class 7, nov. 3 🏁

agenda 📜

you’ve finished 3 projects. it’s time to talk about ALL of them.

1. 1
   🔥 warm-up
2. 2
   👀 crit p1–3!
3. 3
   🔬 introduce p4
4. 4
   🦵 p4 kick-off
5. 5
   ✍️ due next class

the challenge 🔒

our semester so far has been focused on skill-building for both type design and code. since every project has been so short, it can feel like there isn’t much to talk about when critiquing the work.

but, we want our crit to achieve the following:

1. 1
   evaluating success ~ what worked well? what didn’t?
2. 2
   generating paths forward ~ what other ideas are possible? where can we go from here?
3. 3
   sharing skills and ideas ~ how did you make it? what can others learn or build on what you made?

so, how do we achieve these outcomes?

the solution 🔑

our crit is going to take on a unique format. let’s give it a name:

line up! 🧍

today, you’ll arrange yourselves based on if you like type design better, or if you like coding better.

get comfortable! 🤗

this is your crit partner for the day. i dunno if you’re friends or not, but you’ll need to be comfy to be productive. let’s do a little warm-up exercise:

this will take ~30min to complete.

step 1

write the letters ABCDEFGHIJKLM on a piece of paper using your normal handwriting.

take 1 minute to write the letters.

step 2

swap papers with your teammate.

write the remaining letters NOPQRSTUVWXYZ to finish the alphabet.

match the style of your teammate’s handwriting as closely as possible.

take 5 minutes to finish the alphabet.

step 3

swap papers back.

annotate the letters NOPQRSTUVWXYZ:

• →
  mark letters that are your favorite, and explain why.
• →
  mark letters that don’t fit the original style, and explain why.

take 3 minutes to annotate the letters.

step 4

now as a team, look at both your alphabets.

explain your feedback to each other!

take 5 minutes to share feedback.

step 5

using your feedback, draw a new hand-drawn alphabet A–Z that incorporates both of your styles.

take 10 minutes to finish your design.

step 6

share your new alphabet with another team. explain your process and how you ended up at your final design.

take 3 minutes per team (6 minutes total) to share.

you just simulated the process our crit will take!

your team is a unit. as individuals, you bring unique perspectives to the table. combined, you are able to achieve greater depth.

our crit is going to move like this: starting off small, and then expanding to the full class.

note ~ crit is NOT assessment! independently of today’s class, i will be reviewing your work and giving you a grade. today is about sharing your work with your peers, learning with each other, and getting excited about the possibilities you can keep exploring!

this will take ~45min.

step 1

in your teams, look at your teammate’s submissions for p1–3.

you’ll be working independently for now.

for each project, write down the following:

1. 1
   describe what you see ~ can you tell what the project is trying to do? do you understand it?
2. 2
   think about new possibilities ~ how could the person expand on this project if they kept working on it?
3. 3
   come up with questions ~ come up with 3 questions for each project (9 questions total). this could be about how the project was made. or, what other ideas the person considered while working on it.

take 10 minutes to write all this down.

step 2

come back together as a team. discuss what you wrote down for each other.

have a conversation ~ listen carefully, and ask follow-up questions if any come up!

take 7.5 minutes per person (15 minutes total) to share.

step 3

join together with the same team you chatted with in the first exercise.

share your projects with the other team. except, don’t talk about your own work ~ talk about your teammate’s work based on what you just learned!

once you share all the projects for your teammate, have a group discussion about the work. focus on what you found most exciting/inspiring about the projects!

take 5 minutes per person (20 minutes total) to share.

step 4

as a group, collectively come up with 5 lessons you learned from these projects that you will remember the most.

take 5 minutes to complete this task.

step 5

now let’s come back together as a class. share what you learned!

let’s take a break! ☕️

this puts a cap on the semester so far. now, we’re on to exciting new things.

come back after 20min.

let’s switch over to the project description!

every week from now on, our classes will look like the following:

1. 1
   📋 progress reports
2. 2
   🤖 some kind of ai exercise/discussion
3. 3
   🌐 javascript tutorial + weekly exercise requirement

the progress reports are what keep you on track to finish this course. in them, you should be documenting both what you’re working on AND what you’re inspired by.

let’s spend the rest of class today looking for inspiration.

this will take ~1hr.

type + code = ? 💻

let’s spend some time getting acquainted with are.na!

step 1

spend the next 30min using are.na↗.

1. 1
   if you don’t have one already, make an account here↗
2. 2
   also, get the chrome extension here↗
3. 3
   find this course’s are.na channels here↗

if you don’t have a premium are.na account, let me know! risd has a partnership with them this year, and i should be able to get you a license.

step 2

inside your channel for w07, look for inspiration relating to either type design, web programming, or something combining the two. add this inspiration to your are.na channel.

we’ll go through together how to add content to are.na.

spend 30min looking for inspiration.

step 3

join back together in your team from today’s crit, including the other team you paired up with too (for a total of 4–5 people).

using are.na’s presentation mode, share your inspiration with each other!

spend 5min per person (20 minutes total) on this.

step 4

based on everything you’ve seen, come up with 10 ideas as a group for finishing this equation: type + code = _

explain each idea with a hand-drawn sketch. each sketch should take up a full piece of paper.

spend 20min coming up with ideas

step 5

pin your ideas up on the wall!

finish your first progress report!

1. 1
   create an are.na channel called risd / f26 / type+code / w08 / [your-first-name]
2. 2
   connect your channel to week 8’s channel here↗
3. 3
   start with a text block overview of your progress.
4. 4
   add at least 3 sources of inspiration you were looking at that week. at least one should be a font-related project, and at least one should be a web-related project.
5. 5
   take 10–20 screenshots or recordings of your type design / web programming work. put them in the order you want to present them during class.
6. 6
   if you have them, add live links to working prototypes.
7. 7
   use Are.na’s presentation mode for sharing your channel in-class.

see an example progress report are.na channel here↗

note ~ this week, i’m giving you no specific guidance about what direction to take, or how to use ai. i’m curious to see what you do before i offer you specific advise, so go wild!