(DES-720A-03)
This site is our class notebook, a place to document and share what we learn.
Pratt Institute
Graduate Communications Design
Fall 2025
| Class Location | Steuben Hall, Room 409 |
|---|---|
| Class Hours | 5:00pm -7:50pm, Every Tuesday |
| Instructor | Tanvi (she/her) |
| Instructor email | t[email protected] |
| Office Hours | By appointment only, email to schedule. |
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Figma
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Each week, as you complete your readings, you should keep informal notes on each text in a reading log. Discuss what these texts mean to you and how they contribute to your understanding of textual form. You do’t hav to agree with everything! If you are critical of something, tell us why. You are free to experiment with formats until you find one that works best for you—but, as a guideline, each week’s entry should be roughly two pages in length. If you are going to use AI don’t bother. I don’t want to read AI slop. Please email me each week’s log entry by noon on Monday.
Data is never neutral. It reflects social, cultural, and political conditions that shape how it’s collected, interpreted, and represented. Designers have long used data to drive change. From W.E.B. Du Bois’s visualizations of Black life, to Florence Nightingale’s medical charts, to Minard’s map of Napoleon’s campaign, and Muriel Cooper. In the late 20th century, advances in computing enabled designers to collect, analyze, and use large datasets, giving rise to generative and algorithmic design practices.
By treating data as both a creative and critical material, they can shape structure, embed deeper meaning into their work, and at times expose hidden biases or systemic injustices.
In this unit, you’ll not only learn how to translate data into dynamic, tangible objects using technology, but also critically examine what it means to introduce data into the design process. You’ll develop techniques for mapping real-world data into design and harness the computer’s ability to perform complex calculations and iterative loops, enabling forms that would be difficult or impossible to construct manually.
Week 7
| ✨ | |
|---|---|
| Lecture | Talks at the Commons: Artist, Author Jer Thorp |
| Further reading | Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec: Dear Data |
| Assignment & resources | Week 6: Data & Mapping Data |