Author Archives: rjohnson37

Pentagram: The problem-solving collective

Unknowingly, I followed a pattern watching the Hillman Curtis artist series short films.  I chose the films on Pentagram and one of its artists, Paula Scher, which give a really interesting insight into the graphic design world. Paula Scher, and … Continue reading

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The Socialist Font

As I was watching Helvetica, I couldn’t help but wonder about the ownership rights behind the font.  I thought, I use helvetica in a variety of programs, sometimes for pages on end, and this is a recent font so SOMEONE … Continue reading

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What is art for?

From the Formalist perspective, art exists to be beautiful, or as their mantra neatly sums up: “art for art’s sake.”  What was considered beautiful was a matter of contention for art theorists and philosophers just as what was considered good … Continue reading

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New Possibilities

Shelley Jackson’s “Stich Bitch” reads as if Kurt Vonnegut, Lewis Carroll, and William Faulkner all sat down to simultaneously poke fun at Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein while contemplating the future of what we know as ‘the book.’  The future, for writers like … Continue reading

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Renewable Media

Thorburn and Jenkins focus on the cycle of innovation that has led to our current new media in “Toward an Aesthetics of Transitions.”  They have a positive outlook on what the innovation of new technology can do for old technology, … Continue reading

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