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    The document presented here is issue one of Dot Zero magazine (1966). Dot Zero acted as house publication of Unimark in partnership with Finch Paper. Unimark was cofounded in 1965 by Massimo Vignelli, Ralph Eckerstrom, Wally Gutches, Larry Klein, Bob Noorda, Jim Fogelman, and Bob Moldavsky.

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    The document presented here is issue one of Dot Zero magazine (1966). Dot Zero acted as house publication of Unimark in partnership with Finch Paper. Unimark was cofounded in 1965 by Massimo Vignelli, Ralph Eckerstrom, Wally Gutches, Larry Klein, Bob Noorda, Jim Fogelman, and Bob Moldavsky.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    56 views29 pages

    Dot Zero Issue 1

    Uploaded by

    Audrey Wright
    The document presented here is issue one of Dot Zero magazine (1966). Dot Zero acted as house publication of Unimark in partnership with Finch Paper. Unimark was cofounded in 1965 by Massimo Vignelli, Ralph Eckerstrom, Wally Gutches, Larry Klein, Bob Noorda, Jim Fogelman, and Bob Moldavsky.

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    of 29
    dot zero1 To Be of Service This is Dot Zero number one, It is the start of what we hope will be a continuing intellectual excursion into the visual world around us. In this publication the serious will find stimulation; the dedicated . .. encouragement. To those bored with the clichés of visual communication Dot Zero provides a new Point of Departure. We invite you to explore Dot Zero, to read and react to the thought and imagery that inhabit its pages. And, share with us the sense of pride and exhilaration we have felt in undertaking to sponsor it. As sponsors, Finch, Pruyn and Company, Glens Falls, New York, believes its involvement in Dot Zero is a productive way of restating our traditional commitment of service to you and your profession, Finch, Pruyn has had a long time to establish meaningful traditions, We have been in business for more than one hundred years. Performing in excess of the expected has become an important part of our way of doing business. We haye learned to place a great deal of stock in pride of craftsmanship, honest value, and in service. This is why we are sponsoring Dot Zero: To be of service, to indicate an awareness of our own responsibilities, to express our concern with the fulfillment of visual communication and design ...and, to demonstrate the facility of our papers and the printed page. We would hope that you will come to look upon Dot Zero as a fruitful source of inspiration, and a continuing reminder of our capabilities and our willingness to serve you. ga Lyman A. Beeman President Finch, Pruyn and Company TER reir) eae’ or Nae Dea Peace Eee Ker ctr) Par Suen ot From this point a survey was made of the Colorado River in 1885. One rma Peo OK eens TORU CR RUC E Cy eee am) Pe eRe aC ao aU Rare CRs sn ova nal and coloring, which an eee Rta Peeters aa ee ener Furthermore, © is to the eye and 0 the ear a memorable and aC RCE symbol for the topics of design cunts RR RRC) Ca Rune er Eat eee Aa co Pus ae CR Dee eRe ee uC Neen Cn gece) from naught and freeing itself from CeCe oie It is dot zero © hour from which Renae ean Pera Re Ty Dot Zero is published quatery by ot Zero, Incorporated ‘575 Park Avenue. New York. NY. 10022. ‘Subscriotion price: $8.00 per year. Application o-maf at controled circulation rates pending at Champaign, Minos. Publishers: ‘Ralph Eckerstrom for Unimark International John Windah for Finch, Proyn & Company, ine. Designer Massimo Vignel Consulting Editor: ‘Mildred Constantine Produetion Manager: Jan Stool von Holstein Contents ‘Eaitoial Statement 2eclne ofthe Visual by Marshll McLuhan 4 Computer Graphics by Maurice Constant 10.Vaitions on the Face, by Bruno Muna 112 Psychology of the Visual. by Martin Krampen ‘1B rntng 2s an An Form: Eugene Feldman 260vestions of Lesibility, by Bor Zachvision ‘30ARematves to Architecture, by Anhur Drexs 38Greetinos 42.B0ok Review, by Douglas MacAoy Editorial Transformation of our world is accelerating 20 rapidly thar quamivatve change hes Become a qualiarise ‘ference. Areas and dicplines that yesterday Seemed unrelated are today discovered to be Interwoven and interdependent at a more meaningfid level. Matersno longer join up by pressing solidly ‘against one anrer, but By the pull they exert ‘against one anrher Tino longer surprises us that a polished steel surface ‘ar one milion magnifications looks Uke a satellite Dhovograph of earth or that 2 man, rather than an ‘anges is lating gracefully around the earth at ‘orbital speed. We have swallowed ideas and images ‘that our grandparents would have choked on: are no