For this segment of the course, you will create a timeline--a highly visual, creative, and insightful information graphic on a topic related to visual culture.

Background

Instructions

Audience

Planning Your Project

Evaluation Criteria

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Background

If you've recently assembled a piece of furniture, begun using a new oven, connected new electronic equipment to a TV, or even just used a new cell phone for the first time, you may have noticed that the printed instructions for such a task were FULL OF PICTURES--sometimes nothing BUT pictures. The ways in which we transmit INFORMATION, in other words, have certainly been affected by our transformation from a print to an image society. Information-heavy genres such as instruction sheets, manuals, and textbooks increasingly draw on visual elements to help clarify and communicate their message (and perhaps entertain readers/users along the way).Many of us, too (perhaps more and more of us) are visual learners, and we need information rendered visually in order to fully grasp it.

This assignment gives you the opportunity to design and interpret information visually, information about some of the course’s subject matter itself: the history of visual culture. Moreover, it offers the opportunity to hone important skills that you can bring to other courses or your work life: design skills, information analysis and evaluation skills, and further practice with software of various kinds. In other words, you will research and learn about course content while also developing some of the skills you need to be an effective visual communicator.

Instructions

For this project you'll work with the GRAPHICAL TIMELINE, a prevalent genre within the larger category of "information graphic," and widely used for many purposes. The focus of your timeline will be any specific technology, product, or practice relevant to visual culture. You will show how that item evolved and you will show how the history of your topic contributes to any understanding of visual culture.

Your choice of topics is huge. It might, for example, be connected to your career or major:

• A history of novel-to-film adaptations for the literature student.
• A history of computer software (from Autocad to SketchUp) for the architecture major.
• A history of television in the classroom for the English education major.
• A timeline about tools of visualization in the medical fields for the nursing major.
• A history of blogging, Twitter, or Facebook for English students planning an advanced degree in electronic media studies.
• A timeline on teen attitudes toward charbohydrates for the health care studies major.
• A history of living rooms for the architecture student.

Of course, there are plenty of non-career or non-major-related topics, good for everyone:

Something drawn from your reading in Mirzoeff, "Discreet States," pp. 224-225, then 237 (starting with "Damning the Digital Flow") to 243.

A history of citizen journalism (the average Joe catching crime on digital camera).

A history of the handheld digital device with screen (you'd likely need to focus on a particular type--the cell phone, the camera, the personal calender, or whatnot)

A history of the computer game.A history of album art.

A history of “the coffee table book.”

A history of television advertising (this would probably have to be further focused).

A history of television cop shows.

A history of the personal computer.

A history of museum exhibit design.

A history of industrial design as a field of study.

A history of space photography.

A history of product placement in movies or elsewhere.

A history of war coverage on TV.

A history of wedding photography.

A history of the men's fashion magazine.

A history of graffiti and/or a particular established graffiti artist.

Whatever focus you select, you will need to show, explicitly or implicitly, how it matters to our understanding of visual culture. This connection may come from your own thinking, but you will also need to do some good and meaningful research. That is, you MUST include sources who have theorized about these visual phenomena and technologies, and/or spoken to the question of where we are going as a culture. Sources will inform and improve the complexity of your timeline.

Audience and Purpose

The PRIMARY audience for your timeline is me and your classmates—we want to learn more about visual culture and we are relying on you to teach us something! Chances are we might not know a lot about your specific topic; make sure you provide enough textual background so we understand what your timeline is about, along with the social/cultural/technological significance of that subject. Many of us are already quite sophisticated designers and artists, however —many students who take this course are almost ready to graduate with art or architecture degrees, for example—

Your SECONDARY audience will be the countless people who will find your work on the web, and who are undoubtedly wanting to learn something about the subject of your timeline..Your purpose, then, is to educate your audience about some aspect of visual culture, in particular its history. You should also teach us something about what that history means in terms of causes, effects, theoretical and social contexts, impact on visual culture, or etc.

Planning

You might consider these basic steps (in this order):

Step 1: Learn about Your Topic

Select a topic which is tentative, and research some facet of that topic to see how it might work. For some research review, look at Timeline Research Tips.

What, exactly, will you be looking for? What questions are you asking? You will complete a Research Report as one of your cyber class assignments related to this project.

