Introduction

In four short months I'll be receiving my degrees in Graphic Design and English: Language, Writing and Rhetoric. 'Eager' doesn't adequately describe my feelings about graduating (chomping at the bit, perhaps?), but there's still much to be done before I hang my diploma. In particular, I feel slightly anxious at how little I've integrated my two areas of study in the last six years. Though clearly complementary, my English and Design classes have always been pretty segregated. This has been frustrating at times, but I haven't been very proactive about the problem until now. For starters:

Reading is accepted as a vital part of the writing process, but what about its importance to a designer? And what of visual literacy to a writer? How have the two disciplines developed over time...where do they converge? How are the processes similar? Who is pushing the limits, challenging existing pedagogy and experimenting in text and image? What role do digital technologies play and how can I--the designer/writer--use them to best effect?

This independent study will provide an introduction into strategies of visual and verbal communication through analysis of historical and contemporary works in word and image, influential figures and pioneers in the field, and personal experimentation. I'll be maintaining this blog throughout. Hopefully it will be a canvas for experimentation, generation of essays, and a useful place to cull resources and document my process. I'll be meeting regularly with my design advisor, Denise Gonzales Crisp, and my writing advisor, Dr. David Covington. At the end of the semester I'll be curating content in book form and presenting to faculty (in some form or another…details t.b.d.)

For the record, comments, suggestions and critique are more than welcome. It's going to be a great final semester! Tata for now...