I started writing as an academic practice
in 2004 with a paper on ePaper and Graphic Communication called Is
it a book? Is it a screen? No its… for CADE 04* which was published
in 2005 by Digital Creativity (Is 16 / Vol 1). You can get it here.**
Is
it a book? Is it a screen? No its… Abstact:
There currently exists a sharp boundary, in both technological and design
terms between Graphic Design for screen and for print. These distinctions
stem from the nature of the broadcast environment. Each has it’s; benefits
- portability and extreme durability for books (running into thousands of
years), interlinking and expandability for electronic design – and it’s distinct
drawbacks. What if we could merge the best of these two worlds into one elegant
whole? We could have a document with all that that entails; portable, durable,
and cheap, but with web like features, such as search functions, linking
and the ability to access other media? In principle, the technology is already
here, but is it everything that the developers claim, and what should the
Designers response be to such a media. In this paper, both questions are
examined, and some surprising conclusions are drawn.
Keywords: New interfaces,
Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Ubiquitous Computing environments.
Designing the Paper-Like Book: The Graphic Case for
E-Paper was my second
paper. It makes a specific case for the role of technology serving and being
served by the values of 'The Book' (as in Derrida's Paper
Machine).
Abstract:
When we design for the
printed page we are designing for eternity, our solutions had better be considered,
as even the most fugitive of printed items have a nasty habit of lasting
for centuries. When we design for an electronic media, say for the web, we
design for today, possibly next week and certainly not next year, in this
circumstance we trade elegance for effect, for grabbing the attention of
the passer-by. What if we could unite the strongest features of the worlds
of print and multimedia in one new media? We could have a book with all that
that entails; portable, durable, and cheap, but with web like features, such
as search functions, linking and the ability to access other media. The technology
is already extant, its proper title is a Paper Like Display, and it is slowly
coming into full commercial production. However, can we have faith that it
is everything that the developers claim, and what should the Designers response
be to such a media? Can we find solutions in the successful design of the
past, and the best of the present? In this paper, both questions are examined,
and in conclusion I believe that there are strong design rationales for a
fusion of both book & web design.
Keywords: Graphics, interface, New Technology.
A revised version of the paper was presented at Computers History of
ART '05 - see it here
Also an essay and typographic work was included on the Triptych drawing research
group's Dublin symposium DVD. I have no idea how you would find a copy. I've
never seen one
* Computers in Art and Design Education 2004
** This work is under copyright and is not free. Sorry about that, it is one
of the terms I have to agree with to get published.