Here's are some questions in addition to those on your Research Report:

• What do I need for a good, general understanding of my topic? Who are the revelvant people, events, historical circumstances, definitions, and dates?
• What specific feature of my topic am I most interested in? What will be the specific focus of my timeline?
• How did the topic of my timeline evolve or develop over time? What were the most key points in the item's evolution? What or who were responsible for changes? What were the effects of those changes?
• How is my topic relevant to the rise of visual culture? How has visual culture impacted it, and how has it impacted visual culture? Why does such a topic MATTER?

Go beyond Wikipedia and look at MORE than just quickly Googled sources. Consult a variety of texts. (You'll need a MINIMUM of five, not counting Wikipedia.) Do both "surface research" and a little "deep research." Remember that you can use books, magazines, reference materials, the websites of appropriate organizations, interviews with instructors in your major, etc.

At this point, you probably won't be thinking a lot about timeline DESIGN. Your first task is to get informed, find material .

Sharpen and finalize your focus, and begin more serious analysis. Construct a theme or thesis from your notes. You want to gather FACTS, yes, but more importantly you want to discover what is significant about the facts in terms of visual culture.

For example: say that you've researched the appearance of political messages on clothing. From your reading and thinking, you've come to believe that college students have consistently been the initiators and innovators of such clothing. And this might be linked to the even larger idea that college students generally have been driving developments in visual culture since the 1960s. (I don't know if any of that is true; I just made it up as an example!) Ideas/claims such as those would make a timeline of simple facts and dates much more meaningful. Remember that a timeline in a sense presents an argument or contains an often implicit thesis. Here are some other sample theses:

“The history of the billboard is the history of telling people to stop and go at the same time. Like other visual media, they contribute to the current onslaught of media messages, many of which, like billboards, are emotionally draining, self-contradicting noise. And now with the advent of the billboard-as-mega-TV-monitor, or the animated billboard, we are indeed entering a new phase of visual culture. A number of recent media studies researches would agree with me." Or, “Dilbert’s history as a comic strip reveals an interesting fact: artist Scott Adams has been concerned for over two decades about the visually starved contemporary workplace. The offices in his famous comic are always rendered as barren, aesthetically depleted cubicles, with equally barren people in absurd relationships. Though just a popular comic, Dilbert has made us increasingly conscious of how psychologically uncomfortable the modern office space can be. The comic has also lead me to realize that, even though we are more and more a visual culture, the visual aesthetics of the average middle-class workplace have become downright awful and even dehumanizing. This is a very interesting paradox, remarked on by theorists from many different fields." Or, “The ag-tech newsletter has gone from small-town café gossip to glossy, graphic, digitally-produced multi-page tomes for the contemporary farmer. For better or worse, the tentacles of visual culture have made their way even into the old, unpaved, small-town farming community."

You can discover and develop a thesis in any number of ways. For example, think about CAUSES and EFFECTS, like so:

• Was there a key moment in the evolution of your topic? Your thesis could be a claim about that.
• Was there one or more especially instrumental people involved with the topic's history? Your thesis might be an argument to that effect.
• Was the topic's evolution in some way accelerated, slowed down, or even halted at some point? Or, in your view, has the item gone down hill in some way (or maybe up hill)? If so, what caused this? Again, a thesis might be formulated.
• How has the item's evolution affected you or others, or some American institution, activity, or phenomenon, or American culture generally?
  
  Analyzing causes and effects can lead to a thesis and a very meaningful timeline.
  
  Remember too: research (both general and specific, surface and deep) is vital.
  
  

Step 2. Learn about Timelines and Timeline Design

Now gather some information about the GENRE of timelines. VIEW SOME SAMPLES by going into Blackboard > Project Assignments and Resources > Timeline Samples. When you study samples, look at:

• design (pattern of arrangement, placement of side notes, size and positioning of dates, font choices, color scheme, etc. etc.)
• visual effects and software techniques
• content
• themes
• purposes
• audiences
  

Step 3. Design Your Timeline

Note: it might help to first put together the briefest sketch or storyboard of your timeline, just to get the info down that you want. This might be a wholly written sketch, just listing dates and adding facts as well as the commentary which will make the facts meaningful. Also, consider trying Xtimeline as a drafting space: http://www.xtimeline.com.

