THE TEXT AS DESIGNED OBJECT

Seminar organized by Matthew James Vechinski, Ph.D. in English and Textual Studies, University of Washington

Seventeenth Biennial Conference of the Society for Textual Scholarship,

Loyola University Chicago, Water Tower Campus

Wednesday, March 6, 2013 • 4:30 – 5:45pm Jerome McGann in The Textual Condition described the text as “a laced network of linguistic and bibliographic codes.” His argument demonstrated that the field of Textual Studies favored the former at the expense of the latter, reminding scholars to attend to the properties of the physical text and the meanings they convey. But does studying ink, typeface, and paper (or pixels on a screen) go far enough in describing what constitutes a text’s embodiment and presentation? Since the advent of printing, the consciousness that a text can readily exist in quantity influences its making, both as linguistic object and material object, even before it is reproduced. This consciousness is also the engine of design, which today covers so much more than tangible products. The establishment of brand identities, the creation of software, or the coordination of services are all considered design practices, because they involve conception, planning, and then delivery. Broadly conceived, design, much like the textual condition, is where intention meets production. This seminar on the intersection of Design Studies and Textual Studies will explore the design of a text as more than its mise en page. Its goal is to look beyond graphic design to consider the larger intentions and meanings behind social acts of reproduction. In response to readings aimed at professional designers paired with pieces on textual theory, participants will discuss how concerns about intention and production germane to engineers, marketers, and behaviorists might provide new insights into the textual condition for bibliographers and texuists. Prior to the seminar, participants will read a short packet of excerpts, each no more than a few paragraphs, from a handful of representative texts. The packet quotes familiar works from noted textual scholars: Paul Eggert on readerly participation, D. C. Greetham on textual forensics, Dirk Van Hulle on genetic criticism, McGann on the textual condition, D. F. McKenzie on the sociology of texts, and Peter Shillingsburg on textual ontology. The material on design will start with excerpts establishing Design Studies as an interdisciplinary field by Victor Margolin and Richard Buchanan, and then consider three areas designers have recently pioneered—branding, interaction design, and service experiences—from choice pages in recent studies by Jon Kolko, Warren Berger, and Rob Walker. To enroll in this seminar or for more information, please contact Matthew James Vechinski (mjvechin@uw.edu or @mjvechinski). Visit the web site of the Society for Textual Scholarship to download the full conference schedule and to register for the conference.