it is one of Instagram users’ favorites. I believe that

it is because it is an example of a composition that caters more to these users. Many photographs on the app are a romantic image behind some vague,

but inspirational quote.

phase 3

phase 3

tHe randoProJect

Rando is a new app dubbed “the anti-social photo sharing app.” It eliminates usernames, profiles, followers and likes. Each photo that

a user takes is randomly sent to another user, and one photo is randomly received in return. The only information attached to the photo is

the location it was taken.

I began The Rando Project by using the app to send and receive content. Elements from these images were then combined to create

something new.

Top: The original rando sent from my account. Bottom: The original rando received from Sydney, Austrailia. Opposite Page: The final composition.

Top: The original rando sent from my account. Bottom: The original rando received from London, England. Opposite Page: The final composition.

Top: The original rando sent from my account. Bottom: The original rando received from Pennsylvania, United States. Opposite Page: The final composition.

phase 4

phase 4

tHedigitalManifeSto

I created The Digital Manifesto to convey my feelings about digital design to others. I chose to use kinetic typography because it allowed

me to control the pace at which the viewer consumed the message. Using changes in speed and motion, I could bring emphasis to various

parts of the manifesto while retaining viewer interest. By using digital video, I will be able to post this project on video websites such as

Youtube and Vimeo and share my message with the world.

“This is a manifesto for digital designers,designers using the abundance of resources availableredefining what it means to make.Communicating on another level,creating a new kind of interaction through networks,and expanding culture through visual communication.We want to achieve things not previously possible,and we are motivated.”

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