When really getting down to design, PLAY! Be inventive. Timelines don't have to be linear or axial. Text can be applied in many ways: brief statements along the timeline itself, offset boxes, large separate blocks of print, and so on. That text, of course, should be integrated into the total visual design. And of course you'll want to pay heed to fundamental design principles.

When finished, you will turn in:

• An electronic file (posted to our Blackboard Drop Box) containing your timeline.
• A separate Works Cited file with a minimum of five sources (not counting Wikipedia!). (If this can be included easily at the end of your timeline, you can just do that. Just as long as you, somehow, turn in a Works Cited.)
• A "Supplemental Notes" page which tells me about the experience of researching and creating your timeline. How long did your research take altogether? What kinds of technology were you using to design the timeline, how familiar were you with that technology, how much time did you spend on research vs. writing vs. design vs. actually constructing the timeline?

Grading Rubric (Evaluation Criteria)

Key Elements of the Timeline	Comments
Content Your topic has been well researched. Your timeline includes facts and information about the subject's development over time. Your work demonstrates analysis of why your subject matters to our understanding of visual culture. Your timeline has a discernable thesis, explicit or implied; that is, it makes a clear claim of some sort about its subject. Your thesis and argument are convincing. Your timeline enhances our understanding of visual language or visual culture, and tells us something more than the obvious or what we already know. You have a minimum of 5 sources. Remember, this genre requires writing; timelines require significant amounts of text, and they nearly always have an explicit or at least implied argument, including insight into the topic at hand.
Visual Design Your timeline demonstrates a good understanding of visual design, as discussed and illustrated in our Power Points. Your timeline uses meaningful shapes (e.g. arrows, overlapping circles or boxes, parallel lines, etc.). Your timeline uses effective spacing and proximity. Your timeline clearly directs the viewer's eye through placement, color, shape, contrast, and awareness of typical reading patterns. Your timeline uses aesthetically, thematically, and emotionally appropriate colors. Your timeline uses purposeful fonts. Your timeline uses appropriate visual styles (realistic, abstract, or iconic). Your timeline has visual interest, is imaginative, and very creative.
Mechanics, Conventions, and Polish Your timeline demonstrates a good understanding of the software you are using. Sources are documented in a separate or included Works Cited page, using MLA format. The verbal (text) component is well-written stylistically, edited for clarity, concision, and elegance.Your writing is also edited for spelling, punctuation, and other surface errors. The project includes a Supplemental Notes page.
Overall Effectiveness Your information graphic is informative. It illuminates its subject through analysis and makes clear how that subject is important to our study of visual culture. It is visually powerful and strikes responsive chords in the viewer. It clearly meets its purpose, as explained above, and pays attention to the needs of its audiences. It avoids relying on stereotypical (especially if potentially offensive) images or ideas.  The electronic copy is easily accessed and viewed. And, finally, your finished work demonstrates that you've been actively learning from our class discussions, readings, and viewings.
+ _______/ 15

Grade Definitions

A = 13-15. Excellent in all areas. Perhaps room for some small improvements, but timeline mainly demonstrates excellent research (multiple sources, informative), good analysis of subject, persuasive rhetoric, a discernable thesis, strong grasp of basic design principles, and lots of creativity. Does of good job of illuminating its topic; goes well beyond the obvious. And it just looks good!

B = 11-12. Good to very good.  One or two noticeably weak areas while the rest are very strong, OR all areas are competent but lack the “zing” factor (creativity and/or insight). Thesis is evident but may be somewhat obvious. Argument may have a hole here or there.

C = 9-10 Acceptable. Significant room for improvement in most categories, OR one or two areas are exceptionally poor/unacceptable even though the rest are sound. Thesis may be somewhat vague, insufficently argued (somewhat poor persuasive rhetoric) or too obvious. Somewhat weak analysis or relevance. Proofreading and editing of text may show some problems.

D = 7-8. Mostly unacceptable. Elements might be missing, nature of assignment misunderstood, analysis exceptionally weak, writing inappropriate for 300-level class, research perfunctory and surface only, no clear thesis, argument, and/or relevance. One or two elements might be acceptable.

F = less than 7. Incomplete and/or virtually all elements are exceptionally weak.

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