Please respond to this post with your answer. It needs to be at least 150-300 words.
The following Students DO NOT need to answer this post.
Matt Cisz
Meredith Baxter
Callie B
Erin Moore
Cally K
Katie Bartlett
Inna
Kierston
Joel
Lucas
Aaron
Monte
For the rest of the class:
"Writing is the solid form of language, the precipitate," writes Robert Bringhurst. "Speech comes out of our mouths, our hands, our eyes in something like a liquid form and then evaporates at once." This image gives him the title for the essay in which it appears, "The Solid Form of Language," subtitled "An Essay on Writing and Meaning."
I want you to reflect on this quote...what does the relative permanence of written language mean to design? Has it changed over time? What does it mean in relationship to digital media?
Have a good weekend. This should be posted before class on wednesday. I have been lenient so far...you need to make sure you are posting by the given time.
Writing is the solid form of language that documents and commemorates whatever is written as soon as those letters hit the page. In the design world, we try to sum up the important information into the small phrases to make what is important known easily and quickly. I feel the permanence of written language in the design field is fleeting. Every idea made for a certain product needs information, and that information will be designed and sent out with that idea... to catch and inform people's attention immediately. Soon there will be a new idea, with needs for new information design, and the process starts all over again. What makes a good design, is when a designer can convey language that is memorable after everything is said and done.
ReplyDeleteWritten language has changed a lot over time, especially with email and text messaging. Its all about getting in contact with other people immediately. With emailing and text messaging, and writing in general, we have gotten lazy [all the abbreviations] and improper [all the slang] with each other.
I feel like with digital media, since it is always there at our finger tips, we're less likely to thoroughly read/remember what we have read because we know we can always come back to it whenever we need it.
Adream, I was actually at that lecture as well. I'm not sure if you saw me, but I was there! :)
ReplyDeleteHere's just a quote I wrote down from it (I made a separate post about it, but I'm not sure if you saw it.
"Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones"
- Herb Simon
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ReplyDelete"Writing is the solid form of language, the precipitate." This is so true. They say language is some 93% body language and 7% actual words. So when we write on a page, communication becomes that much harder. This precipitate can turn ugly when the written word is taken for granted. I relate this to the breakdown in communication that occurs during texting and email, when we are left solely with a hastily typed message with no context. Communicating the liquid form of communication that precedes the precipitate is the key. This is when design comes in. It is getting all that body language, context, and actual meaning to back up our unaided precipitate. As he states, speech comes out of our mouths, our eyes, and our hands, it is this simple limited precipitate, written words that we must illuminate through design. Therefore, must design with this in mind, aiming to communicate the whole truth through the written word.
ReplyDeleteI believe language and the social dynamics of communication are always changing. As time changes, the context of a word changes accordingly, and as a designer, we must adapt to these changes as well. The relative permanence of written language demands two major things from designers. It demands that we communicate written words within a context that coincides with the definition of word, but also, our designs must coincide with the relative permanence of social context associated with certain phrases, words, and topics. We must present the words in a context relative to the current meaning of the word. The meaning of some words, for example, "happy” or “sad", can be hard to visually communicate in a sincere manner in this day and age. For instance, happiness is now usually communicated through advertisements in a cynical manner. This sort of "spin" on the word is the relative permanence designers must compete and ultimately comply with.
What does this mean in relation to digital media? Well, it means we must be careful with what we type, and how we type it. Texting and email are a crapshoot these days. So much is lost in emails and texts that a lot of the time miscommunication occurs on a detrimental level that in turn wastes valuable time and resources. The time it could take one to call the person, or meet with them, would be better than texting or emailing in the long run. With time wasted on run-arounds and miscommunications lost through inefficient communication, designers must figure out ways to communicate better in this ttyl(or not at all) type world.
When I think about the quote it's easy to know what I think about it but tougher to make sense of it on paper. I think of the part, "Speech comes out of our mouths, our hands, our eyes in something like a liquid form and then evaporates at once." I feel that communication changes through body language. We as designers can only communication through the written or subliminal form. We are not able to communicate to the audience with our mannerisms so it makes it more difficult to persuade someone. Our written language is changing to a shorthand language which some people are thinking it is destroying our language which it seems like it is just making us more efficient. We have cut down entire words to simply one or two letters. Now our language is becoming more symbols than anything. Why people are mad that the language is changing? I don't know. Our language is made up of symbols. I don't understand how their is a wrong way to present symbols. They all of meanings behind them that people can interpret. This entire post is made up of a collection of symbols we associate with speech.
ReplyDeleteThe language is changing because of digital media and designers. I feel like we as designers want to make thing more efficient. In cell phone ads designers put the new text message language on 30 foot advertisements. Just in that last sentence I used a "symbol" incorrectly to some people. I typed "30" instead of "thirty". Both symbols have the same meaning but one is just a more efficient and quicker way to say it. I understand the irony in these example because it is taking more time to explain it than to say it.
In short, I think our language will become more efficient and shorthand because of the technology we are living with. Neither way is better than the other. They both serve the same purpose. Our written language will always be changing.
This quote means that the majority of what you say is going to go in one ear and out the other to your audience. This book sounds a lot like the book I’m currently reading, “Made to Stick” which is a comic relief of what you should say rewording your thoughts, and when to say the important aspects of it. They teach you the reasons why people only remember parts of your speech, and a lot of it is because they can relate. The relative permanence of written language means in design is that designers must use language that their audience will understand. For example, your client may not understand the “artists language” that we’ve all developed so you’ll have to use different words that he/she can relate to. I think it has changed over time because designers are becoming more aware of the audience and understanding that not everyone thinks how we do. The relationship between language and digital media is definitely changing. The slang or abbreviated words (omg) are being used daily by students. As designers we need to make sure that we are being professional when we write online and be careful not to use the abbreviations were so used to.
