Week 8.2 Commentary (Isabel Báez)
Small discusses the importance of maintaining the idea of types and their dynamics in a digital context. Around the time this was written, computer graphics were not very developed, and the portrayal of text was very simple and plain. The urgency behind Small’s paper makes sense in this context. He discusses the importance of advancing these technical components to ensure that types become rich in a digital medium. He hypothesizes, and rightly so, that the digital medium will become prominent in design. Therefore, not developing these procedures to exploit types in this context puts them at a risk of losing their characteristics and richness. It is quite impressive to see Small predict the future for digital design so accurately. He mentions the need for speed in programs meant for design, which is certainly a high priority in any program that is created digitally today.
Moreover, he discusses the procedure behind dynamic simulation. These processes and calculations are what enable animations in today’s day and age. The diagrams shown for these movement of bodies are very similar to the logic used in programs such as Adobe Animate.