longer in the condition of the aborigines who were 0 unused to reading lt pictres tha they couldn't ‘recognize a photograph ven of thelr own neighbors ‘We have come so fr beyond Jules Verne and HG. Wells that we can almost face the idea that ‘enthing man can even tink of, he wll one day be ‘ble 10 create. ‘But our old ways of thinking, seine, communicating, hare Become obsolere, our new ways can Become tbsolete even more rapids. Before the pant ts dry on the protest poster, the luc has shied a0 much has our rae of communication changed. With {frequent and maple exposures atts rte, any ‘postion rapidly becomes a paredy of self 18 no fceiden thatthe advertising profession has accepted parody itself ax one method of communication. ‘Adeptable as we are, however, the pace Is dizzying. 1118 nearly impossible to adjust uw thinking fast ‘enough 1 make good use of al our new potentials. {ris small wonder that many of our new attitudes lack wholeness, grace, ane adequate recognition of the ‘proper human wae of human beings. No problems are ‘any longer simple problems, andi is f0 the Tecognition ofthis fact thal DOT ZERO is addressed. Goed design is no longer a mater of good taste ‘and intelligence alone. Better cites are not made by beuterinentons, or better political administrations alone. Beter solutions today, in communication a in ‘ther areas, require deeper probing, broader londerstandig, and more thorough integration of the ‘roving mass of pertinent factors. The functions @f communication. in particlar are beginning to need 4 more highly articulated grasp ofthe desien ‘roblem; men engaged in these functions need @ ‘matrix of understanding of design inal! its applicaions. DOT ZERO is aimed at meeting this ned. I isan interdscipinary quarterly covering a network of design tpies om an international scale i wil deal ‘uth the theory and practice of sual communication rom: varied points of reference, breaking down ‘constantly whar used 10 Be thought of as barlers, land are now seem fo he points of contac. Wherever posible, we wil ask members of one Atsciptine to diseus the problems of another rom ‘ir own point of view. We shall work, within each issue omard a correlated system of arteles, each of which sheds light on the others. Each issue will ‘embody a central theme, around which thinkers and writers, aswell as eminent designers, arts, archers, photographers, )pographers, printers, teachers, and businesemen wil ply thelr variously Shaped ovis. On these articles, we shall fel free to edtoralze, separately and wtaliealy, abvays maintaining the ‘iainction between the contributors thinking and ‘ditaral comment. There Is nothing ere intended be final or defntive: we area poit of ‘departure: DOT ZERO. RM. processes subjected to mechanization are managed by visual means. Ie the visual power to solate and frest aspects of functions (@ power not shared by the other senses) that is s0 Indispensable to the A Feléman voriation on a picture of 2 git. typologies, pavehiealy and socialy, have assured their presont pattems. And, furthermore, they” a {tee forthe fis ime to restructure the typical sensory —<— lt Le ee eee ee a i i — 7 Decline of the Visual set twee o. e — eee wee ee eet . eee = ee ee ee . _@ rictsegesess . ee! secretes : : ee ee eee cee oe ieeeee + ope ve eS | | | see steoee ef) Martall McLuhan holds @ PhD tn Enetoh technologies, prtatery ou dbrtact 1 00 lato aol sence a a itertre rom Corbridge, ania pofesorstip et members from she Une Ths rain from the cootacile ear 10 the © 89) Teron Cntcrsy: bt for he the stay of Caica! —Sntrpolgy arctectare and Yon pone ‘erin entre has By now reached the an br rr | Ore. ce TT) Bremcreonmutcaton ts ic maith encarof" crac Bulsh marhonaticn teal scence, Srerp net accong Meta a afeted $e 5 ate ‘hers for as led hn tothe snd of Scoitmtolanudicasewcur ‘Siijaiavs krcucamiocs rue . eewsq eee ‘communication itself ax a phenomenon. The ‘concern is (0 define the order in which a culture Jt toward the non-discursive, anti-intellectual, eee ee Geese Iprcioic! ead rural consequenes of the various exiles ls profrener among the srs, hen quakmyalical one ysl mets of © 0 OM Watalcomenmcaton ested Ak cnenton thes epprchonsan of te rll cine ot” Sampuelt modesthet edd hee male wo Sse ones OM weeee oo jars et hs roraind ptt of MeLuhan desribes It, hex tacle and ritual ‘shor! ime ago. 1 was, presumably, no accident trttees BS co Sesimptrerthe Gactere Caley Gosh oct ts ones bg tae What ‘Sarr ova Ma come gh ol . e8ec- soe Understanding Media (954). 