ReplyDeleteSaying language is like liquid is a very interesting concept. It really does flow from our bodies. When you strip away all of the physical things involved with language things become more difficult to express. Because of this I think that our language system is always changing always evolving, people are always trying to say the same thing differently. So what does this mean for design? It just means that we are always going to changing our methods of visual and written communication. A poster made today advertising Coca Cola will look incredibly different than a poster made in 1980. Even though both of these posters might have different catch phrases or slogans the language being used is still the same. Buy and drink Coca Cola products. As designers I think that we need to understand all aspects of common language. We need to be able to communicate with everyone.
ReplyDeleteI think that the relationship with our written language and our new digital technology is a close one. I think that our new digital media has had an extreme effect on our communication skills and techniques. Abbreviations and slang words are being used more and more in our everyday lives to communicate. Whether this is a good or bad thing is another story however these abbreviations and slang terms are technically expressing or trying to express the same emotions, actions, and words they are replacing.
In speech words are only audible, and as Bringhurst says, evaporate almost immediately after they have been spoken. In this sense, spoken words need only be audible and temporary while written words need to be legible and enduring. When this definition of language is applied to design, its interpretation depends mainly on the purpose of the language being used. If the text is meant for a book or something that will be read for many years, it needs to be extremely legible, and timeless. If it is for something more temporary, such as an event poster, legibility is still important, however there is a lot more room for interpretation on the designers part.
ReplyDeleteDesign has definitely changed over time, especially as technology has evolved and there are more opportunities for experimentation. Along with the evolution of technology, design's relationship to digital media often means that designs must be versatile. Designing for a website, for example, is much different than designing for print, so it is important to know how language will be communicated differently in each media.
An idea or thought can manifest and change in our minds but once it is written down and put into concrete words it is permanent. Most of what we have learned from history and even the history of design is discovered because ideas were written down or recorded in art. Language can be interpreted differently when used in design because we are using both text and image. As a designer or an artist in general, a lot of what you are attempting to say through your design depends on the interpretation of the viewer. It has progressed over time, especially with the development of new technology. The written language is often digital and less eloquent then it has been in the past due to changes in popular culture. I feel that with the invention of texting and email on smart phones, much of what is written or typed has become shortened and even lazy. When using text in design, we have to be even more careful and detail-oriented when text is viewed digitally because we have less control over the design of text then when designers were laying each letter out by hand.
ReplyDeleteThis quote reminds me of a different quote that I've read by an English novelist named E.M. Forster. It was: "How can I know what I think til I see what I say?" I've also seen it written "How can I know what I think til I write it?" and I think it highlights the same idea that Bringhurst is saying. Essentially I think it means that the spoken word is ephemeral and transient, and perhaps its meaning is more easily manipulated and obscured. Written language, on the other hand, is more permanent and since you have more time to actually think about exactly what to write, the meaning of it is more pure and direct in a sense. I would still question how "permanent" written language is, though. Of course written documents can physically exist for long periods of time, but when I think of things like the Bible and other ancient texts, and how much language has evolved over time, it makes me think that it's not as permanent as we'd think.
ReplyDeleteI think the relative permanence of written language means that designers have access to it as a very powerful tool for communicating. I think this is a bit of a mixed blessing; on one hand, if used right, written language can be the perfect thing to drive a message home, but one also has to be careful, because there's a lot of room for misinterpretation too. I think in the age of digital media we're getting less reliant on reading and writing skills, so perhaps that will change the way we design things. Hopefully it doesn't mean things will have to be "dumbed down" but you never know...
“Speech comes out of our mouths, our hands, our eyes in something like a liquid form and then evaporates at once” (Bringhurst, Robert). When Bringhurst describes our language as a liquid I see this as a way of saying our language is ever changing. Our language changes as time moves on and it adjusts to fit the need of our culture. He is also stating that the spoken language often disappears. Even if this is true the written language can far surpass the life of a spoken language. People just need to have the knowledge to understand what is being said.
ReplyDeleteDue to the fact that our culture is always changing designers have to adapt. One way that our language is changing is that we tend to use shortened words in advertising or when talking with people. This is preferred among viewers though because they want often want a quick and easy read.
Digital media can be seen as both positive and negative when compared to our language. On a positive note, the digital media allows for easy uploads and it has a large audience. The negative that is paired with this media is the fact that it is used so often that your design may just become a blur grouped among all of the other art.
I think it’s really interesting to think of the solid form of language. While I do think that written form is a very strong example of solid language, I don’t think it is the only one. It does, however, really inform other’s of the local culture. When I think of written language, like many others who commented, I wonder where it’s headed. With a growing trend in communication being short and quick (twitter and text messages) it really makes me wonder where we’re headed. Now, I don’t really have a fear that the written language will disappear. I think it will always exist in someway, much like Michael said, but I just don’t know how it’s evolving.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, with information and messages being really short and quick, it directly effects designers. I feel that as we make communication more “efficient” we are also limiting the viewer’s attention span. Our lives are getting faster and faster and our free time is shrinking. As designers, how do we impact a society that doesn’t have time. It seems like a vicious cycle, as our lives get faster, some new technology is created to help you continue to live your fast life. Our written language is evolving and changing really quickly. Now you can write “ttyl” and most people understand that means “talk to you later”. The rise in digital media has been a direct influence on this evolution of language. But with this new age of digital media, we are also losing the tangible aspect of written language. Does that change the relationship between the reader and the message? What role does physicality play in communication? Personally, I think these are very important.