AIGA Publications and Design Press

Writing for Visual Thinkers: A Guide for Artists and Designers

Andrea Marks, published October 28, 2008
Developed by AIGA, this insightful e-book by Andrea Marks is designed to help people who think in pictures—a segment of learners that by some estimates includes almost 30 percent of the population—gain skills and confidence in their writing abilities. It takes full advantage of its rich media format with a wealth of images and links to articles, books, websites, blogs, wikis, video and audio podcasts. Written with the visual thinker in mind, Marks offers a feast for the eyes—from Leonardo da Vinci’s sketchbooks to video of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road scroll—adding depth and dimension to the written word and encouraging readers to explore their thoughts and ideas in text.

Writing for Visual Thinkers approaches the craft of writing from many directions, all with the ultimate goal of unblocking the reader’s verbal potential. Both experimental and pragmatic, Marks’s methods will result in stronger, more verbally confident artists and designers.

Read an article by Andrea about writing this e-book, download an excerpt and listen to an interview from the project.

“Whether alone or in tandem with sketching, writing helps organize and articulate ideas and manifest thoughts. Visual thinkers should utilize writing as another tool in their creative process.”
 

About Andrea Marks

Andrea Marks is an associate professor and coordinator of the graphic design program at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Her interests in design curriculum extend to exploring ways in which technology can enhance learning. She is the recipient of several grants and awards including an NEA Design Arts grant for her project Women of the Bauhaus. Her writing has been published in Voice: AIGA Journal of Design and she is a frequent speaker at design education conferences. She is the producer of the documentary Freedom on the Fence, a film that chronicles Polish street posters from World War II through the fall of Communism. Writing for Visual Thinkers is her first book.