11 has also resulted as ought about this decline of the visual, says ‘of mumbers 10 be decoded from a tape Init former chobmensnp ofthe ord Fnntaton _-MeLahan ithe crease nur sped the high ‘Lana's wn expe ties nd his scene 2 @ : Senter ou Cue and Communion. anf hs” seeds eabig fom Jt eagles ont lorie InkveMomivation of «broad tla nd ace aie Bae ‘current directorship of the Centre for Culture and communications, viswal means of apprehending the eultual landscape, are like the flashes of lightning Technolgy athe University of Toone Tis trl snoly dot apply. They er Too sow tobe ‘that sage ochgs Inthe wouter tie =Ee eee ee - interdeparimental Centre was established to investigate effective, as the jet pilot's own eyes are too slow to ‘expression of the changing modes of awareness eee peewee oe Ihe nye on ocd concent eal Eon bythe the he hs Soe potent fads oe contompoary elie saae eee ee ‘At recent Delos conference the delegates met machanzing procesas, And in shis Wolton design ais that thar unis happen 10 have imposed ca otaig {o consider the “chs fn human seftomene: One solers Butwith he slocte excension of the norse upon thom. We have seaoy become aware of te Ce Esc coneeraton wae natin te next fon orfity and of Yedack" the vuel snes sores back ito ri ol at se Kind of CARE package patched to see eee ee ors there wil be more bulings erected inthe alton withthe oer senses, perelary withthe ndemourhed ares of te snsorium, We now be sone ned wo Besse tmivolbulcing each vor gece more spoce enclosed chanical or Hepmontery But tepraly looped" human stuvonment ee 8 Work of ft deagned to aoe eal a5 ‘than the previous forty oF fifty years What eludes the With television in particulat there seems to occur an maximize perception and to make everyday learning *q IS Joven Uncertonding ofthe chess and planers lat extenion of the see of actve eaploretoy touche process of lacovery. Town planner ar apphng mse ay ot age mee thee rates of Ghenge snd growth ore even pester whichinvlvesalthesansesammutaneousy ther the Montessori method to ordinary Iving, Ande © | inoter sees of human aciviy, Wie they wony than ght lone. Butinallslecticphenorvena the eiprccally, ae we move ito te new age of acc: on oe ap eres ae ‘s|__ abouts population “erplosonelecinciy hes im- suai only one component ine complex nepiy, taping fore nclusive needs of commuty Ses ; floded or convacied, the wold (othe dimensions. Andsinceinthe Agectinfarmatonmasitensacions ef eontnuou ernng design becomes necessary . es . . oe] Savatage tre managed elciicaly the elect echrology has 1 he educators oth engines. The 998-01 gp¢ sea Suess One hing cleerto the bulkiers and town planner, meant for Westem men a considerable Gop In ihe etween rt and commerce ar closing at ast st - ° e * | Enormous nctesseintneepeedandvolume ofbuid- sual component in his exparionce, and’a care: thore beiween aducaon and government seen o+ 00eB4 ‘© ____tesrouuves' totaly new apposch tthe problems sponding ncease nthe ect otis cther senses. With the lecie exanaion ofthe nervous aye Reais Sue! ldestn-A et erew has tose diferent esources Indeed, withthe advent of elec technology we ten have not only become invalved with one «6 osbse © | Sipereption toma pedestian. Gutthe very speed have entered avlavely cm. unconscious ward in another don, tey have had to st th sess see eee ed thateals or advanced avaraness and extended per= which the exenson of svarybadys nerves has in-_of atterton om ction to reaton Is now neces 1BO0 @o~ ° . . © | options also makas possible the recognition of pat~ volved him deeply in ll other lives, And while this sary to know in edvence the consequences of any . a8 oeeeee . a {emnsthat re ot accessible thore moving tower has theater the sense of Senty of many people, poley or etn, since the resus af such poly and i | foes AC 12000 feet the ett nail a opresenta-fehasheightoned our general Scion ee expedtenced without dle. Ths wes not = @ees 5 " . . tional painting. At 35,000 feet it begins to acquire and meaning of lives and o necessary in the former fragmented and mechanical . es eee . . : ftarectdorgr. Ar the vsvalomporentislowered, tome sensi ge, whan the consequences of actions were de- . we tactile and Kinectetic components increase, In is new book, The Bepinings of Arch iayed One cous wat and se, At elect speed no comes out ony constant, speed bocornes 9 gyro. that prior to sonpt tere To no avehtecture in any Serigra involving all actors and al senses at once . ages e esse eee 7 . . . Scone factor of stamity in ur word, And ike the culture. With sonBt comes te armpiying othe role now become mandatary forthe most ordinary sue as : Jetplot our entre society today Ives by insumens of puey waval vals ang 2 eimihing of the ons. Thue to Wpograper, for example, I con = = oe - ‘tation, not by the unaided human senses. audio-tactile complex. With script the vertical-hori- fronted with the need to devise types that can re- os e ial fa at {Win slecticey. man