Transdisciplinary Design

Process Similarities Between Graphic Design, Video Editing and Improvisation

Posted on May 5, 2011 | posted by:

From looking at the similarities between a graphic designer and video editor’s process I hypothesized  that similar process elements are transmutable across all creative fields. In order to further test this hypothesis I took a dance improvisation captured on video and attempted to fit the stages I have identified as shared between Adam, the editor and Matthew, the designer into my own dance making process. I then visually identified those shared moments (across graphic design, dance and video editing) in the improvisational video.

Interestingly, the final reframing in the improvisational piece was the most lucrative 15 seconds of the entire 5 hours I spent in the studio that day. There is something about physical exhaustion, a willingness to keep re-framing without judgment and boredom with oneself that pushes us to be more radically different. That combination of things really resulted in my most beneficial work of the day. That 15 seconds of movement was the video I used over and over in my graduate school applications. Lucky graduate schools got to see many witty videos like the one below.