Griffin's colleagues urged him to write a book about his idea-generating system, called The Design Code. (That is because, using this system, many of his former students regularly produced award-winning graphic designs and illustrations).
When Griffin finally agreed to pursue publishing, we who signed on to help, discovered he was still evolving his system-- which made it difficult to arrive at a conclusion--so, after several attempts to get the project off the gound--we gave up. However, with his permission, I decided to revisit it once more--and Cune Press is now the publisher of two books about his system.
As author and illustrator of Learning First in Black and White, I used the visual of an apple to demonstrate how to use his system. And in Tossing Around Ideas, I used an ocean theme, so the viewer would have two sources to compare. Tossing Around Ideas has a section on color instruction. And It shows how The Design Code applies to photography as well. I did not use color in Learning First in Black and White, because Griffin believed in keeping learning simple--that color added complexity But I leave that for you to explore!
Order Learning First in Black and White, second edition, at: Cunepress.com ($20.00)
And my thesis research confirmed it! Integrating the arts into other academic subjects can boost learning.
That's because the arts teach not to take "no" for an easy answer --that there are many possible solutions--which is the main premise of The Design Code process. The arts teach how to modify and adapt. How to to tell a story. How to add pizzaz! And that kind of thinking transfers to any domain.
After a career in design and illustration, with reps in San Francisco and Seattle, and later as a Fortune 500 corporate marketing communications manager, I earned a Master of Arts in Education.
"These are the books I wish I had had access to as an art student."
--Diane Solvang-Angell, author
I did that because I had always suspected the arts taught more than just the arts.