At the Department of Visual Communication Design in Musashino Art University, we have been working on information design from the field of visual communication, then researching and educating usability, interface and design. These were started mainly by Professor Shimomura Chihaya (current emeritus professor) who started the experimental classes of computers and designs since the early 1970s, and launched an information design class in 1993. Currently we would like to tackle the problem of design of the new era under the thought of HCD (human-centered design). This site introduces relevant classes and related information, mainly focusing on the class content of Information Design ⅠA · ⅡA, in the third year of visual communication design department.
In addition, all responsibility regarding this site is in me (Nishimoto Kiyoshi). Please send us your opinions and inquiries.
Professor Chihaya Shimomura participated in the movement of avant-garde of "Art Information Revolution", which created an unprecedented art style in the history of art in the 1960s, and started creation and research activities as a pioneer of computer art. In 1970 he was appointed as a full-time lecturer of "Commercial design section of Industrial design department" (which was changed to "Visual Communication Design department" in 1974, becoming independent department) in Musashino Art University. Based on that creation and research, He was always able to quickly grasp the transformation of the information age, explore new design education, and has been reflecting it in the curriculum. For over 40 years, he has been thinking about the role and posibility of contemporary design by integrating various fields such as semiotics, information aesthetics, computer, multimedia, interface, visual language, formative theory, cognitive science, media theory, etc.
It was a very essential activity of study and education. The idea of designing the form of the dialogue between people and information emerging from these studies, that is, the active, interactive vision of information design, is not familiar with traditional interpretive and passive art Education Thing.However, now that computers exist in every corner of life and have to cope with sudden changes in the natural environment and social conditions, the importance of the vision is becoming more and more obvious. So incorporating them into education, training the students who can adapt to society and create arts of the next era is an urgent issue.
This commemorative magazine "Information + Semiotics + Design" is introducing his study about information design and design semiotics which is a part of the research and educational activities of Prof. Shimomura for many years. It is including the excercise works of related classes of students and the current field of information design and the graduation production of the former students.
Part 1: Information Design, Creation of design area of information age, "Thinking Visually!" : Foundation of information design
Part 2: Design Semiotics / Pragmatism of Modern Design Semiotics
Professor Chihaya Shimomura's "Commemorative Information + Semiotics + Design, 'Information Design and Design Semiotics Research and Education in Department of Visual Communication Design' " (2012) will be distributed to those interested in this field.
Please specify your occupation, desired motive, shipping address, name, etc. and apply to the address below. After confirming the contents, we will send it by postage cash on delivery later.
The explosive spread of the Internet and the development of mobile communication devices such as smartphones have dramatically changed the information environment surrounding people. Now, people use their mobile devices to communicate with their friends far away, reserve tickets, shop online, go conveniently with map guidance using GPS. And even autonomous cars using AI Is also appearing.
I would like young people who will learn from now to work on the design of present-day media and future-oriented media closely related to life and sensitivity. On the new field there is the possibility of more integrated design than traditional one and the connection between international design.
All design areas are currently in the midst of the information and communications technology (IT) revolution, such as computers and the Internet.
"Information design" is a completely new "design realm" and "a thinking" created by the advent of computers, software, multimedia, the Internet, and mobile communications. It is a golden chance for the creator to coming across such a design revolution and the creation opportunities.
Information design involves the design of interactive activity processes between humans, social systems, information, representations (symbols), events, environments, information networks, etc., which are necessary for humans to act in a collaborative manner in the information society. Information design recognition and technology are assembled from the following six basic processes.
Humans form activities to live through interactive interactions with events, environments, representations, systems and so on. Information design studys design based on cognitive processes that organize human behavior and communication.
Humans interact with the real world and cyberspace via media (HI) such as computers and virtual reality in order to operate in a digital information environment.
The display / representation form of media to function in synchronization with the ever-changing human activity requires a visual system with a dynamic and multi-sense.
The Internet, which enables individuals to transmit information to the world, links people and information in a wide area, supports collaborative activities, and creates an information community.
Information processes are formed in the language and order unique to the information world. Information content and systems are assembled from digital specific procedures.
New design directions and ideas are needed to solve the problems of the information environment facing the modern society and the global environment through design activities in life and society. How can designers use their individuality and creativity to participate in society?
Starting with the basics of use experiments of users, we will consider information design issues through practical training of issues set in stages. Among them, systematically understand the relationship between information characteristics and human cognition, and learn to apply it to concrete production of information design
First of all, “design is an integrated and social one that integrates various requirements such as people, life, society, information, environment, etc., elements, functions, technologies, expressions, and achieves practical purpose and value creation as a whole”. that is the original purpose of design and most important to recognize and practice it. The program in this class includes four aspects of learning to plan and build information systems and networks.
Integrated design exercises are the most important process to learn the wholeness and integration of design activities (the purpose of action and the creation of integrativeness and value). In this exercise, we will create an information system with social purpose (for example, an information system that supports joint activities). The aim of this exercise is to learn the integration skills and methodology of information design by practicing to analyze information, find problems, concept and plan, system design and production, interaction design, simulation, user test.
What is required to actually design and produce digital media is learning of literacy and technology specific to the field of information design. For example, navigation, dynamic information structure, software language, 3D-CG, database etc.
What is the information? How have people been handling the information? Follow the history of media development and deepen awareness of the diversity of information visualization.
The learning work process of information design takes place on the Internet. Students will make presentations, send information, and interact towards the inside and outside of the university.
∼ What factors and how are the "messages" changed and transformed in the process in which people communicate? ∼
Through experiments, we will learn how human cognitive mechanisms are involved in communication design.
At the same time, we aim to learn how to record experiments and how to analyze information.
Students will learn the human-computer interactive process in information design by actually testing user's operation and analyzing the data. Also students will learn the mechanism by observing how user interact with the computer trough the interface and analysing changes in thinking and behavior that occur there.
At the same time, Students are required to read "The Design of Everyday Things - Revised and Expanded Edition" (DA Norman), and then reserch design problems which can be found in daily life and surroundings. After that students are supposed to make reports about the problem in light of the content written in the book. These reports and summarizes will be uploaded to the web as HTML files.
In addition, you will learn web site creation technology using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and expression technology of interactive visualization simultaneously. In the task production of the first and second semister, students apply it to design, put it on the website, and give a presentation.
The second semester is the most important process in which students set the theme of information design and try creative design based on the basic ideas, methods, and technologies of information design learned in the previous term.。
Students will learn about design process for integrated thinking and problem solving in design, ie, (concept establishment - field research - theme planning - specification and function design - prototype design - interface design - user test and evaluation) through tasks proposed by themselves.
First, we will hold a workshop on "design thinking" and then students take up a subject matter around themselves and try to solve problems using the process of "design thinking".
Students apply and develop information design skills, techniques, theories, methods, processes, etc. learned in the first and second semesters, freely set themes related to information design, and create their designs. Especially in the information society and the global environment (sustainable) society, the new sprit of the times of young generation is required.
