Visualizing San Francisco / Exploring Signage & Public Spaces

San Francisco, a city of contrasts, dynamic history and diverse populations, is a public space replete with visual communication in the form of signage. All manner of visual communication - directional signage, retail signs, banners, posters, billboards and advertisements, on the street and inside and outside of buildings - competes for attention, conveys content, and merges to create a sense of place and identity in the urban landscape.

This course will survey graphic design styles, typographic forms and media found on signage dating from the early days of San Francisco to the present. Students, as new citizens of San Francisco will together tour the various neighborhoods and communities of the city, observing, collecting and documenting signage. They will reflect upon documented examples of signage, analyze and study the relevant intended audience in its community context (historical, cultural or otherwise). Each will then engage in writing about his/her discoveries, and in the process learn to navigate their way in his/her new city.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Core F Learning Outcomes
1. Students will demonstrate a critical understanding of the political, economic and social underpinnings of visual communications and signage: Students read and respond to theoretical texts that provide political, economic and social frameworks to analyze the production of visual communications and signage.

2. Students will learn to chronologically sequence selected visual communications and signage: Students will read historical texts and learn to identify features of visual communications and signage through field trips of multiple districts throughout San Francisco. Intended audiences will be identified, analyzed and interpreted to gain an understanding of the populations of each district.

3. Students will be able to identify and analyze the growth and development of urban visual communications and signage across various world cities and regions. Students will read texts in conjunction with class lectures and discussions and understanding of how the signage in San Francisco neighborhoods and communities attract specific audiences.

4. Students will learn to use comparative methods to compare and contrast visual communications and signage throughout San Francisco. Students will read the landscape and assigned texts in conjunction with class lectures and discussions. They will develop and understanding of how San Francisco districts and neighborhoods use signage to attract specific audiences.

5. Students will learn to articulate and defend their judgements through a studied, engaged, and informed process of reflection as well as action: Students develop focused research questions and compose substantial arguments in response to those questions, incorporating extensive independent library research, field observations and documentation.

6. Students will learn to approach and appreciate visual communications or signage throughout the San Francisco. They will learn how to read and analyze visual culture using multidisciplinary approaches and how to use critical thinking as a key skill in interpreting their social world. Students will learn to read the city around them and better navigate their way through San Francisco.


The following San Francisco sites and communities will be investigated: USF, the Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach, Mission, Castro, Baker Beach, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Sunset, Haight-Ashbury, Pacific Heights, Potrero Hill, China Basin, Bayview / Hunters Point, SOMA, Tenderloin, Financial District, Golden Gate National Parks.


[download course syllabus + schedule + field trips]

[download handout 01/ thought paper guidelines]



ONLINE FIELD JOURNALS

Caren J. Balance

Andrew M. Cole

Dior Y. Geyton

Ma'Keda Habtemariam

Yihan Jiang

Rachel K. Kaya

Maria M. Morelli



PRESENTATIONS
week 01 / January 23



week 02 / January 30


Andy Cole / Week 02 / USF neighborhood / Masonic & Fulton

Caren Balance / Week 02 / USF neighborhood / Masonic & Fulton



Students in Front of Haight Street Victorian House: Andy Cole, Yihan Jiang, Caren Balence, Rachel Kaya, Ma'Keda Habtemariam, Maria Morelli, Dior Geyton

week 03 / February 06

Haight + Ashbury

week 04 / Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park  / USF Signage
Maria Morelli, Andy Cole, Rachel Kaya, Dior Geyton


week 05 / President's HOLIDAY - NO SCHOOL

week 06 / Market Street / Civic Center / Powell Street + Union Square / SF Public Library / SOMA / MUNI +BART signage systems

week 07 / SPRING BREAK

 

week 08 / March 19 / Mission + Castro + Lower Haight
USF / Signage / Dior Geyton

LINKS for Mission Street / Castro District field trip

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentrification

http://youtu.be/ibJ73HWPeeM

http://www.inetours.com/Pages/SFNbrhds/Castro.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Haight,_San_Francisco

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibJ73HWPeeM&feature=share

required reading / handout

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/travel/14hours.html



week 09 / March 26 / Chinatown / SF Financial District

A Brief History of Chinatown / Reading




week 10 / April 02 / NORTH BEACH / San Francisco


Students in North Beach: Andy Cole, Caren Balence, Rachel Kaya, Ma'Keda Habtemariam, Maria Morelli, Dior Geyton

San Francisco Public Library Historical Photos


Juana Briones

Telegraph Hill Parrots: A flock of wild parrots live on Telegraph Hill just below Coit Tower. You may hear them squawking overhead.

The Barbary Coast

Red Light District
BEATNIKS and the Beat Generation

In REVIEW
Tenderloin

week 11 / April 09 / EMBARCADERO + Piers + Fisherman’s Wharf / San Francisco

http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist9/ppietxt1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embarcadero_(San_Francisco)

http://www.pier39.com/

READING:
Rubin, Jasper, A Negotiated Landscape: The Transformation of San Francisco’s
Waterfront since 1950, Center for American Places, 2011




week 12 / April 16 / WORK DAY / Meetings about Final Paper / Research /
Workshop: Writing and Effective Research Paper.
[download .pdf]

week 13 / April 23 / GAP Inc./ Potero Hill / Giant's Stadium / China Basin


week 14 / April 30 / The Presidio and Fort Mason, the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the Presidio and Fort Mason, Crissy Field, Baker Beach.


week 15 / May 03 / Present Final Papers