Connect

For our project we explored the idea of communication and how technology is changing it. The generation of today is addicted to technology, which includes computers, smart phones, social media, and more. People text each other when they're sitting right next to one another. You can click "like" on something on Facebook rather than talk to a friend face to face. Relationships seem to be less meaningful, and we wanted to remind people this through our project.

First, we decided to base our typography off of the typeface, Handsome. We discovered this font family in the My Fonts collection online. We knew that we wanted to use a cursive typeface, to reiterate the connectedness, and also feel more personal like handwriting. The Handsome font family is a digital font, which provides this feel but also relates to the idea of digital relationships in the world today.

We spelled out the world "connect" using ethernet cable. In order for the word to be legible and stay together, it is sewn to a piece of aluminum mesh with nylon thread. We then cut around the mesh, so that it resembled a speech bubble. We also played off the idea of digital communication, like chatting with someone through Skype, and Skype's logo is also shaped that way.

Last, we incorporated our laptops into our final presentation, and connected the two with the ethernet cable spelling out "connect" between the computers. We placed this in nature in a few different settings, to contradict the unnatural form of communication that we have all been accustomed to.

We documented the process with photos. We also made small cards with a few of our images on them. The text on the back of the cards relate to the topic of technology and communication, and we wanted people to think about their own relationship with this topic.

-Lauren Krueger & Katie Koloske