David Small - Expressive Typography - PhD Thesis - Chapter 4

In this chapter, David Small discuses layering, juxtaposition and scale within digital media, describing the computer as intelligent paper, as it “can be programmed to intelligently react to changing inputs and models of both information and the user.” I liked the way he described this, with paper not being able to know what is printed on it, whereas a computer can. Several of the concepts that Small talked about show how computers have evolved significantly since 1999. For example, he says that the resolution is much worse on screens when compared to paper, but that is definitely not the case anymore. Small also emphasizes the limitation that “only the information in the topmost window is visible” on a computer screen, but now we can have split-screen views and multiple windows visible at once (also with smoother transitions from one to another).

I thought that Small’s continuous comparison to the design of a Talmud study tool to highlight the concepts of layering, juxtaposition and scale was very effective. I was specifically drawn to emphasis he places on the “dynamic context” of the computer and how “the elements are in a continuous state of change.” This brings the biggest difference to traditional graphic design, in which objects, as well as their relationships, are fixed. In terms of scale, Small shows how it opens up a new realm of possibilities, with scale no longer having to tie back directly to the relationship to the human form. Now, with the dynamic model that allows us to zoom and move elements around, “we are free to explore a vast range of scales.”