extended his neous sratem rota planes can separate om the depth mvoNe- capture sonse of ehiéen i the age of eevison Gobsly: Ear exersons or technologies were tent of Kiet stess and fom foveh and sound. Types acceptable fo the pe-TV chiar of nor. a5 . eee oe fragmentary extensions of the body. Clothing ex- The visual sense alone offers the uniformity, conti- vance to the TV child with his myopic demand for as {ends the thins the wheel the fee scipt the eye, muyand connectedness nesdedin rational orvie__nvelement nthe tet . = -* “Thus the centuries of gradual mechanization by frag- ual organization of experience. Touch, sound, and Another way in which to describe the revolution of oe . asi aie Iremary exencon have been revurod n'a rsh By the rest have neither the uniformly nor the con- eur senses inthe electric Age of Inormeton isto {helntega creulry ofthe slctne extensions of our nectadness eesed forthe architectural “enclonure” ete the foc tht atthe graduate lvls of study ur os . ry Iarous ystems. With such elects cveulty womave of space, But peerte men have a vealed feel-_unversiie, which were in the. Mechanical Age ae Sily outa he word ofthe wheel anda aeaied ing far the unique io! forme, wen visual man by places or processing afew young people, havetoday . eae Ga into» wer'd ot pattern recognition. The ebm: Ws nature tends to tdce and enclose in unform become organs of percapton forth ene society os . eoee ing process anf can, mave from the phase ofthe and contnuous spece, Wing sa auch areduc” The subject of thoi studies has widened to include caution of data to the plone of scovery iin of he complex sensory modes of words ito all of society (for example statistical means of o. . eee Trsant conmuricaton insures tet factors ofthe Sgle visa! mode, And Wow inthe electie age sudlncereseateh), andthe routs of th dios trwvonrent om el expecnee shall covet in's whet al sensory mades ae smutiansousiy acces= (rom the predictions of te weatarman tothe i eeeuees Sts of aetveitrplay ie nterplay tat yede af sil the Iyanny oF typography, which imposes te sruments for perclvng tho structure of mater) Sweranoss of fom and design, whereas ot lower monotonous regime oof pects of Me tnd per~ more decly soe the whole society =—* ‘ates of movement one is left with facets and points ception, can no longer be sustained. Yet the typog- With this change of role of the university there has. oe ‘ruse. ts no paradox tat pattern ov decge oss fopher Can reap some advantage rom the segecal come a coespording need to redesign ever fa fet ovish in gntyrsua or ghyiteateCutuos: evowton, For the fst ime, he's ee to explo! ture ofthe campus ond the curiculum ole. Is ee Tadustal socites push the oval sence inc eola- eters 26 abstract sculptural dosgne 2 shustion rot uteted tothe ane ete et the be tion because the ragmentaion ond snlyes of the Yam sugpectng that nthe elacic age men are ble ginning of hase observations. The ew cies ere no * for the first time to perceive how their own sensory longer to be mere enclosures to house or contain populations of fragmented Interests. They need to Become immediate means of enhanced perception and envichod association, Computerized fm drawings of plane landing from @ “Carrier Approweh Visibility Study” by Compuer Graphies, Airplane Division, The Boeing Company | puter generates images — sti Computer Graphics: Extending the Visual Media Maurice L. Constant Mr. Constant i ice a graduate ofthe Unversity (of Toronto: once in engincering, ad agin, after the War, aclonce. He was, forte years, a member of {he National Film Board of Cara, acting as ‘rte, director, and producer of documentery fm. During this ime, he Setup the Setence Film Un, Which developed equipment and techniques for time Iapae and high-speed phorography. Since then he has operated asa consultant and an independent producer of flms for iclevsion, tn the felds of slence, ‘ericulare, anthropology, and international af. 1n 1964 he developed an interest in exhibition deve, ‘and became involved with fve ofthe major pavilions for Expo'6?, the Montreal word's fai. In Yanaary, 1965, he was appointed dasistan Professor of design with the Faculty of Engineering atthe University of Waterloo. His current actives clade teaching ‘and research in computer theory, story and Dhilsophy of slence, and new projetion techniques land teaching methods with veloping Computer graphics, technique by which the com: ‘ving, on paper, film or tape has now passed through the research stage and entered the’ period of development. In Consequence, the subject of computer-generated images has now become a matter of direct and i ‘modiste concer to the designer and film maker Ineffectone of tha most powerful tools eve offered {othe creative