In 1952 Cooper graduated from Massechusets College of Art and Design with a degree in Graphic Design, as well as art education.
Although a print designer by trade, she is best known for her work with computers, most notably at the MIT Visual Language Workshop, which she co-founded in 1972. Previous to the VLW's founding, Muriel worked as MIT press's first art director. Her work there includes the press's logo(first image), and the books Learning from Las Vegas as well as File Under Architecture(second image).
While at the VLW Muriel Cooper conducted visual inquires into the use of computer and the viewer's interaction with it. Cooper believed in the power of the computer as a medium with immediate feedback which allowed the viewer to get the most out of their interaction with the information. Furthermore, she felt typography was the most perfect way to explore the computer's abilities, due to the fact that all its users would be about to recognize the forms, and feel comfortable, while navigating through this new world.
PROCESS
-Graphic design a filter:
Designer is given information, and must decide what the appropriate articulation of this idea is. Every material has inherent limitations, it is the job of the designer to use these limitations to their audience's benefit.
-The Computer as a tool:
Designers must see the computer as something that can benefit their design, as long as they keep in mind that it is an entity that takes in information and spits it out. Thus, the input, output, and the manipulations that occur within the computer, must all be accounted for.
-If the main interaction point of information is on the computer, the designer must keep in mind the world outside the computer. Digital forms should seek to reference tangible objects, but be self aware of their existence on the screen.
Lastly, Muriel Cooper also saw the democratization, brought about by desktop publishing as a benefit. The result of which would be a new interdisciplinary approach to communication. Thus, designers would be freed up to become consultants and design publications would inform readers about computer issues, and computer publications would keep its readers abreast with design news. The revolutionary aspect of Muriel Cooper’s views lay in the time period of most of these revolations: the 1980’s. Well ahead of the proliferation of Adobe or even widely held personal computers.
"ALL TECNOLOGIES ARE SURROGATES FOR PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE; FOR EXAMPLE, TYPOGRAPHY IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR AUDIBLE SPEECH. " -Cooper
IMPACT
Although she never wrote a piece of functioning computer code in her life- Muriel Cooper helped shape the aesthetic vernacular we are used to today. Because the Mac was the perfered creative system, even of that type, her work dealt with designing a visually comfortable space for a designer to access all of their tools, which responded to their needs and tastes.
Those who follow:
DAVID REINFURT
carries on work at MIT Visible Language Lab. Gives lectures and writes publications on Muriel’s life and work. Is also a working designer in Manhattan.
DAVID SMALL
former student, working designer, wrote programs which sensed the angle of the viewer which allowed the type and image to respond accordingly.
ELLEN LUPTON
admirer, who has interviewed Muriel Cooper twice, and both had a profound interest in the viewer as the creator.
Reinfurt's lecture at the Walker Art Center, where he delves into the concept of feedback (with metaphor on sailing which I mentioned).
Rather than viewing history as the linear progress of civilizations or chronicles of “great men,” we will explore alternative approaches, having short, tempestuous affairs with historical designers and movements that allow us to “give birth” to new work. Our mascot is Kid Eternity, the 1940s comic book character who could summon dead heroes to help him fight evil. (Image above from the 1990s version of Kid Eternity showing the kid with beat hero Neal Cassady, by Ann Nocenti and Sean Philips, DC Comics Sept 1993.)
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