Resource

Website Resource: Lined & Unlined

http://blog.linedandunlined.com/


Rob Giampietro is a Graphic Designer currently teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design.  Since 2006, Rob has been a thesis advisor for MFA Graphic Design at RISD, as well as leading workshops at Columbia GSAPP, Harvard GSD, Parsons BFA Communication Design, SVA MFA Interaction Design & MFA Design Criticism, and Yale MFA Graphic Design.

Website Design and Ease of Navigation:

The site design is simple and somewhat boring, but that helps the visitor focus on content.  The photos that accompany the blog entries serve to create curiosity and interest in the piece.  Often, the content is a speech, or guest entry from a design project in another country.  Each entry has links for key terms in the left sidebar.  The links open in the same window and reference other blogs that encompass the same term.  The site is simple, and contains a group of links titled “Resources” for “Booksellers,” “Broadcasts,” “Designers,” and “Vendors.”  Rob offers links to an eclectic bunch of talented designers who are always interesting, and mostly international.  I find it a hoot reading a Portuguese Designer’s artist statement, painstakingly written in English.

Response and Recommendation for Use:

Rob Giampietro describes his website as “a portfolio of writing, resources, and ideas.”  I find the site inspiring because it encompasses design, typography, book design, and interaction design.  In addition, Rob, from time to time uses Shakespeare, Baudelaire, and the like to enhance ideas about current technology.  One of my favorite posts is from 2007, titled “Graphic Design & Critical Thinking.”  It’s actually an introduction to a class he teaches, but he explores how ideas become visual.  In addition, Mr. Giampietro explores the rolls and results of critical thinking.  I find his blog interesting because he constantly searches out the philosophy behind design, art, education, and typography in a way that leads to an end.  It’s meaningful and useful information that starts at a meta-level and ends with a practical, utilitarian voice.

I use the site to encourage my students to think globally.  The most recent article highlights the Yale Graphic Design Thesis Show.  I used the article to encourage my students to analyze the visuals and think about incorporating complex imagery in their writing.  In addition, I use the site to help students realize that the world is bigger and more exciting when they look to the horizon.