Poster design : an examination of history, theory, practice and potential

Thesis (M.S.V.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1982.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 298-306).Posters are public inscriptions with strong roots in the development of graphic technology. They play an integral role in the development of graphic design. Current ideas about poster design are discussed to establish why and how recent technological possibilities may change our concept of the poster or alter the poster design process. Exercises in poster design using recent technological advances provide a demonstration of the nature of these changes and the potential they suggest.by Nathan Immanuel Felde.M.S.V.S

Meta-design in the complexity of global challenges

A growing sense of crisis in the world, manifest in effects of climate change, depletion of living species, exhaustion of vital resources, extermination of indigenous peoples, disparity of wealth and privilege, a persistent rise of autocracy and demise of democracy — these all compound the urgency of asking what role design and designers must have in addressing these failures to account for the basic needs and rights of all humans, all species, and the environment. Should we reform design practices or is there a meta conceptual level within which we can better understand, evolve, and apply design principles? What are the limitations and risks of design as an increasingly popular practice? Where and when can the talents and skills of designers and the effects of design processes be more effectively applied? Who participates, and how, as the interconnectedness of our individual lives with and across social, biological, cultural, and political systems becomes more apparent? To what extent do design practitioners consider its consequences, intended and unintended

Trait correlations equalize spread velocity across plant life histories

Aim: Forecasting species migration with climate change and the advance of biological invasions requires a better understanding of species' relative migration capacity. Although theory predicts that species combining high fecundity and dispersal with early maturation should spread the fastest, possible correlations between these traits greatly complicate predictions of species' relative spread velocity. We asked whether the demographic and dispersal rates controlling plant population spread are correlated across species, and which observed association of these traits leads to the fastest spread. Location: Worldwide. Time period: Current. Major taxa studied: Eighty species of herbaceous and woody plants from 35 families and 64 genera. Methods: We examined the relationships between age at maturity, dispersal and fecundity for 80 plant species, ranging from annual herbs to trees. We incorporated these rates into a model predicting spread velocities, in order to estimate species' spread capacity as a function of their life history. Results: Across species, age at maturity was positively associated with both dispersal and fecundity. Given that these traits have opposing effects on spread, our models predict that species widely spaced along an age-at-maturity gradient should spread at comparable rates. This result was driven by variation between rather than within life-forms; the traits controlling spread were not correlated within annual herbs, perennial herbs or trees. The predicted spread velocities for these plant life-forms overlapped considerably, although on average, trees were predicted to spread faster than herbaceous species. Main conclusions: Our results suggest that very different plant life histories allow for similar rates of biological invasion or native species migration under climate change. Determining where species fall within the correlated suite of traits controlling spread might provide the most effective way to predict relative spread velocities