STUDENT WORK GALLERY
GD1 Project 1: Black Square
2020, 2021, 2026
INSTRUCTOR REFLECTION
I have taught a version of this project before, at another institution, but this semester was the first time running it here and the first time with the Illustrator translation phase built in. The analog portion — composition, tension, rhythm, hierarchy through pure abstraction — is the pedagogical foundation I knew coming in. Removing representation removes the crutch, and students who have only ever made things by depicting things discover quickly that a rectangle has weight, that two squares can create tension, that white space is not emptiness. What I did not know was how the analog-to-digital translation would perform in practice. Students surprised me. Moving hand-cut compositions into Illustrator sharpened their attention to nuance in ways the analog work alone had not — a slight rotation, a small positional shift, changes that were difficult to execute precisely by hand became visible and adjustable on screen. Students commented that working by hand first helped them see changes quickly and make them quickly. The two phases turned out to be genuinely complementary rather than sequential: the analog work built compositional intuition, and the digital work made that intuition precise. I will run it this way again.
Student work
Curated selection across semesters
Student Project Reflections
"I think the process of working with drawings first helped me make specific decisions rather than just doing whatever and hoping it worked out. Having to be specific about what, where, and how to draw the squares is always an interesting challenge when working with pencil and paper. The use of the layered squares helped inspire the idea to make a sort of spiral tunnel when I was first exploring Illustrator. That time I spent messing around with the tools led to the original iteration of the Tension design." - Anonymous, 2026
"My analog decisions partially influenced the end compositions of my digital layout. I felt like it helped in a brainstorming and inspiration aspect but it also made me realize how many sketches I didn’t like in a digital form. Reflecting on the other compositions I made, I think I could’ve explored more with some of them but I also believe that they are very reflective of how I feel my emotions. For instance, my composition of calm is simply a black square in the middle of the artboard. This is how I feel calm; to feel calm means I isolate myself sometimes and it, in a way, represents my brain which is usually stressed and busy but has a moment of silencing the things around it." Anonymous, 2026
"Additionally, when the process began in my analog drawings, I chose to focus on a variety of smaller squares and rectangles that could constitute an equal balance across the composition. I already had an idea of proximity and the format I wanted to achieve, making my focus geared toward perfecting spacing, creating shape variation, and placing emphasis on shape relationships. Then, when working with the paper cutouts, having a physical piece to rearrange and place and remove allowed me to see shape relationships much faster than simply drawing them in. With that aspect, I could create references and a concrete outline to follow in my digital layout. In the final step of the project, Illustrator’s tools let me polish and perfect my composition’s spacing and proximity." - Anonymous, 2026
"My analog decisions influenced my digital design and layout by helping me play around with what suits the eye. I really enjoyed getting to do things hands first and having to commit to my visions before moving it around on a digital screen with no commitments. It helped me see what I wanted to commit to and what I wanted to change. This experiential part of design is what helps us understand the principles before putting it onto such a complex and interactive tool." - Anonymous, 2026