I've been teaching about technology at Pratt's communications design MFA since 2021. Recently I've gotten it into my head that design education should be based around teaching students methodologies. In particular, I am interested in methodologies that use visual processes to digest the world. Basically, I just want to transcribe and share conceptual processes — similar to how to you might instruct someone how to approach typography.
This semester I am leaning heavily into that idea. We are working through several methodologies the students will use to develop a critical relationship to technology. Some of these are:
- Creating visual analogs of technological metaphors
- Identifying the image of a technology
- Tracing narratives in how technology constructs social reality
- Analyzing how visual language hides or shows power dynamics
- Creating visual forms for counter-narratives using parody, appropriation, inversion, and refusal
When the course is done, I'll share the materials here.
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