imagination is asking for ditection from the user. What would you like mo to do for you? What form would you ike ma to take? ‘The sad facts that up tothe present, designers and film makers are hardly aware ofthe existence ofthis tool, much les its personal relevance, and where some Interest ha existed, to0 often the esoteric language ana habits of mind ofthe computer scientist have cscouraged further investigation Nevertheless, some design-oriented minds, industrial designers and architects, have begun to explore the tse af computer enimation to evaluat structures and Sequences. The architect or exhibition designer has been intigued by the possibility of seeing on film an accurate model of He can walk around t tis nota matter of inventing a technology, butvather of taking existing technology and putting t together in a computer graphics system directed epe tically at the needs of the designer and fim maker Hitherto, much ofthe relevant computer technology has concerned itself with the problems of the engi eer. and the need to pot information inthe form of 23 graph. Typical of thisconcern isthe development of high contrat film techniques. However, let us con: sider the more sophisticated requirements ofthe film ‘maker; thesa wil include most ofthe concerns ofthe designer. Now we must broaden our intrest n com. puter graphics beyond points and lines to somewhat ‘ora sophisteated requirements: shope, color, shad Ing tone, image qualty, movement within the frame 8nd trom frame to frame (shot to shot). Allthis implies, too, an interest inthe metnsof me lating these elements in a meaningful way, that according to the conventions ofthe film medium, fnd, as wall, thatthe hardware involve ‘enient, economical an, in general, mor than existing film-making procedures, What do we wish to achiave? In general, to extond the film makar’s powers to manipulate shapes and Colors in space; 10 help him do the kinds of things Grid figures transformed (including next two pages) by external pressure and a global projection developed in connection with research done at Laurence Radiaiion Laboratories. hho has boan doing but better, ess laboriously. more ‘economically and with greaier accuracy. In many {casos the peculiar powers of tho computer make [possible the construction of images whichare beyond {he so0pe ofthe film maker. For example. inthe fl fof education, the subject matter of the sciences is {ull of expository material which suggests or some ‘times demands visual capabilities beyond the present ‘capacities ofthe fim maker or the film medion. An ‘obvious instance is the accurate rendering of com plex movements or shapes governed by mathematical prescription or which require great numbers of la Borious eslculations ang drawings. ‘We must be prepared, 00, (3 most exciting prospect) for the emergence of new techniques and modes of ‘expression — based on the peculiar capabilities ofthe computer of whose possibilities tho film maker is fot aware and which he eannot even imagine, I is Quite possible that the continued extension of the {ilm maker = powers in combination with new display ‘and projection devices and ideas, such as multiple Screen and total image envelopment. will produce not justa difference of degre but of kind ~ in effect, ‘2 now medium. In physic, for example, tsintriguing {o contemplate the effect of teaching the funda ‘mentals of motion or frames of reference by means of Computer animation projected on the inner surface of forty foot sphere. Goncretely, then, if we wish to direct the develop. ‘ment of computer graphics technology towerds the feeds ofthe designer, what do we wantin terms of hardware and capabilities? [At the present. fom the point of view of desianers 36 film makers, there are two fundamentally difer- tent techniques for obtaining computer-generated Images. Over-simalifying actual procedures to make the point, is sufficient to say that In one case ‘you Teed the instructions into the comauter in the orm of punch-cards or tapes, then see the graphic cults of the computer's operations displayed on paper, fim, oF the face ofa cathode ray tube. In the Second case, the user sitsin front ofa console. With 2 device known a 2 light pen he drave lines and ‘shapes on what looks like the face ofa toevision sat. Its the development of the second systor which holds the greatest promise fr the designer because, Unlike the fst permits trial-and-error, experimen: tation, and creative deodiing. Such a systom requis large memory bark, and this means inking it (with feconomie fest in mind) toa time-shares Torge fale computer, Let us summarize our requirements: Display console We would lke the computer scientist to give the

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